By Bird Bouchard
A coalition of 12 organizations unveiled a conservation plan that aims to protect, restore and connect 10 mountains in the Monteregie region over the next five years.
The Coalition des Montérégiennes brings together Mount Royal, Saint-Bruno, Saint-Hilaire, Rougement, Saint-Grégoire, Yamaska, Shefford, Brome and Mégantic, as well as the hills of Oka. Although not part of the same geological formation, Mont Rigaud is also a member of the coalition.
On April 4, the Coalition des Montérégiennes unveiled the conservation plans for each of the hills, in the form of summary sheets, as well as a large regional plan for conservation and ecological connectivity which can be consulted on an interactive web platform.
Louise Gratton, a biologist and consultant for the Coalition des Montérégiennes has been involved since 2008 in trying to figure out how to protect the hills. She added the coalition wanted action plans that would be put in place not only by the conservation organizations, but also the communities that live around the hills.
“It’s five to midnight for these hills. If we don’t do it now, they’ll be lost forever,” she said.
