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As we learn more and more about our environment, the world we live in, the planet we live on, and our place among all living things, the more we come to realize how fragile that co-existence has become. We have recognized the damage we have done over the years. We are looking at ways to reverse past harm, while pledging to do better in the future. We have come to understand that humans are not masters of the natural world, merely one component of it. We also see, now, that what affects one part of nature most likely affects other parts as well.
Hamilton Conservation Authority and its 35 sister organizations across Ontario are primarily charged with water conservation responsibilities. In developing ways to deal with this mandate, conservation authorities have evolved a watershed approach to environmental management, which has become a model for the world's most innovative, accountable and cost-effective water protection system.
Primary elements of watershed management are assessing the impact of proposed development on the water resource, preventing development in flood-prone areas, purchasing wetlands and other environmentally significant tracts of land, and constantly testing the water to forewarn of impending problems. Click here to review a copy of HCA's Conservation Strategy.
The recreational use of lands acquired for water management invariably becomes an adjunct of the primary task. Public education about how development must be balanced between environmental, social and economic needs has also become part of the watershed management mandate.
Watershed management takes a holistic approach to the environment that suggests everything is related to everything else. On the following pages, you can learn about specific HCA environmental initiatives, our services and the recreational and educational events and programs we offer. There is also abundant information about Hamilton's wildlife and natural areas, and the place you call home - your local environment.
