Local Stakeholders Committee
Receives National Conservation Award

At an Awards Gala held at the Liberty Grand in Toronto on June 6th the Kawartha Highlands Local Stakeholders Committee received a national award in conservation from the  Canadian Geographic Society. Shown discussing the award with another recipient, Dr David T. Suzuki who received a citation of Lifetime Achievement is Sissy Tanner who served as chairperson of the Stakeholders Committee during its three years of work, which culminated in the formation of the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site Provincial Park.


The awards were presented by The Honourable Stephane Dion, Federal Minister of the Environment and Clive Mather, President and CEO of Shell Canada , a  corporation which provided financial assistance in the process leading up to the awards. A number of members of the Local Stakeholders Committee were in attendance for the Awards Ceremony.

The citation accompanying the award was as follows:

Courage, Tenacity, Nerves of Steel. These are some of the traits displayed by the Kawartha Highlands Local Stakeholders Committee ( KHLSC) during its uphill battle to protect a treasured 36,000-hectare tract of land located 50 kilometres of Peterborough, Ontario.

The process to create the largest protected area in Ontario south of Algonguin Provincial Park began as a proposed expansion of the existing 1880-hecture Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park. In July 2000. the Ontario government appointed a 12 member volunteer committee representing diverse interests- environmentalists, cottagers, hunters, trappers, and birdwatchers- to hold public consultations about the proposed park. " We had to ask ourselves, Do we have any preconceived notions about what the designation should be?'' Says former KHLSC chair, Elizabeth Tanner.

After months of meetings and planning. the committee recommended that the area become a provincial park. The KHLSC weathered a storm of controversy within the community. It took another one and a half years of debate before its recommendations moved forward. " Part of the community wanted less legislation Tanner explains, "It wanted the land protected, but it also wanted tolerance for traditional activities. Others feared losing property values and being overrun by tourists."

The government dealt the next blow by rejecting the KHLSC proposal and designating the area a Recreation Reserve, which left the KHLSC butting heads with Queens Park on the question of ecological integrity. " The ruling did not protect the environment" Tanner says "when the Reserve Act was returned. We were opposed to it. Then the house session broke and the bill died. It was back to the drawing board."

By mid-2003, the Ontario government declared the land a provincial park under the Living Legacy program. The result is the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site, an expanse of mixed forest rising out of bedrock hills and covered in small lakes and wetlands. Residents will have input into park management, and in a first for Ontario parks, the area's ecological integrity will be a legislated priority. "We shaped and refined the land-use plan," says Tanner, " and have created a legacy of our own.''

The Youth Voice

by Chritine Everett & Donna Friedrich

Hey, you - Ya you reading this.  The Youth Committee needs you.  If you are a youth in the North Kawartha Township, and are interested in seeing changes within the Youth Community, let us know.  We are an active Community Organization that requires the support and volunteerism from all Youth in the area. Your participation will go along way in helping the Youth in the Community, as well as building up those needed community hours. You can reach us at apsleyouth@kawarthanorth.org.

The Kids Running Club (a Parks & Recreation Program) has just begun!! There are several local parent runners volunteering to coach/instruct kids and youth ages 10-19 on how to run!  We would like see some older kids ages 13 and up coming out. Learn to run, have some fun and get fit too!! We will be running all summer Our goal is to promote health and fitness and train for the upcoming 5km fundraiser on August 13 that is to raise money for the North Kawartha Health Centre. (information on that run to follow)

You can register/sign up for the Kids running club at g.geraldi@northkawartha.on.ca

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The Year of the Veteran

by Bill Johnston G.G.H.G.

Thanks to the Apsley Legion for the service which was held for we Veterans on June 5th. It made for a special occasion to be so honoured with the company of our own  local veterans in front of our own families, friends and towns people.

A rewarding experience. Here we are pictured in front of the cenotaph.

A picture of the Scouts below, waiting to participate in the service.