Welcome to the Grand Journey

We are very much influenced by where we live, and indeed, the first settlers to the region often chose a river valley because it offered so much to the quality of life. Before the gas engine, rivers provided us with an ability to travel, and the power for milling grain and performing a variety of work. They also shaped our culture and our activities. Today the river is no less important and requires protection from our own destructive activities.

The Grand River is a major source of water feeding Lake Erie and the quality of the river's water is paramount to the present and future needs of an enormous population of people. The wetlands, tributaries and surrounding lands must remain environmentally healthy in order for this and other rivers to provide us with clean water and maintain the natural water replacement.

Over the last 50 years the Grand Valley Conservation Authority has taken an active and crucial role in protecting the river and developing a more environmentally positive approach to managing the lands and other natural assets that are so crucial to the health of the River. The year 2004 marks the Grand Valley Conservation Authorities 50th anniversary.