When we bought a home in Niagara Region 17 years ago I would have no idea the connection I would make to the land. Once we had our two boys - who were born interested in nature and had a natural connection to the outdoors, we spent more and more time outside learning and seeing our part in restoring the land to what it once was. That journey led us to start an outdoor education center/club (The Green Herons) that was build around our kids interests, so that more youth could benefit from our land and the ecosystem that surrounded us. We started by fixing our backyard habitat, and then expanded our 'circle of influence', which brought Jordan Harbour into our family. Jordan Harbour and the 20 Mile Creek watershed has always been one of our favorite places to explore. The biodiversity that exists within the area is arguably one of the best in Niagara. We have had countless interactions with rare species, and have made many memories in the surrounding forests and creeks.

One of the most devestating finds that we have had as a club as we started to explore this area was the trash left behind from visitors and fishermen. We spent hours doing shoreline clean ups in Jordan Harbour and sometimes in as little as 2 weeks, the trash had piled back up again. We were committed to keeping as much plastic out of this amazing habitat as possible but the job seemed endless, and we knew that as soon as we stopped...the issues would continue between our visits.
One of the biggest problem was finding someone to take responsibility for the land. The town claimed they couldn't help because it wasn't their land, the conservation authority said the same...after some research, it turned out that the MTO owned this strip of beach and there was little to be done to solve the root of this problem.
After a few more cleanups and close to 200 bags of trash removed from the area, we had an idea.

What if our kids installed waste infrastructure? Would it be used? Would it encourage others to help with this problem? Could we afford it? Are we allowed to just add a dumpster on land that isn't ours?
But isn't this land and water all of ours?

So we ordered a dumpster and put in waste bins.
Twenty youth aged 8-14 have commited to fundraise to pay the tipping fees, and even installed large decompostable bag dispensers in locations that are further from the parking lot so that visitors can help manage the abandoned waste.
We are 6 months into this pilot project, and IT'S WORKING! The trash is managed, we organize clean-ups to stay on top of waste from the highway, and we have had enough fundraising to keep up.

Jordan harbour is our watermark and we are proof that youth can change their community for the better with a little kindness and a lot of hard work.

https://www.nationalycaa.org/youth-climate-activists-in-the-news/12-year-old-who-found-a-better-way-to-keep-beaches-clean