
Moraine Watch
Moraine Watch is a first-in-kind reporting and mapping tool that leverages community actors and local knowledge to identify and mobilize against land use planning that violates the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan and its associated Act. Below we detail the history of the program, its general strategy, and provide an interactive tutorial that explores the mapping tool we have created to assist in grassroots land use action planning.
Moraine Watch Strategy
There is a need to remain vigilant as the stewards of the ORM. Currently, there is no single high-level body dedicated to reviewing development permits and land use proposals, adapting the ORMCP, or studying potential amendments. As we move closer to the 2025 provincial review of the ORMCP, STORM must assert its identity as a watchdog organization dedicated to working with communities to monitor development and environmental impacts within the ORM. In the coming years, STORM strives to step into a leadership role to champion the ORM through education, advocacy and partnership to support and nurture a new generation of conservationists that will protect the ORM. Now more than ever, between infrastructure projects, urbanization pressure, the weakening environmental policy context, and decreasing respect for the ORMCP there is a need to address the series of threats that continue to threaten the ORM. To do this STORM is working on:
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Identifying municipal supports and like-minded organizations establishing Moraine Watch Hubs (5-10 active supporter organizations to assist in monitoring the moraine).
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Digitizing and reviewing previous Moraine Watch program documentation.
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Sharing Moraine Watch findings with Municipal Hubs across the ORM.
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Communicating with local experts, academics, and other stakeholders to facilitate conversations and provide educational resources to the community.
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Recruit volunteers to expand the capacity for on-the-ground monitoring
Using geographic information systems (GIS) mapping tools STORM is attempting to amalgamate a distributed network of Moraine Watch hubs across the length of the ORM to harness the power of community groups and concerned citizens both in person and online.
The creation of a Moraine Watch mapping application is currently underway and available for use here.
This mapping tool is designed to assist the Moraine Watch Program, providing an interactive resource to citizens concerned with land use changes occurring atop the Oak Ridges Moraine. Concerns about development can be reported directly by clicking on an area of concern on the map and selecting the “Submit Watch” button. Users are redirected to an email where they can detail their concerns about development on the Moraine. If citizens would like to search for a specific location they can use the search bar by typing in the address of interest.
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The Moraine Watch map will assist STORM in addressing:
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Identifying municipal supports and like-minded organizations establishing Moraine Watch Hubs (5-10 active supporter organizations to assist in monitoring the moraine).
-
Digitizing and reviewing previous Moraine Watch program documentation.
-
Sharing Moraine Watch findings with Municipal Hubs across the ORM.
-
Communicating with local experts, academics, and other stakeholders to facilitate conversations and provide educational resources to the community.
-
Recruit volunteers to expand the capacity for on-the-ground monitoring
Using geographic information systems (GIS) mapping tools STORM is attempting to amalgamate a distributed network of Moraine Watch hubs across the length of the ORM to harness the power of community groups and concerned citizens both in person and online.
​
Please see below for our full interactive mapping tutorial.
Moraine Watch Map
Become a Moraine Steward!
Protecting and preserving the ORM will be more successful if we work together as a community. Please pass this information along to people you know who live on or visit the ORM regularly so that we can have more eyes on the ground. Don’t hesitate to report development concerns on the moraine using the reporting form here.
If you would like to do more to help STORM protect the ecological integrity of the Moraine please consider volunteering your time with us!
Moraine Watch began as a program run through the Monitoring the Moraine Project (MTM), a collaboration between EcoSpark and STORM with the goal of recording and tracking environmental data consistently on the ORM to contribute to its protection. The Moraine Watch program was originally designed as a means to provide communities and organizations with resources and support to understand, apply and monitor the implementation of the ORM policy framework. Volunteers were the eyes on the ground helping track new development on the moraine, and ensuring developers conform to the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (ORMCP) through the Moraine Watch program. However, the technology to undertake this project was neither cheap nor accessible for ENGOs and the program was put on hold. The Monitoring the Moraine program was well over 10 years ago, and tracking changes in the moraine and assessing their impacts has not been a regular activity.