It's hoped that a recently launched land stewardship pilot program in Lambton County will improve the health of the Great Lakes and support local landowners.
The County of Lambton is working with the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority (SCRCA) and Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, after funding became available through the Ontario government’s Great Lakes Local Action Fund.
Through the program, farmers and landowners can apply for up to 50 per cent (to a maximum of $10,000) to help offset the costs of starting land stewardship projects on their property.
The projects need to have taken place between February 15, 2025, and December 31, 2025.
Eligible projects range from tree planting and woodlot enhancements to erosion control and rural stormwater management.
SCRCA Healthy Watershed Coordinator Jessica Van Zwol said she thinks it's a great initiative, with environmental and economic benefits.
"Implementing various best management practices in rural and agricultural fields helps to keep soil, nutrients, pesticides, and fertilizers on the land where they're needed for sustainable and productive crop yields. It also benefits our aquatic ecosystem," she said. "Whatever we do on the land here has an impact as far away as Lake Erie."
Regarding the economic aspect, Van Zwol said fertilizers and inputs are costly.
"If there are ways to reduce the reliance on fertilizers and various inputs or if we can keep those inputs on the land, there's less out of pocket costs to continually build up your soils because of the lost fertilizers," she said.
While there is no deadline to apply for the program, Van Zwol said the sooner the better.
She also said the added benefit to the conservation authorities being involved in this project is the possibility of unlocking other funding opportunities to stack on top of the county's program.
"We might have, as authorities, other funding that we can stack on top of that so that the out of pocket costs are less for the landowner," she said. "If a category fills up, we might have funding from other pots that can also support it and so all of that will be taken into consideration."
In 2026, Van Zwol said the involved parties will evaluate how successful the program was and what the next steps would be. "I hope we will be able to help a number of rural landowners in our watershed and that this program is a success," she said.
Van Zwol said this pilot program follows clean water projects done in other regions, including Huron County and Middlesex County.
Since 2004, over 4,000 stewardship projects have been completed in Huron County, with costs totaling $16.6 million.
The pilot program was identified in Lambton County's corporate climate change strategy in 2024.
“As part of its mission, the County is committed to environmental stewardship, practicing sound environmental principles that are transferable from one generation to the next,” said Warden Kevin Marriott in a statement. “That mission includes protecting local waterways, shorelines, marshes, agricultural lands, and other components of the natural environment.”
Further details about the program and how to apply can be found on the county's website.