Main Issues:
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Team Name: Freshwater Monitoring Partner: Private landowner in east Cobden Communication Lead: Matthew Irving Team Members: Shelby Raycroft, Nicole Dignard, Matthew Irving, Ali Safdar |
Project Overview
Our community partner is both a concerned citizen and a local land owner. Located in Cobden’s east end, our partner owns approximately 110 acres of retired farmland. The property consists of many landforms including an open field, pine and maple plantations, winding streams and it is adjacent to a small body of water called Gibson Lake.
At the site, there are a number of on-going environmental issues which have been caused by more than a century of conventional farming practices. For instance, the now-defunct farming property still endures scars such as the clear-cutting of trees done to create flat farmland decades ago. As a result, numerous native tree and plant species had been up-rooted from the property and local wildlife has been displaced. Moreover, our partner’s front lawn covers a large area of underground drainage tile that was once used to speed drainage from the farmland towards the lake. Unfortunately, the continuation of farming at neighboring properties adjacent to the lake has led to shoreline erosion, sediment build-up in the lake, algae blooms, and even sporadic E. coli outbreaks due to runoff from manure piles created by livestock and cattle. This has resulted in a diminished fish habitat and raised concerns over a reduction to water quality.
Despite the destructive actions caused by conventional farming, several steps have been taken at the property in an effort to re-naturalize the area and mitigate some of the ecological degradation exacerbated by former land owners. For instance, at the entrance to the farmhouse, our partner has created a small silver maple plantation adjacent to a rural road. Silver maples were chosen because the tree's roots are fast-growing and able to choke out the underground drainage tiles more rapidly than the roots of other native tree species. The ultimate goal of this plantation near the water is to help mitigate erosion issues and allow other drought resistant trees to begin to grow.
Additionally, our partner has created a white pine plantation at the rear of the property to serve as a wind break. A wind break is beneficial in the wide-open farmland because it allows new spores and seeds to be partially protected from extreme winds and harsh sunlight during crucial stages of early development and secondary and tertiary succession. Similarly, a massive red pine plantation equipped with walking trails was planted approximately 25 years ago. The trails serve as an educational area where groups of students and sick children are invited from Ottawa to visit the area and gain an appreciation for environmentally sustainable practices.
Over the past 25 years, efforts have been made to re-naturalize the property. However, one area that has continued to go unchecked is the water quality in Gibson Lake, and the health of aquatic life in the stream that jets through the property. As a result, students from the Environmental Technician program at Algonquin College have partnered with a local land owner to establish baseline data for Gibson Lake in an effort to monitor water quality.
For further information regarding eutrophication, please consult the following websites:
http://www.ec.gc.ca/eaudouce-freshwater/default.asp?lang=en&n=0A77A85E-1&offset=1&toc=show#ecosystem
http://www.lakescientist.com/learn-about-lakes/water-quality/eutrophication.html
At the site, there are a number of on-going environmental issues which have been caused by more than a century of conventional farming practices. For instance, the now-defunct farming property still endures scars such as the clear-cutting of trees done to create flat farmland decades ago. As a result, numerous native tree and plant species had been up-rooted from the property and local wildlife has been displaced. Moreover, our partner’s front lawn covers a large area of underground drainage tile that was once used to speed drainage from the farmland towards the lake. Unfortunately, the continuation of farming at neighboring properties adjacent to the lake has led to shoreline erosion, sediment build-up in the lake, algae blooms, and even sporadic E. coli outbreaks due to runoff from manure piles created by livestock and cattle. This has resulted in a diminished fish habitat and raised concerns over a reduction to water quality.
Despite the destructive actions caused by conventional farming, several steps have been taken at the property in an effort to re-naturalize the area and mitigate some of the ecological degradation exacerbated by former land owners. For instance, at the entrance to the farmhouse, our partner has created a small silver maple plantation adjacent to a rural road. Silver maples were chosen because the tree's roots are fast-growing and able to choke out the underground drainage tiles more rapidly than the roots of other native tree species. The ultimate goal of this plantation near the water is to help mitigate erosion issues and allow other drought resistant trees to begin to grow.
Additionally, our partner has created a white pine plantation at the rear of the property to serve as a wind break. A wind break is beneficial in the wide-open farmland because it allows new spores and seeds to be partially protected from extreme winds and harsh sunlight during crucial stages of early development and secondary and tertiary succession. Similarly, a massive red pine plantation equipped with walking trails was planted approximately 25 years ago. The trails serve as an educational area where groups of students and sick children are invited from Ottawa to visit the area and gain an appreciation for environmentally sustainable practices.
Over the past 25 years, efforts have been made to re-naturalize the property. However, one area that has continued to go unchecked is the water quality in Gibson Lake, and the health of aquatic life in the stream that jets through the property. As a result, students from the Environmental Technician program at Algonquin College have partnered with a local land owner to establish baseline data for Gibson Lake in an effort to monitor water quality.
For further information regarding eutrophication, please consult the following websites:
http://www.ec.gc.ca/eaudouce-freshwater/default.asp?lang=en&n=0A77A85E-1&offset=1&toc=show#ecosystem
http://www.lakescientist.com/learn-about-lakes/water-quality/eutrophication.html