Our History - Huron Stewardship Council

Program Background

Who We Are

We are a community-based, incorporated non-profit organization that promotes responsible resource use and environmental protection in Huron County through networking, cooperation, and collaboration. The Huron Stewardship Council (HSC) is comprised of volunteers from various backgrounds, and is based out of Goderich, Ontario, located along Lake Huron and the Maitland River. Our staff and volunteers conduct ecological monitoring and research programs, manage invasive species and other environmental threats, and work with community members to improve the natural environment.

Photo: Katie Wintersgill

HSC team 2018 in shirts

Photo: R. White

It Began With Ontario Stewardship

The Huron Stewardship Council began 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 was to promote partnerships among those with common interests in natural resources stewardship in order to meet collective stewardship goals.

The 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 has ranged from nine to eleven members.