Local Climate Groups & Initiatives – Climate Action Muskoka

Climate Action Initiatives in other Communities

The Muskoka Community Land Trust

The Muskoka Community Land Trust was created in response to the District of Muskoka’s Housing and Homelessness Task Force in 2019, and was formally incorporated as a non-profit in 2021. Led by a board of nine dedicated volunteers representing a diverse cross-section of Muskoka, the MCLT is dedicated to non-profit housing development with a strong emphasis on sustainability and affordability.

District of Muskoka Envirohub – Climate Corner

Aerial picture of Huntsville with text: Climate Corner - EnviroHub

Muskoka Watershed Council

Our Changing Watershed Series – What Have We Learned, Muskoka?

Together, we can protect the future of Muskoka’s watersheds. “Climate is now changing more rapidly than it has changed at any previous time in the history of human civilization. If we continue on our current path, with ever rising emissions, we face unprecedented catastrophic climate change later in this century”. EXCERPT FROM “PLANNING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE IN MUSKOKA”

Watershed Council Makes a Case for Integrated Watershed Management (IWM)

An integrated solution for flooding, climate action and economic prosperity
By Kevin Trimble.

Watershed governance: A selection of case studies for informing integrated watershed management in the Muskoka River watershed – new IWM report, January 2023 pdf

The State of our Watershed Archives – Muskoka Watershed Council

Friends of the Muskoka Watershed

We identify environmental threats and offer actionable solutions that the Muskoka community can take to protect the present and future health of the watershed.

AshMuskoka, a Friends of the Muskoka Watershed environmental project.
An initiative to use wood ash to restore the well-documented damage to forests and lakes caused by widespread calcium (Ca) decline in Muskoka.
The results are in … – ash addition to forest soil resulted in significant increases in soil pH and calcium and magnesium concentrations.

“Halt the Salt” Friends of the Muskoka Watershed is pursuing funding, via grants and private donations, to enable us to fully roll out this program in Muskoka.

Muskoka Water Web

There are over 680 lakes in Muskoka greater than eight hectares in size. The Muskoka Water Web was developed by The District Municipality of Muskoka to provide a portal to information about Muskoka’s most cherished resource – water. Find “Resources by Topic” –Here

The Muskoka Watershed Advisory Group –

June 29 2020 –

Interim report on issues and priorities for protecting the Muskoka River watershed and supporting the local economy.

The District Municipality of Muskoka – Muskoka Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Initiative

In December 2020 when the GHG inventory was finished, the District took several steps towards climate action including committing to GHG reduction targets of 50% reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2050 for both corporate and community emissions based on a 2018 baseline.

Environment Haliburton

The objectives:
• To advocate for and to support others who are advocating for environmental protection and conservation.
• To disseminate educational materials and information throughout the county on environmental issues and concerns.
• To lobby governments and their agencies to enact legislation and regulations to protect and conserve the county environment.
• To support and encourage environmental research in the county.
• To join with others in the county, province and nation who are also working for the protection and conservation of the environment.

Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve

Our biosphere reserve encompasses the eastern coast of Georgian Bay and stretches approximately 175 kilometres from the Severn River to the French River. This part of Lake Huron contains the largest collection of freshwater islands in the world.
The Georgian Bay Biosphere is a UNESCO biosphere reserve and is situated within the Robinson-Huron Treaty of 1850 and Williams Treaty of 1923, and located on Anishinabek territory.

Georgian Bay Biosphere releases State of the Bay ecosystem health report 2023

Sunday, August 6, 2023 – Submitted by Georgian Bay Biosphere Parry Sound North Star

Results show there has been an unprecedented loss of the nutrient phosphorus in the offshore waters of Georgian Bay

Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit

The potential health impacts of climate change are varied. They may directly affect us through:

food insecurity due to changing environments;
increased range and transmission of infectious disease;
air pollution and temperature stress;
reduced access to safe water; and
injuries related to extreme weather events.

We have identified climate change as a priority public health issue, and to address its health impacts we have created a climate change action plan: A Changing Climate: Assessing health impacts & vulnerabilities due to climate change within Simcoe Muskoka. As a companion to this report, an interactive Climate Change Story Map can be accessed on our HealthSTATS website.

Trillium Lakelands District School Board Climate Change Action Plan

Six members of the G7 Student Senate shared their concern about how climate change is rapidly impacting communities around the world. Food security, mental health, transportation, energy, resource availability, and economic sustainability are all at risk if changes are not made to limit the impact of climate change. The group has developed the Climate Change Action Plan because they believe TLDSB has the opportunity to set the standard and take proactive action to ensure that all school communities comply with international climate agreements and promote a sustainable environmental education model. Read the full Climate Action Plan Report.

Flood Plain Mapping Project (FPMP) Feb. 12. 2020

Friends of Muskoka, working to protect and to preserve the natural environment and unique character of Muskoka

Muskoka Conservancy Plain and simple, our mission is nature conservation in Muskoka.

Sustainable Severn Sound has developed the area’s first Local Climate Change Action Plan (LCCAP). The overall objective of the LCCAP is to educate communities and municipalities on climate change and ways we can reduce our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the use of fossil fuels, lower our energy consumption, and adapt to our changing climate.

Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation, covering the Township area and watershed.

Other Climate Action Initiatives

Follow this link to see some of the many ways other communities around the world are acting now to slow down, stop and reverse the effects climate change.