DID YOU KNOW? In Canada, there is no national strategy to address urgent water issues, and no federal leadership to conserve and protect our water.  Federal Water Policy is over 30 years old.

ReWilding - Keswick Creeks Pilot Projects

Ladies of the Lake is currently fostering an innovative new form of Lake Simcoe Stewardship called ReWilding –it’s a unique approach to redesigning places and spaces using nature's lenses to help people create habitat that we can all thrive in. ReWilding was conceived at the Where Waters Meet Conference in 2009 that was a culmination of the W.A.S.T.E. Films initiative. Says the lead for both projects Hilary Van Welter, " The Rewilding pilot is showing us that for urban and suburban areas restoring the lake works best when both nature and people benefit."

The pilot project called ReWilding Keswick Creeks, being supported by the LSCUF,MNR, LSRCA, York Region and the community, is experimenting with its own processand language. Projects begin with youth and community assessing stressed placesto determine how they might be improved for both people and nature. This is called PODcaching (POD = Potential Opportunity for Design). Once ideas have been generated, they are integrated into a professional site redesign. This leads to PODzazzing which is taking the design concepts to a new level by involving the community with an interdisciplinary team. This process has lead to some bold new site designs in Keswick Creeks as well as some creative product designs as phosphorus-reducing fire pits and rain catchers. The Implementation Phase of the ReWidling pilot is beginning now. Based on lessons learned, the Rewilding team will produce an Urban–Suburban ReWilding Guide in an innovative interactive tablet format, toencourage other Lake Simcoe communities to try on the ReWild lenses to help their vulnerable areas. See more at http://rewilding.ca/