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Canadian Environmental Network
Manitoba Eco-Network gratefully acknowledges the support of Manitoba Conservation
Eco-Journal
March/April 2003
Index
Report
from the Grassy Narrows blockade: Treaties, trees and sharing
By Will Braun
Nomination Deadline for MEN Environment Awards Extended
One Step Closer To Saving the Manigotagan!
by Ron Thiessen, Western Canada Wilderness Committee
What's Happening - Calendar of Events
New Manitoba Eco-Network Member Groups
Native Plants Nurture Soil and Water
by Lindy Clubb
Compost, Soil and Food Security
by Susan Kennedy, Resource Conservation Manitoba
Winnipeg's First Citizen Environmental Survey
by Rachel Van Caeseele
Manitoba Land Initiative Launched
Grow A Row for Winnipeg Harvest
Report
from the Grassy Narrows blockade: Treaties, trees and sharing
By Will Braun
It was past midnight as we stood around the bonfire beside a logging
road in Northwestern Ontario. I’d never been to a blockade before.
It was a one night “roving blockade”, part of a high stakes game
of cat and mouse between the people of Asubpeeschoseewagong (Grassy
Narrows) and Montreal-based logging giant Abitibi Consolidated.
As we awaited the loggers—who haul at night on various roads leading
to the pulp and paper mill 80 km south in Kenora—there was a heightened
energy in the air. But instead of the Oka-esque militancy that stereotypes
might conjure, it was the quiet Davidian confidence of a people
prepared for the corporate Goliath.
Boreal homeland
As we stood in the night forest, one could imagine sections of the
daily paper scattered on a coffee table somewhere in suburbia, the
product of trees taken earlier from clearcuts near the blockade;
and an investor in New York or Montreal checking the price of his
Abitibi shares, oblivious to the fire burning beside that remote
road and in the hearts of the people there.
Tired of watching logging trucks haul away the bounty of their 2,500
square mile Traditional Land Use Area, the people of Grassy Narrows
are inserting themselves into decision-making in their boreal homeland.
Joe Fobister is one of those around the fire. “I can’t describe
the feeling,” he says, “it ‘s like my heart being pulled out of
my chest every time I drive into a clearcut.”
The next day I join Fobister as he drives past the main blockade
to a large clearcut in an area where his parents took him for months
at a time when he was young. He surveys the scene silently as his
grandson Jeremy climbs a pile of freshly cut logs. “When they look
at the forest,” he says of Abitibi, “all they see is money.” In
2002, Abitibi revenues topped $5.1 billion.
A menacing machine, with claws, blades and an evident appetite for
trees sits on the naked hillside that was once home to birds, animals
and a proud family. Empty oil pails litter the site.
Referring to logging activity in the area, Abitibi spokesperson
Marc Osborne says “this is not clearcutting to me.” The company
operates under “self-regulated” licenses granted by the province,
and replants harvested areas. “Sustainability” is the saving watchword;
the same one seemingly used to describe most all industrial resource
extraction.
“We’re not shying away from our responsibility,” Osborne says, noting
ongoing communication with Grassy Narrows.
In a June 1998 letter, Abitibi wrote to Grassy Narrows: “We realize
the way we manage the forest may be considered catastrophic, but
we also believe that in the long run it is best for the forest.
If the forest were left with no cutting or with no large scale catastrophe,
it would become old and would not renew itself.”
“They act like they own the forest,” local trapper Don Billard says
of Abitibi. He pulls out a map with coloured blotches marking areas
targeted for cutting. Pointing to a purple blotch where he has a
cabin, he says “If they cut here, we’ll have to pretend we’re living
in a forest.”
“The fact of the matter,” he states with simple passion, “is that
what they’re doing is wrong.”
Treaties and trees
The ultimate goal of the blockaders is Asubpeeschosee-wagong jurisdiction
over their customary lands; something that could give them the ability
to both protect their boreal homeland and access its wealth and
opportunity.
Provincial spokesperson Shawn Stevenson says there is extensive
“consultation” with Grassy Narrows on forestry planning, but when
pushed on how much say Aboriginal people actually have, he says
“[Aboriginal] input on site-specific issues,” is “considered” in
forest planning.
The matter of Aboriginal rights to customary lands outside reserves
is critical, both in terms of Grassy Narrows’ hopes of attaining
self-reliance and in terms of the very make-up of the country. The
1000 people of Grassy Narrows cannot survive off a 14 square mile
reserve.
Treaty 3, which applies to Grassy Narrows, makes provision for Indians
to “pursue their avocations of hunting and fishing” throughout the
area they inhabited (not just on reserve), subject to certain limitations.
That’s hard to do in a clearcut. The view of the treaty among blockaders
seems to be that it is intended to ensure equitable sharing of resources.
Indian Affairs official James Cutfeet would provide no clarification,
position or policy of Indian Affairs on the fundamental matter of
treaty rights outside reserves. He would not say whether logging
infringes on treaty rights. “It’s a provincial matter,” he says.
But the province does not formally recognize the Grassy Narrows
Traditional Land Use Area. As this game of jurisdictional hot potato
goes on, the trees keep falling and the trucks keep hauling.
A human rights observer at the blockade says, as a non-Aboriginal,
“All of my treaty rights have been met; sometimes at the expense
of Aboriginal treaty rights.” Matt Schaaf’s comment acknowledges
that non-Aboriginal occupation and use of areas covered by treaties
is also a treaty right. It goes both ways; but the exchange of rights
has worked better for some than others.
“What was supposed to be a two-way relationship,” says Schaaf, “has
turned into a one-way road leading out of Asubpeeschoseewagong territory
to the [pulp] mill.”
Who benefits, who pays?
After the US reader puts her newspaper in the recycling, and the
New York investor cashes in his dividends, Fobister is left standing
on a bald hillside with the hope that he will have more than clearcuts
and Abitibi-managed tree farms to pass on to his grandson.
He believes a multi-use approach to the forest would provide more
jobs and opportunity. Rather than clearcutting an area once or twice
a century, eco-tourism, trapping, wild rice harvesting, fishing,
and selective logging could be carried out simultaneously in a region
over the long term. This is part of Fobister’s vision of what Aboriginal
access to resources through treaty rights might look like. The by-product
could be greatly reduced dependence on government programming.
The people of Grassy Narrows say they will stay on the road for
as long as it takes. This is not surprising given the options they
face. And only time will tell how this David and Goliath tale will
unfold; whether treaties can be made to work for both non-Aboriginal
and Aboriginal parties, and whether Joe’s grandson will be taking
his grandchildren for a stroll through a clearcut or an old-growth
forest.
Will Braun is a freelance writer from Winkler, Manitoba.
April, 2003: The Grassy Narrows blockade is continuing. You can
get updates on the protest at
www.thunderbay.indymedia.org
To support the protesters with donations of cash or supplies, phone
Sarah at (204) 510-0693 in Winnipeg for information.
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to index
Remembering
Carl Ridd
This issue of the Eco-Journal is dedicated to the memory of Carl
Ridd, a much-loved and respected Winnipeg activist who passed away
March 29.
Carl is known for many, many things in the city, not the least of
which was his distinguished teaching career at the University of
Winnipeg where he inspired countless students. He was a long-time
supporter of the Manitoba Eco-Network, and a founder of at least
one member group, Project Peacemakers.
Carl was a colleague and mentor for many activists in this city,
and never hesitated to lend enthusiastic and generous support for
campaigns aiming for a more just, peaceful and healthy world. Many
of us will remember him most recently leading us in a profound minute
of silence on the Legislature steps as we called for a peaceful
solution to George Bush’s Iraq crisis.
Carl Ridd was a person whose analysis of wrong was uncompromising,
but also who could see good in the world. Carl could inspire faith
that the world might be a better place. He will be sorely missed
by us all.
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Nomination Deadline for MEN Environment
Awards Extended
The deadline for nominations to the Manitoba Eco-Network 2003 Environmental
Awards has been extended to Thursday, April 17.
Established over a decade ago, the MEN Environmental Awards were
created to “recognize significant contributions to the awareness
and protection of Manitoba’s environment”, particularly in the non-governmental
community.
A selection committee will consider nominations in the following
categories: Individual female; Individual male; Group; and “Special”.
Please submit your nomination in writing by April 17 to MEN Awards
Committee, 2-70 Albert Street, R3B 1E7; by fax to 989-8476; or email
to mbeconet@mts.net. Be sure
to include information as to why your nominee deserves recognition.
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Eco-Erratum
The editor of the January/February 2003 Eco-Journal was mis-identified
as Anne Lindsey. While Anne continues to be the Executive Director
of Eco-Network, the Editor of that issue was in fact Heather Laird.
Heather has been Editor since the September 2002 issue.
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to index
One Step Closer To Saving
the Manigotagan!
By Ron Thiessen, Western Canada Wilderness Committee
The Manitoba government has issued a new park proposal for the Manigotagan
River park reserve. It includes two major changes the Wilderness
Committee has been calling for—real protection and larger boundaries.
The new Manigotagan River provincial park proposal includes a tripling
of the original boundaries, from 250 meters to 750 meters on each
side of the river’s banks, as well as a much-needed change in Land
Use Category (LUC) from Recreational Development to Backcountry.
Backcountry protects an area from industrial activities such as
logging and mining while Recreational Development, a very misleading
term, allows these industrial uses. A small section by Turtle Lake
will be kept under a Recreational Development banner due to mining
tenure.
Even though the triple boundary expansion is considerably less than
the Wilderness Committee recommendation, and what many concerned
citizens asked for (2.5 km on each side of the river), it is a good
sign that the Manitoba government may be willing to leap a little
further to do what it takes to protect the Manigotagan River.
Ecological paradise
The Manigotagan River park reserve is a 55 km stretch of scenic
waterway that flows northwesterly from Nopiming Provincial Park
emptying into Lake Winnipeg across from Hecla Island. It’s an ecological
paradise that provides a valuable home for flora and fauna such
as towering pines, tamarack, white spruce, bears, moose, eagles,
river otters, and the threatened woodland caribou. It is also Manitoba’s
most accessible premier backwoods canoe route. In order to successfully
create a conservation vision of fully protected rivers on the east
side of Lake Winnipeg, the Manitoba government must take the next
steps necessary to make full protection a reality for the Manigotagan
River and its surrounding area.
It’s important at this point to keep a couple of facts in mind.
First, the new provincial park proposal for the Manigotagan River
park reserve is only that, just a proposal. Second, even with this
new proposal in place, the existing regulation maintains its original
boundaries and a Land Use Category that allows logging and mining
activities that are destructive to wildlife habitat and backcountry
recreation.
The park reserve process is a government-led consultation and review
process with First Nations, industry, and the public, with a goal
of determining the chosen area’s future. This can range from a fully
protected park to handing the entire area over to the mining and
logging industries. Options also exist for the establishment of
multi-use parks that allow for combinations of wilderness preservation,
industrial, heritage, and recreational uses.
The Wilderness Committee has campaigned vigorously for the last
three years to save the Manigotagan River and its surrounding area
from detrimental logging and mining activities. We have produced
and distributed postcard and digital mailers, spoken with thousands
of Winnipeggers on their doorsteps, met with former and present
Ministers of Conservation, highlighted the area in a presentation
to the Legislative Caucus about land use planning on the east side
of Lake Winnipeg, and have assertively participated in the Parks
Branch -Manigotagan River park reserve consultation process.
Over a thousand postcard submissions and hundreds of emails have
been sent from the public to government asking for full protection
and expanded boundaries—necessary requirements to protect the area’s
wildlife populations and provide for backcountry recreation.
In September of last year, premier Gary Doer committed to protect
the Manigotagan River and promised to consult with local communities
and stakeholders to work towards tripling the boundaries. Doer also
stated to the Winnipeg Free Press that he would have this done within
the next six months.
Time Is Up!
Six months have gone by and consultation with First Nations in the
area has not yet been completed. This isn’t the first delay. The
original decision deadline was September 11, 2002. A new regulation
was put in place that extended the park reserve status in order
to allow for completion of the consultation process.
The Wilderness Committee will continue its campaign until we see
a fully and permanently protected provincial park that’s large enough
to ensure the future of the river and surrounding area for wildlife,
backcountry recreation, education, and future generations. We invite
you to join us in our efforts by expressing your view to the Manitoba
government on the future of the Manigotagan River park reserve.
Connect to www.wildernesscommittee.mb.ca/manigotagan.htm#ballot
to conveniently and quickly fill in your on-line ballots. Help bring
us One Step Closer to Saving the Manigotagan!
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What's Happening
Friday, April 11—Brandon United Nations Youth Seminar (BUNYS). This
year’s theme is the Environment, with speakers on the topics of
the Kyoto Protocol, and a variety of international and local issues.
Workshops on papermaking, a global economics trading game and Green
Living 101. Youth leaders from El Salvador and folksinger Hugo Torres
will be sharing their experiences as well. For more info contact
Caitlyn (204) 727-5675 or marquisp@mb.sympatico.ca
Saturday, April 12—No War Against Iraq Coalition demonstration Against
Illegal and Racist War. Starts 1:00pm at the Legislature. March
down Broadway and up Main Street to Old Market Square, where we
will sing and dance to music provided by a variety of local artists.
Bring games, musical instruments and picnic lunches. E-mail info@projectpeacemakers.org
or call 775-8178 ext.2 for more information
Tuesday, April 22—Faith & the Common Good (Manitoba) is hosting
an evening of story telling in celebration of Earth Day. Stories
from a variety of faith and spiritual perspectives will be presented
in spoken word and through song from 7:00 - 8:30 P.M. at Circle
of Life Thunderbird House 715 Main Street (at Higgins). Also an
opportunity to find out more about the David Suzuki Foundation Nature
Challenge.
Tuesday, April 22—Book launch of Alternative Budgets: Budgetting
as if People Mattered by John Loxley 7:00 P.M. at Mondragon Book
Store and Coffee House. Brought to you by Fernwood Books and the
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Manitoba.
Sunday, April 27—Crocus Day 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the Living Prairie
Museum. Welcome spring to the prairie with a celebration of our
provincial flower; the prairie crocus. Contests, tours and crafts.
Free admission. For more info call 832-0167.
April 27–30—”Turning Green to Gold” Waste Reduction Conference in
Brandon. Put on by the Manitoba Association of Regional Recyclers
(MARR) and the Solid Waste Association of N. America (SWANA) Prairie
Chapter. Panels, training, tours, workshops, and trade show. See
www.swanacpc.org or call
Morag Puteran at (204) 729-2290 to register.
Sunday, April 27—Fort Whyte Centre 4th Annual EcoAdventure 8:30
am 300 competitors will begin their 44 km journey through lakes,
forests and streets using non-polluting transportation methods in
Fort Whyte’s urban adventure race. Interested in taking the Adventure?
Call 989-8364
Sunday, April 27—Fort Whyte Centre Earth Day Family Entertainment
and Activities 1-4 pm Enjoy a day filled with great entertainment
and educational activities all within the natural beauty of Fort
Whyte Centre
Saturday, May 3—Manitoba Naturalists Society Spring Garage Sale.
Westminister United Church.
Saturday, May 3—(or May 10 in case of rain.) West Broadway Spring
Clean-up. Planning meetings for the Spring Cleanup will take place
every Wednesday until the 3rd at 6pm in the Housing Resource Centre
office at the Broadway Neighbourhood Centre, 185 Young St. To get
involved, or for more information, contact Jeneva at 774-3534 or
jenevastorme@yahoo.ca.
Friday, May 9—A Gathering of Manitoba CED Practitioners. The Canadian
CED Network and The Manitoba Research Alliance on CED in the New
Economy are hosting an event to find out what’s happening in CED
research and to give practioners a chance to influence the research
agenda. 9:30 - 2:00 in Room 310, Aboriginal Centre 181 Higgins Avenue.
Please RSVP by May 2nd to Harold Shuster by phone at 927-3200 or
e-mail: harold@policyalternatives.ca
May 11–18—Land of the Spirits - Spirits of the Land Gathering II.
Elders, traditional land users and youth sharing traditional knowledge.
Meals are provided and registration is free. Please bring eating
utensils, camping and rain gear. To register call 947-0566.
Sunday, May 25—Living Prairie Museum Plant Sale 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Learn about native plants/gardening and see the natural prairie
in bloom. Good selection of native wildflowers and grasses from
Prairie Habitats. Free admission. For more information call 832-0167.
Sunday, June 1—CPAWS Run & Walk for Wilderness will happen on
Sunday, June 1, at Assiniboine Park. There will be a 10K Timex Series
Race, 5K Fun Run and 3K Walk. Collect pledges and earn MEC gift
certificates! Mark your calendars to take part in or volunteer at
this fundraiser. Registration brochures are available at all Running
Room stores or contact CPAWS Manitoba at 949-0782 info@cpawsmb.org.
Sunday, June 1—Early Bird deadline for the Mantario Wilderness Experience
Summer Program Enjoy a wilderness cabin vacation including accommodation,
food, canoes and guide services for only $410 ($35 discount for
registration by June 1). Programs include Boreal Forest Birds, Wilderness
Education, Astronomy, Botany, Photography and Wilderness Writing.
For more information contact the Manitoba Naturalist Society at
(204) 943-9029.
June 2–7—Winnipeg Inner-city Research Alliance Summer Institute
“Greening the Inner City: Eco-friendly Community Development” A
course for community workers, residents and university students
exploring issues of environmental sustainability in the inner city.
For more information contact Jillian Golby at (204) 982-1140.
June 2–6—The Winnipeg Commuter Challenge, a friendly 5-day competition
to encourage individuals to adopt alternative forms of transportation.
Prizes this year include $100 gift certificates from Mountain Equipment
Co-op, and new bicycles and accessories from Olympia Cycle and Ski.
To take part in the Winnipeg Commuter Challenge 2003, or for more
information, visit the Resource Conservation Manitoba website at
www.resourceconservation.mb.ca,
or contact Serge or Andrea of RCM’s Green Commuting Initiatives
program at 925-3773.
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Monsanto
Develops GE Wheat
Information provided by Julie Fine
In December 2002, Monsanto submit an application for the dissemination
of Roundup Ready wheat, which is a wheat variety engineered to be
resistant to the Roundup herbicide. Government officials expect
to make a decision within a year. The introduction of genetically
engineered wheat would have severe repercussions for Canadian farmers
as well as consumers who oppose the genetic engineering of our food
supply.
“Approving GE wheat would be problematic on more than one level,”
says Julie Fine, Biotech Chair of the Winnipeg Council of Canadians
chapter. “A farmer wishing to plant GE wheat will face the fact
that planting the seeds saved from the previous year’s harvest is
no longer possible. Neighbouring farmers, who might wish to keep
their crop GE-free will face the very real threat of contamination,
and as a result the whole community will risk losing their biodiversity.”
Rene Van Acker, Associate Professor of Plant Sciences at the University
of Manitoba states that GE crops, more specifically GE wheat, is
a threat to free and flexible operations at the farm level.
Ian Mauro and Associate Professor, Stéphane McLachlan, Environmental
Science, University of Manitoba echo this concern. “According to
our research, 90% of farmers in Manitoba are ‘unlikely’ or ‘definitely
not’ going to grow Roundup Ready wheat. Producers are concerned
about the threats this technology poses to their operations and
markets as a whole”. The European market will be closed to Canadian
wheat farmers, as Europe steadfastly refuses to approve the consumption
of GE wheat.
For more information on this issue, you can visit the Council of
Canadians website at www.canadians.org
and look under “Biotech”. This site provides contact information
and ways for citizens to take action.
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New Manitoba Eco-Network
Member Groups
Seven new Member Groups have recently joined us!
Churchill Northern Studies Centre
The mandate of the CNSC is to undertake and support research and
education on subarctic ecology. Current activities include long-term
ecological monitoring and research in the areas of winter snow,
climate, life sciences and aurora.
Box 610
Churchill, MB R0B 0E0
Contact: Michael Goodyear
Phone: (204) 675-2307
Fax: (204) 675-2139
Email: goodyear@churchillmb.net
Website: www.churchillmb.net/~cnsc
Concerned Citizens of the R.M. of Piney
Seeking more environmentally sound livestock operation methods and
alternatives to earthen manure lagoons. Currently this group is
organizing public awareness meetings.
Box 73
Middlebro, MB R0A 1B0
Contact: Doug Thomasson
Phone: (204) 437-2769
Fax: (204) 437-2797
Email: dougthom@marvin.com
Greening West Broadway
A neighbourhood-based organization working for greening and revitalization
in West Broadway. Current activities include the development of
Spirit Park, community garden projects and tree banding initiatives.
640 Broadway Ave.
Winnipeg, MB R3C 0X3
Contact: Jeneva Storme
Phone: (204) 774-3534
Fax: (204) 779-2203
Email: jenevastorme@yahoo.ca
Website:
www.westbroadway.mb.ca
Living Prairie Museum
Promoting awareness and conservation of natural areas, specifically
tall grass prairie, through environmental education. Living Prairie
Museum conducts programming for children and adults, holds special
events and workshops, and undertakes conservation and education
projects.
2795 Ness Ave.
Winnipeg, MB R3J 3S4
Contact: Lise Smith, Education Coordinator
Phone: (204) 932-0167
Fax: (204) 986-4172
Email: lsmith2@city.winnipeg.mb.ca
Website: www.city.winnipeg.mb.ca/cms/parks/envserv/interp/living.htm
University of Winnipeg Environmental Studies
This interdisciplinary program of study is aimed at educating students
in a holistic approach to their environment. Following the general
principles of sustainability, the program provides an integrated
approach to understanding the environment, acknowledging human impact,
and providing a framework to develop future solutions to environmental
problems.
515 Portage Ave.
Winnipeg, MB R3B 2E9
Contact: Alan Diduck
Phone: (204) 786-9461
Email: a.diduck@uwinnipeg.ca
Website: http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/~ahill1/
Water Wisdom
Dedicated to working with people to revive and protect watersheds,
lakes and rivers.
737 Home St.
Winnipeg, MB R3E 2C5
Contact: Trish Sellers
Phone: (204) 955-4703
Email: waterwisdom@icenter.net
Website: www.waterwisdom.ca
Winnipeg Humane Society
The mandate of the Wpg Humane Society is to protect animals from
suffering and to promote their welfare and dignity. WHS acts as
a shelter for over 8000 animals per year and advocates for the humane
treatment of all animals.
5 Kent St.
Winnipeg, MB R2L 1X3
Contact: Vicki Burns
Phone: (204) 982-2037
Fax: (204) 663-9401
Email: vickib@humanesociety.mb.ca
Website:
www.humanesociety.mb.ca
Native
Plants Nurture Soil and Water
by Lindy Clubb
Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) has a secret that got out, to everyone’s
benefit. It’s a change from the way companies and businesses used
to do things on the ground and around the water. It’s the business
of restoring tall and short grass prairie plants in disturbed soil
and by wetlands. Ducks Unlimited had a biologist working at Oak
Hammock Marsh who specialized in (and advocated for) the use of
prairie plants instead of weedy exotics. Brent Wark is a veteran
biologist and the mastermind behind a new division of Ducks Unlimited,
a company called Native Plant Solutions. NPS gathers, buys and installs
native plants and seeds, turning degraded sites into seas of color
and natural habitat. It’s what used to cover the plains of southern
Manitoba—original prairie plants—and they produce “amazing patches
of color that often establish right away,” Wark says.
Restoring or covering ground instead of exposing or moving earth
is another side to the corporate face. For instance, when Domtar
left their St. Boniface site they were under government orders to
clean it up in a way that met with community acceptance. To achieve
this target, they asked for the Fort Whyte Centre’s help. Fort Whyte
developed a proposal acceptable to the community, Domtar drew up
a lease for the land and donated it to Fort Whyte, who showed a
lot of imagination and conscience in their project development.
A lovely urban greenspace ‘biosphere’ was installed after the contaminated
soil was trucked off the land. The plants were provided by NPS.
The Transcona Community Biosphere project is a mix of pathways,
installations of natural prairie plants and trees, bird nesting
boxes, wetlands, and purple marten houses. Bringing a bit of biodiversity
and natural habitat into the sterile landscape of surrounding industrial
and commercial lots, the results are as unexpected and appealing
as a wildflower garden in a clear-cut. Native Plant Solutions were
hired to manage the natural prairie component of the project. Wark
says there are additional plans to “scratch in more flowers, like
purple prairie clover, with the goal of reuniting some siblings
separated at birth—land and plants,” then enjoying the low maintenance
results. As Wark explains, “Our clients want suitable plants, ones
that were typically found there to begin with, and they get the
benefits of both diversity and low maintenance. Forget watering,
mowing and fertilizing, plus these plants are good for gravel and
clay bases.”
Native Plant Solutions is a for-profit division of Ducks Unlimited
Canada that has grown into a terrific alliance. All of the profits
from NPS go directly to DUC and support, in turn, the establishment
of more wetlands and habitat for wildlife. NPS has planted areas
that range from one to one thousand acres with locally purchased
or gathered native material, allowing insects and natural plants
to colonize and flourish. They have been, at times, overwhelmed
by the requests that have poured in for their work. They plan to
expand their work in the coming years.
This new company is also capable of establishing wetlands for the
dual purpose of stormwater control and nutrient removal, helped
along by the native grass buffers they use to intercept run-off.
Their projects are efficient and have met with success. Past installations
include revegetation in Altona and Winnipeg for nature preserves,
the LaSalle pipeline crossing, and industrial sites in South Dakota
and Saskatchewan. Word is spreading and Wark believes that some
companies are “truly trying to do the right thing” in seeking NPS’s
services. For instance, Ladco has asked for their help in planting
a buffer strip of vegetation on the banks of wetlands in their latest
development, Royalwood.
Additionally, companies save costs from the use of long lived plants
that resist weed intrusion and, once established, pretty much look
after themselves. The opposite of most landscaping companies, Native
Plant Solutions is “in and out in three years” according to Wark.
They staff biologists and botanists, produce seed from their plant
stands, and charge less to put in the plants than it costs to excavate
and move contaminated dirt.
Native Plant Solutions and Ducks Unlimited Canada are helping and
healing the earth and the water with plant life and helping to reconnect
our natural systems. Putting plants in place supports the systems
that have learned how to function in our climate, on our soil, and
without our help.
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Making the Connection:
Compost, Soil and Food Security
By Susan Kennedy, Compost Action Project, Resource Conservation
Manitoba
From a presentation at the “Making Manitoba Food Secure” conference,
March 2003
Uptown, the local Winnipeg entertainment newspaper, recently started
to include David Suzuki’s syndicated weekly column. In one of his
latest installments, Dr. Suzuki writes, “despite our sophistication,
we remain biological beings as dependent on clean air, water and
soil and energy as any other creature.”1 This echoes his message
in other workshops I have attended in recent years. Why does Dr.
Suzuki bother to state the obvious?
This might be a new tactic for this increasingly outspoken, iconoclastic
environmentalist. During his presentations he urges the audience
to consider how their personal actions either reflect their commitment
to their natural home, or exploit it. He shows how indigenous peoples
around the world honor, celebrate and live within the natural systems
in a sustainable way, and compares this to our increasingly consumer-driven,
detached western world.
As Suzuki states, “Human activity is now powerfully disrupting the
fabric of the natural world.” Food security initiatives can be a
positive, proactive approach to combating destructive systems, while
creating new ones to take their place. Public education is integral
to our efforts. People need easy, step-by-step actions that lead
in the direction of concrete solutions. They need to feel that they
are “making a difference.” Otherwise apathy, indifference and unwillingness
will continue. Is growing vegetables in my backyard linked to reducing
climate change? Well, of course!
Everyone should strive to support trends in food production and
distribution that are acceptable, stable, just, and sustainable.
We are questioning the current corporate driven global food system
and trying to find means for local reliance and reciprocity.
Home compost education is an integral part of this work. By actively
promoting home composting on the personal, neighbourhood and community
level, we will be helping to ensure the long-term sustainability
of our local food systems. Making compost is a radical act. By working
with natural systems, instead of against them, we are more able
to fully realize food production possibilities that are a part of
real, natural systems, and not dependent on technological solutions
that have little grounding in the natural world.
The fertility of the soil can’t be taken lightly. As important as
clean air and water, thriving soil is the basis for plant and animal
life that sustains us. The topsoil where our food is grown needs
to be constantly replenished with organic matter, and no synthetic
fertilizer can adequately restore the balance of the soil ecosystem.
The ‘new wave’ of organic gardeners and farmers are well-versed
in soil conservation methods including green manure, mulching and
composting. I’m sure many of us compost at home and on the farm,
but more of our neighbours, friends and relatives need to be joining
us in these efforts.
Save the Whales? How about Save our Soil?
It’s not an overstatement. Unfortunately the breadbasket of the
prairies is on a bit of a precipice. During the past 40 years, over
half the organic matter in our soils has been lost to erosion.2
Ever wonder about those brown dust storms that rage on the open
prairie and dump soil in town? That’s our food security blowin’
in the wind. Nationally, it has been predicted that Canada will
lose the topsoil it needs to feed itself within 50 years unless
current farming, land use and water practices are reformed.3
Worldwide, 25 billion tonnes of agricultural topsoil are swept away
every year, accounting for 7% of the globe’s good growing land every
decade.4 Chemical fertilizers, which are increasingly applied to
compensate for the growing infertility of the world’s topsoil, are
depended on heavily, with an estimated 40% of global grain production
reliant on them for their success.5
Loss of the world’s topsoil and heavy reliance on chemical fertilizers
are a good recipe for disaster. It is also widely documented that
urban gardeners use more chemicals per acre on their property than
‘traditional’ farmers use on their crops. This is all the more reason
for compost education as part of our food security efforts in our
communities.
Chemical fertilizers have yet to replicate the main attributes of
compost, other than acting like a N-P-K intravenous for plants while
polluting the watersheds around which they are used. Per acre, 110
lbs of nitrogen fertilizer require 42 gallons of petroleum to produce.
In practice, 35% is washed away. Phosphorus and potassium don’t
fare much better at a 15-20% leaching rate. Compost combines with
the soil to aid in water retention, form aggregates (small soil
clumps) that help the soil resist erosion, and has a mother-nature-patented-time-release-multi-vitamin-formula
for enhanced plant growth! It’s free and easy to make. It helps
plants fight disease and drought, while building up damaged soils
found in vacant lots used for community gardens. No one owns the
rights to its formula just yet. Funny thing is, it’s the oldest
and most universally practiced form of soil treatment in the world.6
Now for action! Help others learn about how they can reduce their
garbage by up to 35%, improve the environment and get growing! The
Compost Action Project of Resource Conservation Manitoba is here
to help individuals, neighbourhoods and communities start educating
each other on the benefits and practices of home composting. We
have developed a wide array of tools for anyone who would like to
become a home composting advocate. Free how-to-compost publications
are available for distribution. Promote our in-house year round
toll-free Compost Infoline with free magnets and/or posters, order
a home composting Workshop Kit complete with script and overhead
templates, or order a Promotion Kit full of compost clip art, advertisements
and fill-in-blank posters. For the real keeners there is the comprehensive
toolkit “Practical Strategies for a Home Composting Program” to
aid in the design and implementation of a community/neighbourhood
driven Home Compost Program. In the future we will be holding training
sessions for would-be compost champions. Contact us for more information.
Want to be a home compost advocate or know someone who might be
interested? Contact us to order your free set of materials any time.
Call toll-free: 1-866-394-8880, in Winnipeg: 925-3777, or email
rcm@mb.sympatico.ca.
Visit us on the web at www.resourceconservation.mb.ca.
Notes:
1. Suzuki, David. “Top of the Food Chain: Loss of Predators a Disturbing
Trend.” Uptown, Feb.26, 2003.
2. Recycling Council Of Ontario. Master Composter Manual. 1995.
3. John Wise, former Federal Minister of Agriculture, 1985.
4. Suzuki, David. 1989.
5. Brown, Lester, R. State of the World 1999 “Feeding Nine Billion.”
WorldWatch Institute, 1999. Authors estimate based on national fertilizer
use and grain production data.
6. Rodale Book of Composting
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Winnipeg’s First Citizen Environmental Survey
By Rachel Van Caeseele
How important is the environment to Winnipeggers? Until recently,
the members of the City of Winnipeg’s Civic Environmental Committee
(CEC) weren’t sure. Now they are. In November 2002, the CEC conducted
the first-ever Citizen Environmental Survey. It was released in
February 2003.
“Before this, there was no comprehensive, focused survey on citizen
attitudes towards the environment”, admits Andrew Cowan, the City’s
Environmental Coordinator. “Now we can identify priorities that
are important to the people of Winnipeg. We can develop a relevant
environmental strategy.”
Concern for environmental issues
The survey included questions that examined public knowledge and
concern for environmental issues. “We were surprised by the results”,
said Councillor Gord Steeves, Chair of the CEC. “At first, we were
concerned that people just might tell us what we wanted to hear.
But we found Winnipeggers to be very well-informed”.
According to the survey, Winnipeg’s citizens expressed an overwhelming
concern for the environment. Why? The poll revealed that Winnipeg
residents attach a high level of importance—8.2 on a scale of 10—to
the environment, recognizing that a healthy environment impacts
overall quality of life. At the top of the list of concerns was
reducing vehicle emissions and waste management.
Gauging the level of support and willingness to participate in environmental
initiatives was also an important part of the poll. Winnipeggers
were most supportive of projects that enhance public transportation,
improve home energy efficiency and find alternatives to chemical
pesticides.
It’s clear that Winnipeggers recognize the connection between sustainable
living and economic savings. But results also indicated that 77%
of those surveyed felt a greater investment in the environment is
necessary.
To this end, a clear preference for tax-shifting to reward sustainable
practices was chosen as the most desirable choice for generating
funds for environmental programs. The creation and enforcement of
by-laws that restrict and prohibit harmful activities was also identified
as important. Not surprisingly, an increase in taxation was the
least popular option.
“These results lend credibility to environmental issues. It is a
baseline of information from which we can develop solutions that
will engage the public. It represents fertile ground for positive
change”, explains Cowan.
Challenges over the next ten years
Winnipeggers have already identified the greatest environmental
challenges to face the city over the next ten years. Reducing individual
vehicle emissions and a greater need for transit topped the list
of priorities. Fortunately, many residents feel they have what it
takes to reduce harmful vehicle emissions: 64% believe they can
have a positive impact on limiting their contribution to global
climate change.
Although the results clearly reveal a broad environmental concern
among residents, some council members are still skeptical. Such
a dated attitude towards environmental issues is unwise. According
to the poll, a municipal candidate’s position on the environment
was rated as very important to Winnipeg voters when making a decision
at the ballot box.
To examine the Citizen Environment Survey, visit www.winnipegcec.org.
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Manitoba
Land Initiative Launched
Information from the Alice Chambers Memorial Library
A geographic information system (GIS) is a computer-based tool for
mapping and analyzing geographic phenomena that exist, and events
that occur, on Earth. GIS technology integrates common database
operations such as query and statistical analysis with the unique
visualization and geographic analysis benefits offered by maps.
These abilities distinguish GIS from other information systems and
make it valuable to a wide range of public and private enterprises
for explaining events, predicting outcomes, and planning strategies.
Map making and geographic analysis are not new, but a GIS performs
these tasks faster and with more sophistication than do traditional
manual methods.1
Data warehouse on the Internet
In mid February, the Manitoba Land Initiative (MLI), an interdepartmental
committee of data producing departments within the Provincial Government,
placed its GIS digital data warehouse on the Internet. This initiative
will enable easy access to this valuable geo-spatial information
without restrictive licensing requirements and fees. Members of
the public only have to fill out an online registration form that
acknowledges the data disclaimer and user agreement, and assigns
the user a user-name and password at the end of the registration
process.
The MLI website allows the pubic access to Provincial GIS data including
topographic data (scales ranging from 1:20,000 to 1:2,000,000),
administrative boundaries, municipal maps, cadastral maps, town
and village plans, roads and rail lines, utilities, water maps,
geology, soil classification, forestry inventory, land use/cover
maps, geographical names and digital imagery.2
Essentially, the MLI website acts as a digital map library that
allows patrons, irregardless of their level of GIS experience, the
ability to get a sense of the various data themes and their provincial
coverage at three general levels. The first level is through a quickly
displayed image (.gif) that allows users to get a visual snapshot
of what a particular GIS dataset might look like when it is mapped.
The second level is contained in downloadable simple text files
that include a wealth of information about each GIS dataset. These
metadata files (data about the data) serve as an extensive bibliography
for a GIS dataset by including information about how the data layer
was created, its original scale, projection and spatial coverage.
In addition, these files allow the data to be easily brought into
common desktop software program such as Excel and Access. The third
level of interaction allows the datasets to be downloaded directly
into GIS software.
Free program download
It should be emphasized that users can have a unique look at the
various GIS datasets without the need for an expensive GIS system.
There are programs available online and free for download such as
the easy to use GIS data viewer called ArcExplorer (Windows 98/2000/NT/XP).3
Using this free viewer, individuals can examine much of the online
data layered together, zoom in and out on the layers, identify features,
perform simple queries and use the attribute data associated with
the spatial data to create colourful maps.
An example of the power of this application may involve using the
land use dataset’s attributes, including tree cover (deciduous,
conifer and mixed wood), wetland, grassland, and agricultural land,
as well as the built-up areas, to show the contrast of the forested
island that is Riding Mountain National Park and the surrounding
agricultural lands beckoning at its borders. Overlay other layers
such as the drainage network, Rural Municipality boundaries, roads,
and the all-important First Nations Communities and you have created
a useful and interesting look at that area in Manitoba.
While the MLI is a great leap forward in providing valuable spatial
data to anyone with an Internet connection, hopefully it will be
only the first step of many. Simply stated, the data is not complete
since the spatial coverage is mostly for Southern Manitoba. It is
the hope of this reviewer that the MLI will continue to grow as
a data warehouse and increasingly provide access to data as it is
collected by the various government agencies, especially in areas
of Manitoba (such as the east side of Lake Winnipeg) currently not
covered.
Notes:
1. The GIS Primer: http://www.innovativegis.com/basis/primer/primer.html
2. The MLI website is available at: http://mli.gov.mb.ca
3. ArcExplorer is available at: http://www.esri.com/software/arcexplorer/
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Grow
A Row for Winnipeg Harvest
With gardening season right around the corner, why not plan now
to Grow-a-Row for Winnipeg Harvest? When the harvest is bountiful,
the world becomes a kinder place.
Grow-A-Row was born in 1986, when Winnipeg residents Ron and Eunice
O’Donovan produced more potatoes in their backyard garden than they
could consume. Their vegetables were so well received by Winnipeg
Harvest, the O’Donovans encouraged friends and neighbours to also
donate surplus produce. Since then, Grow-A-Row has yielded 1.5 million
pound of fresh fruits and vegetables—and its growth continues!
For those who love to garden, Grow-A-Row is an ideal way to share
a bountiful crop! Root crops can be conveniently stored, but all
produce is welcome, including fruit such as crabapples. Winnipeg
Harvest will then redistribute the crop to 15,587 households who
need supplementary food each month.
Here are some ways to get growing:
At Home or at Work:
• Grow an extra row (or two) of produce in your own backyard.
• Invite your neighbours, family and associates to do the same (how
about a friendly “weigh-in” challenge?)
At School:
• Turn Grow-A-Row into a science class and have students tend a
special row of vegetables for Winnipeg Harvest
• A Harvest volunteer will come to your class and give a presentation
• Come harvest season, take the class to Winnipeg Harvest to deliver
the crop, and they’ll get an on-site tour and a chance to sort food
At the Community Club:
• Plant a Harvest Garden to be tended by club families
• Come Harvest season, have a Harvest Day and invite club and community
members to drop in & drop off non-perishable items to supplement
your crop
Call Winnipeg Harvest at 982-FOOD
• To register a group warehouse tour and/or work team
• To book a speaker for your class
Visit this Website for more information about Grow-a-Row: http://www.compost.org/growarowintro.html
Information from the Winnipeg Harvest website at
www.winnipegharvest.org