Dorset Environmental. DESC Site Supervisor

Transcription

1 Dorset Environmental Science Centre (DESC) Keith Somers Keith Somers DESC Site Supervisor

2 DESC A Brief History established ~1975 to develop Lakeshore Capacity Model monitoring nutrients, algae & zooplankton discovery of acid rain ~1979 led to a focus on ph, alkalinity and sulfate in 1988 expanded d monitoring i efforts to include benthos and crayfish to assess biological recovery early 1990s assisted with the monitoring and modeling of nutrient budgets for Lake Simcoe late 1990s initiated partnerships with universities and external organizations to build science capacity early 2000s moved Lake Partner Program to DESC and initiated iti t the Ontario Benthos Biomonitoring it i Network

3 DESC Core Business - Lakes Long-term monitoring of small, headwater lakes 9 basins in 8 lakes from mid 1970s >30 years of data collection sensitive, early-warning ecosystems

4 1. Harp 2. Chub 3. Blue Chalk 4. Red Chalk 5. Red Chalk East 6. Dickie 7. Heney 8. Crosson Huntsville 9. Plastic 1 60 o 79 00' Dwight Study Area Dorset Port Sydney Baysville Bracebridge Carnarvon o 45 00' Vankoughnet

5 DESC Core Business - Streams Long-term monitoring of Precambrian Shield streams associated with the 9 lake basins began in mid 1970s 23 lake inflows and outflows includes hydrology and water chemistry

6 DESC - Partners in Science to expand science capacity Universities: Trent, York, Laurentian, Queen s Ottawa, Waterloo, & Toronto District of Muskoka Federation of Ontario Cottagers Assoc n. Lake of the Woods Property Owners Assoc n. Lake Simcoe Regional Conservation Authority Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority

7 Canadian Water Network (CWN) Created by the federal government s Networks of Centres of Excellence Program in 2001 Located at the University of Waterloo Goal is to serve as a broker between the scientific community and decision makers to connect water researchers with decision makers engaged in water management issues

8 Canadian Water Network (CWN) CWN catalyzes and supports partnerships among the water research community, water managers, and government regulators CWN currently engages >100 researchers and >200 students t from 37 Canadian universities iti with >100 partners from industry, government and non-government organizations (NGOs)

9 CWN Program Focus Integration of knowledge from multiple watersheds to support decision-making frameworks that balance competing demands for water Develop broadly applicable cumulative effects frameworks Develop nationally applicable strategies to support source water protection Develop strategies to address emerging watershed issues

10 CWN s Protecting ti Watersheds and Ecosystems Research Program Develop Watershed Research Consortia to address cumulative effects assessments Promote the use of risk-based cumulative effects framework that recognizes changing land uses and water availability issues and helps to balance multiple water uses in watersheds across Canada

11 Question #1: How do we design and implement a monitoring program that effectively deals with the issue of cumulative aquatic effects in watersheds?

12 The solution: Fund a series of research consortium nodes comprised of multiple organizations with a shared interest t in addressing key water management challenges by advancing and applying research and technology to jointly support and fund science-based solutions for cumulative effects assessment

13 Benefits of Consortium Approach Overcomes weakness of numerous incompatible studies Generates accessible, current, compatible and complete datasets Provides regional baselines Uses standardized approach and increases the standard for information quality Produces high quality personnel

14 Regional Watershed Consortium Nodes Goal is to implement true science-based decision making for watershed management activities iti within a regional environmental framework Initial phase focuses on: cumulative effects frameworks developing a more effective approach with respect to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) practice

15 CWN - Call for EOIs In October 2010 the CWN issued a call for Expressions of Interest (EOIs) from multi- stakeholder groups interested in receiving support and funding to launch research consortia supporting regional cumulative effects monitoring frameworks deadline was Dec. 15, 2010

16 EOI Submission & Evaluation Twenty-nine EOIs were received including: Muskoka River Watershed Monitoring and Management Consortium

17 Muskoka River Consortium Objectives: To monitor, model, and manage lake responses to multiple stressors, on a watershed basis; To provide benchmarks against which h lake condition can be assessed; To better integrate science (research and monitoring) with watershed management (planning, stewardship, and communication).

18 Muskoka River Consortium Priorities: Collaborative watershed monitoring and management A need to identify measures of biological condition, and derive biocriteria, which could be used in a cumulative-effects monitoring framework and Watershed Report Cards Development of a phosphorus model that considers the influence of a changing climate on water quality An assessment of the ecological l risks of falling lake calcium concentrations (and management options) A review of the District of Muskoka s Water Strategy (to evaluate and improve its relevance in the context of cumulative effects)

19 Muskoka River Consortium am multi-stakeholder ltistakeholder initiative led by the District of Muskoka, in collaboration with the DESC, and with participation from municipal government (e.g., Gravenhurst, Huntsville, Bracebridge, and Townships of Georgian Bay, Lake of Bays, Muskoka Lakes, and Seguin), university researchers, and interest groups, including the Muskoka k Lakes Association, Lake of Bays Association, and Westwind Forest Stewardship Inc.

20 EOI Evaluation Eight EOIs (including the Muskoka River) were selected and invited to participate p in the full Consortium Proposal Development Stage - Bow River, BC, Grand River, Lake Winnipeg, N. Sask. River, Northumberland Strait, S. Ont. Streams, and Muskoka River

21 Next Steps Consortium Proposal Development Stage if successful will result in a 3 year program with CWN funding of ~$200 to $250 K/yr from April 2012 to March 2015 Full proposal due April 15, 2011 Winners announced May 30, 2011 Call for research proposals July 4, 2011 Research funded April 2012 to March 2015

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