LAKE HURON SOUTHEAST SHORE A CANADIAN EFFORT IN SUPPORT OF THE LAKE HURON BINATIONAL PARTNERSHIP - SUMMER 2010 Southeast Shore Communities Team Up to Improve Water Quality and Conserve Biodiversity Lake Huron Binational The southeast shoreline and watersheds of Lake In 2010, work continues to build on the successes Partnership Huron run from Tobermory south to Sarnia, and of the projects in this newsletter, which will help to Lakewide environmental management, include the watersheds of the Saugeen, Maitland, restore and protect the ecosystem of the region and restoration and protection activities in the Bayfield, and Ausable rivers, as well as many smaller ultimately, Lake Huron. Lake Huron basin are coordinated through the tributaries, creeks and gullies. The farmland Lake Huron Binational Partnership. The United is among the most productive in Ontario States Environmental Protection Agency, and the ribbon of shoreline has one of the Environment Canada, Michigan Department longest continuous stretches of beachfront Tobermory of Environmental Quality, and Ontario’s in the Great Lakes with a long history of GEOR GI AN B AY Ministries of the Environment and Natural recreational use and cottaging. Resources form the core of the Partnership Lion’s Head by providing leadership and coordination. While issues of poor water quality, including L A K E H U R O N A flexible membership on an issue-by-issue beach postings and algae fouling, persist, a Wiarton basis, is inclusive of other agencies and levels great deal of work has gone in to improve Sauble Beach GR EY S AU BL E of government, Tribes/First Nations, non- water quality and address problems Southampton Owen Sound government organizations and the public. To at their source. Youth, local residents, Port Elgin learn more, visit www.binational.net. GR EY Ca and volunteers are teaming up with US nada BR UC E A SA UGE EN Kincardine municipalities, conservation authorities (M Lake Huron Southeast Shore Hanover ( ichi and federal and provincial governments in On Point Clark tario) ga Working Group new and creative ways to take on innovative n) projects in their watersheds. In this The Southeast Shore Working Group, MA IT LA ND MI CH IG AN newsletter, you’ll read about landowners Goderich Listowel WE LL INGTON established in 2002, is a collaborative effort of implementing beneficial management HURO N federal and provincial agencies, health units, Bayfield practices, volunteers collecting water PE RT H conservation authorities, and non-government samples, and youth and teachers being WATE RLOO organizations such as the Lake Huron Centre Stratford LEGEND Grand Bend inspired to take action in their local Towns for Coastal Conservation and Environmental Ipperwash Beach AU SABL E Cities < 200,000 Kettle Point BA YF IE LD communities. A basin-wide biodiversity Cities > 200,000 Defence. The mandate of the Working Group BR AN T OX FO RD strategy has also been developed and this Brights Grove International Boundary is to promote a collaborative, science-based MI DD LE SE X GREY Municipality/County newsletter features articles on how local Sarnia ST . C L AI R approach to address problems such as bacterial LA MB TO N London SAUGEEN Major Subwatershed 010 20 40 km place-based biodiversity plans are being ELGI N Area of Interest and algal fouling along the shore. Research, implemented and tested which will protect source identification and the recommendation and enhance critical habitat that is vital to The Southeast Shore area of interest stretches from Sarnia to the of remedial measures are all part of the Group’s sustaining populations of plants, animals Singing Sands near Tobermory. Credit: The Nature Conservancy activities. and fish. of Canada. For more information on the Southeast Shore Working Group and Youth and Teacher Summits Canadian Framework For the projects in this newsletter, go to www.lakehuroncommunityaction.ca and Support Community Action Community Action follow the link at the bottom of the page. Since 2007, approximately 100 students from around Southeast Shore Working Group member the Canadian Lake Huron basin have participated organizations are: Environment Canada; in Youth Summits in Tobermory, Parry Sound and Ontario Ministry of the Environment; Ontario Bayfield. These Summits have been hosted by local Ministry of Natural Resources; Ontario Ministry Lake Huron-Georgian Bay Watershed natural resource organizations and supported by A Canadian Framework of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; Ausable federal and provincial agencies working on the Lake for Community Action Bayfield Conservation Authority, Maitland Huron-Georgian Bay Framework for Community Valley Conservation Authority, Saugeen Valley Action. These Youth Summits have encouraged Conservation Authority and St. Clair Region the students to work with mentors (often mayors, Conservation Authority; Huron County Health municipal councillors and teachers) in their home Unit; Grey Bruce Health Unit; Environmental communities and organize school events to raise Defense; Lake Huron Centre for Coastal awareness of Lake Huron and to foster opportunities Conservation; and Bruce Power. for local and collaborative community activities to address the future of the lake ecosystem. In 2010, a Teachers Summit will be added and is People Working Together for a Healthy Environment planned for September in Goderich. The goal of the Teacher Summit is to connect youth with local watershed initiatives: by linking their high-school The Lake Huron Watershed Canadian teachers with local environmental resources, and Framework for Community Action employs by providing the teachers with information they an integrated process that is linked to a set need about local biodiversity and environmental of fundamental principles. These principles issues. Approximately twenty-five teachers from promote and guide collaborative, science- Sarnia to Kincardine have registered for the event. based approaches that align individuals, Preparations are also underway for the fourth annual communities and government agencies Youth Summit to be held in Midland. in taking the most effective conservation and protection actions to achieve lasting results. The Framework will facilitate sharing experiences between these various groups Visitors soak in the view at Southampton Beach in order to enhance a lakewide commitment on Lake Huron. Credit: Matt Shelter. for a healthy and sustainable Lake Huron watershed. You can download a copy of the framework and sign the charter at www.lakehuroncommunityaction.ca. 1 Penetangore Watershed Study Benefits from Provincial Funding The Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority (SVCA) (3 sites) in the Township of Huron-Kinloss. For each has received $19,900 for a one-year study of the sampling location, the study will collect biological relationship between land use and ecosystem health community and water chemistry data, and fisheries in the Penetangore watershed. The award was assessments will be conducted. provided by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment’s Ontario Community Environmental This study will identify changes and patterns in Fund, which directs monies obtained through water quality and biological communities, including Environmental Penalties into projects located in the algal blooms, and measure the vulnerability of each watersheds where the violations occurred. Along stream section to land use and other stressors. Maps with the SVCA, private landowners and other groups of land-use, land-cover, and measures of agricultural such as the Pine River Watershed Initiative Network intensity will also be created. The new information are participating in the project. will help to determine priority restoration sites and projects for the future. Located in the Pentagore watershed, Pine River and Clark Creek are small low-flow streams that drain For more information about the Pentagore into Lake Huron near Kincardine. These streams watershed project, please contact SVCA’s Martha have elevated levels of nutrients and contaminants, Nicol at 519-364-1255 Ext. 39, or Jo-Anne Harbinson and local residents are concerned about poor water at 519-364-1255 Ext. 35. For more information quality and algal blooms. about the Ontario Community Environmental Fund, including eligible locations and criteria, visit Collecting benthic (bug) samples is a key component The study began in May 2010 and focuses on 24 http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/en/about/penalties/ocef/. of the Penetangore watershed study. Credit: Saugeen sites along the Pine River (21 sites) and Clark Creek Valley Conservation Authority. Pine River Watershed Initiative Network Takes Action to Address Water Quality The Pine River Watershed Initiative Network (PRWIN) nitrate from the water, to improve water quality began in 2000 as a group of local landowners and decrease algal blooms. Other projects include concerned about declining water quality in the Pine the construction of 5 kilometres of cattle exclusion River watershed near Kincardine. Their first project fencing, 5 alternative water sources for livestock was to address threats to water quality from a large- and providing local students with a hands-on scale factory farm. This process took several years, introduction to restoration ecology at a local native but was successful. The focus of the group has now plant nursery. shifted to other ways of improving water quality in the Pine River, especially the restoration of riparian All of the projects PRWIN has initiated and buffer strips on cash crop and livestock farms. completed