Building a Common Vision for Conservation in the Cataraqui Region
Cataraqui Conservation marks 60 years of protection, conservation, and education throughout the region in 2024. As part of this occasion, and as a response to various challenges and opportunities that have been presented to us over the past few years, Cataraqui Conservation is initiating a Strategic Planning update to refine and revitalize our vision.
We are inviting all interested members of the public to provide feedback and participate in this process. The first phase will be an online survey, followed by stakeholder focus groups and a final plan anticipated for release in Spring 2024.
Survey feedback starts on Sept. 11 and runs until Oct. 9, 2023. Please see links below for further details regarding the process, privacy of your information, and a chance to win an Annual Pass or merchandise.
Strategic Plans allow organizations to develop a roadmap, set priorities, and effectively allocate limited resources in a manner that effectively serves the local community.
With the pressing challenges of environmental and political climate change, limited budgets, and demands on water management, permitting/planning and forestry, a new Strategic Plan will provide focus to how the organization prioritizes decisions moving forward. It will support the Full Authority Board and senior staff to create annual workplans, develop medium and longer-term capital programs and allocate human resources across program areas to provide quality service.
In short, to continue to best serve our watershed community, Cataraqui Conservation is reviewing our goals and direction to address watershed needs.
A key component of any strategy development process is to gather as much information and as broad a range of opinions as possible. To hear from as many Cataraqui Conservation stakeholders as possible, we are issuing a short online survey to the general public, volunteers and others interested in providing feedback on Cataraqui Conservation’s programs and services. This survey, developed through the Institute on Governance (IOG) will cover the following key strategic priorities:
- The changing context of Cataraqui Conservation;
- Opportunities and challenges in the external (political and social) environment that Cataraqui Conservation should be considering; and
- Ideas for possible priorities that will best help Cataraqui Conservation deliver on its mandate.
The online survey is an internet-based, third-party survey service. Cataraqui Conservation will not have access to this system, and individual responses to the survey questions will not be shared with Cataraqui Conservation or any other party.
Only a compilation of the survey results - without any identification or attribution of the survey participants - will be shared with Cataraqui Conservation to support the development of the strategic plan. We appreciate you taking the time to engage with our strategic plan process, participants who wish to leave contact information will be entered into a draw to win a Cataraqui Conservation annual pass and other branded merchandise.
The online survey of the general public will wrap up on October 9, 2023. In-person facilitated sessions with Cataraqui Conservation staff and the Full Authority Board will occur throughout the fall, while virtual focus groups will take place in October.
A draft strategic plan will be released in Spring 2024, with a final plan completed in June.
For more information, follow our updates on social media, blog/news posts on our website or email to info@crca.ca.
