About Us

Muskoka Heritage Foundation

The Foundation is committed to the preservation and conservation of the history, culture, environment, and quality of life that defines the unique identity of Muskoka. For more information: http://www.muskokaheritage.org/

Muskoka Watershed Council

The Muskoka Watershed Council's mission is to champion watershed health. Healthy Waterways and Watersheds are Essential. Waterways provide our drinking water, irrigate our gardens and farms, sustain our plants and animals, moderate our climate and generate our electricity. They are a vital part of our heritage, having served as the "roadways" that opened up Muskoka. They are an essential element of the scenic beauty that attracts our visitors, provide the foundation for our thriving tourism industry, and underlie much of our recreation. Ensuring the quality of waterways requires ensuring the health of the watersheds through which they flow. http://www.muskokaheritage.org/watershed

Ontario Trillium Foundation

The Muskoka Stewardship Program is funded for one year (2010 calendar year) by the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Find out more about OTF: http://www.trilliumfoundation.org/.

Background

From 1991 to 1996, the Muskoka Heritage Foundation ran a Muskoka Stewardship Program. This program enlisted the moral support of hundreds of private landowners throughout the District in the protection of natural areas. The program was very successful and by 1996 there were 341 landowners voluntarily protecting more than 30,000 acres of diverse Muskoka landscape, including 53 miles of natural shoreline. The re-started Muskoka Stewardship Program is aiming to build on these successes!

Summary of Program

The Muskoka Stewardship Program aims to improve the ecological integrity of Muskoka's private lands. This includes identifying ecologically significant properties and developing and training a core of volunteers called Master Stewards to undertake a land owner contact program.

Master Stewards will work with landowners to protect the natural values of their property. This could mean activities such as building a trail through your forest, attracting wildlife to your forest or garden, discouraging other wildlife from visiting, caring for your wetland ecosystem, harvesting wood from your woodlot in sustainable ways, and much more.

If your property is in Muskoka, rural, and larger than 5 acres, you qualify to have a Master Steward come out and visit your property. This visit is voluntary, non-regulatory and free. Master Stewards are trained to help you with the projects you are interested in on your property. They have knowledge, information, and resources to share. From their property visit, we will write a summary report of your property and give it to you so you are better equiped to begin and continue with stewardship activities. We will also give you resources that will help you with your projects. Lots of those resources can be found on this blog in the 'Stewardship Resources' section.

The Stewardship Program is unique in that it encourages neighbours to help neighbours and empowers local volunteers to engage in their community. The Muskoka Stewardship program exists to encourage private land stewardship. We want to help you get to know your land better! Contact us to become a participant in the program.

Stewardship Resource Centre

A library of standard information on wetlands, upland forests, wildlife, forestry and related environmental stewardship topics. There is a collection of pamphlets and booklets at the Muskoka Heritage Foundation, some of which will be provided as appropriate to landowners as part of the Master Steward visits. Also, check out the 'Stewardship Resources' section of this blog for links to many more interesting and helpful sites and documents. Where more technical information is requested by participants, they will be referred to the appropriate professional.

Recognition Program

Initiative: Stewardship Pledge
Format: Certificate
Description: A Stewardship Pledge is a voluntary pledge taken by landowner participants to be good stewards of their land of less than 5 acres. It indicates that specific stewardship objectives have been met and there is an ongoing commitment to private land stewardship. Participants will receive a certificate that could be mounted and displayed within a home or cottage. This certificate will be presented to participants upon completion of a successful property visit. Participants will also be identified as Muskoka Stewards and recognized appropriately in MHF publications and in the AGM program.

Landowner Benefits:
• Brief overview of property
• Verbal recommendations during property visit
• Resources provided

Initiative: Stewardship Gatepost Sign
Format: Certificate and Gatepost Sign
Description: The Gatepost Sign recognition initiative demonstrates a voluntary commitment of exemplary private land stewardship on land of 5 acres or more. It indicates that specific stewardship objectives have been met and there is an ongoing commitment to private land stewardship. Participants in this category will receive the Stewardship Pledge as well as the Gatepost Sign. The pledges and signs will be presented to landowners upon completion of a successful property visit. Participants will also be identified as Muskoka Stewards and recognized appropriately in MHF publications and in the AGM program.

Landowner Benefits:
• Full Pre-Visit Property Profile
• In-depth, documented property visit
• Comprehensive Property Visit Summary
• Resources provided
• Follow-up in program with additional resources and ongoing support

5 Ways to Get Involved!
  1. Volunteer to be a Master Steward
  2. Be a landowner participant
  3. Spread the word about the Muskoka Stewardship Program
  4. Share the link to this blog: http://www.muskokastewardship.blogspot.com/
  5. Become a member of the Muskoka Heritage Foundation