Georgina · East Gwillimbury · King  .
 
Bradford West Gwillimbury · Innisfil  .

Last Saturday, I joined together with the Holland Landing Boy Scouts for a clean-up and tree-planting in the East Holland River Valley.  It was a splendid example, by young people, of how we can take personal responsibility for improving our

environment. The choice of the East Holland River by the scouts as the target of their work is an inspired one.  This is a tributary identified by the Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority as one of the biggest sources of problem inputs into the lake. As such, it is a priority for remediation. The scouts (one can no longer say boy scouts, because girls are participating enthusiastically too) were learning how to appreciate and protect the environment by actually taking action.  They were also demonstrating that as citizens we have a responsibility not just for the impact of our actions on the environment, but also have a duty to commit some effort to the protection and preservation of our local ecosystem. In a day and age when many politicians and activists think being an environmentalist is about having the right opinions, and making the right speeches, it is refreshing to encounter young people who realize it is about taking action - not just talking.

Peter Van Loan joins scouts in taking action for Lake Simcoe's environment. Here, Peter joins Kate Avery in planting a tree seedling in the east Holland River Valley.

A wet and grey Saturday morning was not the nicest time to get up early, clean up garbage left by others, and get muddy planting little trees. But that did not stop these scouts.  They did their duty.  They got things done.

For those of us who care about Lake Simcoe's Environment, it was great to see young citizens taking action.  For those of us concerned about whether the future of our country and its environment is in good hands, it was a reassuring and hopeful day.

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