Mount Echo Conservation Association

[TEXTE EN FRANÇAIS DISPONIBLE] I think we can all agree how lucky we are to live where we do; surrounded by the beauty and bounty of the natural environment in Sutton and surrounding area. But did you know for the past 20 years, there has been a group of dedicated volunteers working behind the scenes to protect and conserve the natural habitats and biodiversity in our region. Who are these volunteers? The board members of an organization called Mount Echo Conservation Association (MECA).

What is MECA?

MECA is a nonprofit environmental conservation group started in 2004 by concerned citizens to protect and conserve the natural habitats and biodiversity on the Mont Echo, Singer Mountain ranges and surrounding land within the Sutton region. 

They work closely with the Nature conservancy of Canada and the Appalachian Corridor to protect and conserve privately owned property and key habitats for plants, animals and our natural communities. 

Much of MECA’s success can be attributed to the visionary landowners they work with who donate their land to be protected or enter a deed of servitude while keeping their property rights. 

MECA’s Members

Not everyone owns land they wish to have protected, so MECA also relies on members of the community to support them with an annual donation of $75, for which they issue a tax receipt. Members of the board have been doing outreach to our community with kiosques at the Sutton & Knowlton markets to create awareness for the importance of working together to protect and conserve our natural environment and are eager to have new members join in supporting them. 

Celebrating 20 years of existence

In honour of their 20^th anniversary this fall, they are organizing a hike on Mont Echo, meeting at the parking lot on Chemin de la Falaise managed by Les Sentiers de l’Estrie, on Saturday, September 14^th at 3 p.m. The hike will be supervised by volunteers from Nature conservancy of Canada and MECA and will be approximately 40 minutes long, round-trip.

After the hike, MECA is inviting interested members of the community to join them in their long-standing tradition of combining their Annual General Meeting (AGM) with a community gathering & Potluck at the Sutton Junction community centre from 5 p.m.—8 p.m. Feel free to bring your favourite dish/appetizer, wine/beer. You can confirm your participation in this hike and the AGM/Potluck by emailing meca.acme.conservation@gmail.com by September 7^th.

For more information about MECA, visit its site.

Sharon Dawe