Jul 16, 2020
OTTAWA, July 16, 2020- A Monarch butterfly recovery project in eastern Ontario is now blooming thanks to a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the partnership of the Canadian Wildlife Federation, Hydro One and Lanark County.
“This three-year project to restore pollinator habitat on Rights-of-Way is a model for other areas of the province and country,” said Carolyn Callaghan, CWF senior conservation biologist, terrestrial wildlife. “The Monarch population has declined by more than 80 percent over the past 20 years, however, Canada is home to millions of kilometres of Rights-of-Way such as roads and electricity lines. That’s an immense opportunity for pollinator habitat restoration. And when you create habitat for Monarchs, you are also creating habitat for thousands of pollinator species, including bees, flies, moths, butterflies, wasps and beetles.”
The Canadian Wildlife Federation counts itself fortunate to have two strong partners in the pollinator habitat restoration project: Lanark County and Hydro One. Lanark County is a rural municipality in eastern Ontario — to the west of Ottawa which has changed mowing practices and improved hydroseeding practices with native seed to promote pollinators. Lanark County has been successful in reducing invasive plant infestations and improving pollinator habitat and will soon be sharing some lessons learned with other municipalities about how they can help improve pollinator habitat along roadsides. The project includes the Counties of Prince Edward, Hastings, Lennox Addington, Frontenac, Lanark, and Leeds and Grenville.
“By enhancing vegetation management techniques and restoration methods and sharing those strategies through workshops, webinars, and online resource sharing, we are encouraging Lanark County residents and other municipalities to support a healthy and sustainable environment. This initiative is also helping to ensure that conservation and restoration efforts are better planned and more sustainable, which exemplifies the long-term goals of Lanark County,” said Terry McCann, Director of Public Works.
Hydro One is also a strong partner, committed to enhancing pollinator habitat under their electricity lines and around their station properties. With thousands of kilometers of power line corridors across the province, the company is finding innovative ways to use its corridors to support environmental sustainability. This includes installing nest platforms to support osprey habitat, focusing on natural habitats, protecting rare plant and animal species when trimming hazardous trees and planting pollinator-friendly plants across the province.
"One of our key environmental objectives at Hydro One is to identify and integrate biodiversity management approaches into our activities.” said Elise Croll, director of environmental services, Hydro One. “At Hydro One, it is our priority to support the communities where we work and live. This project ensures we can continue to energize life for people and communities while also protecting Ontario’s pollinator species, including bees and butterflies.”
The Ontario Trillium Foundation is investing over $67 million to support 170 non-profit organizations as part of the Grow Investment Stream.
“The Ontario Trillium Foundation funds local projects to help organizations achieve greater impact in their communities.” said Katharine Bambrick, CEO of the Ontario Trillium Foundation. “Grow grants deliver essential programs and ensure that Ontarians can benefit from a wide-range of supports and resources made available by grantees. We are very pleased to invest in community-based non-profits across the province.”
The Canadian Wildlife Federation is excited to welcome other Rights of Way managers to join the movement in creating the Great Canadian Pollinator Pathway. Homeowners can also participate by converting portions of their lawns into wildflower meadows.
For more information and to download a best practices guide for Ontario, visit HelpThePollinators.ca.
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The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a national, not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to fostering awareness and appreciation of our natural world. By spreading knowledge of human impacts on the environment, carrying out research, developing and delivering education programs, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, recommending changes to policy and co-operating with like-minded partners, CWF encourages a future in which Canadians can live in harmony with nature. For more information visit CanadianWildlifeFederation.ca.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations.
The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries and is one of Canada’s leading granting foundations.
Media contacts:
Carolyn Callaghan, Senior Conservation Biologist Terrestrial Wildlife, Canadian Wildlife Federation 1.877.599.5777 | 613.599.9594 x 294; carolync@cwf-fcf.org
Richard Francella, Sr. Media Relations Advisor, Hydro One
416-345-6868
Terry McCann Director, Public Works, Lanark County
1.888.952.6275 /613-267-4200 x3190
Terry McCann TMcCann@lanarkcounty.ca
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