By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A rehabilitation project that has been a labour of love for some committed volunteers over the past several decades took another step forward with a multi-stakeholder meeting last week they hope will help define an action plan moving forward.
The Rotary Club of Waterford Valley has helped lead cleanup efforts of the Waterford River for a long time, said member Bill Stoyles. The group brought together some 35 people April 13 for a conference that included members of the community, service clubs, environmental groups, municipal representatives, and provincial and federal departments including Fisheries and Oceans.
“It took some time, but we had the right people here and the people that want to make the decisions that are going to drive this thing forward,” said Stoyles. “It’s pretty heartwarming that everyone seems very enthused about the future of the Waterford River.”
Stoyles said the river’s cleanup and rehabilitation has come a long way over time.
“I've never felt better, more confident and more comfortable about where we're going because of the attention that is being created for the restoration and rehabilitation and protection of the river,” he added.
The half-day meeting included presentations by river lovers and conservationists Henry Hussey and Dick Whittaker, the Aquatic Conservation Initiative, Conservation Corps, City of St. John’s manager of parks and sustainability Edmondo Fausto, and Mount Pearl councillor Mark Rice, who is also a member of Rotary.
One of the recurring themes within the presentations and roundtable discussions was the need for a strategic alignment on regulation creation and enforcement.
Neil Dawe of Tract Consulting said during the roundtable portion that implementation has always been a challenge. He offered an analogy of building a boat.
“You have to start with the keel, when you’re building a boat. The keel in this case, in my mind, is policy,” Dawe said. “There has got to be consistent policy across the three municipalities (St. John’s, Mount Pearl and Paradise) within the Waterford Valley basin. Then from those policies derive their bylaws.”
Another recurring theme was awareness and education with a focus on local businesses and schools. Stoyles said local businesses near the water system make everyday decisions, like snow clearing for their parking lots, without thought as to how it’s impacting the ecosystem’s health.
He believes most business operators, if it was brought to their attention, would make changes.
Wanda Palmer, executive director of the Mount Pearl-Paradise Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber would be willing to partner on awareness efforts in the business community, including among its 270 members.
Stoyles said input from the meeting will be brought together in an action plan that will be ready in the near future.
In the meantime, the Rotary Club has annual riverside cleanup activities planned for the last two weeks of May and the first week of June.
“Every little bit helps. We do the heavy lifting, the veterans are in the river with hip waders but there’s more to be done out of the river,” Stoyles said. “People just follow the trails up and grab litter along the way. It's not as bad as it used to be, but it gives you tremendous satisfaction to walk through an area and see the state of it and then walk back when you’re done.”
The cleanup has been broken up into 15 sections and volunteers can register to help by contacting Stoyles at stoylesbill@gmail.com or visiting Waterford Valley Rotary on Facebook.
