Stewardship for Rural Landowners –

The Ontario Rural Non-farm Landowners Stewardship Guide

Session 455 – 2012 APA National Planning Conference

April 15, 2012

Dr. Wayne Caldwell, PhD RPP MCIP

Director & Professor

University of Guelph, Guelph ON CDN

Paul Kraehling RPP MCIP

Doctoral Student, Rural Studies

University of Guelph, Guelph ON CDN

The Guide –

Overview

• Def’n of stewardship? – what is it, and why is it important

• The impetus for a rural landowners stewardship guide for Ontario? – the need, guide formulation, examples of its use

• The future of the Guide? – where are we going

• Trying it out. . .

Where in the World is Ontario (and more

particularly Guelph)?

Where in the World is Ontario (and more

particularly Guelph)?

Where in the World is Ontario (and more

particularly Guelph)?

Now Some Definitions. . .

Stewardship:

• The non-regulatory means to assist in planning and development for sustainability of lands

• The means to build awareness of the linkages between property development, and the management of land in the broader environmental sense

Additional Considerations

• The notion of stewardship contains practical and ethical connotations:

– Property owners will undertake works that maximize long term value, i.e. Efficiency and wise use of land

– Property owners will manage their lands on behalf of others/future generations

– Stewardship is a voluntary activity

Environmental Challenges found in Rural Areas

Source: Google Images

More Challenges

Watershed Challenges

USA Example – Chautauqua Lake, NY

Cdn Example – Lake Simcoe, Ont

Why are Stewardship Initiatives Important . . . Especially at this time?

• Provides information to guide ‘appropriate’ actions towards environmental protection & enhancement

• Significant need for actions to enhance rural environmental conditions/natural heritage

• Strong indicators of interest from ‘bottom-up’ initiatives, e.g. Transition towns

• Strong support for stewardship

from ‘top down’ sources, e.g. United

Nations

The Impetus for the Guide

• Born out of ‘conflict management’ issues in environmental matters between large farm operators & urban summer-time ‘temporary’ cottagers

• Coastal Lake Huron Guide prepared to guide action without a lot of dollars, but providing knowledge, awareness & change opportunities

Huron Guide Partners:

Why General Interest in a Guide

• Many factors:

– A new product to promote environmental stewardship

– Inability of government to deliver, i.e. Lack of trust, resource availability

– Acceptance by ruralites for new information

– General societal changes

(demographic shifts)

Demographic Shifts in Rural Ontario

• Rural areas undergoing non-farm population growth - due to new advances in technology lifestyle choices, retiree & exurbanite weekenders

• Generally unknowledgeable for`caring for the land` but have environmental stewardship interest

SOURCE: Lee-Anne S. Milburn 2007 University of Guelph Ph D. Thesis - Our Rural Future – The Non-Farm Landowner and Ontario`s Changing Countryside

Market Niche for Guide

• Patterned after a holistic guide to environmental stewardship for farmers – the long established Ontario Environmental Farm Plan

• Voluntary, self-interest but

in consideration of wider

community/environment

Guide Evolution Continued

• Many thought that a Guide for the Province would be beneficial – holistic, applicable, user-friendly, self education & mobilization

• The Guide was Born in 2007

• On-line provision of Guide

and associated use ideas

www.stewardshipmanual.ca

Guide Evolution Continuing

• Morphed and used in numerous locales; part of the original ‘shareware’ idea

• At least 10 specific area/topic guides have been created:

More Guides

Still More Guides

The Use of the Guide in 2012

• Currently compiling best practices & use of the Guide through a OMAFRA KTT project

• Examining mechanisms to enhance and extend the use of the Guide across Ontario

Supported by Agri-Food and Rural Link KTT Program, funded under the OMAFRA- University

of Guelph Program

What People have Said About the Guide from Workshops. . .

– I was impressed with the organization of the manual, the clarity of the information, the glossary, the references and general information. Well done!

– I like it, a blend of reading levels, visual layout is good

– Good coverage and consideration of many different types of owners and variables in properties

– Interactive, engaging, and practical in its approach

– Casual, informal discussion is good

– More time for workshop would be helpful

– Need more information about changes inside household, and available government grants

Common Use of the Guide

• In conjunction with ‘stewardship co-ordinators’, used in workshop settings

• Workshops illustrate ‘bigger picture’ considerations of environmental stewardship

• Guide used as a workbook to move to individual property level, and individual considerations, and actions

From Workshop Leaders, the Survey Says. . .

Words used most often in survey question 3 – “If you use the Guide, how is it used” (mapping ‘top 50’ words only)

Graphic (word cloud) produced by www.wordle.net

Survey Results of Using the Guide

• Approx 1/3 of stewardship agencies in Province currently use/have used the Guide

Specific Examples of Guide’s Use

Lake Huron Coastal Experience

29 workshops held in 2006-

2007 with over 500

coastal/watershed

participants

Helping you protect local water

quality ...

Huron County

Clean Water

Project

17 workshops over 5 years to

approx 350 rural non-farm

and horse farm landowners

Experience of the Credit Valley Conservation Authority

Carolinian Canada Experiences

• Extreme Southern Ontario area with unique environmental conditions, i.e. significant ‘species at risk’ for Canada

Over the last 3 years, 8

workshops attracting 277

participants over wide

geographic area

Lake Simcoe Experience

Over 2009-spring

‘11 period, 49

workshops with

over 1000

landowners

participating

Project funding

available from

senior gov’ts, with

private/public

funding to $10

million

What’s in the Guide?

• Introduction to Local Ecology

• What is a watershed?

• Why should we be concerned?

• Local scale features

• The Workbook:

• 14 different worksheets (with 200 potential actions)

• Each worksheet asks you to rate your activities on your property

• Action plan for individual property environmental enhancement, stewardship & resiliency

R U R A L L A N D O W N E R S T E W A R D S H I P G U I D E

34

Where do you fit in?

Broad Scale - A Watershed Perspective

The water cycle - technically known as the hydrologic cycle - is the circulation of water within the earth's environment. This

involves changes in water’s physical state as it moves between liquid, solid, and vapour phases. The hydrologic cycle refers to

the continuous exchange of water between atmosphere, land, surface and subsurface waters as well as organisms.

What is the water cycle?

Introduction to Southern Ontario Ecology

Worksheet Themes

1. Getting to know your property • buying a rural property, construction

2. Water • wells, septic systems, runoff management

3. Gardening & Landscaping • water efficiency, buffers, trees, plant selection and use

4. Ecosystems & Wildlife • forest, stream/drain, wetland and meadow management

5. Miscellaneous • waste management, storage of fuels/chemicals, lowering your energy

bill

?

2

4

5-5 67 Septic ? Find out where discharge goes

5-6 67 Septic 2 Wipe utensils

Example of Working through a Worksheet

• Plantings Around the Yard (including tree plantations) (pages 73 – 99)

• Energy conservation mechanisms (pages 172 – 178)

Resources – Various Templates

Various on-line resources available at www.stewardshipmanual.ca

Thanks for Your Attention & Participation

When is the best time to plant a tree? – 20 years ago.

When is the next best time? - today.

Proverb

When we tug at a single thing in nature, we find it

attached to the rest of the world.

John Muir

We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity

belonging to us. When we see land as a community to

which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and

respect.

Aldo Leopold

S455

Stewardship for Rural Landowners Ontario, Canada