Our Initiatives and Projects

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Working with our local farming community to inform and support agricultural stewardship and best management practices. BCWA recognizes that agricultural lands (and all working lands) are key conservation lands that provide critical ecosystem services in our watersheds. Our watershed characterization has informed us that over 50% of the Baxter Creek watershed consists of agricultural and rural land use (compared to less than 10% community and infrastructure).

Key initiatives include conserving the formal Millbrook Jail lands as publicly accessible open greenspace, encouraging natural heritage protection and exploring conservation easements across the watershed.

Working with our community to monitor and report on the state of the local watershed environment.

BCWA is currently designing and implementing a broad environmental monitoring program for the watershed. The goal of this program is to establish and integrate environmental monitoring across ecological sciences and share information with the community to inform on issues and develop solutions to address problems.

Mapping cultural and natural heritage features with our members in the community.

Baxter Creek Watershed Hub. BCWA is currently working with students from Fleming College's School of Environmental & Natural Resource Sciences on a 2022 GIS Applied Research Collaborative Project. This project is the first stage in developing the Baxter Creek Watershed Hub. This online Hub will be a community resource for watershed information. The first step in the project will be the design and implementation of a comprehensive geographic database for the subwatershed.

Working with our partners to conduct watershed research to promote a locally based watershed plan and a "state of the environment" report card. Leverage our research to encourage biodiversity and natural heritage protection, restoration and rehabilitation.

The Baxter Creek Watershed Hub project is a key component and framework to support BCWA watershed research. The Hub will ensure the organization has a structured information model to support long-term observation data collection for the watershed.

Bringing the community together through watershed programs, events and outreach. We are engaging with our community members both in the local watershed and across the broader Otonabee river basin to connect and engage in watershed conservation. We are connecting with our local community members, stakeholders, and right holders to work together to protect our resources for now and future generations. 

Feel free to click the link below (find out more) to check out our Baxter Creek Watershed hub made by Fleming GeoCommunity students showing  products such as a Watershed Watch Dashboard, a Watershed Characterization Dashboard, an educational map series, and much more.