GBA Update - Summer 2020

16 ≥ www.georgianbay.ca GBA UPDATE Summer 2020 Continued from page 15 Upcoming Events Our sister Georgian Bay organizations wish to inform you of these upcoming events. Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve Curious about biodiversity in the Biosphere? We are too! Download the iNaturalist App and add your sightings of living things: inaturalist.ca/projects/georgian-bay-biosphere Looking for activities you can do from home? We keep a running list of links and printable activities: www.gbbr.ca/at-home-family-activities- resources/ Plan to visit the Amazing Places in Canada’s biosphere reserves: www.biospherecanada.ca/amazingplaces Assess your property’s habitat values or consider the addition of native plants with our conservation guides and resources: www.gbbr.ca/conservation-guides/ Check out our FREE resources for kids in the Biosphere! Print activity sheets, read our blog, stay connected all summer! www.gbbr.ca/kids-in-the-biosphere/ To understand environmental changes to water quality in Georgian Bay, visit: www.stateofthebay.ca/ Climate action is urgent. Explore our pages at www.gbbr.ca/climate/ Georgian Bay Land Trust The Georgian Bay Land Trust will be offering numerous ways to engage with nature and conservation this summer, including online learning opportunities, independent activities, and in-person events if circumstances allow. Please visit gblt.org/events for the latest information. Georgian Bay Forever Water Levels: What is Going On? 1-hour webinar presented by GBF Executive Director David Sweetnam The coming decades hold a promise: “nothing in their water levels past is a predictor of what will happen in the future.” Join our webinar to learn about the forces driving extreme variability in water levels. Only one time slot left! Register online at the links below, or if you need help, call Heather Sargeant at (905) 880-4945, ext 4. bit.ly/GBFMay26 (Tues, May 26, 7:00 pm) Water pollution comes from tiny fibres in your clothes. Discover research and solutions to change that 1-hour webinar presented by GBF’s Brooke Harrison (BSc), Lisa Erdle (PhD student studying the effects of microfibres in animals), and Dorsa Nouri Parto (undergraduate student double major in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Molecular Genetics) Every single time we put our clothes in the washing machine, thousands of tiny plastic pieces wash away in the form of small fibres (microfibres). Millions get through wastewater treatment plants and into our water daily. Listen to the state of research on the effects of these particles and the progress of the Parry Sound study on providing a solution. Register online at the links below, or if you need help, call Heather Sargeant at (905) 880-4945, ext 4. bit.ly/MicrofibersMay12 (Tues, May 12, 7:00 pm) bit.ly/MicrofibersJune4 (Thurs, June 4, 2:00 pm) Families For Change (new tasks/version) 3.0. This summer, join other families participating in action to help our environmental future. Get your new list at gbf.org/F4C and complete the tasks at your own pace. Other GBA actions are briefly summarized below: Issue Details Dock foam GBA has joined the Georgian Bay Forever (GBF) dock foam committee to work jointly on research, education, municipal engagement and an eventual ban. Henvey Inlet fire investigation report In March, GBA submitted a detailed response to the MNRF representations on this matter in accordance with the adjudication process that is underway, as did CBC and the Key River Area Association group. TCEnergy (TCE) pumped storage project at Meaford Following a meeting with the Municipality of Meaford and an upcoming web conference with TCE, GBA will shortly be submitting a detailed summary of its major concerns on this project. Details can be found here: https://georgianbay.ca/tc-energy/ Coastal Wetlands Project In March, GBA attended and provided input on the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) five-year (2017-2022) Great Lakes coastal wetlands project conference. Although we cover a wide range of issues, we are always interested to hear if you think we have missed something, or if you have information or ideas on any issue we are working on – so please do let us know.