Pair set out to prove Bay of Quinte healthy

[Spiel]

Pair set out to prove Bay of Quinte healthy

Findings could lead to bay being de-listed as a pollution hot spot

 

 

June 17, 2008

STEPHEN PETRICK, THE INTELLIGENCER

 

 

 

Environmentalists in charge of cleaning up the Bay of Quinte believe the area could be de-listed as a pollution hot spot as early as 2011.

 

But for that to happen, they need to prove fish and wildlife populations are healthy again.

 

That's where Justin Robertson and Justin White come in.

 

The two recent university graduates have been hired by the Bay of Quinte Remedial Action Plan to help carry out its goal of proving ecosystems in the bay are healthy and populations of once at-risk species are growing.

 

Robertson, a 23-year-old Frankford native who just finished a biology degree at McMaster University, will be in charge of a regeneration program for shoreline and wetland habitats.

 

White, a 23-year-old from Prince Edward County who recently completed an environmental resource sciences degree from Trent University, is a monitoring technician. He was hired to collect data on populations and assess habitat enhancement activities.

 

Both believe the bay has a realistic chance of being de-listed by 2011 if their summer projects are a success.

 

"I definitely see a future," said White. "I want to say, 'yes, things are turning around.' But for that we need help from the public."

 

Since starting his job last month, White has been monitoring fish populations in Sawguin Creek in Prince Edward County during the day. He is also tracking birds in the evenings and amphibians at night, with the help of volunteers, at 14 different coastal wetlands in the bay area.

 

It is important work, he said, considering remedial action plan staff have not traditionally done their own monitoring of species and have relied on data from various other environmental organizations.

 

Soon the organization will have its own database of information to compare with other organizations' stats. It will confirm if current environmental projects are making a difference in populations or if more work needs to be done.

 

"If we start noticing that species are returning, we can say we are recovering," White said.

 

But, ultimately, action plan staff need public support to make sure habitat-improving plans are carried out.

 

Robertson's job will be to solicit exactly that.

 

He's currently drafting a survey for those who own shoreline properties around the bay.

 

When the survey is finished, likely in mid July, Robertson said, he and a team of volunteers will take it door-to- door in an attempt to figure out how many property owners have completely natural shorelines and how many don't.

 

Those who have unnatural shorelines -- one altered by, say, a retaining wall or a dock -- will be asked if they will consider moving it, in an effort to reduce pollution in the bay.

 

A more natural shoreline, Robertson explained, acts as a buffer zone for runoff that could potentially leak into the bay.

 

"Things such as shrubs and trees absorb run off that may otherwise go into the bay," Robertson said, noting that runoff of gas, fertilizers and pesticides is what has led the bay to be polluted.

 

Action plan staff have a goal of ensuring that 70 per cent of the bay shoreline is considered "soft" -- in other words, natural -- in the near future.

 

But the survey, Robertson stressed, will not be meant to force property owners to make changes to their shorelines. It will just be to gauge how many would be willing to make changes and on what conditions.

 

"We're trying to identify properties where there's potential for naturalization," he said. "We're not trying to regulate anything; we're into promoting a natural shoreline."

 

If the survey reveals that many property owners would be willing to make changes, action plan staff may be able to lobby senior governments for a grant program to subsidize their costs.

 

Robertson said he hopes to take the survey to about 180 properties around the bay in an area stretching from Carrying Place to the east end of Belleville this summer.

 

Later, staff hope to take the survey to property owners in Prince Edward County and the Napanee area.

 

If all goes as planned, the project will reduce pollution in the bay enough so that data collectors, in the coming years, will be able to conclude that more fish and wildlife are returning to the area, Robertson said.

 

A healthy return of fish and wildlife habitats is one item the International Joint Commission (IJC) will look for when determining whether the Bay of Quinte can be de-listed in the coming years.

 

The IJC is a watch-dog organization that monitors conditions in the Great Lakes. It labelled the bay as an area of concern in 1986, triggering the creation of the Remedial Action Plan in 1993.

 

The hiring of the two graduates marks a significant step in the action plan's history, said its implementation manager, Jeff Borisko.

 

He said he's looking to forward to seeing the results of Robertson's survey, because it will indicate whether the public supports action to clean up the bay.

 

"There used to be a sense in the environmental community that people weren't prepared to change," he said. "We want to assess that. If we hit the right people we can go back to them and say this is what you need (to naturalize your shoreline) and this is what we can help you with."

 

He added that having young staff, who are eager to work with volunteers and publicize the importance of cleaning up the bay is nice too.

 

"These guys bring a new attitude and new energy to this whole process," he said.

 

For information about volunteering for the Bay of Quinte Remedial Action Plan, e-mail Robertson at [email protected].