And so it begins!

Ah, a fresh new page, akin to the newness of a blank scribbler on the first day of class. It won't take long for it to fill up with doodles and rips and eraser smears, but right now, in this moment, it's untarnished and perfect. Sort of like the rivers under the care of the Trout River Environmental Committee (TREC) so very many years ago. But over time, they too accumulated tears and smears and unwanted garbage. It is TREC's dream to restore and conserve the natural integrity of the rivers and watersheds, with the help of all stakeholders (fishers, farmers, tourism operators, cottage owners and citizens of the area).
"The Trout River Environmental Committee Inc. (TREC) is a volunteer, non-profit, non-partisan, community-based watershed improvement group that was originally formed in 1993. TREC was later incorporated on March 4th, 1999 with the stated purpose of restoring and conserving the natural integrity of the Trout River watershed and to promote good environmental stewardship in the drainage basin."

Each year TREC takes on specific projects, while maintaining that huge goal at the forefront. Agriculture has become a focus in the last few years, with significant effort going towards encouraging and aiding in environmental stewardship projects with farmers. A lot of trees have been planted, buffers increased and marginal land removed from production. This year, we hope to see more of the same and increased awareness as to what we can do for you, as stakeholders in our watersheds. This is not to mention the Devil's Punchbowl initiative or the tranquil Trout River Park (from which today's picture came) or many of the other projects that TREC has taken on.

So much has been done in the community, but there is still much to do, so this blog will begin to chronicle just a few things that have made a difference in the past and the ongoing initiatives which continue to contribute to the health and vibrancy of the river system in the Stanley Bridge area.

Check back often for more, and for a picture of the day/week!