December 16, 2024
Hello Friends of the ECA,
As I write this, I’m gazing out at our beautiful escarpment blanketed in fresh snow. Life is good! Time certainly does fly. It has been three years since the ECA quietly formed in November 2021, and 2024 marks our first full year as an independent registered charity, with me serving full-time as Executive Director. I may just be the luckiest guy in the world to call this my job! It’s wonderful to wake up each day with a sense of purpose, working to help create a “Nature Legacy” in South Georgian Bay.
While there are many positive things to reflect on as we enter the holiday season, the urgency of our work has never been clearer. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and habitat fragmentation are monumental global issues that will only worsen unless we all take action immediately. By supporting the ECA, you are making a difference locally. The ECA is focused on nature-based solutions to these challenges by creating an ecological corridor network across South Georgian Bay.
I encourage you to consider other actions you can take in your own life, such as reducing your family’s carbon footprint. Several Climate Action community groups can guide you in this area. The Collingwood Climate Action Team (www.collingwoodclimateaction.com) is one of the leaders in the South Georgian Bay network, and I encourage you to reach out and take the next steps. Embracing both nature-based and societal solutions is the only path to a sustainable, healthy future for our planet and future generations. The other climate action and sustainability groups can be found below my name.
2024 was a year of growth and clarity for the ECA. One of our greatest achievements was the Nature Corridor Summit, which you’ll learn more about in this update. Another major milestone was the launch of our geospatial Corridor Identification Project. This work, grounded in the ECA’s “science-first” principles, will yield significant results. We’ll be sharing more about this project in January, including visual progress through sample maps. This science will set the stage for 2025 to become a year of action toward corridor creation. Stay tuned for updates!
My sincerest THANK YOU to all of you who have volunteered and donated to support the ECA’s vision in 2024. We have a plan, but we need YOU to make it a reality! If you haven’t yet become an ECA donor, now is the perfect time—’tis the season! Wishing you and your loved ones a very happy and safe holiday season.
With gratitude,
Jarvis Strong
Executive Director
[email protected]
(705) 441-3346
Blue Mountains Climate Action Now Network https://www.gogreenforblue.ca
Clearview Sustainability Network https://clearviewsustainabilitynetwork.ca/
Collingwood Climate Action Team (www.collingwoodclimateaction.com)
Grey County Climate Action Network https://gbcan.org/
The Sustainability Project https://www.thesustainabilityproject.ca/
Wasaga Beach Climate Action Team https://wasagabeachclimateaction.com
