CVC's Board of Directors hosts Mexican Mayors as they to learn more about CVC's Watershed Management

For Immediate Release:
Tuesday, May 22, 2007

The CVC Board of Directors and agency staff recently hosted a visiting delegation of several Municipal Presidents from the Ayuquila Watershed. The Ayuquila River Watershed covers almost 9, 800 km 2 of the States of Jalisco and Colima in Mexico. A letter of intent was signed by Pat Mullin, CVC Chair and Carlos Navarrete Navarrete, President of the Intermunicipal Initiative for the Integral Management of the Ayuquila River Watershed to further international collaboration in watershed management. The collaboration would include other conservation authorities and several universities.

The Presidents (the Canadian equivalent of our Municipal Mayors) from the ten municipalities within the Ayuquila Watershed in south-central Mexico are looking to the Credit Valley Conservation Authority as an example of inter-municipal cooperation in watershed management. The Mayors see the watershed concept and the Conservation Authority model as a basis for developing effective partnerships to work together to solve many of the environmental problems that they are facing. This was a very productive tour and training opportunity that enhanced the partnership between the municipalities within the watershed.

The visiting delegation toured key sites in our watershed and visited Belfountain Conservation Area. They attended the CVC Board of Directors Meeting on Friday, May 11. The Mexican Mayors expressed interest in hearing the Species at Risk presentation and were very interested in hearing how CVC addresses urban development and its implications on the watershed.

Conservation Authorities are a provincial/ municipal partnership. The CVC was established by an Act of the province in 1954 with a mandate to protect all natural resources other than minerals in the area drained by the Credit River . We have been working for over 50 years with our partner municipalities and stakeholders to protect and enhance the natural environment of the Credit River Watershed for present and future generations.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Bernadette Fernandez,
Communications Specialist
905-670-1615 ext 240