After much study, Friends of the Muskoka Watershed (FOTMW) has selected their project plans for the next five years. The plans to help protect Muskoka watersheds were announced at their AGM on Sunday, June 11 at the Muskoka Discovery Centre in Gravenhurst.
FOTMW also held their business meeting and had presentations from their partner Trent University, and two scientists who are directors on the board. But the big news is their long-term plan.
With input from advisors, the board, local experts and using published literature, FOTMW evaluated 14 watershed threats to determine the top seven plansfor FOTMW’sfocus for the future. The threats were evaluated for: severity, extent and trend; current government actions; and potential for local community action to help resolve the threat.
At the top of the list are plans to address calcium decline and increasing levels of road salt. e The study of hazardous algal blooms and novel toxic chemicals are on the workplan too. Tying that all together is a goal to motivate the community to participate in protecting Muskoka. Below is the full list of projects for the next year. (See the full report at https://fotmw.org/our-major-programs/)
1. Calcium decline has damaged Muskoka forests. We plan to involve the community in restoration using wood ash.
2. Calcium decline has reduced forest carbon capture. Working with university researchers, we will determine what impact healthier forests could have on climate change. How much more carbon will forests capture after ash additions?
3. Calcium decline in forests may increase the risk of spring floods. We will determine if an increase in calcium will increase forest transpiration, reducing the severity of spring floods. 4. Road salt is damaging many Muskoka lakes. We are identifying the source and raising awareness of the issue
5. Hazardous algal blooms are on the rise. We plan to study their causes so we can better predict occurrences and investigate solutions.
6. Novel toxic chemicals may be damaging our lakes. We will determine if aquatic life is threatened and action is needed. 7. Public will and action are needed to protect the environment. Through Citizen Science and other projects, we will motivate, educate and provide opportunities for the community to
participate in protecting Muskoka.
FOTMW Chair Peter Kelly also shared some updates. “Revenue Canada has recognized us as a registered charity, allowing us to issue tax receipts for donations, and that is making a difference,” he says. “We are in an excellent position for the future and it’s going to be a good one for FOTMW. We focus on science driven solutions.”
A new board was elected. Financials were approved and about 35 guests heard scientific reports from Dr. Neil Hutchinson on the road salt study and plans, and Dr. Shaun Watmough of Trent University and Dr. Norman Yan on the results of additions of ash to our forests.
Don’t miss out on Doppler!Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox three times per week!
Click here to support local news
What about the old, leaky District sewer system effect on the Muskoka Watershed?
And what about water conservation?
Zero rebates for water conservation in Muskoka.
Thousands of dollars in rebates with the City of Guelph.
1,130,000 litres of sewage has been spilled into Muskoka’s pristine rivers and forests just in the last few years by the District’s extremely expensive sewer system.
Not counting filling resident’s basements with sewage.
$620 million!! blown on 18!! mostly tiny, underutilized water and sewer plants for only 12,000 connections.
Another $65+ million being blown right now in Huntsville. For almost zero new connections.
Water here is unreliable and often unusable.
Muddy, yellow, smells, too low or too high in chlorine and unusable at times of year.
“Smell chlorine in Muskoka tap water? ‘It’s safe,’ staffer says.” Or just hold your nose.
Water was totally off in Bracebridge and Gravenhurst recently.
People had to melt snow to flush their toilet. It takes a lot of snow.
In fact, in spite of Muskokans paying, by far, the highest water and sewer charges in Ontario the District’s OLD, LEAKY system has a very POOR record environmentally.
Total cost can be $200/month including charges shown/hidden on your property tax bill.
$100/month even if you have no usage at all!
Services costs here are so high it’s possible to save $1,000 per year with extreme water conservation.
Go south in the winter with the money you save instead of hand it over to the District so they can smugly waste more taxpayer money.
Just don’t put up a giant sign with that on it or they will blow up your home.
Go to this website for extreme conservation techniques.
https://sites.google.com/site/opposebracebridgesewers