October 14, 2008
Our newsletter has a new look! This month's e-newsletter highlights some great news for the Detroit River: spawning reefs for sturgeon. Make sure you read the article below to find out more about the project.
Remember, we love to hear from you! If you have items you'd like to include in our October newsletter, please send them to postmaster@detroitriver.ca
Natalie (Carreau) Green
DRCC Coordinator
Questions? Email me
Did you know??
Did you know that residents of the City of Windsor and the County of Essex can include new items in their Blue Boxes! The Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA) is now accepting polycoat beverage cartons (milk cartons, juice cartons, liquid egg cartons, creamer cartons-without the plastic lids), aluminum plates, trays, and foil (pie plates, meat loaf pans), as well as tubs and lids (margarine tubs, cottage cheese tubs, yogurt containers-remove lids and place both lid and tub loose in your Blue Box). As always, you can recycle food and beverage cans, plastic bottles and jugs, glass bottles and jars, and empty paint cans and aerosol cans. Remember to rinse containers and place them loosely in the Blue Box. Never include plastic bags, clear plastic trays, green plastic baskets, electronic items (accepted at the Depot), or batteries (accepted at the Depot).
Fall yard waste such as leaves, trimmings, pumpkins, garden and vegetable waste is accepted at Public Drop Off Depot free of charge.
Contact the EWSWA for more information: 1-800-563-3377 or ask@ewswa.org
Provincial and Federal Funding Complete Detroit River Sturgeon Habitat Restoration
LaSalle, Ontario - Construction of a sturgeon spawning reef will soon be completed
as a result of Provincial and Federal funding announcements at Gil Maure Park
today in LaSalle. Bruce Crozier, M.P.P. Essex, has announced that the Province
of Ontario is contributing $65,000 towards Phase 2 of this restoration project
and Jeff Watson, M.P., has announced that the Federal Government is
contributing an additional $60,000. These contributions help facilitate the
goal of returning this spectacular Lake Sturgeon fish to its historical
abundance. The project is situated at the north east end of Fighting
Island in the Detroit River and is the first ever fish habitat restoration
project in the Great Lakes undertaken with Canadian and U.S. funding.
"Contributing to this project is how the Provincial Government is a strong
environmental leader on issues that cut across all areas of public policy,"
said Member of Provincial Parliament Bruce Crozier. "I am impressed with
the magnitude of this project. The number of public and private partners
who have come on board to restore an important part of the Detroit River's
fisheries is commendable."
"This is the first time both Canadian and U.S. money is being pooled for a
common fish habitat rehabilitation project in the Great Lakes," notes U.S.
Congressman John Dingell. "This sturgeon reef construction project is precedent
setting and shows the strength of our U.S.-Canada partnership for the Detroit
River International Wildlife Refuge."
"We are taking real action, with our U.S. partners, to rebuild a valuable
shared resource and its biodiversity," said Canadian Member of Parliament
Jeff Watson. "The Federal Government is very proud to be part of this
initiative to strategically restore a natural habitat for this local fish off
Fighting Island."
The Lake Sturgeon is a remnant of the dinosaur age and can grow to over eight
feet in length and weigh over 200 pounds. It is listed as either threatened or
endangered in 19 of 20 states in the U.S. In Canada, it has been identified as
threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife. Lake Sturgeon
is endemic to the Great Lakes and, historically, the Huron-Erie Corridor was
one of the most productive waters for Lake Sturgeon in North America.
"The Essex Region Conservation Authority understands the critical importance in
achieving a sustainable environment for this region, and are pleased to be the
collaborative partner in this restoration," said Ken Schmidt, General Manager
of the Essex Region Conservation Authority.
In 2001, Lake Sturgeon spawning was documented in the Detroit River for the
first time in over 20 years, but their numbers are estimated to be only 1% of their original
population. Scientists determined that the lack of spawning habitat is one of
the factors limiting population growth.
Historically, the area surrounding Fighting Island was well known as an
important spawning and nursery area for Lake Sturgeon and thus was targeted as
a potential habitat construction site.
The success of this project has resulted from the collaboration of many public
and private sector organizations. Partner organizations are Environment Canada,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ontario Great Lakes Renewal Foundation, Essex
Region Conservation Authority, U.S. Geological Survey - Great Lakes Science
Center, Michigan Wildlife Conservancy, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources,
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Detroit
River Canadian Cleanup, BASF Corporation, DTE Energy, Landmark Engineers
Inc., International Wildlife Refuge Alliance, Michigan Department of Natural
Resources, Michigan Sea Grant, and Wildlife Habitat Council.
The Detroit River has the distinction of being the only International Wildlife
Refuge in North
America and the only river system in North America to hold both American and
Canadian Heritage River designations. This project is being undertaken in
direct response to the sturgeon spawning habitat restoration objective in the
Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the Detroit River International Wildlife
Refuge.
Contact persons:
Mr. Matthew Child, Essex Region Conservation Authority (519-776-5209 ext. 368)
Dr. John Hartig, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (734-692-7608)
Save the Date...
for these upcoming events
Natural Lawn Care Workshop
Thursday, October 16, 2008 - 7 pm
The City of Windsor Parks and Recreation Department is hosting a free natural lawn care workshop at the Gino Marcus Community Complex in Windsor (1168 Drouillard Road) from 7 - 9 pm. The workshop will teach you how to care for your lawn without the use of chemicals.
Restoration Open House
The Essex Region Conservation Authority and its partners will host an Open House for area residents who wish to learn more about grants available for habitat restoration projects on their property. Join them on Wednesday, October 22, between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm at the Essex County Civic Centre in Room C.
Detroit River Canadian Cleanup Public Advisory
Council Meeting
Monday, November 3, 2008
The DRCC Public Advisory Council invites you to join their meeting on Monday, November 3rd, 2008 (Contact Natalie Green for meeting time and location).
Friends of Canard River Fundraising Dinner
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Environmental Job Postings
A full-time position as Solar Project Coordinator is available at Viessmann Manufacturing Company Inc. in Waterloo, Ontario to increase sales and to enhance customer service by providing solar system design assistance, technical service and project support to customers and other parties.
Long Point Waterfowl and the University of Western Ontario are seeking an enthusiastic volunteer Waterfowl Research Assistant interested in participating with a research project studying the wintering ecology of canvasbacks, redheads, and mute swans. The research area includes the Canadian and American sides of Lake St. Clair and the Detroit and St. Clair Rivers. The field season is expected to last from the first week of November through late March 2009.
The NOAA Center of Excellence for Great Lakes and Human Health (CEGLHH) is currently seeking a Beach Quality Forecasting Coordinator to coordinate on-going efforts of CEGLHH and other agencies with the purpose of developing and implementing a generalized approach to beach quality nowcasting and forecasting. Candidates should possess a Ph.D. in a water quality field with emphasis on statistical or computer modeling.
There are various ecological job, volunteer, and internship opportunities available with EarthQuest (Canada). Please visit their website for more details.
Masters or Ph.D. position at the University of Toledo starting in Winter 2009 to conduct research on the importance of food-web structure and function on the transfer of PCBs to fish of concern in the Detroit River. The student would be required to enhance an existing food-web model of the Detroit River to assess its structure and function. This information will be used to predict the PCB body burdens of fish in the Detroit River. For more information, contact Dr. Ann Krause.
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"Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are" - Bertolt Brecht
email: postmaster@detroitriver.ca |