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In this issue:
Blogs:
More than Mucky: Wetlands are Valuable
Ducks Unlimited makes a business case for protecting wetlands, by examining the extent of wetland loss in the Black River subwatershed, and by estimating what it would cost to replace wetlands with man-made things like stormwater management ponds. Read the summary.
There is no assurance that all wetlands in the Lake Simcoe watershed will be protected, which is what scientists recommended to the province. The Lake Simcoe Protection Plan’s (LSPP) policy 6.23 protects “key natural heritage features”, including wetlands, from development and site alteration, with some exceptions. But to be covered by that policy, the wetland can’t be in a town or city, and it has to be “identified” by the Ministry of Natural Resources, which means that it usually has to be larger than 5 acres.
Lake Simcoe’s wetlands are better protected than they used to be, but for the LSPP policies to affect the maximum number of wetlands, the MNR needs to work fast on identifying all the watershed’s wetlands.
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Georgina Island’s Pukwis Community Wind Park has broken ground, and is moving ahead! Upon completion, it will be connected to the Ontario grid and produce enough electricity to power 7,500 homes and displace 15,000 tonnes of green house gases annually.
To learn more about common criticisms of wind power, check out Environmental Defence’s report, Blowing Smoke
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Obama’s surprising decision to delay the final decision about the Keystone XL pipeline should put some wind in our activist sails. It was definitely an uphill battle, with the oil industry spending a lot of time and money wooing the public and government, but environmentalists and citizens won! It was informal groups of citizens who got together in opposition to big oil who made history.
Lesson: Grassroots action works. If you think you have a case, you probably do. With enough effort, the impossible is possible. Read more.
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EVENTS
Meet with other residents. Hosted by: Midhurst Ratepayers Association massivemidhurst@gmail.com
When: Monday, November 28th @ 7:00 pm
Where: Midhurst Community Centre, 74 Doran Rd
Click here to learn more about the Midhurst Secondary Plan now.
Read Claire's blog about Midhurst.
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This workshop will help you prepare an action plan for a community power project in your neighbourhood. We will create a community vision for a project in your neighbourhood - a project you are working on; a project that you see as a possibility or we will use a practical example that is applicable to you. We will experience the value of working together and use a variety of tools to establish the scope, feasibility and organizational structure for your project.
OSEA will introduce its new Community-Based Renewable Energy Impact Model - local leaders will be provided with a clear understanding of the jobs and expenditures created locally. The Roadmap for Getting Your Project Vision to Reality has been translated into a "Toolkit for Initiating Your Solar (PV) Community Power Project". This will be a take-a-way workbook to help you mobilize your community to think locally and act locally.
When: Tuesday November 29th 2011@ 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Where: Windfall Centre Office
93A Industrial Parkway South
Aurora, ON
93A Industrial Parkway South
Aurora, ON
Innovolve is seeking a water intern to assist with the Canadian Water Summit
and WaterInsight (a corporate water measurement tool).
and WaterInsight (a corporate water measurement tool).
Applications should be sent to Rose Swagemakers, VP Operations at
Rose@innovolve.com.
Lake Simcoe Facebook Page
Join our “Protect Lake Simcoe” Facebook page (not group) to get action alerts and news.
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