Current Size: 100%
Conservation
Lake Huron e-news July 2010
Submitted by Geoff Peach on July 1, 2010 - 5:34pmAu Naturel
The wooded corridor that runs along the Lake Huron coastline is gradually disappearing. Every time a new cottage or home is built or expanded, more of our lakeshore woodlands are lost. Every decision to clear vegetation to have an unobstructed view of the lake impacts the natural corridor. It's not just the trees that are removed, but often the shrubs and native groundcovers are lost as well. It’s a gradual process, but it amounts to “death by a thousand cuts”, as the process of vegetation removal gets repeated over and over again. Natural ecosystems, whether it's a woodland, wetland or dune grassland become fragmented from intact systems to smaller, less robust, units prone to disease, erosion or infestation by invasive species.… continue reading »
Tour of Pine River Watershed projects a real eye-opener
Submitted by Ross Klopp on June 25, 2010 - 2:00amBy Liz Dadson
Brian MacKay (R) talks to the group about the improvements made on his property
The group checks out a nitrate filter in the Clark Creek municipal drain
Wayne Lawrence (R), plant supervisor, talks to the group in the viewing area at the Pine River Cheese Factory
Gord Cale (L), Bern Portz and Lorne Underwood check out the mouth of the Pine River
It was a whirlwind, 15-stop tour, Friday morning (June 18), as about 50 people boarded a school bus to view, first-hand, the work of the Pine River Watershed Initiative Network (PRWIN).
The event was an appreciation day for the landowners, sponsors, Conservation Authorities, provincial and federal ministries, beach associations, the township, and numerous organizations that have helped out with projects to provide clean water and a healthy eco-system within the Pine River Watershed. …continue reading »
Tree Cutting along Bruce Beach Road
Submitted by beachcomber on June 24, 2010 - 4:10pmOn the 2nd of April, after hearing chain saws and a chipper being operated behind our cottage for several hours (111-2, Bruce Beach Road), Dave Ceolin, my son Vincent and I attended at 738 Lake Range Drive. We spoke with the owner, who allowed us to attend in their back yard, where we observed that clear cutting had occurred approx. 1/3rd of the way down the hill towards the Bruce Beach Road. The owner indicated that he had a Ministry of Environment permit to cut the trees on the hill and was cutting them to 'make his back yard bigger'. When asked to see the permit he admitted that he didn't have one. We indicated that we understood that a bylaw had been enacted by the municipality, preventing clear cutting and encouraged the owner to stop. Returning to Dave Ceolin's cottage, we checked the internet and located 'Bruce County Forest Conservation ByLaw, 2004, By Law NO. 4071. With this information, we called the OPP who attended and instructed the owner to cease cutting any more trees.… continue reading »
Lake Huron e-news June 2010
Submitted by Geoff Peach on June 1, 2010 - 2:00amGetting Fixed
The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) is getting an overhaul. This is an agreement between Canada and the United States that provides for binational efforts to restore and protect the Great Lakes. The agreement was first signed in 1972, dealing primarily with sewage discharges. It was amended in 1978 to address toxic substances, and 1987 to target basin toxic hot spots, called in the agreement Areas of Concern. The governments completed a review of the Agreement with public input in September 2007.
… continue reading »
Conservation Groups Praise U.S. Senators for Action on Asian Carp, Invasive Species
Submitted by Ross Klopp on May 25, 2010 - 2:00amGreat Lakes senators urge Army Corps to study how to build physical barrier to prevent invasive species from traveling between Great Lakes, Mississippi River
ANN ARBOR, MICH. (May 24, 2010)-Conservation groups today praised U.S. senators for taking action to stop the movement of aquatic invasive species like the Asian carp between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. In a letter to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Great Lakes senators are urging Congress to direct the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study how to build a physical barrier between two of North America’s largest freshwater ecosystems. …continue reading »
Poposed Water Opportunities and Water Conservation Act 2010
Submitted by Ross Klopp on May 20, 2010 - 5:23pmThe Ministry of the Environment would like to notify you of the proposed Water Opportunities and Water Conservation Act (2010).
On May 18, 2010, Bill 72, the proposed /Water Opportunities and Water Conservation Act/ was introduced and received first reading. If passed by the Legislature, the Act would establish a framework to drive innovation, create economic opportunities, sustain water infrastructure and conserve Ontario’s water. It would lay the foundation for new Ontario jobs and make our province a North American leader in the development and sale of new technologies and services for water conservation and treatment.… continue reading »
Lake Huron e-news May 2010
Submitted by Geoff Peach on May 3, 2010 - 2:00amMost Unwanted
In our biodiversity series, commemorating the
UN's International Year of Biodiversity, we look at the issue of
invasive species and their impacts on Lake Huron's biodiversity. There
are more than 180 non-native, invasive species that have become
established in and around the Great Lakes since the 1800s. Alien
invasive
species are often described by scientists as “biological pollution”, due
to their ability to negatively impact the ecosystem and the native
populations of the flora and fauna that it supports. Once introduced,
invasive species must be managed and controlled, since they are
virtually
impossible to eradicate.
… continue reading »
Time to Buy a Pet Pig or Goat?
Submitted by Ross Klopp on April 22, 2010 - 2:00amThere are two very interesting pages on the Ontario Invasive Plants web site, this Kudzu Vine and the Dog Strangling Vine. A few more reasons to watch what is growing around the cottage and particularly on the beach with the assortment of stuff that keeps cropping up along our waterfront..… continue reading »
Huron-Kinloss Township agenda for April 5, 2010.
Submitted by Ross Klopp on April 7, 2010 - 2:00amThe following is copied from the Huron-Kinloss Township agenda for April 5, 2010.
By these agenda items it looks like we are finally going to get some attention to the overgrowth on the beach.… continue reading »
Lake Huron e-news April 2010
Submitted by Geoff Peach on April 1, 2010 - 2:00amThe HIPPO in the room
In this issue, we'll talk about the threats to
biodiversity along the Lake Huron coast. Threats to
biodiversity can be described through the acronym HIPPO.
Habitat Loss - Habitat loss, alteration and fragmentation
directly affect the species that rely on the habitat that is being
changed. Shoreline and urban development, agriculture and various
recreational activities in sensitive parts of the lakeshore has caused,
and continues to cause, loss of habitat along Lake Huron. Lake
Huron coastal ecosystems, including coastal meadow marshes, dune
grasslands, bluff and alvars are among the rarest environments in
Ontario, with an abundance of rare and at risk species.
… continue reading »
Recent comments