Meet New Watershed Action Group Member, Leah Hagreen
By Eleanor Ward
Welcome to Leah Hagreen, the newest member of the WAG committee, the Watershed Action Group. 
Leah has lived in Collingwood for 10 years, drawn to the area because of the lifestyle it offers – hiking, skiing, water sports − and also because her father-in-law lives here. More recently, she and her husband and three children moved to the Princeton Shores area on property adjacent to marshland and close to the Silver Creek Wetland that the Trust has been instrumental in protecting. In their new home, the family are surrounded by wildlife, especially bird life, and frequently see bald eagles and egrets. It’s a short jaunt in their kayaks to paddle up the Silver Creek. They treasure the wetlands and marshlands and want to help preserve them. Currently, Leah is finishing up her Masters in Planning at the University of Waterloo. Many of her courses have been in environmental studies and planning. She will graduate in July. 
Her first degree was in Biology and Earth Sciences from Dalhousie and over the years she’s worked on various projects including a long-term bird monitoring study in Kejimkujik National Park in Nova Scotia and testing for metal contamination in the North West Territories. In Toronto, she worked on programs to reclaim mercury from recycling of various consumer products including automobiles.
Leah first became involved with Watershed Trust through teaching science part-time at the Pretty River Academy. She was teaching a unit on wetlands to grades 7 and 8. Board and WAG member Don Kerr led the class on a wetland excursion, demonstrating the rich biodiversity as well as introducing them to the invasive Phragmites threatening our shores and wetlands.
Leah would like to help broaden the active membership of Watershed Trust. She’s hoping educational programming and more outreach in the community will inspire people to join and participate in the many dozens of areas of interest of the Watershed Trust.