The effort to bring Atlantic salmon back to Lake Ontario isn’t just about a fish. It’s a commitment to restoring the health of our watersheds. These iconic salmon need clean, cold, flowing water, pristine gravel beds, and clear access to their ancestral spawning grounds — a focus of the Bring Back the Salmon (BBTS) Program.
Co-led by the OFAH Foundation and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), and supported by more than 40 partners, the program’s habitat restoration pillar addresses a range of initiatives, including wetland restoration, dam removal, and tree planting. This work has far-reaching ecological benefits for many species of fish and wildlife, as well as human communities.
Planting native trees is one of the most impactful actions we can take. Trees are the guardians of the stream. They shade the water, keeping it cool. Their roots armour the banks, preventing excessive erosion. Their fallen leaves and branches become the foundation of the stream’s food web. Even away from the stream bank, forests slow down snowmelt and rainfall, helping to keep the water clean.
In the fall of 2025 near Bronte Creek, the BBTS program partnered with the City of Burlington and the Halton District School Board’s Nature’s NEAR (Neighbourhood Eco Action Rangers) initiative to engage 233 students from Alexander’s Public School on ecosystem health, the value of trees, and the importance of being engaged stewards. After learning about the salmon and their ecosystems, each student planted one or two native trees.
The feedback was electric. Teachers were thrilled, and some students left asking to plant more trees with their families. The City of Burlington supplied the trees and planting guidance for the day.
To date, the BBTS program has planted more than 110,000 native trees and shrubs to support the restoration of Lake Ontario’s Atlantic salmon.
The work is supported by lead sponsor Ontario Power Generation.
Originally published in the Jan.-Feb. 2026 issue of Ontario Out of Doors
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