18 Apr Information About PEI Watershed Groups 2019
Information about PEI Watershed Groups:
– 24 non-profit watershed groups in Prince Edward Island
– Over 97% of the island is managed by a watershed group
– Grassroots organizations working with local communities
– Relationship builders who partner with industry (e.g., agriculture, forestry, aquaculture), government, academia, non-government organizations, indigenous groups, and communities to complete watershed work
– Received ~ $1.19 million in 2018 through Provincial Watershed Management Funding
– Leveraged an additional ~$1.7 million in 2017 from non-provincial sources for projects
– Average 1.4 X leverage rate per group.
– Some groups leveraged 4X WMF values
– Watershed groups’ payroll in excess of $2 million annually
– 189 employees (Ranged from 4 – 21 employees per group)
– 3189 total employment weeks
– Predominately rural organizations
– Over 12, 000 volunteer hours devoted to watershed groups
– Over 145 public outreach events hosted by watershed groups
– 24, 326 trees were planted by watershed groups in 2018
– Thousands of kilometres of stream rehabilitated and acres of habitat restored annually
– Work of watershed groups falls into 4 main categories:
– Watershed Planning
– Habitat Rehabilitation and Enhancement
– Outreach and Education
– Research and Monitoring
– PEI Watershed Groups address many environmental issues including:
– Ensuring adequate clean drinking water
– Maintaining sustainable ecosystems with healthy populations of plants and animals
– Healthy environments for all PEI residents
– PEI Watershed Alliance is the umbrella organization for all 24 groups
– PEI Watershed Strategy directs activities and partnerships
Strategy can be found here: http://www.gov.pe.ca/photos/original/cle_wtrshdstrat.pdf
Challenges and needs faced by watershed groups:
– Need for increased Department of Environment Funding:
– Currently only 1.76% of Provincial Budget is allocated to Communities, Land and Environment
– Need for increased Watershed Management Fund dollars
– Need for increased resources including staff
– Need for increased communication and cooperation with government departments
– Environmental concerns such as fish kills, Climate Change, water quality, and poor land use practices are continuing to affect our island, please help us in conserving and restoring our environment.