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12 Independent & Free Press,Thursday, March 25, 2010 Report shows Nature offers $371M in infrastructure In 2010, Halton Region will spend close to $395 million on building new infrastructure in the region, but a recent report shows that nature provides similar services valued at more $371 million. The report released by the Pembina Institute and Credit Valley Conservation found that the Credit River watershed provides infrastructure services worth more than $371 million to area residents each year. Looking at water and wastewater treatment alone, it would cost more than $237 million every year to replace the natural filtering power of land and wetlands in the Credit River Watershed with man-made water treatment systems. The report, Natural Credit: Estimating the Value of Natural Capital in the Credit River Watershed, is intended to help people better understand the value of preserving and investing in natural spaces. In turn, it is important that the value of natural capital is accounted for when natural space is developed. Currently, when development happens, many of these costs are shifted to residents and taxpayers. Other lost value, like the loss of pollinators, simply cannot be replaced. "One of the key aspects of valuing ecological services is the idea that Mother Nature does for free what we would otherwise have to pay millions to do through technology and infrastructure," said Jeff Wilson of Credit Valley Conservation, the agency responsible for management of the watershed. The watershed's "natural capital"-- such as water, forests, wetlands and wildlife-- provide the ecological services, including water filtration, removal of carbon from the atmosphere and air purification. "Because the value of natural capital doesn't show up on anyone's balance sheet, we end up using ecological resources in very inefficient ways," said Mike Kennedy, Senior Resource Economist with the Pembina Institute. "We are highlighting the importance of considering all social costs and benefits of land use policy decisions, especially when regions start to become highly populated." The report's authors consider it a call to all levels of government to give greater consideration to natural capital when making land-use decisions. "There is increasing evidence that the benefits of conservation are beginning to outweigh the benefits of business-asusual development," said Wilson. The full report and fact sheet are available online at www.greeneconomics.ca and www.creditvalleyca.ca. GLEN WILLIAMS MINOR SOFTBALL REGISTRATION FOR BOYS AND GIRLS AT GEORGETOWN MARKET PLACE MALL at Center Court by Walmart Saturday, March 27th - 12:00 PM TO 4:00 PM Or call Dan Hall 905-873-1356 Allan Cole 905-877-0459 $60.00 FOR T-BALL ATOMS AND OLDER $110.00 YOU WATCHED IT NOW TRY IT! Inspired by Olympic Curling, The Club at North Halton is hosting an Open House for anyone interested in trying the sport. T H E C L U B AT N O RT H H A LTO N Sunday, March 28th 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. All Ages and Skill Levels Welcome 363 Maple Avenue West Georgetown 905-877-5236 www.northhaltongolf.com Questions? Please contact Alison Goring agoring@nhgcc.ca