The decision to hold a celebration to honour Lake Simcoe in Innisfil is an indication that environmental groups are generally on board with the town's direction for the watershed.

A Celebration of Lake Simcoe will be the first environmental event focusing exclusively on the watershed, and is being held at Innisfil Beach Park July 31st, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

There will be activities for the entire family including films, contests and interactive displays about the history of the lake, environmental concerns, and a vision for future years. Organizations participating include the ministries of the environment and natural resources, Simcoe County, the Simcoe County Museum, the Town of Innisfil, the Lake Simcoe Regional Conservation Authority, the Ladies of the Lake, the Windfall Ecology Centre, the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition, the South Simcoe Streams Network and the Innisfil Historical Society.

The park boasts several clean beaches, a boat launch, government dock, walking and cycling paths, good parking, a snack bar and picnic areas.

Being chosen for this event, which has the potential to bring several thousand people to the park, is an accomplishment for Innisfil staff and council.

The event is supported by several local environmental lobbyist groups, and higher level government organizations, and should be taken as support for the municipality's environmental policies. Remember, the event will be held at a less than ideal time for the municipality, with construction in full swing along Innisfil Beach Road. Yet this site was still chosen, above Barrie, Oro-Medonte, Ramara, Georgina or other municipalities straddling the lake and its watershed. Perhaps it was the upgrades to the park, with an addition of new walking paths and other improvements. Or maybe the obvious capacity for large audiences, as proven with Summerfest and Winterfest crowds, has proven the park as ideal ground for another big — and possibly annual — event.

It could be the town's willingness to support the South Simcoe Streams Network's yearly tree plantings that take place in the park each spring. Of course, sway on the decision could have run a little deeper, with organizers noting the town's attempts to quickly conform with the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan, with initiatives on shoreline buffers and restoration. The town has even attempted to go beyond phosphorous loading recommendations in a proposed expansion of the Lakeshore Water Pollution Control Plant. Either way, people are beginning to take notice of Innisfil's environmental leap forward.

It's unlikely Innisfil was chosen by coincidence, so residents should be celebrating the town's environmental accomplishments, just as much as the lake itself.