Mississauga—October 24, 2017

EcoSpark and Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) connects Peel youth to their local watershed through water quality monitoring and tree planting in Fletcher’s Creek. Forty grade 9 and 10 students from St. Paul Catholic Secondary School transformed into citizen scientists and stewards, as they learned how to protect and care for their local environment.

“As a former teacher, I understand the importance of experiential education in Peel’s greenspaces. I congratulate EcoSpark and CVC on their collaboration to empower more youth in Peel to become environmental champions,” said Mississauga-Brampton South MPP Amrit Mangat.

EcoSpark and CVC recognize the generous support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to engage Peel youth in watershed protection through monitoring and land stewardship activities in public greenspaces. This program gives youth the skills and knowledge to support a healthy and sustainable environment.

“This new partnership recognizes that youth have an important role in the current and future health of our watershed,” said Joyce Chau, executive director of EcoSpark. “Our youth participants are informed, engaged and empowered to take environmental action.

“Our program creates a strong sense of place and connection to the Credit River watershed,” remarked Terri LeRoux, executive director of Credit Valley Conservation Foundation. “This ownership is vital for the long-term stewardship our watershed."

This OTF-supported program takes place during the spring and fall. Teachers can register for the spring season in the new year.

An agency of the Government of Ontario, the Ontario Trillium Foundation is one of Canada’s largest granting foundations. With a budget of over $136 million, OTF awards grants to some 1,000 projects every year to build healthy and vibrant Ontario communities. www.otf.ca

For more information:

Joyce Chau, EcoSpark: 647-258-3280 x 2005, joyce@ecospark.ca
Jon MacMull, Credit Valley Conservatoin: 905-670-1615 x 382, jmacmull@creditvalleyca.ca

About EcoSpark

EcoSpark is an environmental charity whose mission is to empower communities to take an active role in protecting and sustaining their local environment. We do this by giving people the tools for education, monitoring and influencing positive change. To date, we have directly worked with over 57,000 people from across Southern Ontario in over 20 watersheds. www.ecospark.ca

About Credit Valley Conservation

Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) is one of 36 conservation authorities in Ontario. Conservation authorities are provincial/municipal partnerships that manage the natural environment of a watershed, an area of land where the rain and snowmelt drain into a body of water. For more than 60 years, CVC has worked with its partners to build a thriving environment that protects, connects and sustains us. CVC is a member of Conservation Ontario.

The Credit Valley Conservation Foundation (CVC Foundation) is the charitable arm of Credit Valley Conservation. Established in 1964, the CVC Foundation exists to inspire people and organizations to donate to support CVC’s vision of a thriving environment that protects, connects and sustains us. www.cvcfoundation.ca