The Rural Voice, 2019-09, Page 23quality issues and watersheds,”
explained Beard, general manager of
the Maitland Valley Conservation
Authority (MVCA). “It’s such a huge
area that we decided to focus on five
smaller watersheds first.”
One of those was the Garvey-Glen
watershed in Ashfield-Colborne-
Wawanosh which is a success story
of landowners coming together to
address water quality and storm
water management. Farmers joined
forces, realizing by improving water
flow on their land through cover
crops, minimum tillage, berms and
grassed waterways, they were
improving the health of the lake.
Since 2011, with thanks to
government funding, the Healthy
Lake Huron collaborative has
completed over 500 BMP initiatives.
Mari Valiz, a Healthy
Watersheds Manager with
the Ausable Bayfield
Conservation Authority said BMPs
like good buffer strips along streams
and creeks is important so that
vegetation holds onto the banks to
prevent additional erosion.
The whole goal is to focus on
water: how to slow it down, spread it
out and soak it in.
More conservation tillage, more
cover crops, longer rotations, and
practices that improve organic matter
in soil are all items that need focus.
“When we look at the greater
watershed scale, there are not enough
of these things done in each field to
make measurable differences,” said
Valiz.
She believes collaboration is key.
When one organization learns a
lesson, they need to transfer that
information and learning to another.
Also, different places require
different solutions.
Beard said the MVCA has created
another five-year plan of work they
want to do. Projects like: incentives
for plans to improve soil health,
mapping the flood plain that is used
for cash crop and finishing priority
watersheds.
Then, of course, there is the
bottom line. Who will pay? This is a
concern for everyone from
landowners to farmers to taxpayers to
conservation authorities. It costs
money to improve land and protect
the lakes.
When the meeting was opened to
the audience, additional issues were
brought to the attention of the
commissioners. These included:
• What are the concerns of First
Nations communities? Commissioner
Beland said consultations with First
Nations people are helping the IJC
understand how people interact with
land and water. For instance, when
releasing water in the spring (via
dams) how does that affect the
sturgeon’s spawning areas?
“We learned that when the leaves
of the poplar trees are the size of a
beaver’s ear, that is when the
sturgeon come to spawn,” said
Beland. “We are trying to integrate
this knowledge and philosophy from
the First Nations to learn how we are
to survive in this world with climate
change and increased population.”
• Our Great Lakes are a national
treasure. “You need to understand
their majesty and care about it. I
would challenge everybody to drive
around our coastlines ... they are a
wonder,” said one member of the
public.
• Geologic repositories of
radionuclides: Two members of the
public expressed concern about these
repositories and asked that
radionuclides (from nuclear waste)
be added as “chemicals of mutual
concern” in IJC reports.
• Phragmites. One person asked
how he could, as an individual, help
eliminate this invasive weed in
waterways. He was encouraged to
join an organization with knowledge
on how to remove this plant correctly
and then join in group efforts to
eradicate this invasive species.
• Education. One member
challenged the IJC to promote more
education on the value of the Great
Lakes and how to protect them at all
levels of schooling.
In conclusion, the IJC’s American
commissioner, Lance Yohe,
encouraged everyone to keep
providing feedback.
“The Great Lakes are having
water quality problems. Our role is to
report on the needs and the issues.
We need to be proactive,” said
Yohe.◊
September 2019 19
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