Ken Larone of the Trail Association Alanna Scott of Environmental Defence conduct turbidity testing of the Bayfield River.
BAYFIELD – The Bayfield River Valley Trail Association will receive $24,750 to help protect the Great Lakes.
It is among 22 organizations across the province to share more than a half-million dollars in funding from the Ministry of the Environment’s Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund. The funds will help it plant trees and expand community access to trails with the support of local partners and community volunteers, with the goals of protecting the Bayfield River water quality and making it easier for older and disabled visitors to enjoy existing trails.
A 1.2-km hard surface trail at the Varna Trail will make it accessible for wheelchairs, strollers and prams. More trees will be purchased for the Bayfield Tree Project, which plants trees along the village’s streets to replace old, dying trees and populate treeless areas. An interactive web site will be developed as well as a trail guide to provide insights into efforts of the organizations and individuals trying to improve water quality of the river and the Great Lakes.
The trail association is not alone with its focus on the river and beaches. Early in 2011, the Erb Foundation of Michigan provided $110,000 to the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) to develop a watershed plan for part of the Bayfield River running from Clinton to Bayfield (lower Bayfield River Watershed). The ABCA plan was completed with the assistance of a committee of interested citizens in the watershed. It outlines the steps needed to protect and remediate the watershed. One of the critical components of the plan calls for engaging community group in restoring the Bayfield River and its beaches.
A number of groups encouraged the trails association to expand its mission to help restore the river. Together, these groups will provide knowledge and expertise to help make the trails’ project a success.
Earlier this year Ray Letheren, a member of the trails executive and an executive member of Friends of the Bayfield River, said there is little to be done about water volume in the lakes if climate change is not managed in the future. Climate scientists predict we will continue to have warmer summer with less rain, warmer winters and less ice coverage, leading to warmer lakes and greater evaporation year round.
“Lower water levels are not only an environmental concern but an economic concern as the Bayfield Harbour is the largest recreational harbour on the Canadian side of Lake Huron and a significant part of the economy in Bluewater,” he said.
“But water quality is ours to determine. Every individual is either a part of the problem or part of the solution. Every toilet flushed, every cleaning agent poured down a drain is a contributor to the degradation of the water quality. Every cow, pig and chicken that, well you know, likewise adds to the decline of the water quality. And before every farmer in the county runs a pitch fork through my heart, let it be said that while much more must be done, remarkable strides have been taken in recent years by the agricultural Industry to protect our waters. The same cannot be said for urban dweller.”
“The issue of agricultural pollution is a consumer problem not an agricultural production problem. If we were prepared to pay the true cost of meat, that would include the cost of environmental protection, then agricultural pollution would not be an issue,” he said.
For more information, contact: Ken Larone, (519) 565-4280.
The Mid Huron Beach Property Owners Association received $25,000 to construct barriers to slow stormwater runoff with the help of the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority and area landowners. Its goal is to reduce erosion and fertilizer runoff into Garvey-Glenn Shoreline Watershed and ultimately into Lake Huron.
