BY SCOTT HADDOW
Wild Northerner staff
Life in Junction Creek is important.
This water system cuts its way right through the heart of the City of Greater Sudbury.
This once pristine creek was all but destroyed by industrial pollution and interference by man-made structures and tons of litter and garbage. It was, essentially, given up for dead at one point.
It stunk and was devoid of life. It was an eyesore. It was reduced to being a place for discarded, damaged shopping carts.
For a long time, it looked hopeless for the creek. Through environmental efforts
done by the municipality and local mining companies, going back decades, water quality slowly began to improve.
The creek wasn’t dead as citizens from all walks of life joined together to breathe new life into it.
The results have been nothing short of spectacular. In waters that once only housed debris and pollution, the signs of life are everywhere. People came out and hauled and picked trash out of the creek. Not just one or two times. They kept at it and still do it.
The Junction Creek Stewardship Committee formed in 1999 out of public forums and pure need. The mission of the committee is “To restore all life to the Junction Creek ecosystem: native wildlife, insect and plant life, and to improve the quality of life for humans as well.” The committee has been paramount in restoration projects on and around the creek.