The Nature in Deed website was developed as a project by the Lanark County Stewardship Council (LCSC). The LCSC was one of 46 community based volunteer stewardship councils operating under the umbrella of Ontario Stewardship, a program of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR). In 2013, the OMNR made the decision to no longer provide direct support for the Ontario Stewardship program. As a result some stewardship councils have ceased operations, however many others, such as the LCSC, have decided to continue. They feel there is an important role to play in providing stewardship at the local community level and working directly with partners and landowners. To determine if a stewardship council is active in your area, please check link provided below.

Stewardship Councils of Ontario

• Frontenac Stewardship Council
• Hastings Stewardship Council
• Leeds and Grenville Stewardship Council
• Lanark Stewardship Council
• Ottawa Stewardship Council
• Prince Edward Stewardship Council
• Renfrew County Stewardship Council
• Elgin Stewardship Council
• Haldimand and Norfolk Stewardship Councils
• Huron Stewardship Council
• Land Care Niagara
• Middlesex Stewardship Council
• Bancroft Stewardship Council
• Stewardship Network Grey Bruce
• Durham Land Stewardship Council
• Eastern Georgian Bay Stewardship Council
• Grey County Forest Stewardship Network
• Halton and Peel Woodlands and Wildlife Stewardship
• Dufferin and South Simcoe Land Stewardship Network
• North Simcoe Stewardship
• Peterborough County Stewardship Council
• Greater Nipissing Stewardship Council
• Rainy River District Stewardship Council
• Temiskaming Stewardship Council
• Stewardship Oxford
• Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Certified Forest Owners
• Ontario NativeScape
• Waterloo Stewardship Council
• Haliburton Highlands Stewardship Council
• Muskoka Conservancy Stewardship Committee
• York Environmental Stewardship

STEWARDSHIP NETWORK OF ONTARIO

The Stewardship Network of Ontario (SNO) is a collaborative of non-government and government stewardship organizations. We work together to increase the capacity of stewardship agencies to contribute to biodiversity conservation and environmental health.

SNO was initiated in 2004 in response to a clear need for improved information sharing, collaboration among stewardship agencies and a stronger voice for stewardship in Ontario.

In 2007, SNO was invited to be the Stewardship Working Group of the Ontario Biodiversity Council, recognizing that SNO was in a perfect position to help implement the stewardship objectives of the Ontario Biodiversity Strategy.

SNO’s Stewardship Strategy provides guidance for our work. We host an annual forum, publish a newsletter – SNO Squall, and maintain this website to share information, profile our members and provide updates on current activities and success stories. SNO also forms task groups of member organizations to pool talents and resources and work on specific projects.

SNO’s vision is a future where Ontarians care for air, land, water and biodiversity and work together to sustain the natural processes on which all life depends. Our objectives are to:

1. Demonstrate leadership and encourage collaboration among stewardship agencies, governments, academia, community groups, institutions and businesses
2. Increase access to knowledge in support of stewardship
3. Strengthen public policy support for stewardship
4. Strengthen private sector support and involvement in stewardship
5. Promote investment and incentives to increase community capacity and encourage stewardship by individuals and groups
6. Contribute to implementation of Ontario’s Biodiversity Strategy 2011