According to CVC's studies, over 93% of the watershed is privately owned. The actions and decisions that each watershed landowner makes can play an important part in the health of the watershed.

Credit Valley Conservation and its many partners are involved in on-going research and monitoring of the river and land within our watershed.  This work helps us to track watershed health and identify priority areas for restoration work. On-going research and monitoring, combined with the size of the watershed (1000 square kilometres ), its large population and the fact that funding may come from different sources, makes it necessary to set priorites:

• Projects must take place in the Credit River watershed (see map)
• Emphasis is placed on projects or locations identified in studies undertaken by CVC with its partners
• Projects may qualify for funding support or significant natural areas may qualify for tax incentives depending on the expected environmental benefits and current funding programs
• Some services may apply to only a certain type or size of property, may require a minimum order (for example 1500 tree seedlings), or may involve a fee.
• In many cases, because of the ecological benefits, CVC may provide financial support for stewardship projects or help you access other funding.

Check with us to see if you qualify .

If your property falls outside of the Credit River watershed, you may qualify for programs or financial support from your local conservation authority, from provincial agencies including the Ontario Ministries of Natural Resources, Agriculture and Food, or Environment, or from other organizations within your community.

Urban Dwellers

Many of our projects involve larger, rural properties but CVC and many of our partners offer advice to city-dwellers through publications and our website. This includes information about:

• backyard naturalization
• composting
• water conservation
• erosion prevention
• ways to improve wildlife habitat
• and ways to volunteer for one of the many community workdays taking place in our watershed

You can also find information on how to get involved in habitat protection and other environmental issues, such as greening your home . Or, you may want to volunteer to help out with one of the many volunteer workdays taking place in our watershed.

Rural Dwellers

In many cases, CVC or one of its partners, can provide advice or financial support for projects such as fencing, providing alternate watersystems, or creating new livestock crossings. These actions help to:

• reduce erosion and improve shoreline vegetation
• improve the habitat for fish and other water dwellers by limiting disturbances to, or damage of creek and stream beds
• improve water quality by preventing domestic animals from defecating in or near watercourses

Caring for the Credit Stewardship Strategy

While all of us effect the environment around us, CVC has had to set priorities for the work it does with watershed landowners and with different communities within our watershed.

The Stewardship Strategy provides CVC and our partners with the strategic direction for working with the landowners to ensure that their activities on their land contribute to a healthy watershed.

The Strategy assigns priorities for our stewardship activities based on our research findings and the concerns of our local communities. Often, specific landowners are identified because taking simple actions on their land can have major effects on the health of the river or because there is an urgent need to address a priority issue.

In many of these instances CVC works with community partners to implement these projects, often providing technical advice and support.