Stewardship groups join forces for greater effectiveness

Stewardship groups from across Ontario have come together to strengthen their capacity for effecting change in the area of environmental best practices.

The Stewardship Network of Ontario (SNO) includes a range of stewardship or conservation organizations at the community, regional and provincial levels.

Lynette Mader, manager of outreach programs for Ontario, Ducks Unlimited, says she has found the network particularly useful as a forum for information exchange with the opportunity for potential collaboration on projects.

“(The network) provides an opportunity for people who are involved in the stewardship business to get together and be in the same room and through conversations over coffee or through presentations, to learn more about what other organizations are doing,” says Mader. “When you know what else is going on in the industry, that helps people to collaborate.”

Mader recounts how just recently an opportunity for partnership on a wetlands project rose out of a conversation with the staff-person of another organization during a network meeting.

Collaboration is important, particularly in the field of stewardship in Ontario, she says.

“A general and often-voiced concern is about multiple organizations visiting the same landowner. Anywhere we can partner on landowner contact programs is a good thing.”

Jo-Anne Rzadki, co-ordinator of watershed stewardship for Conservation Ontario, agrees collaboration sends a “really good message to the community and landowners,” raising the possibility of more receptivity when it comes to engaging them on certain projects.

“SNO participants recognize the value of collaboration and the commitment that is needed to make it happen,” says Owen Williams, stewardship liaison, Ministry of Natural Resources.

He points out that in addition to overcoming inconsistencies in programs due to duplication and overlap, collaboration enables stewardship organizations to “work more effectively, provide faster access to people and stewardship knowledge, help identify the priorities for stewardship action, and influence other parts of the network,” as identified by the SNO’s Stewardship Strategy for Ontario.

“These are high level, long term needs that have not changed substantially, but we are making tangible progress,” says Williams.

He notes the SNO has provided opportunities for government program leaders to meet with leaders of stewardship organizations to discuss the design of their programs, resulting in significant improvements to the programs and associated communication.

-- part one of a two-part series