Posted by: Amber in Untagged on
Aug 17, 2009
I recently had the fortune of going up for a site visit to Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Park, a beautiful and inspiring vast protected area north of Orillia. I ventured up with my friend Evan, from Wildlands League, after being informed by an Earthroots supporter, who owns a cottage in the area, of a proposed crushed granite quarry a mere 500 metres outside of the park boundaries. The day was incredible; consisting of paddling, hiking, and learning about the different species within this massive provincial park. The richness of the biodiversity was humbling – paddling through still water, and being immersed in such a placid environment was not only awe-evoking, but it blew me away to consider how close we were to Toronto.
I also had the fortune of being up there with a wildlife biologist, who gave me a much greater sense of how important this area is as potential habitat for species at risk. Understanding how precious this vast expanse of land and water is (it is the second largest operation park south of Algonquin) was not only inspiring in terms of knowing what ecological gems exist so close to an urban centre, but it motivated me to do everything we can do get the Provincial Government to deny this quarry application.
While there is a demand/need for granite, having an operation of this magnitude within such close proximity to a protected area is an ecological disaster in the making. Quarries pose significant ecological and hydrological risks; quarries, and the huge open pit mines they create, are highly destructive given that the soil, plants and trees found in the extraction area are removed from the site. They also alter the temperature and chemistry of surrounding streams. In the process, habitats are eradicated. Allowing a quarry within such a short distance of the park’s boundaries will disrupt critical connective corridors and threaten biodiversity; it will contravene the celebrated principal of ecological integrity within the Provincial Parks Act.
Posted by: Amber in Untagged on
Jul 14, 2009
I had the recent pleasure of being invited aboard a boat that was heading down the coast of Lake Superior from Wawa, Ontario. The purpose of the day’s journey was to travel southward along the coast into Lake Superior Provincial Park to search out territorial pairs of Peregrine Falcons, with hopes to locate some of their nests. Peregrine Falcons occupy a space on the province’s species-at-risk list and have been ‘fast-tracked,’ along with 10 other species, for the drafting of habitat regulations under the province’s year-old Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The habitat regulation for Peregrine Falcons, as drafted, requires that any currently occupied nest receives protection. The Peregrine Falcon, which suffered from the use of DDT along with many of the other large raptor birds in North America, has begun to recover in the province but loss of habitat has also slowed its recovery.
Luckily our trip along the shore of Superior proved successful and we were privileged to see several pairs and one nest. We waited quietly along the shore once we had spotted one of the male birds perched high up on one of the park’s cliff faces overlooking the calm waters of Lake Superior. After a couple of hours, the action began with a falcon swooping low and flying over our heads in an attempt to nab one of the birds that sat floating in the water below. Its attack proved futile but encouraged the movement of another Peregrine that headed along the coast to the rocky shoreline in search of prey. We surveyed the Cliffside in search of a nest but to no avail. Finally we moved along down the shoreline to other previously confirmed nest sites and spied a breeding pair and their young.
Posted by: Amber in Untagged on
May 12, 2009
Last week we at Earthroots had the pleasure of partaking in numerous Earth Day celebrations. Almost everyday we were at a different school or community event, which has led us to realize that perhaps Earth Day no longer exists, but rather it is Earth Week that we are now celebrating. To me, this signals a shift in environmental awareness- one day is simply not enough for all the planting, planning, and progressive action we need.
The first Earth Day over thirty years ago was planned as a one-time event aimed to raise the profile of environmental issues. Now we have an entire week devoted to recognizing our inherent connection to the Earth and our responsibility to protect and enhance Earth’s ecosystems. Schools, businesses, and entire communities come together during Earth week to plant trees, discuss local issues, clean up community parks and gardens, and to celebrate the Earth for the life it provides us.
Perhaps we need an entire week to do this because many of our environmental issues have grown larger as well. In the 3 decades since the first Earth Day many of our issues have moved from local or isolated issues to global ones. We realize many connections that thirty years ago we as a collective knew very little about. Human population is growing and this population growth puts more stress on Earth’s ecosystems as we need more land to grow food, more homes, more water, more energy… More and more and more of everything! For all that we take from the Earth the least we can do is offer one week to think about our impacts and activities.
Posted by: Amber in Untagged on
Mar 10, 2009
The American eel, once representing 50% of Lake Ontario's fish biomass, has all but disappeared. Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty described the recently released Green Energy Act as an attempt to "shoot up a big red flare into the global firmament" and baby deer were adopting elderly human families in Jones, Michigan. Scientists believe that North American gray wolves positively select for colour mutations derived from hybridization with domestic dogs. Statistics also suggest that Americans positively select for toilet paper derived from old-growth forests at higher rates than any other nationality. In Toronto, Dutch architects argued that pigs should live in highrises and climate scientists in Copenhagen revised previous warnings of a 29 inch sea-level rise. Instead researchers predict a rise of between 20 and 39 inches by the end of the century. Earthroots supporters were reading about biofuels.
