vendredi 28 novembre 2008

Canadian lakes: Drop in Calcium Levels?

ENVIRONMENT
Canadian lakes suffering from aquatic version of osteoporosis
MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT
ENVIRONMENT REPORTER
November 28, 2008
Globe & Mail

Scientists say they have found lakes in Canada that are losing some of the calcium dissolved in their waters, a condition they're likening to an aquatic version of osteoporosis.

The drop in calcium levels is being attributed to the effects of acid rain and logging, which together have depleted the element in the soil around lakes, reducing the amount that is in runoff and available for aquatic life.

The finding of a new threat to the lakes has potentially far-reaching consequences. Many species depend on abundant levels of calcium, a key nutrient used in nature to build the structure of living things, everything from the shells of birds' eggs to the skeletons of animals.

A paper outlining the discovery, made by a team of scientists from Queen's and York universities and the federal and Ontario governments, appeared in Science yesterday. The research was based on sampling conducted at 770 lakes, of which 60 per cent had calcium amounts near or below levels that harm aquatic life.

The lakes studied were primarily in Ontario's Canadian Shield region, suggesting that tens of thousands of other water bodies across the country may be similarly affected, along with many in the northeastern United States and Scandinavia, areas also sensitive to the affects of acid rain.

"We call it aquatic osteoporosis," said John Smol, one of the researchers on the project and a biology professor at Queen's University in Kingston.

Dr. Smol said he is worried about the health of ecosystems around lakes because "everything requires calcium."

The Ontario lakes were in five areas: the Muskoka region, around Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, Algonquin Park and Kenora. The scientists also looked at one lake in Nova Scotia and another in New York State.

Returning calcium concentrations in lakes to healthy levels will likely require further reductions in emissions that cause acid rain - primarily sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from coal-fired power plants, metal smelters and cars - along with changes in logging practices, he said.

Under previously implemented pollution-control plans, emissions of sulphur dioxide in Eastern Canada fell by 63 per cent from 1980 to 2001, according to Environment Canada figures. As a consequence, acidity in many lakes has dropped to more normal readings, but the new findings suggests that even this massive emissions cut hasn't been enough to fully mitigate the damage from acid rain. The researchers believe the sharp drop in calcium has been under way for decades, and began in some areas as early as the 1970s.

When acid rain falls on soil, it quickly leaches out the calcium, and eventually exhausts the dirt's stores of the element, leaving little available to be washed into lakes. In the initial period of acid rain deposition, this effect temporarily increases the amount of calcium entering the lakes, but once the stores of the element are depleted, levels plunge.

Logging is also a problem because trees contain calcium they draw from the soil. When trees are cut and removed, their calcium is taken from the ecosystem. The calcium in uncut forests is returned to the soil when trees fall and decay.

The scientists were able to determine that calcium levels have fallen sharply by studying populations of a water flea called daphnia.

These water fleas are highly sensitive to calcium, and can't reproduce if amounts fall too low. The key level is a water concentration at or below 1.5 parts per million, which causes populations to crash.

Loss of the water fleas is a huge blow to life in the lakes because the creatures are a crucial component of the aquatic food web. They eat algae, and then become food for fish.

"Once calcium declines below a certain threshold, some keystone species can no longer reproduce," said Adam Jeziorski, lead author of the study and a Queen's PhD candidate. "These species and other organisms that feed on them are endangered."

Fish, crayfish and mollusks also have relatively high calcium needs.

The scientists were able to surmise the levels of calcium in the lakes over the past 200 years by looking at the remains of the fossils of water fleas in the mud at the bottom of lakes.

A mineral vital to marine life:
Calcium levels in forests and lakes in the Canadian Shield were believed to be relatively stable since the last ice age ended 12,000 years ago. But acid rain and logging has caused amounts to plunge.

HEALTHY ECOSYSTEM
Calcium levels are fairly constant
  1. Calcium gets into the soil through the weathering of rocks.
  2. Some of it is taken up by trees. When trees rot, the calcium is returned to the soil.
  3. Some is washed from the land into a lake, where it is taken up by water fleas (not really fleas), which in turn are eaten by water mites and phantom midge larvae.
  4. Water in the lake flows to the sea, but its calcium is constantly being replenished from soil runoff.

WHEN ACID RAIN OCCURS
Two things happen in sequence
  1. Acid rain leaches calcium out of the soil. It is washed into the lake where it temporarily increases such levels. As more acid rain falls, calcium levels decline there as well.
  2. Logging removes calcium absorbed in trees from the ecosystem.
  3. As calcium in the lake is reduced, the population of algae-eating water fleas plunges.

lundi 10 novembre 2008

Route 321 Development: Stream damaged? Bog Next?

Route 321 Development
Pond damaged? Stream Disappeared?
Is the Bog Next?

Looking East: Land clearing along route 321; just outside from Cheneville

Looking West

Looking NorthWest

Those pesky trees, always in the way


More land clearing

Land clearing meets disappearing grasslands

Has a local eco system (Pond & Stream) been Damaged?
Has a pond been damaged?

Has a stream been damaged?Has a stream been damaged?

Has a stream been damaged?

Is this Bog next?In the distance: track descends toward cluster of trees that surround bog

dimanche 9 novembre 2008

Elections Partialles 2008

Update: 409 votes cast. Claude Pigeon 217; Muguette Tremblay 151; Yolande Masse 32

Elections Partialles 2008
Vote anticipation: le 2 novembre 2008, 12h00 - 20h00
Jour du scrutin: le 9 novembre 2008, 10h00 - 20h00
!!!! cliquer sur l'anounce pour lire !!!!

samedi 8 novembre 2008

Assemblee Publique de Consultations! Octobre 29, 2008

MUNICIPALITÉ DE LAC-SIMON
Assemblee Publique de Consultations: Mecredi Octobre 29, 2008
???? pourquoi pas le weekend ????
AJOUTER: Assemblee Publique de Consultations: Samedi Novembre 8, 2008
Anounce dans le Petite Nation

!!!! cliquer sur l'anounce pour lire !!!!

Séance régulière du 6 octobre 2008

256-10-2008
Règlement amendant le Plan d’urbanisme règlement numéro «U-8» afin de mieux protéger l’environnement du lac Blais. («U-8-01»).

257-10-2008 Règlement de concordance amendant le Plan d’urbanisme règlement numéro «U-8» afin d’assurer sa conformité au règlement 091-2007 de la MRC lequel modifie le schéma d’aménagement révisé de la MRC Papineau et vise la zone agricole. («U-8-02»)

258-10-2008 Règlement amendant le règlement sur les Permis et certificats numéro «U-1» afin de préciser des normes concernant le lotissement, les espaces verts, l’implantation des roulottes de camping et les installations d’alimentation et d’évacuation des eaux. («U-1-02»)

259-10-2008 Règlement de concordance amendant le règlement sur les Permis et certificats numéro «U-1» afin d’assurer sa conformité au règlement 091-2007 de la MRC lequel modifie le schéma d’aménagement révisé de la MRC Papineau et vise la zone agricole. («U-1-03»)

260-10-2008 Règlement amendant à nouveau le règlement de Zonage numéro «U-2» afin d’améliorer la gestion du territoire. («U-2-11»)

261-10-2008 Règlement amendant à nouveau le règlement de Zonage numéro «U-2» afin de mieux protéger le lac Blais, d’introduire de nouvelles normes quant aux espaces verts et de corriger certaines dispositions du règlement actuel. («U-2-12»)

262-10-2008 Règlement de concordance amendant le règlement de Zonage numéro «U-2» afin d’assurer sa conformité au règlement 091-2007 de la MRC lequel modifie le schéma d’aménagement révisé de la MRC Papineau et vise la zone agricole. («U-2-13»)

263-10-2008 Règlement amendant le règlement de Lotissement numéro «U-3» afin de définir les normes applicables favorisant l’établissement, le maintien, et l’amélioration de parcs et de terrains de jeux et la préservation d’espaces naturels. («U-3-02»)

264-10-2008 Règlement amendant le règlement de Lotissement numéro «U-3» afin de mieux contrôler la planification du réseau routier. («U-3-03»).

265-10-2008 Règlement amendant le règlement de Lotissement numéro «U-3» afin de réduire la densité d’occupation du sol et de mieux protéger l’environnement. («U-3-04»).

266-10-2008 Règlement amendant le règlement de Construction numéro «U-4» afin de permettre l’installation d’antennes paraboliques. («U-4-02»).

267-10-2008 Règlement de concordance amendant le règlement sur les Dérogations mineures numéro «U-6» afin d’assurer sa conformité au règlement 091-2007 de la MRC lequel modifie le schéma d’aménagement révisé de la MRC Papineau et vise la zone agricole. («U-6-01»).

84-04-2008 Adoption d’un premier projet de règlement P-U-2000-1-2008 modifiant le règlement concernant le Plan d’Urbanisme numéro P-U-2000 afin de se conformer à la modification du schéma d’aménagement de la MRC Papineau et d’introduire les nouvelles affectations agricoles et adoptant la carte du plan d’urbanisme modifié en conséquence.
CONSIDÉRANT que la MRC a modifié le schéma régional en rapport avec les affectations agricoles;

CONSIDÉRANT que la municipalité doit se conformer aux dispositions du schéma;

Il est proposé par Monsieur le Conseiller Jean-Guy Maillé
Appuyé par Monsieur le conseiller Don Saliba

ET RÉSOLU

QUE le conseil adopte le premier projet de règlement P-U-2000-1-2008 modifiant le règlement sur le plan d’urbanisme numéro P-U-2000 afin de se conformer à la modification du schéma d’aménagement de la MRC Papineau et d’introduire les nouvelles affectations agricoles et adoptant la carte du plan d’urbanisme modifiée en conséquence tel que soumis.

Adoptée à l’unanimité
READ/ A LIRE
Anounce dans le Petite Nation
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Séance régulière du 6 octobre 2008
+
Séance régulière du 7 avril 2008
+
l'information donner au publique par le municipalité
le soiree de 6 Octobre & 7 Avril aussi!

lundi 3 novembre 2008

Conference Board of Canada: Canada an environmental slouch

"To improve its overall performance, Canada must promote economic growth without further degrading the environment, partly by encouraging more sustainable consumption."


Canada an environmental slouch, study says

Mon Nov 3, 2008
Reuters

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's environmental record is among the worst in the industrialized world, due in part to its poor performance fighting global warming, according to a report from the Conference Board of Canada on Monday.

Canada placed 15th among 17 peers, beating only Australia and the United States. Greenhouse gas emissions, high garbage production, and rampant overuse of fresh water were its biggest environmental problems.

"Without serious attention to environmental sustainability, Canada puts its society and its quality of life at risk," the independent research organization said in the report. MORE >>>