Spiel

River makes at-risk listing WATER LEVEL PLAN: Advocacy group says IJC must choose B+ THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2008 JAEGUN LEE / watertowndailytimes.com The St. Lawrence River was named as one of America's 10 most endangered rivers Wednesday by American Rivers, a national river advocacy group. The 35-year-old group chose the St. Lawrence not based on its pollution level, but on the threats it faces, said spokesman Garret M. Russo. "The St. Lawrence River is at a crossroads. I would hope that the International Joint Commission would listen to the voices of the thousands, if not millions, of people in support of plan B+," Mr. Russo said. According to a press release from American Rivers, the group receives thousands of submissions from environmental organizations, local governments and watchdog groups for their annual America's Most Endangered Rivers report. The group then chooses 10 rivers facing the most uncertain futures. Mr. Russo said the St. Lawrence River, at No. 4 on the list, is at a particularly important stage as the IJC prepares to select a water-level plan to replace the 50-year-old plan now in place. He noted there is a proposal to protect the river environment that is widely supported by the people and local government. "Protecting the river is a contact sport. People need to get involved," he said. The International Joint Commission has been widely criticized by state, federal and local officials since it announced last month that it is considering a close cousin of its current regulation. The newly proposed plan, Plan 2007, is similar to the current water management plan, 1958-D, which keeps the water level high during the summer and cuts it sharply in the fall. The commission is set to make a decision by the end of the year to implement a plan that manages water levels along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. In a press release, Rep. John M. McHugh, R-Pierrepont Manor, said that he is not surprised that the St. Lawrence River was named one of the most endangered rivers. "As someone who was born and raised in Northern New York, I know well that a healthy river and lake are fundamental to the daily life and landscape of the region," Mr. McHugh said. Mr. McHugh argued that Plan 2007 would do the river "far more harm than good" and urged the IJC to adopt plan B+. "I believe that Plan B+, which has earned widespread support, best meets the needs of our river, our lake, and our communities," Mr. McHugh said. He said that the state and its residents need to continue to put pressure on the IJC to make water management decisions that benefit the environment, the economy and local residents. Alexander B. "Pete" Grannis, the state Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner, said American Rivers' decision to list the St. Lawrence River as one of the most endangered is "dead on." "The St. Lawrence is at risk in part because the International Joint Commission is poised to botch a once-in-a-generation opportunity to return to more natural water flows in the river and Lake Ontario," Mr. Grannis said in a statement. "Instead, the IJC wants to continue a river management plan that artificially constrains water levels — a plan that has turned half the once vibrant wetlands bordering Lake Ontario into impenetrable cattail stands," he said. Mr. Grannis's statement said that if the IJC does not adopt plan B+, the people of New York likely will see the St. Lawrence River moving up in the rankings in next year's most-endangered report. "The IJC spent $20 million studying this issue for five years and developed an alternative, known as Plan B+, that would change the way the river and lake are managed, to benefit the environment, hydropower and other interests," he said. "At a minimum, the IJC should present this alternative for public comment well before it reaches a final decision, expected this summer." Jennifer J. Caddick, executive director of Save the River, an environmental advocacy group based in Clayton, said she hopes the IJC will adopt plan B+ in the end. "We hope this designation serves as a wake-up call for the IJC," Ms. Caddick said. "It has been 50 years since the Moses-Sanders Dam was built and IJC is still stalling to do the right thing," she said.

....Hey now that's cool. I have had the pleasure of meeting and chattting with both Pete and Karl, both top shelf kind a guys. Just missed you this past Sunday as well Steve, I was heading out (white GM van, black Lund) as you returned from some turkey hunting classes you were giving (I think).

....Well that was easy. Thanks for the "heads up" Dan.

Canadian law calls for border check-in 04/20/08 Eric Sharp - DETROIT FREE PRESS Mich. — The night crawlers you buy for bait in Michigan nearly all come from a stretch of Ontario farmland between Windsor and Toronto that seems to be the annelid equivalent of the land of milk and honey. But it’s a one-way trip for those worms, because once they enter our country they become persona non grata in their native land — it’s illegal for U.S. anglers to take night crawlers, baitfish, leeches, crayfish or any other live bait into Ontario. That’s true even if the angler bought the bait from a facility that is certified to be disease-free and has the receipts to prove it, as is now required of anglers who buy live minnows to fish in Michigan waters. Taking bait to Canada was one of the questions that arose last week after the U.S. government cleared up confusion about whether U.S. anglers must clear customs upon returning to the United States. The answer is that they don’t unless they land or tie up in Canada, and anchoring to fish doesn’t count as landing. But that opened a whole new can of worms about whether U.S. anglers must check in with Canadian customs if the Americans are merely entering Canadian waters to fish and don’t tie up or land on that side. The official word from the Canada Border Services Agency is that thousands of Michigan anglers who fish the Canadian sides of Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair and their connecting rivers are technically violating Canadian law because few, if any, check in with immigration authorities. When asked whether U.S. boaters must clear Canada customs if they cross into Canadian waters and don’t tie up or anchor, Canada Border Services e-mailed the following: “People seeking to enter into Canada must report to the CBSA. [The law] states: Every person seeking to enter Canada must appear for an examination to determine whether that person has a right to enter Canada or is or may become authorized to enter and remain in Canada. This includes fishers who anchor, dock, or moor in Canadian waters.” However, several Canadian Border Service and Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources employees said there was little likelihood that rule would be enforced in places with shared waters and where large numbers of boaters routinely cross the boundary line for fishing, sailing, waterskiing and other recreational activities. The Canadians aren’t equipped to handle all those people, and inspecting boaters who are just casually passing through for a few hours isn’t what the law was designed for. Canada is unhappy about a plan by the Bush administration to require all U.S. and Canadian residents to show a passport when entering the U.S. from Canada, starting in 2009. The Canadian government believes that would reduce tourism from the United States and create unnecessary hassles for both U.S. and Canadian citizens. Any suggestion that the Canadian government would ignore border violations by U.S. anglers would not go down well with the average Canadian.

....Well isn't this special. Happy birthday there young fella!

....A big Lund tiller, sweeeeet !

....Salmon and trout can be found near shore in the spring and not just rivermouths. It's bait there after and if water temps are right the bait move into spawn and the salmon and trout are right with them.

Lake Erie walleye too busy to bite Spawning takes precedence over artificial lure, wiggling minnow Friday, April 18, 2008 Steve Pollick / toledoblade.com It gets a fisherman's blood boiling to be drifting across the near-shore western Lake Erie reefs in April, twitching a hair-jig and a minnow while watching hordes of spawn-crazed walleye splashing around the boat, oblivious to the angler's offerings. That is just the way it was this week off Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station. It was a mite windy at midweek, the water still too muddy but clearing. The walleye didn't care. Several times during a morning's angling, huge female spawners could be seen rolling and swirling on the surface, each followed by a pack of four or five eager males, their snouts occasionally poking at the female's flanks. "The fish are stacked in here thick," said Jerry "Meatpole" Meyers Sr., skipper of the Water Witch. He reflected on the spotty catching as well. "It's been so dirty. But it's getting better every day." All the rain and snow of last winter, Meyers added, have added 18 inches to two feet to the lake level - a good thing. Ron Lamont, a Wing Wings Marina skipper like Meyers, was taking a busman's holiday from his Sun Chaser to accompany Meyers' crew. "I think we're at least two weeks behind," he said. He added that he would not be surprised if the normal spring transition to familiar spinner-type rigs with nightcrawlers does not occur later than normal, perhaps mid-May. Lamont added that he never has seen so much debris in the lake, from whole, 60-foot trees to railroad ties. So beware and keep a sharp lookout when piloting around the western basin. So much for the scenery. The walleye are running very nice, from three to four pounds on up, with nine and 10-pounders not uncommon, at least for now. The bigger fish no doubt will wander off in search of food later. So far, it is not "fish-a-minute" action, like it can and likely soon will be. Then the fish may be so eager you won't have to bother with minnows. Dan Tucker, skipper of Erie Sport, was trying the no-minnow jigging on Meyers' boat this week with less than write-home success. We called him the conservationist. Other crew members, Steve Hathaway, of Port Clinton, and me, stuck to the jig-and-minnow script and were not disappointed. One slight disappointment was watching the herring gulls occasionally descend upon and peck to death some spawned-out female walleye. The fish could be seen wallowing on the surface, exhausted from their egg-dropping efforts. "They [the gulls] peck holes in them, right behind the gills," Meyers explained. Eventually, the battered and torn fish will sink to the bottom. It is not pretty, but it's life, and death, in nature. Fishermen know that and the public needs to understand that uncompromising lesson.

....Good stuff guys. I hope this weather holds out so I can take my son down there tomorrow.

....Best take lots of coin Peter.

....Well I'm glad to see you had some good fishing and good weather but I feel for yous. Had sun stroke a few times (once severely), not fun, not a nice feeling at all. I hope your both feeling better today.

Local anglers help out with salmon study April 11, 2008 Doug Edgar / owensoundsuntimes.com Some local anglers are being recruited to help with a study that could show how far chinook salmon range in Lake Huron and Georgian Bay by analyzing fish ear bones. The study’s findings could eventually have an impact on how the fishery is managed. If fish stay mostly in their local area — say if a salmon from the Sydenham River remains in southern Georgian Bay — the fishery managers will have a relatively easy time controlling fish in that area. But if Georgian Bay fish journey into the main part of Lake Huron, the North Channel, or even Michigan’s Saginaw Bay — while another fish from the main part of Lake Huron makes its way to Owen Sound — management gets a lot more complicated. But before any of that gets figured out, people like University of Western Ontario researcher Stephen Marklevitz have to round up some fish heads. Marklevitz was at the April meeting of the Sydenham Sportsmen’s Association to explain the project and hand out fish collection kits to six volunteers, who are each asked to collect five salmon heads. He made a similar presentation to a club in Sarnia and plans to visit the Lake Huron Fishing Club and the Bruce Peninsula Sportsmen’s Association. He’s handing out kits to volunteers to ensure all the information needed is recorded and because researchers can only afford to do so many tests. He’s not looking for unsolicited fish heads. Since salmon move toward their home streams to spawn in the late summer, the researchers want the samples from earlier in the year — into July, or maybe a bit later. Another part of the study starts with analysis of otolith samples taken from fry-sized chinook collected in rivers around Lake Huron. Fish from rivers in different geological areas are expected to show different trace elements in their otoliths. As a fish ages its otolith is laid down in layers, Marklevitz explained. “It’s like writing a book in pen. You can’t go back and erase that first part, so we can go back and read these things much like a book,” he said in an interview this week. “We can look at the first page when the fish are babies, or eggs actually . . . and you can look at them right through to the time they die.” That means researchers should be able to analyze the ear bone of an older fish and compare the trace elements found in it with what they know from the fry samples and determine where the older fish hatched. “It is an up-and-coming technique, but it has been proven already,” Marklevitz said. A technician removes the otolith from the donated fish head. It is polished and prepared and then a laser is used to vaporize part of it, starting from the centre and working out. The gases given off are then analyzed. While most fish stocked in Ontario are marked by having fins clipped, not all are, he said. The otolith technique allows researchers to figure out where wild-born fish — none of which are clipped — are from too. “It’s going to allow us to look at things in much finer detail than in the past,” he said. It’s believed most salmon now caught in Lake Huron are wild-born, he said. The study may help solve the mystery of where hatchery-raised fish are going, or if they’re behaving differently than the wild ones. While Marklevitz and his group are after the volunteer anglers’ fish heads, David Gonder of the MNR’s upper Great Lakes management unit in Owen Sound wants the tails, with some of the spine included. It’s part of the MNR’s ongoing study of the balance between hatchery fish and those that reproduce naturally. While Ontario uses fin clipping to mark hatchery fish, Michigan uses the antibiotic oxytetracycline, or OTC. The chemical quickly leaves the flesh, so there’s no risk in eating it, but it stays in the skeleton and will glow when exposed to ultraviolet light. The vertebrae sections will be sent to Michigan for analysis, Gonder said. Since fish have to be killed for both studies, it makes sense to run them together, he added. out for trout Organizers are getting ready for the region’s first large fishing derby of the season. Tickets were to go on sale Friday for the Georgian Triangle Anglers Association’s 28th annual Spring Trout Derby, which is to run from April 25 to May 4. Tickets are $20 and are available from some GTAA members and at locations throughout the southern Georgian Bay area, according to derby chairman Gary Lawrence. The club also has information posted at http://www.meaford.com/fishbyte/ First place in rainbow is $1,000, second is $500 and third is $250. The top brown trout and salmon fetch $100. According to the website, tickets are available and there will be a weigh station at Garnet’s Esso, 13 Sykes St., Meaford, with more announcements to come. Net proceeds from the derby go to fishery enhancement projects. lake level update Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are seven inches (17.5 centimetres) lower than they were at the same time last year, according to data posted on the Great Lakes Information Network, while Lake Superior is seven inches (17.5 centimetres) higher. Lake St. Clair is four inches (10 centimetres) lower, while Lake Erie is an inch (2.5 centimetres) lower and Lake Ontario is an inch higher. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St. Clair and Erie are predicted to rise two to three inches (five to 7.5 centimetres) over the next month or so, and Lake Ontario is projected to rise six inches (15 centimetres). Lake Superior is forecast to stay above last year's water levels through August, while the remaining lakes are forecast to remain at or below their levels of a year ago over the next several months.

I'll be fishing brookies on opener, just like the past countless years. Me and a buddy and a small stream all to ourselves.

....I think the driver was merely having difficulty with the term "launching the boat".

....I think we've garnered enough info here for Tinman. Thanks to all who contributed positively.

....Hmmmm, I don't see anything.

....I locked it, accidently of course. Damn scroll wheel mouse that don't work so well. You know what I'm talking bout Gerritt, right. My apologies to all.

North Bay man fined for building illegal dam MNR News Release Tuesday, April 15, 2008 ******************** A North Bay man has been fined for building a dam on Papineau Lake near Mattawa. Gilles Aubin, 69, was convicted under the Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act for building the dam without a permit. On August 5, 2007, Aubin attempted to plug a hole in an existing illegal dam at the out-flow of Papineau Lake. The hole had earlier been created by the Ministry of Natural Resources to help slowly lower the water level of the lake prior to the complete removal of the illegal structure. The case was heard by Justice of the Peace Mike Kitlar in the Ontario Court of Justice in North Bay, on March 27, 2008. To report a natural resources violation, please call 1-877-TIPS-MNR toll free, any time, or contact your local ministry office during regular business hours. You can also call Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

....How bout just two sections. This one and a new one called "Waynes World".

....Really Sonny? Well I did and I do and so do the experts at Orvis. "Ferrules that stick constantly should be cleaned and lubricated. Clean both the male and female sections with soap and water, using a Q-tip to get inside the female ferrule. Polish the surface of the male ferrule with a soft cloth. After both sections are completely dry, check the fit. If it's still tight, they'll need lubrication, but never use grease or oil and never rub a ferrule alongside your nose or ear. Greasy substances cause suction in the ferrule and also attract dirt particles. Fiberglass, boron/graphite, and graphite self-ferrules should be lubricated with paraffin, metal ferrules with dry soap." As for nose oil, yea my Dad recommended it and I still do for metal ferrules, always worked well for me.

Flood warning still in effect Apr 15, 2008 / simcoe.com The flood warning issued over the last couple of weeks by the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority continues. The authority says the flows in the Lower Nottawasaga River downstream of the Minesing Wetland are still at flood peak and are expected to remain high for the remainder of the week. The flows in all other watercourses in our area are on the decline. Slippery, unstable stream banks and cold water temperatures can lead to hazardous conditions close to any water body. Folks are urged to stay clear of the shorelines of lakes and rivers. Municipalities within the watershed will continue to monitor watercourse conditions closely until flows subside. The NVCA continues to monitor, meanwhile, and will issue any related flood messages as conditions warrant. The warning will be in effect through Wednesday, April 16.

City dumps more sewage into lake; Winter's snowfall blamed for bypass increase April 10, 2008 Jennifer Pritchett / thewhig.com KINGSTO - Runoff from this past winter's heavy snowfall has forced the city to send nearly four times more untreated sewage into local waterways in the first three months of 2008 than for all of 2007. So far this year, the City of Kingston has discharged roughly 345 million litres of raw waste, compared to 89 million in 2007. Most of that untreated sewage went directly into Lake Ontario, from which Kingston and dozens of other municipalities draw their drinking water. This spike in water pollution comes just weeks after the city announced that 2007 was the best year in its history, in terms of the amount of raw waste the municipality regularly sends into area watercourses. Jim Keech, president and chief executive officer of Utilities Kingston, blamed the increase in 2008 on the sharp rise in snowfall this winter and the relatively fast melt in March. "Last year was the best year we'd had in our history and I guess what we need to do is see where we come out for the remainder of this year," he said. "The weather can change us drastically." However, it's difficult to determine exactly what impact snowfall had on Kingston's sewer system because there is no way of knowing precisely how much snow fell on the city this winter. Currently, there is no official collection of snowfall data within the city. The City of Kingston tracks rainfall, but Environment Canada's nearest weather station that collects snowfall data is in Hartington, located roughly a 20-minute drive north of the municipality. Based on weather data from Hartington, the snowiest winter on record since 1967 was 276.3 centimetres in the winter of 1970-71, compared to 246.5 centimetres so far this year. Last year's total snowfall was 75.8 centimetres. The average snowfall each winter in Hartington is 171.9 centimetres. Environment Canada is expected to open a weather station in Kingston later this year. "The amount of snow we've had on the ground this year far exceeds anything we've seen in the last 10 to 15 years maybe," said Keech. Runoff from roads during heavy rain or during the annual spring melt overloads Kingston's aged sewer system. Its combined sewer pipes, which carry both runoff from roads and raw sewage, aren't able to move the waste to the Ravensview sewage-treatment plant fast enough. The city's longtime practice of purging the raw waste into the waterways, known as bypassing, is an effort to prevent the refuse from backing up into people's homes and toilets. Kingston has spent roughly $160 million on known trouble spots in the city's sewer system and has significantly decreased the amount of untreated waste purged from those areas over the past five years. Keech said that without these upgrades, the volume of untreated waste that would have gone into Lake Ontario this spring because of the heavy snowfall would have been much more. "Even though we are bypassing, the amount we're bypassing would be quite small compared to what it was before," he said. "The amount is high [this year], but I still think it's positive." Keech also said the majority of the raw waste Kingston has discharged into waterways this year has come from smaller sewer pipes that weren't monitored before the fall of 2006. At that time, the city installed new ultrasonic equipment at 11 of the combined sewer manholes that direct the foul liquid into the watercourse. These devices, which cost $10,000 each, have enabled city staff to collect data on the amount of waste going into the waterways that was never before tracked. As many as 18 other such pipes remain unmonitored. In an effort to prevent future discharges, Utilities Kingston, which oversees the city's sewers, has now turned its attention to these trouble areas of the system that weren't previously monitored. Late last month, the province handed down $7.682 million to the City of Kingston to continue the ongoing retrofit work to its sewer system. The city is also leasing some equipment from Texas that will clean some of Kingston's sewer pipes during the coming year. This clean-up work is anticipated to increase the capacity of some of the city's older pipes.

U.S. anglers off hook in Canadian waters Friday, April 11, 2008 STEVE POLLICK / toledoblade.com U.S. fishermen on Lake Erie will not have to report either themselves or their boats when returning from fishing in Canadian waters, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has decided. The ruling, undoubtedly a welcome relief to fishermen and charter guides as well, was confirmed last week. "That's totally accurate," said Brett Sturgeon, public liaison officer for CBP's field office in Chicago. "Fishing is OK." The ruling also applies to the Detroit River, Lake St. Clair, and the St. Clair River, which is welcome news for walleye, black bass, and muskellunge fishemen who frequent those waters. A furor of controversy arose last month after a CBP officer from Cleveland announced an array of reporting mandates and need for certification paperwork at the annual captains' conference of the Lake Erie Charter Boat Association. Some captains stomped out the door in disgust and said they would scrap trips to the Ontario side of the lake rather than attempt to comply with a pile of reporting rules Details about proper reporting under the announced CBP program were reported in this space last Sunday, with the important fishing question still hanging fire. Now it is settled - in fishermen's and charter guides' favor. "You don't even have to report the [return of] boat, added Sturgeon. Reporting the return of boats and individuals, possibly in person under various circumstances, had been distinct possibilities. But ultimately, CBP backed away. "I'm relieved. It's been a lot of work, a monumental task," said Rick Unger, president of the 175-member LECBA. The organization took a lead role in arguing for relaxed rules that have followed past practices, including bringing veteran U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) into the fray. In short, David got Goliath to back down. Unger said he understood the position of the Cleveland-based CBP officer who addressed the captains' conference and outlined the initial policy. "He had his marching orders [from Washington]," Unger said. The revised, relaxed fishing policy, Unger said, "is important to the [lakeshore] economy, important to the moms and pops when they fish over the line, everybody. Everybody wins on this one." That includes CBP, Unger added, for having the wisdom to be reasonable with a basically patriotic, law-abiding American public. Skippers now likely will be helpful eyes and ears on the lake for the agency, rather than disgruntled adversaries. Throughout more than a month of meetings, calls, and negotiations, Unger said it had been "weighing on my mind - is it going to hurt national security?" His concern for homeland integrity, was honest. Boats and individuals will have to report a return to U.S. ports only if they actually land on the Canadian side and pass through Canadian customs - including at such remote, small outposts as the docks on Pelee Island. In such cases only, the stricter reporting rules - from toll-free calls on up to reporting at a CBP office in person - will apply. CBP also clarified a few other uncertainties. If you are fishing in Canadian waters it is OK to drop anchor - that is not considered landing in Canada as so doing once was interpreted. Nor is proximity to a "hovering vessel." Bottom line is, go fishing in Ontario waters if you like. Just be sure to have their angling license.

Niagara River ice boom removal marks rite of spring 04/15/08 Sharon Linstedt / NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER buffalonews.com This morning, New York Power Authority crews begin removal of the Niagara River ice barrier. “We did a flyover of the eastern end of Lake Erie [Monday] morning, and based on that reconnaissance, we can begin the removal process,” said Power Authority spokesman Michael Salzman. Under International Joint Commission rules governing use of the ice boom, it must be removed by April 1, or when the ice pack of Lake Erie’s eastern basin is 250 square miles or less. The ice pack currently measures 120 square miles. It is expected to take several days for the 1.7-mile-long ice barrier to be removed from the entrance to the Niagara River, between Buffalo and Fort Erie, Ont. “Our crews will be going out [this] morning with a barge to start pulling it out,” Salzman said. “As long as weather remains favorable, they can keep working.” The boom is installed each winter to prevent ice damage to downstream water intakes for hydropower. The barrier, which is made up of 22 pontoons, each 500 feet long, will be loaded up and hauled back to its longtime off-season resting place at Buffalo’s outer harbor. The Power Authority vowed three years ago to stop storing the massive ice blocker on the 13-acre site but so far has failed to find an alternative. Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp., which will ultimately gain control of the prime waterfront site under the Power Authority’s federal relicensing agreement of 2007, has been pressuring the authority to take steps to make sure that 2008 marks the boom’s last return. The earliest date the boom was pulled was March 5, 1998, and the latest, May 3, 1971. Last year, the boom was retrieved April 10.

Berkley Conservation Award: deserving win for York Bassmasters April 9, 2008 / lsrca.on.ca NEWMARKET – The Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) applauds the York Bassmasters for winning the Berkley Conservation Award. York Bassmasters won the prestigious award for their efforts in the Bogart Creek Restoration project. “The York Bassmasters deserve this recognition,” said Gayle Wood, LSRCA’s Chief Administrative Officer. “Their hard work, in and out of Bogart Creek, has helped restore a critical part of the East Holland River. They have made a wonderful contribution to the work of restoring Lake Simcoe.” Presented annually, the Berkley Conservation Award recognizes work by the Bass Anglers Sportsmen Society (BASS) Federation groups that gives back to the community and restores native lands. The Berkley Conservation Institute made the award at the BASS Federation Nation banquet, held this year in Greenville, South Carolina.T he York Bassmasters helped remove trash and old fencing materials, clear the area of several invasive plant species, plant trees, stabilize stream banks and repair a fish ladder. Since Bogart Creek feeds the East Holland River, the Bogart Creek Restoration project is part of the larger East Holland River Clean Up. The clean up is a multi-year, $17-million campaign to restore the most degraded and populated river in the Lake Simcoe watershed. Hundreds of erosion control, tree planting, manure storage and septic system upgrade projects will improve the water quality in the river and in the lake itself. In partnership with the municipalities through which the East Holland flows, the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and the Lake Simcoe Conservation Foundation launched the clean up campaign last fall.