Help identify priority areas for our new Strategic Plan

JULY 29, 2021 – While Bob Dylan’s ‘The Times They Are a-Changin’ spoke to a different time when it was released on January 13, 1964, establishing itself as a long-standing anthem of hope for a better future, its relevance today has never been greater.

The times are indeed changing, environmentally; whether it is an increased number of hotter days, more severe and longer drought, more severe precipitation events or changes to what crops farmers are planting and harvesting, our environment is changing locally and globally.

Who could have foreseen the increased demand and visitors to conservation areas resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, or the increased number of full-time lake-front property owners working remotely and investing in their properties?

Never has Kawartha Conservation’s next strategic plan and future direction been more important to the long-term success of our communities and our watershed. And never has the input of our community been more important to helping identify what matters most to you.

“Our strategic plan helps to identify the strategic goals and strategic enablers of our organization and resources into the future,” explained Kawartha Conservation CAO Mark Majchrowski. “We have all experienced significant change in our personal, and perhaps professional, lives during the last 18 months. What we once thought was important may not be as important today, or things we hadn’t even thought about are now top of mind and very important.”

Kawartha Conservation’s Board of Directors and Leadership team want to hear from residents, families, businesses, lake and cottage associations, partners, agencies, visitors, anglers, recreational boaters, the agricultural community, conservation area users and more. 

“If you live, work or play in the Kawartha watershed we want to hear from you,” said Kawartha Conservation Chair and Kawartha Lakes Mayor Andy Letham. “Your ideas, your thoughts, your feedback will help make our next 5-to-10-year strategic plan a valuable document that speaks to our collective ideas, values and vision for our watershed.”

Over the course of the last few months, Kawartha Conservation’s Board of Directors, leadership team and staff have had an opportunity to reflect on our current strategic plan, while discussing what is important to them individually looking towards the future.

“There are areas we will always prioritize because of legislation and need, like source water protection, planning, permitting and flood forecasting,” explained Mr. Majchrowski. “But we want to know and have the discussion about all areas of our business which are important to you. We have seen a dramatic increase in conservation area visitors, for example, do we need to put more resources into our conservation areas, develop more trails and amenities? Should we focus more on the long-term effects of climate change and adaptation locally? Do we need to continue protecting our lakes and find solutions to practical environmental issues faced by landowners?

“These are the types of questions we are hoping the public will help us answer,” Mr. Majchrowski continued. 

“We have seen dramatic shifts and changes during the last several months,” noted Mr. Letham. “It can’t be ‘business as usual’ moving forward. We need to look at what is important to our communities across all areas and interests and we need to develop a strategic plan that focus on our new realities and our future. The public’s input is vital to achieving that.”

To help provide input, we are asking all interested members of the Kawartha watershed to complete a short survey of priority areas. The survey covers three main priority topics and provides an opportunity for written feedback for items not included.

To complete the short survey, go to https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KawarthaConservationStrategicPlan.