About Us
Incorporation
The Stratford Area Watershed Improvement Group (SAWIG) was incorporated in 2009 by a group of community members concerned with the health and sustainability of the Stratford area watershed. The process began with regularly held meetings among interested area residents. These included members of the agricultural sector, landowners, government representatives, as well as various local organizations and businesses. The result of public meetings was a list of concerns and goals to be addressed by the watershed group.
Vision
We envision a community that works together to build, sustain, and restore healthy and biologically rich watersheds.
Mission Statement
To be leaders in protecting, educating, and fostering appreciation of our watersheds while ensuring the ecological integrity of Stratford and surrounding areas for present and future generations.
Location
The Stratford Area Watershed is situated on the South Shore Peninsula, across the Hillsborough River from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
The Stratford Area Watershed is an estimated 77km² (7690 hectares). The geographic area is land bounded by Fullerton’s Marsh, Hillsborough River, Charlottetown Harbour and Northumberland Strait, extending as far east as the community of Pownal.
Topography and geographical features are diverse, with buffer and coastal zones, salt marsh, freshwater marsh, meadow, high slope, streams and rivers, and agricultural fields and grasslands. The landscape of the Stratford area varies greatly. The elevations rise to 88.7 meters along the southern coast of Stratford and Alexandra; there are also areas of high slope adjacent to several tributaries in Fullerton’s Creek and Hazelbrook.
Rolling hills, a significant number of watercourses and kilometers of coastline demonstrate the region’s broad spectrum of topography.
SAWIG Watershed Boundaries and Work Zones
SAWIG uses a zone-based approach to watershed management. In 2021 the zones were adjusted to incorporate a gain in land as well as to ensure that each zone was a more accurate reflection of our sub-watersheds.
PEI Watershed Alliance Watershed Groups
The PEI Watershed Alliance is non-profit cooperative association of watershed management groups on Prince Edward Island and SAWIG is a founding member.