Overview and Background of the Huron Stewardship Council

Ontario Stewardship

The Huron Stewardship Council functions under the auspices of "Ontario Stewardship" a provincial program of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources formerly called the Private Land Resource Stewardship Program. Ontario Stewardship was implemented in response to major changes in relationships between landowners, government and groups with an interest in caring for our resources. These changes are, in part, the result of financial pressures faced by all levels of government as well as changes in the types of programs and services offered by government. The purpose of Ontario Stewardship is to promote partnerships among those with common interests in natural resources stewardship in order to meet collective stewardship goals. There are currently almost 40 Stewardship Councils across Southern Ontario.

Huron Stewardship Council

The Huron Stewardship Council was initially formed in the fall of 1995 with an initial group of four Huron community members, who functioned as a founding committee and interim council. A public recruitment process was undertaken in August of 1996 to attract applicants in order to move to a full council. Applicants were chosen for council positions according to membership criteria that had been developed by the founding committee to ensure there would be representation from a wide variety of backgrounds on the council. The full council size is from nine to eleven members.

Stewardship Coordinator

• assisting to build the necessary partnerships and network of contacts
• collaborating with agencies and resource interest groups
• speaking on behalf of the Stewardship Council