About the presenters and their topicsRegistration link -
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/soil-making-it-work-and-where-does-it-go-tickets-1268141756
Have your Say About the Bay
The environmental challenge related to Aesthetics has met the criteria outlined in the Remedial Action Plan.
A public comment period runs from
Monday, November 9 - Tuesday, December 8, 2020.
FINAL REPORTPRESS RELEASEPlease, submit your comments here:
Email Today!
The Bay of Quinte Remedial Action Plan has realized another milestone. Now, we are asking for your input - is the environmental challenge related to Aesthetics ready to be classified as restored?
How do we define aesthetics for the Bay? In the Remedial Action Plan(RAP), the criteria states: Nearshore surface waters of the Bay of Quinte are free of any substance due to human activity that produces a persistent objectionable deposit, unnatural colour or turbidity or unnatural odour (for instance, oil slick or surface scum).
A Technical Working Group comprised of experts in their respective fields recommended a weight of evidence approach be used for assessment purposes. It was determined the Aesthetic Quality Index(AQI) methodology used by the Toronto and Region RAP would be the best approach to evaluate the Bay’s aesthetics.
The Aesthetic Quality Index (AQI), identifies substances that produce a persistent, typically man-made and non-natural deposit on the waterfront or along watercourses that is objectionable and appears in sufficient amounts to interfere with, or impair, the aesthetic quality and use by the public.
In 2018 and 2019, monitoring staff from Lower Trent Conservation and Quinte Conservation collected water samples from a total of 215 sites around the Bay. The water samples were evaluated on four environmental endpoints: clarity, colour, odour and debris. These 4 endpoints were each assigned a score based on the observed conditions, which is then used to calculate a AQI for each site. By combining the AQI of each site an overall score is determined, above 9 is considered excellent.
In 2018, the final AQI score for the Bay was 9.5 (Excellent). In 2019, the final AQI score of 9.8 (Excellent).
At this stage of the Bay’s rehabilitation your input is vital to ensure the Bay remains a healthy and vibrant ecosystem. Once an environmental challenge is classified as restored, there is no going back to revisit the decision. For that reason, everyone is encouraged to submit comments during the public comments period. All comments are reviewed and included in the final report that is submit to the Federal and Provincial government for their concurrence that the environmental challenge has met criteria and is ready for a status change to restored.
Greening Your Grounds link
Learn how to build your own rain garden at this webinar.
The Bay of Quinte Remedial Action Plan and Lower Trent Conservation will walk you through the process of building your own rain garden. Starting with choosing the correct site, and size of garden for your property, to the final stage of selecting native plants that will thrive in your rain garden.
Learn if you are eligible for a grant of up to $500 for native plants, soil, compost, gravel, and mulch used to establish a functioning rain garden. Grant funding is for the urban areas around the Bay of Quinte.
Jason Jobin, BQRAP Environmental Technician, Lower Trent Conservation
613-394-3915 ext 242 or jason.jobin@ltc.on.ca
Email Jason Today!
Christine Jennings, BQRAP Environmental Technician, Quinte Conservation
613-968-3434 ext 106 or cjennings@quinteconservation.ca Email Christine Today!
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This is a great reminder about how this pandemic started, it was first and foremost an environmental crisis.
Restoring Areas of Concern boosts economic development
This report covers
the successful restoration of 10 Area of concern. “
The story told in this report, and by these Great Lakes
communities, documents and illustrates the very tangible, as well as often
intangible benefits of this cleanup to the people of the Great Lakes states and
provinces. It provides a powerful case for sustaining the flow of cleanup
funding that has quite literally revived communities.” Executive summary.
