This past year we have grown in many ways.
Our budget doubled, thanks to strong contributors who are increasingly recognizing the value of biodiversity for healthy communities.
Our vision grew. We set an ambitious goal for the network: To make history and reverse a centuries-old trend of habitat loss. We consulted with hundreds of you across the zone to identify opportunities and challenges and landed on 8 keystone targets, that can together, through collective action, transform the landscape.
Our program streams matured into collaboration hubs for healthy habitats, accelerating and leveraging your effort for more impact, together. Go Wild Grow Wild held its 4th most successful and largest expo, connecting hundreds of groups and thousands of individuals to new ways of relating to nature and to each other. In the Zone connected local garden centers, native plant growers, seed collectors and municipalities around growing native plants.
Our Leaders multiplied. New Landowner Leaders supported by partner groups brought our total to 40+ large scale habitat projects for species at risk. New citizen science partnerships resulted in 1000+ gardeners and businesses working together for healthy neighbourhoods. 150 leaders convened at our Big Picture forum, one of the most inspiring to date, to brainstorm new ways to connect social finance, landscape health and indigenous communities for forward-thinking biodiversity solutions with multiple benefits.
A buzz built throughout the year. The idea of a Carolinian Resilience Mechanism was born, to attract deep green investment that also supports healthy communities. Business leaders and research teams joined our network to explore opportunities to connect biodiversity to investment to community. As Dr. Dan Longboat, our forum keynote speaker, said: “Now, it’s time to roll up our sleeves.”
For Carolinian Canada, 2017-18 created a strong foundation for our new strategic plan, Growing a Green Future Together and our Big Picture Collaborative, a strong network aligned with reversing the trend of habitat loss. We invite you to explore, connect, leverage and track your impact to a grow a healthy future, together as a strong ecoregional community.
Don Pearson, Chair
Michelle Kanter, Executive Director
Photo generously donated by Heather Stover