A Cosmetic Pesticide Ban for NL in 2011?
The Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (CAP-NL)
Nearly 80% of Canadians are covered by bans against using cosmetic pesticides, which can cause cancer, yet Newfoundland and Labrador remains silent on the issue.
Join other interested volunteers
All are welcome!
Contact: pesticidealternatives@gmail.com
http://pesticidealternativesnl.wordpress.com
Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides Newfoundland and Labrador,
Twitter CAP_NL
Forest Management Districts 10, 11, 12 and 13, Five-Year Operating Plan (2011-2015)
Proponent: Department of Natural Resources (Reg.1550)
The passing of Bill 75 resulted in the expropriation and return to crown, timber lands associated with Forest Management Districts (FMDs) 10, 11, 12 and 13 previously vested to Abitibi-Bowater. With the return of these timber lands to the crown, it was the Department of Natural Resources position that the management of these lands would be consistent with the strategies and philosophies in effect in all other crown managed districts in the province. This plan which covers the period January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2015 reflects these changes and will replace the 2008-2012 plan previously prepared by Abitibi-Bowater for this area. Planning Zone Five encompasses FMDs 10, 11, 12 and 13.
It is located in central Newfoundland and extends from Victoria Lake in the west to the Bay D’Espoir highway in the east and from Island Pond in the south to North and South Twin Lakes in the north. Major towns located within the zone are Bishop’s Falls, Grand Falls-Windsor, Badger,
Millertown and Buchans. Approximately 20,200 hectares with 2.45
million cubic metres of timber are scheduled to be harvested.
Harvesting activities will include pulpwood, sawlog, and fuelwood using chainsaws and mechanical harvesters. Skidders may be used for some slope harvesting and chainsaws for domestic harvesting. Approximately
193 kilometres of primary forest access roads will be constructed over the 5 year operating plan.
The undertaking was registered on January 4, 2011; public comments are due by February 11, 2011; and the minister’s decision is due by February 18, 2011.
Deadline for submissions: Feb 4, 2011
As part of its strategy for protecting wildlife species at risk, the Government of Canada proclaimed the Species at Risk Act (SARA) on June 5, 2003. Attached to the Act is Schedule 1, the list of the species that receive protection under SARA, also called the List of Wildlife Species at Risk. COSEWIC (the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) has recommended the addition of 18 terrestrial species to Schedule 1, and a change in risk status for seven terrestrial species already on the list.
Of the terrestrial species proposed for addition or risk status change on the legal list, two are known to occur in Newfoundland and Labrador:
Vole Ears (Lichen)
Bobolink (Bird)
For further information and a copy of the registration documents visit http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/document/default_e.cfm?documentID=2106.
There will be an evening lecture hosted by the Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society:
CMOS SPEAKER TOUR 2011 Climate Change and the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions: Blending Science, Social Science, Politics and Opportunity
Featuring: Thomas F. Pedersen, Executive Director, Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions, University of Victoria
Abstract: Global warming caused by human activities is happening, it is scientifically well understood and, as will be discussed in the lecture, it presents a serious challenge to human societies. But in that challenge lies an opportunity for us to do things better, to unleash a new era of creativity, to improve the stewardship of our natural environment, and to revitalize our economy while generating new, cleaner industrial activity.
Taking such action demands concerted political leadership and policy development informed by high-quality interdisciplinary research. The latter requirement led the Government of British Columbia to create in 2008 of thePacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS), an endowed four-university consortium hosted and led by the University of Victoria that focuses on blending the social and physical sciences and engineering to provide best-practice policy pathways that the provincial government can follow.
The role PICS is now playing in contributing to British Columbias response to the climate-change challenge will be described and set within the larger NorthAmerican context. But there remains a problem: most climate solutions are not of provincial scale, and many span, if not the full globe, at least the scale of the nation or continents. Solutions case studies that span both the science-policy intersection and large spatial scales will be presented. For example, the directive to enhance corn-ethanol production in the U.S. has reinforced unwelcome, distal oceanographic impacts that might have been curbed had science and interdisciplinary discussion been used more effectively in the policy design. And in Canada, our provincially-controlled electrical grid system hampers our ability to accommodate renewable energy, thereby limiting the scope we have to reduce CO2 emissions. Europe is taking a collective, aggressive and different tack that will be contrasted to the current situation in Canada.
Finally, it is increasingly clear that Canada could take steps that would simultaneously allow us to reduce carbon emissions an imperative that climate science tells us is a must while yielding significant new economic value. Getting there will require recognition by the Canadian public (and its mirror our politicians) of both need and opportunity. Therein lies another challenge one which PICS is also addressing that is rooted in the communication of science, economic perceptions and economic reality, and human behavioural psychology.
ALL ARE WELCOME!
We’re writing to let you know about an exciting new endeavour Green Teacher is launching next year. Starting in February, we will be hosting a series of one hour webinars (online seminars) on various environmental education topics. These webinars are offered free of charge to Green Teacher subscribers. The focus of these webinars will be on effective teaching strategies for various areas of environmental education, at different age/grade levels, both within and outside the classroom (for both formal and non-formal educators). Featuring guest experts, the webinars will be held on weekday evenings, starting at 7:30 p.m. EST from February to May and again in October-November.
We are seeking your suggestions—and those of any colleagues or acquaintances who may be interested—as to which webinar topics are of the greatest interest. To that end, we have created a short online survey, which takes about 5 minutes to complete. To get everyone thinking, the survey suggests a number of general topic areas, but anyone can suggest other topics, and indicate at which age/grade levels their favourite topic(s) should be addressed in a webinar.
The survey can be accessed at the following URL: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/76KDMXX
We thank you in advance for any input you may have. The deadline for completing the survey is January 20th. If you wish, you may enter your email address on the survey, and we will send you updated lists of topics and dates throughout the coming year.
For further info visit http://www.greenteacher.com or contact info@greenteacher.com.
Fluvarium Kids Club Weekend Programs
Have you heard? Kids ages 5–10 and their families are invited to join Fluvarium Kids! Receive updates, collect stickers, and earn a Fluvarium Kids Fresh Water Friends certificate when you attend sessions in four different months! This month:
“Life Goes On” at The Suncor Energy Fluvarium!
Saturdays & Sundays at 1:30pm
January 8 – 30, 2011
Program runs approx. 45-60 minutes
Most people think that natural environment has ‘gone to sleep’ at this time of year, but there are still lots of activity in and around the Fluvarium all winter long! Help us discover which animals are still busy around this winter and maybe even learn ways to help them through this long cold season.
This Fluvarium Kids program is Family Fun and includes
An outdoor component, game, story and craft!
Fluvarium Kids programs are complimentary with admission.
Ask about our Annual Family Pass.
For more information contact:
Denise Hennebury – 754-3474 – dhennebury@fluvarium.ca
Believe it or not – algae is cool! It’s everywhere, it grows like crazy, and it is bursting with oil!
The documentary, Algae: The Future Of Fuel, reveals how scientists at the National Research Council in Halifax are searching for the ultimate algae variety that can produce a large volume of oil in a short period of time using a minimum of nutrients. They are also exploring the potential to use sewage wastewater as a source of nutrients for the growing the algae.
Algae: The Future Of Fuel will be airing this Sunday January 9th at 12 noon on CBC’s Land & Sea. For those of you in other countries you can view the documentary after it airs on the CBC website at: www.cbc.ca/landandsea.
Most people probably don’t realize that the crude oil we pump from the ground was produced by algae. The only significant difference between the algae oil and crude oil is a few million years of aging.
What We Heard: Lawn Islands Archipelago Provisional Ecological Reserve Public Consultation Report is now available. This document summarizes comments made throughout the consultation period for the proposed establishment of what would be called Lawn Bay Ecological Reserve. To request a copy of the report or submit questions or comments about the What We Heard Document or the process to achieve full ecological reserve status, please contact Erika Pittman at 709-635-4520 or erikapittman@gov.nl.ca.
For the past eight years, Intervale Associates (www.intervale.ca), a nonprofit organization based in Newfoundland and Labrador, has been demonstrating the benefits of peat filter wastewater treatment systems to rural communities in the Province. Our goal is to educate people about how the use of sphagnum peat for wastewater treatment can help meet the needs of rural communities in many regions of the world. This wastewater treatment system can be used for homes, businesses, schools, and tourist attractions. It is already in place in four areas of Newfoundland and Labrador, including Gros Morne National Park and LAnse aux Meadows National Historic Site. A 23-minute educational DVD is available. Filmed in Newfoundland and Labrador, this DVD describes the beneficial uses of sphagnum peat and its application to treating wastewater in Newfoundland and Labrador. The DVD has been of interest to a wide range of audiences, including municipalities, schools, universities, and environmental managers. For further information about peat wastewater treatment systems or to purchase a copy of the DVD ($15 plus shipping and handling) contact Intervale: kblanchard@intervale.ca.
ACAP Humber Arm is pleased to announce our next Coastal Matters speaker’s series will be a presentation by the Mayor of Corner Brook, Neville Greeley. Mayor Greeley has titled his presentation Building a Sustainable Community in Corner Brook. An abstract for the presentation can be found below.
There will be a question and answer session following the presentation. Coastal Matters presentations are free of charge and open to the public. Please feel free to bring your lunch. Tea and coffee will be available.
ABSTRACT FOR GREELEY PRESENTATION
Building A Sustainable Community in Corner Brook
In order for a community to be sustainable it has to continually adjust to meet the social, cultural and economic needs of its residents while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come. While Corner Brook is evolving toward sustainability and more sustainable practices, creating sustainability is a learning process. The City of Corner Brook is committed to the development and implementation a wide variety of projects aimed at promoting sustainability in Corner Brook. This presentation will identify the City’s goals to minimize adverse environmental impact; integrate sustainable policies into community governance and operation; improve municipal working and living environments and foster a culture committed to sustainability within the community.
For further information:
Sheldon Peddle, Executive Director
ACAP Humber Arm Environmental Association Inc.
phone 709.637.2883
Newfoundland & Labrador Environment Network 