THE HALTON PEEL BIODIVERSITY NETWORK 
UPDATE Coming soon the new kid on the block - url is mainstreambiodiversity.ca First meetings for the local networks will be by end of February. Regional meeting in March and the first Halton Peel meeting in May.

Thanks to the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Halton Peel BioDiversity Network has recieved a four year grant to help mainstream the values and benefits of BioDiversity and raise awareness of the Convention on Biological Diversity.  This is a collaborative with Milton Green, Halton Peel Stewardship Council, Sierra Club of Peel, P.O.W.E.R. and Sustainable Ontario, as the founding members. The competition for the manager is closed and a candidate has been selected. 

THE LAUNCH OF ONTARIO'S BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY
On June 22, the BioDiversity Council of Ontario with support of the Ministry of Natural Resources, launched Ontario's Biodiversity Strategy Renewal Strategy - Protecting What Sustains Us 2011 - Renewing Our Commitment. The Launch was held in Toronto. Leslie Adams of P.O.W.E.R. was invited to deliver an address that wove together the shared responsibility, as well as the need to engage, for all levels of government.  Leslie spoke to the Convention on Biological Diversity role in the Ontario work and delivered words from the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biologica Diversity, Ahmed Djoghlaf.  More information on the Ontario Strategy, and how we can enbale it will be coming soon. 

THE DECADE OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY
In December 2010, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2011- 2020 the Decade of Biological Diversity.  A clear direction for the Decade is to reduce the root causes of continued degradation on the planet’s biodiversity and calls on all of us to  take urgent action to save and restore our web of life. P.O.W.E.R. will work over the Decade to take actions to mainstream BioDiversity, doing our best to realign the current paradigm and treatment of BioDiversity to one the is sustainable.  The fornal launch of the decade is expected to take place on May 22, the International Day for BioDiversity.  P.O.W.E.R. is pleased to be able to work with the canadian Environmental Network and the Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity as we enter the decade.  We have launched a new newsletter called Mainstream BioDiversity and are taking actions in Halton Peel to communicate, educate, raise public awareness and take actions on BioDiversity. This work is supported by Environment Canada and many others.

WELCOME TO INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE'S (IUCN) AMAZING SPECIES SERIES
Check the "Amazing Species" button in left sidebar.
In 2010 P.O.W.E.R. worked through the IUCN's Species A Day to help raise awareness on Biological Diversity. This was done in conjunction and in celebration of the 2010 International Year for Biological Diversity. We are pleased to be able to host on our website IUCN's work on this great series.

The Amazing Species series is designed to capture our attention and to increase our awareness of the enormous variety of life on our planet, and the fact that "Biodiversity is the backbone of all life on earth, but every day species’ extinctions are continuing at up to 1,000 times or more the natural rate http://www.iucnredlist.org/amazing-species/about
The Amazing Species will regularly feature a key species to represent a group of species and the region it comes from. Think of the amazing species as a keystone species or a flagship for the species and genetic diversity and the broader ecosystem.

For those of us wanting to look back on the Species A Day series, they are archived on the IUCN website at http://www.iucnredlist.org/amazing-species/about

THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF FORESTS
2011 is the International Year of Forests to help us recognize the many values and services that forests give us.  P.O.W.E.R. is working this year to help people recognize the many values of forests locally, provincially, nationally and globally.  Our Future Forest work is a perfect example of teaching and learning about forests. 

Of Forests and Men from GoodPlanet on Vimeo.

BARBARA HALSALL
It is with great saddness that we mark the passing of a great lady who always worked to make our planet a safer and more sustainable place for all. Barbara's passing has stunned and saddened all of us. Barbara Halsall was a founding member of P.O.W.E.R.  and we are who we are as an organization because of her.  We are not afraid to challenge, ask the hard questions and to stay the course to protect our planet.  We are always looking to engage and help people find their voice, especially youth. We try to be at the table with solutions and not just saying 'no'.  We try to NOT be a “not in my backyard” group and will offer help wherever and however we can.  Barbara taught us this.  We will miss her greatly. To learn more - Click Here.

 

 

P.O.W.E.R. IS TAKING ACTION TODAY... FOR A SUSTAINABLE TOMORROW!
Protect Our Water and Environmental Resources -- P.O.W.E.R. is a thriving not-for-profit community based organization committed to protecting the environment and the quality of life in North Halton and beyond. P.O.W.E.R. was formed in 1987 by citizens concerned about a plan to turn the Acton quarry, on the Niagara Escarpment, into a garbage dump. The dump was stopped but the importance of protecting water, environmental resources and ecology, and the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve, continues.

P.O.W.E.R. and its broad-based membership and partners work to, educate, foster actions and develop measured solutions that address unsustainable patterns and approaches that affect the quality of life and health of our planet. We believe that a healthy environment is the foundation for a bright future. Recognizing this, P.O.W.E.R. works to develop proactive projects, programs, directions and policies that recognize the necessity, importance, value and role of natural spaces, native species and ecosystem function and flows for sustainable communities.

Special thanks to Lucas Wagner of RealTime Computer Services for building and hosting our website and for continuing to go beyond to help meet our needs. Thanks also to Glenn Heshka for the beautiful photograph that is our web banner! We look forward to showcasing more of Glenn’s photos in the future.  

With our web site, P.O.W.E.R. strives to serve our community better. Protecting our natural environment and helping people engage is the reason we exist. Please tell us if you have any ideas about how we can serve you better.

 

 

P.O.W.E.R.
P.O. Box 192 Georgetown, ON L7G 4T1
(905) 873-1820
info@powerhalton.ca

Environment Canada Eco Action Community Fund
Wastewise
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources - Community Fisheries and Wildlife Program
Trans Canada
Earth Day Canada
 

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 Last Verified: January 2012

 

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