Healthy, Connected Forests
Today we have almost enough forests and wetlands to buffer the watershed from the impacts of climate change and the stress of phosphorus pollution. But we are losing, not gaining, forests and wetlands.
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Why Rescue Lake Simcoe?
The lake and the watershed’s wild inhabitants need clean water, forests, wetlands and streams to stay healthy. We benefit too from a clean environment and swimmable water.
What’s wrong?
Too much of the nutrient Phosphorus reaches the watershed’s streams, and the lake itself. This can cause excessive algae, weeds, and is the trigger for low oxygen levels in the lake’s deep water, which harms fish. There are many sources of Phosphorus and consequently, there are lots of solutions. The efforts made to improve the lake’s health are paying off, but the threats remain.
What does the Lake Need?
A sustained and coordinated effort. We need to bring down phosphorus from all of its sources, protect forests and wetlands, curb the spread of invasive species, and reduce the impacts of development.
Improved Water Quality
Development pressures on the watershed are huge, and where development and urbanization occur, lower water quality tends to result. Urban runoff called stormwater is the largest source of Phosphorus to Lake Simcoe, at 31% of the annual load.
Science and Policy
The Lake Simcoe Protection Plan is one of the policies that help steer our actions in the right direction. Its science-based targets drive municipalities, farmers, individuals, developers, the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority and others toward the Plan’s objective of protecting, improving or restoring the ecological health of the Lake Simcoe watershed.
Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition Blog Posts
Minister’s Ten Year Report on Lake Simcoe Obscures Progress by Mixing Science and Politics
August 7, 2020 On July 17th Barrie-Innisfil MPP Andrea Khanjin released the Minister of the Environment’s Ten Year report on Lake Simcoe and made a $581,000 funding announcement for Lake Simcoe research. The Minister was nowhere to be seen. Also…
Read More Minister’s Ten Year Report on Lake Simcoe Obscures Progress by Mixing Science and Politics
Aggregate extraction in the home of endangered species? What this means for Lake Simcoe
There are over 27,000ha of potential aggregate resources (sand, stone and gravel) in Simcoe County.[i] Last year the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition analysed how well protected from development our natural features are, and found that only 14% of Simcoe County’s…
Read More Aggregate extraction in the home of endangered species? What this means for Lake Simcoe
What would a Lake Simcoe Protection Plan review look like during a pandemic?
What does legitimate public consultation on the Lake Simcoe Protection Plan look like in the middle of a global pandemic? In April, the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition asked its 26 member groups to discuss this question, and we have been…
Read More What would a Lake Simcoe Protection Plan review look like during a pandemic?