7:00 pm, SN 3125A, Science Building, MUN (St. John’s)
Fungi, big and small, are an important part of our everyday lives including medicinal and culinary. At this time of year, many of us take particular notice as we see mushrooms in wooded areas and gardens. Dr. Faye Murrin, mycologist and associate professor of Biology, will give us an illustrated presentation entitled “Wild about Mushroom”. Feel free to bring specimens for display or discussion. This event is organized by WISE (Women in Science and Engineering).

7:00 pm, Inco 2001, MUN (St. John’s)
MUN Project Green and the MUN Biology Society present the first film in their documentary screening series. The Corporation looks at the concept of the corporation throughout recent history up to its present-day dominance. BYOB (Bring your own bowl) for FREE Popcorn! For further information: munprojectgreen@gmail.com.

7:00 – 9:00 pm, Bitters Pub, Field House, MUN Campus (St. John’s).
Join us in film screenings of El Contrato and A Second Wind followed by a lively café-style discussion with expert panelists Barb Neis and Nicole Power, Memorial University and Katherine Lippel, Canada Research Chair Occupational Health & Safety Law. ‘El Contrato’ follows the lives of migrant agricultural labourers in Ontario, while A Second Wind exposes the health challenges confronting crab processing workers in Newfoundland. Free. For further info: kristen.lowitt@gmail.com

[fbshare]

MUN Botanical Garden will present a teacher workshop this fall entitled “Breaking Ground: Gardening for Wildlife in Your School Yard”.  This hands-on introduction to creating a wildlife-friendly school garden in Newfoundland and Labrador will be offered October 6 -7, 2010 at MUN Botanical Garden.  2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity.

“We are very excited to have an opportunity to offer this free, hands-on workshop for teachers” said Anne Madden, education coordinator of the Botanical Garden.  “Teachers have been requesting this type of training for several years.  Thanks to the EcoAction Community Funds and the PromoScience (NSERC) program, the Botanical Garden can share its 40 years of expertise with local teachers during a two-day workshop in October,” she said.  The workshop is fully registered.

This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through the Department of the Environment (EcoAction Community Funding Program) and is offered in conjunction with the From Garden to Classroom Outreach Program, which is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) PromoScience funding program.

The instructors will include a variety of Botanical Garden staff and the activities will include everything from plant propagation, composting and soils, Newfoundland gardening basics, butterfly gardening, encouraging birds, bats and other wildlife, plus information on funding opportunities for school yard projects. For more information, please contact Anne Madden, education coordinator, MUN Botanical Garden, at 864-8590 or amadden@mun.ca, or visit http://www.mun.ca/botgarden/news.php?readitem=163.

[fbshare]

ECTA – Igor Leaves Significant Damage on East Coast Trail
This week, Hurricane Igor swept across the island, damaging homes, buildings and property, knocking out power lines, and leaving thousands stranded. The East Coast Trail also received significant damage during the hurricane, resulting in serious safety hazards in many places. It is also currently quite difficult to access the trail in some locations.

The East Coast Trail Association wishes to advise hikers and the residents of communities along the trail of the potential dangers on the trail. Please use extreme caution if using any of the trails. The Association has not yet completed a full assessment. However, a partial assessment has indicated there are an estimated 1,500 trees down along the eight (8) trails surveyed on Wednesday of this week.
Please contact the ECTA office or visit its website (http://eastcoasttrail.ca/) if you have any questions. For further information, please contact: Randy Murphy, President East Coast Trail Association, 777-8890.

[fbshare]

The effects of hurricane Igor have been felt at MUN Botanical Garden. The nature trails and flower gardens will remain closed for a few days due to damage incurred from the rain and winds Tuesday. “Over two hundred trees are down, and several areas of the trails have washed out,” said Madonna Bishop, acting manager of the Botanical Garden. “We have been assessing the damage today and are now in the process of removing fallen trees and repairing the trails. Safety is our top priority, so it may take several days to clear up the mess,” she said. One area hardest hit was the Wildlife-Friendly Garden, a volunteer project of the Friends of the Garden.

Ms. Bishop noted that the field centre is open to the public, including the Garden Cafe, Giftshop and art show. However, education programs, including the school program bookings, have been cancelled for the week. “Sadly, we had to make the decision to pull out of Doors Open St. John’s event, scheduled for this weekend” said Ms. Bishop. “The Garden has participated in this popular local event for many years.” Other programs, including the “Breaking Ground” teacher training workshop scheduled for early October, should not be affected.
If the clean-up proceeds smoothly, it is hoped the flower gardens and some trails will open later this week. For the latest information on the Botanical Garden programs, please visit the Garden’s website at http://www.mun.ca/botgarden or the Garden’s facebook page “MUN Botanical Garden Inc.”, which also includes photos of some of the recent damage. For more information, please contact Anne Madden, education coordinator, MUN Botanical Garden, at 864-8590 or amadden@mun.ca.

[fbshare]

Open letter to Premier Williams, Ministers Shea and Prentice

The Hon. Danny Williams, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
Office of the Premier, Confederation Bldg, St. John’s NL

The Hon. Jim Prentice, Minister of the Environment House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario

The Hon Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario

Re: Gulf of St. Lawrence Oil and Gas regulatory regime

Dear Mr. Williams, Mr. Prentice and Ms. Shea:

Recently, an exploration license was issued by the Canada Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board for the ‘Old Harry’ oil and gas prospect in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This has caused anxiety and despair, but also mobilization of citizens from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Quebec and the Magdalen Islands.

Six and a half times smaller than the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of St. Lawrence is a fragile, landlocked, semi-enclosed body of water that completely exchanges its water with the Atlantic Ocean only once a year. In 1973, Dr. Loutfi of McGill University described it as the most productive marine region in Canada that should never be placed in harm’s way. According to him, because of its circular, counterclockwise currents, any oil and gas contamination would be widespread along the Gulf coastlines of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.

As it stands now, the Right whale, Blue whale, leatherback turtle, piping plover and harlequin duck are endangered; while Atlantic salmon, cod, fin whale, and humpback whale are in trouble – a disgraceful indicator that in only fifty years, our generation has taken for granted and degraded our Gulf’s natural, renewable resources. We have allowed unfettered industrial development and pollution with little regard for the precautionary principle and ecosystem approaches demanded by the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity.

Contact information: Julie Huntington, CPAWS-NL, 709-895-0853/ whales@nl.rogers.com
Link to full release: Click here.

[fbshare]

As a growing number of individuals and organizations call for a moratorium on testing and drilling for oil in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Atlantic Canadian environmental groups are calling on the Newfoundland and Canadian governments not to allow an imminent seismic blasting survey. Plans are underway to proceed with seismic blasting off Western Newfoundland in the habitat of the endangered blue whale and other sensitive species.  An application from Corridor Resources to conduct a geo-hazard survey is currently before the Canada-Newfoundland Offshore Petroleum Board http://www.cnlopb.nl.ca/env_active.shtml.
“Seismic surveys have negative impacts on marine life, but more crucial in this case, is that they are an early step in the oil and gas development cycle.  As more and more organizations say no to oil and gas in the Gulf or raise concerns, we respectfully ask that the Government of Newfoundland not issue the requested permit to Corridor Resources,” says Mark Butler of Nova Scotia’s Ecology Action Centre. “Important environmental, legal and jurisdictional issues are triggered by the proposed impacts and location of the blasting, so we’re also asking the federal government to get off the side-lines and protect our Gulf”, Butler added.
A seismic survey involves the blasting of very loud sounds toward the ocean floor with the reflected signal providing oil companies with a picture of the geology up to several kilometers below the ocean floor. The problem is that between the seismic vessel and the ocean floor lies a lot of water which is home to fish, mammals and turtles all of which are extremely sensitive to sound. “We share the concerns raised by DFO in their response to the Corridor environmental assessment about the impact of the survey on the endangered blue whale” says Julie Huntington of the Newfoundland Chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. “The seismic survey will be taking place in the migration corridor of the blue whales as they leave the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the fall and has the potential to disrupt their migration and distress the whales.”
To read the complete news release: Click here.
For more information contact: Mark Butler, Ecology Action Centre, 902-429-5287/ action@ecologyaction.ca; Julie Huntington, CPAWS-NL, 709 726-5800; or Gretchen Fitzgerald, Sierra Club of Canada (Atlantic Chapter) 902-444-3113.

[fbshare]

The Sandy Pond Alliance in conjunction with Sierra Club Canada has launched a court challenge to the proposed Vale Inco nickel processing facility at Long Harbour Placentia Bay, Newfoundland. Specifically they are concerned about the destruction of a unique natural water body, Sandy Pond. It is designated to be used as a mine tailings pond for the life of the nickel smelter and then left as a toxic site to be looked after by the people of Long Harbour and Newfoundland in perpetuity. If permitted to proceed as planned this project will continue the 100+ years of destructive mining and smelting practices in Newfoundland and Labrador leaving in its path many toxic sites with little, if any funds for restoration or clean-up. The  Sandy Pond Alliance and the Sierra Club in Newfoundland and Labrador need your help to challenge these practices. They are looking for 100 people to step up and contribute $50 each to support our court challenge.  The contributions are not tax deductible.  You will be contributing to direct advocacy to protect and restore the rugged yet fragile natural habitats in Newfoundland and Labrador. Please send checks or money orders to: Sierra Club Canada, PO Box 1501, 354 Water Street, St. John’s, Newfoundland, A1C 1C0. (Anonymity and privacy respected). To find out more about our Sandy Pond initiative visit the Sierra Club Atlantic Canada website. For further information, contact Fred Winsor of Sierra Club Canada, St. John’s, NL at winsorf@nl.rogers.com.

[fbshare]

(Originally published in the The Telegram on August 30, 2010)
Fred Winsor, Chairman of Atlantic Canada Chapter of the Sierra Club of Canada.
I write in response to the recent discussion regarding the toxic emissions coming from the Holyrood generating station and efforts by the government of Newfoundland and Labrador in conjunction with Nalcor to make the right long-term decision for electricity generation in eastern Newfoundland.

While we are concerned about the heavy metals such as cadmium and mercury coming out of the stacks at the Holyrood station, we are equally concerned about the 1.2 million tonnes of greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions being produced annually at that generating station.

The most recent, peer-reviewed scientific research on the health of oceans, reveals that the ocean absorbs approximately 50 per cent of  these GHGs. The result is an increase in ocean temperature and ocean acidification.

According to a 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), ocean acidification occurs because carbon dioxide changes when it is absorbed by seawater. It is very similar to the process of carbonating water for soda pop: the ocean soaks up about 50 per cent of the CO2 produced by burning fossil fuels. In the ocean the CO2 is converted to a slightly acidic substance called carbonic acid (H2CO3). More >>

[fbshare]