WC133 NovDec 2023 - Magazine - Page 30
WATER QUALITY
In 2016, acknowledging the need for proactive stewardship,
the Great Lakes Protection Fund invested over a million dollars
in the One Water Partnership with the goal of supporting collaborative actions to improve the health of the Great Lakes ecosystem. This initiative brought together community foundations
serving shoreline communities in Canada and the United States,
creating regional working groups focused on collaborative action.
Among these, the Lake Huron Basin team was formed by the
Michigan-based Bay Area Community Foundation and Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan and the Community
Foundation Grey Bruce in Owen Sound, Ontario.
Collaborative foundations
Launched in 2019, the Lake Huron Forever initiative is built
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WATER C AN ADA • NOV EMBER/ DECEMBER 2023
upon the foundational work of the original basin group. The first
few years were guided by an action agenda that set out to support
nature-based solutions to stormwater management. As the initiative evolved, Lake Huron Forever now also focuses on fostering
robust community dialogue and hands-on actions that safeguard
both human and environmental well-being, ensuring the protection of water quality and the diversity of plant and animal life,
along with community support across the region.
From its inception, Lake Huron Forever sought to include the
voices of American, Canadian, Tribal Nations, and First Nation partners. Through unified vision, and by leveraging shared
resources and expertise, the collective inspires communities
around Lake Huron to put common waters first as they plan
and implement projects for the benefit of their residents. “The
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
Lake Huron Forever
Left to right: Protecting Lake Huron is all about cross-border collaboration and community engagement. Projects such as the rain garden planting by students in Au
Gres, MI, exemplify how organizations like Lake Huron Forever are fostering meaningful connections and actively enhancing the community.
