Government investing $1.9 million in 38 Great Lakes projects across the province
The Ontario government is investing $22,876.00 in The Mysterysnail Management and Removal Project through the Great Lakes Local Action Fund that will help build healthier communities while protecting and improving the health of the Great Lakes and their connecting waters.
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters’ Invading Species Awareness Program (ISAP) works to reduce impacts of aquatic invasive species, including Chinese and banded mysterysnails. In 2021, the Mysterysnail Management and Removal Program was launched by ISAP alongside community partners, such as the Coalition of Haliburton Property Owners’ Association. To date, the program has removed over 675,000 mysterysnails from local lakes in the Lake Ontario watershed. Building on this success, the ISAP will continue to engage volunteers and community groups with training, tools, and on-the-ground support needed to coordinate mysterysnail removal events within their communities in the Lake Ontario watershed.
“We are proud to be supporting the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters’ Great Lakes project. With support from the Great Lakes Local Action Fund and the help of volunteers, the non-profit organization is working to remove the mysterysnail, an invasive species throughout the Lake Ontario watershed,” said David Piccini, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. “By working together, and investing in community projects like this one, we will continue protecting Ontario’s Great Lakes for future generations.”
“Once again, the OFAH is pleased to partner with the province to empower local communities and volunteers working to combat invasive mysterysnails” says Angelo Lombardo, OFAH Executive Director. “Taking a proactive approach to remove and manage invasive species, like mysterysnails, can result in long-term benefits to biodiversity and the quality of recreational activities that all Ontarians enjoy.”
This project is one of 38 community-based projects to receive $1.9 million in funding from the Great Lakes Local Action Fund.
QUICK FACTS
• Since 2021, the province has invested $3.8 million through the Great Lakes Local Action Fund to support 82 projects in communities across Ontario.
• In its first year, the Great Lakes Local Action Fund supported restoration projects that engaged over 7,000 volunteers to help plant over 44,000 trees and 15,000 shrubs to support diverse and resilient shoreline habitats. These projects helped clean up more than 26,000 lbs of litter, and restore and protect over 860 acres of vital greenspace and wetlands.
• 20 per cent of the world’s fresh surface water is found in the Great Lakes, making it the largest lake system in the world.
• Ontario’s Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River shoreline is the longest freshwater coastline in the world measuring 10,000 kilometres.
• Ontario invests approximately $14 million per year in actions to protect and restore the Great Lakes, including projects that support commitments in the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health and Ontario’s Great Lakes Strategy.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
• Learn how Ontario is protecting the Great Lakes
• Learn more about the Great Lakes Local Action Fund
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