COASTAL ZONE CANADA ASSOCIATION
NEWSLETTER #17, MARCH 2006

This newsletter, which is issued quarterly, is presented in both English (first half of newsletter) and French (second half of newsletter). It is distributed by e-mail to members of the Coastal Zone Association, providing news about the Association, its activities and its members, as well as information of potential interest members. Please feel free to circulate it among your own networks. Also check out the Association’s Web site at: http://www.czca-azcc.org

COASTAL ZONE CANADA (CZC) 2006 CONFERENCE, TUKTOYAKTUK, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Conference Web site for information: www.czc06.ca

Registration for CZC 2006 is now well underway, and the initial response has been good. Since there is a cap of 300 participants for the main conference (August 14-18), persons planning to attend are advised to complete their registrations without delay. Also note that the registration fee goes up (from $450 to $500) after March 31st. Registrations may be completed on-line or via mail/fax -- go to the Conference Web site for details including the Registration Form. Conference participants will be housed and fed at fully-serviced oil and gas camps in Tuktoyaktuk (Tuk for short), the cost being $250 per day ($1000 for the four-day conference). The preferred way to travel to Tuk from the south is via a 737 charter flight from Edmonton on August 14 (returning August 18). There is room on this flight for 112 participants; so reserve your seat now (via the Registration Form).

The conference title of CZC 2006 is “Arctic Change and Coastal Communities”, with the conference being divided into three broad themes:

1. Drivers of Change in the Arctic
2. Well-being of Arctic Coastal Communities
3. Ocean Management and Governance

Go to the Conference Web-site for further information, including the Call for Papers (the deadline for the submission of abstracts is May 31).

Don’t forget that the Youth Forum associated with CZC 2006 will be held the weekend preceding the main conference, i.e., August 12-13. In addition to youth from Tuk and other local communities, the event is also open to young people from southern Canada; so please spread news about the forum around your networks. The focus of the forum will be change and sustainability in the coastal zone, and how we depend on the coast for our livelihoods. Further information, including the cost and how to register, is given on the conference Web site.

August is an ideal time to visit Tuktoyaktuk and the Arctic. Various activities have been arranged in and around the community, including pingo walking tours and historical walking tours of Tuk, traditional food preparation workshops, and a midnight beach party. In addition, you may want to take in one of the one-day field trips, which have been arranged for: Herschel Island (fly & trek); Babbage River (fly & trek); and fishing tours at Husky Lakes. The charge for these three events is $400 per person, per event -- be sure to book early.

Recent news about the conference includes the following:

1. The conference Web site has recently been updated, with a revised conference program, field trips and other details;
2. A new conference brochure is now available (contact Steve Newton at 204-984-5561 or email Steve.Newton@czc06.ca);
3. A Conference Steering Committee has been formed to oversee coordination;
4. CZCA President, Peter Ricketts, and Vice-President, Liaison, Larry Hildebrand, are assisting the Conference Committee with fund raising.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

The change of government in Ottawa after almost thirteen years of successive Liberal governments has provided for some interesting speculation on what programs will survive. Last year, I sent letters to all of the leaders of the federal political parties along with the CZC2004 Conference Statement. I received a very positive letter back from Stephen Harper, then Leader of the Opposition, in which he stated that a Conservative government would be committed to the Oceans Act and the effective management of Canada’s oceans and coasts. I am confident that the new government will continue its support for the Oceans Action Plan, but we cannot take anything for granted. I am in the process of writing to the Prime Minister, as well as to the new Minister of Fisheries, Loyola Hearn, to restate the commitment of the CZCA to supporting the federal government’s Ocean Action Plan and the development of Phase II, and to make them aware of the upcoming CZC 2006 meeting in Tuktoyaktuk.

In January, I attended two interesting ocean and coastal conference in France. The 3rd Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands was held at UNSECO headquarters in Paris on January 23 – 29. It was attended by over 400 participants from all over the world, and it was a very interesting gathering. The purpose of the conference was to review of progress achieved and obstacles faced in the implementation of international targets on oceans, coasts, and small island developing States (SIDS), especially those related to the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and other related agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity and Agenda 21. For further information see www.globaloceans.org/.

The second meeting was the 3rd World Ocean Network conference held at France’s National Sea Centre (NAUSICAA) in Boulogne-sur-Mer on January 30-February 3. The WON acts in synergy with the Global Forum, and focuses upon institutions and organizations that are involved with addressing the general public and raising their awareness of the world’s oceans. In addition to many NGOs, a major group of participants were from aquaria and ocean/maritime museums. It was interesting to meet and talk with these folks, who are not really part of the CZCA community that we have built up over the past 12 years. Yet they make contact with over 300 million visitors each year worldwide, and are important agents of public education about the oceans. I made a presentation on the work of the CZCA, and I attended a workshop on the World Oceans Day initiative. Oceans Day is one of a number of projects run by the WON, and is something that the CZCA has been involved with as well. For further information see www.worldoceannetwork.org/. I joined the WON on behalf of the CZCA as part of the conference registration fee, and I hope to keep the CZCA involved in this important international initiative.

CZC 2006 is coming up soon, and the organizing committee is working hard to ensure the conference is a great success and a unique experience for all. Do not forget to register for CZC2006 as early as possible at www.czc06.ca/. Take advantage of the charter plane that has been organized to take participants from Edmonton to Tuktoyaktuk, and do not miss this opportunity to witness first hand the challenges and opportunities for integrated management and sustainable development in Canada’s arctic coastal zone. If you are not planning to attend CZC 2006, please make sure that you renew your CZCA membership for the next two years.

At the AGM to be held at CZC 2006 we will elect a new Board of Directors and a new slate of Officers for the Association. A Nominating Committee will be established soon and will solicit interest from members about standing for a position.

Finally, please consider nominating someone for the H.B. Nicholls Award for Coastal Zone Management Achievement. This is the highest honour that the CZCA bestows at each biennial conference. Past recipients are Brian Nicholls (2000), Larry Hildebrand (2002) and Art Hanson (2004). Please review the call for nominations in this Newsletter and nominate someone that you feel is worthy of the award.

Best wishes,

Peter Ricketts
President, Coastal Zone Canada Association
February 21, 2006

VICE-PRESIDENT, GREAT LAKES, REPORT (Patrick Lawrence)

(a) Toronto Waterfront Power Station Development
Supporters of an environmentally friendly Toronto waterfront will continue to fight the Ontario government's plans for a 550-megawatt power plant on the waterfront. The $700-million natural gas fired Portlands Energy Centre plant, approved recently by Energy Minister Donna Cansfield, has also drawn criticism from city councillors, Mayor David Miller and local residents. The plant is expected to be constructed just east of the old R. L. Hearn coal-fired generating station. Its opponents say the outrageously expensive plant would destroy hopes for a green, people-friendly waterfront. "We have an already significant air-pollution problem in the city and we should minimize the amount of gas we burn," said Peter Tabuns, a former councillor who chaired a green advisory panel. "We want an alternative." Toronto Hydro and Constellation Energy Group of Baltimore, Md., have been working on a proposal to take over the Hearn plant and build a 300-megawatt, gas-fired plant that could be expanded. However, Ms. Cansfield said building a temporary generator would waste time and money. Michael Prue, New Democrat MPP for Beaches-East York, said those who still dream of "parks and canals" for the waterfront should continue to challenge Queen's Park. "This is a fight we have to win," he told demonstrators, inviting them to go into the legislature and "ask the government some tough questions."

(b) Dune Court Case
The fight over a proposal to build a wastewater pipeline through a Lake Michigan dune has moved into the courts, where a victory by the proponent could trigger more construction in coastal dunes statewide. A Nugent Sand subsidiary, Dune Harbor Estates LLC, recently filed an appeal in Ingham County Circuit Court challenging the state's refusal to issue a permit to build the 600-foot pipeline through a 4,000-year-old dune. The company wants to lower water levels in two man-made lakes at its Norton Shores mining site by piping up to 8 million gallons of processed wastewater daily into Lake Michigan. Michigan Department of Environmental Quality Director Steven Chester denied the pipeline permit in December. Chester said the pipeline would "fundamentally alter the physical characteristic of the dune." Dune Harbor Estate’s lawyers claimed the company didn't need a state permit because the proposed pipeline is a lake-level control outlet not a structure, "use or contour change", which are regulated by the state's Sand Dune Protection and Management Act. Opponents of the pipeline said a court victory by Dune Harbor could weaken the state's dune protection law, which limits construction in coastal dunes.

(c) Lake Erie Ferry

The recent failure of Rochester's Fast Ferry to Toronto isn't stopping promoters of a Lake Erie ferry service between Cleveland and Port Stanley, Ontario. Rochester's new mayor, Robert Duffy, rejected an $11.5 million loan request to bankroll the Lake Ontario ferry service this year. But Rose Ann DeLeon of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority says Rochester's decision to halt its ferry service won't affect Cleveland, which is pushing the local effort to start Lake Erie service by next year. Unlike Rochester, Cleveland's ferry would carry commercial traffic, as well as passengers. The uncertain future of the harbor at Port Stanley has contributed to delays. The municipality is trying to buy the property from the Canadian federal government. Ownership must be settled before Royal Wagenborg, the Dutch company negotiating to operate the service, signs a contract.

(d) Wind Energy on the Coast
In the past few months, area farmers have been approached by 22 Degree Energy Corp., which is requesting property owners to lease it land in order to begin a feasibility study for a large-scale wind farm. Ted Cowan, Ontario Federation of Agriculture, referring to the power blackout of August 2003, noted that Ontarians must look into alternative energy options. He stated that this is especially important to farmers because they are large energy consumers, adding that wind could be a step in the right direction because it is environment-friendly and less costly than the current system, which is primarily fuelled by coal and nuclear power. He stated that "farm power" could become a major commodity, which could lead to a 15 per cent hike in farm income over the next 10 to 15 years. James Murphy, of the not-for-profit Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA), said communities along Lake Huron are likely to see notable changes of the landscape in the years to come. He believes that such change will come in the form of gigantic wind turbines. "You will see a lot of turbines; there is just no doubt about it," he added. "I'd rather have a large wind turbine on the ground than one nuke plant."

(e) Its OK to Walk on the Beach
A neighborhood squabble that wound up in front of the U.S. Supreme Court finally ended Tuesday, February 21, 2006 in a case that reaffirmed beach-walking rights along all 3,200 miles of Great Lakes shoreline in Michigan. The nation’s highest court refused to take the case, letting stand a July 2005 Michigan Supreme Court ruling that allows Michiganians to stroll along a narrow strip of lakefront property no matter who owns the land leading up to the water. That decision overturned a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling in 2004 that beach walking was trespassing. About 70 percent of the land along the lakeshore is privately owned. The public right to walk the beaches does not cover inland lakes, where lakeside owners’ rights extend to the middle of the lake. Under the Michigan Supreme Court ruling, beach walking is allowed along the shoreline up to the so-called “ordinary high-water”, loosely defined as “the point on the bank or the shore up to which the presence and action of the water is so continuous as to leave a distinct mark”.

VICE-PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATIONS, REPORT (Grant Gardner)

The new CZCA Web site is now available at http://www.czca-azcc.org. It is, of course, a work in progress, but I invite you to have a look at it and forward any suggestions or comments you might have by e-mail to ggardner@mun.ca. Both the web site and this newsletter are the Association’s primary means of communicating with members and keeping you up-to-date on coastal zone news and events, as well as on our conference series (I hope everyone is working on their trip to Tuktoyaktuk for CZC06!). The newsletter in particular also needs your input, as we are always looking for items of interest to bring to the attention of our members (please send contributions to the editor, Brian Nicholls, at: nicholls@telusplanet.net). Don’t be shy about sending material to us for consideration for either the newsletter or the web site. We welcome your participation.

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR THE H.B. NICHOLLS AWARD

The Association's biennial award, known as the "H.B. Nicholls Award for Coastal Zone Management Achievement", is presented at Coastal Zone Canada Conferences. The first award was made in 2000. The fourth award will be made at this year's conference in Tuktoyaktuk. The award consists of a plaque containing the CZCA logo. A nominating committee for the 2006 award is in the process of being formed, and nominations are now invited from the membership of the Association.

Candidates for the award must meet the following criteria:

• They must be individuals or organizations.
• The contribution to coastal zone management must have been made in Canada, and may include trans-boundary or international elements.
• The contribution to coastal zone management must be significant, as determined by the nominating committee.

The procedure for making nominations involves submitting a letter (or e-mail) of nomination to the Nominating Committee, providing the details listed below. It should be sent to the committee, c/o the CZCA Secretariat (P.O. Box 1006, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, B4A 1N7; coastalz@mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca).

SHORT NEWS ITEMS

(Thanks to Larry Hildebrand for providing the information on which several of these items are based)

(a) International reports of potential interest to CZCA members

Two reports have crossed the Editor’s desk in recent months that may be of interest to members:

1. “An Implementation Strategy for the Coastal Module of the Global Ocean Observing System”; GOOS Report #148; UNESCO/Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC); Paris, France; 2005. This module has the following goals for the public good: improve the capacity to direct and predict the effects of global climate change on coastal ecosystems; improve the safety and efficiency of marine operations; control and mitigate the effects of natural hazards more effectively; reduce public health risks; protect and restore healthy ecosystems more effectively; and restore and sustain living marine resources more effectively. For more information go to: http://ioc.unesco.org ;the document is available on-line at: http://ioc.unesco.org/goos/docs/doclist.htm.
   
   
   
2. “Coastal Fluxes in the Anthropocene”; C.J. Crossland et al (editors); The IGBP Series; Springer; 2005. This book, in the IGBP (International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme) Series, synthesizes knowledge on coastal and riverine material fluxes, biogeochemical processes and indications of change, and the human influence. It also considers future research and management needs. For more information go to: www.igbp.net ; to order the book go to: www.springeronline.com

(b) New book focusing on the human dimension of large marine ecosystem management

“Sustaining Large Marine Ecosystems: The Human Dimension”; T.M. Hennessey, Univ. of Rhode Island & J.G. Sutinen, Univ. of Rhode Island (editors); Elsevier; 2005. This volume provides approaches for improving and sustaining socioeconomic benefits from large marine ecosystems. The authors describe methodologies and actions for moving forward in halting the downward resource sustainability spiral, and advancing towards the recovery of depleted fish stocks, restoration of depleted habitats, and reduction and control of pollution within the framework of an ecosystem-based approach for the governance of large marine ecosystems. For information go to: http://books.elsevier.com/.

(c) Web-sites of interest

1. Not all members may be aware of UN-OCEANS, an interagency coordination mechanism on ocean and coastal issues within the UN system. For information on the UN-OCEANS network go to its Web-site at: http://www.un-oceans.org/. Among the links from this site is one to the UN Atlas of the Oceans.
   
   
   
2. The following Web-site has recently been launched by the Center for Watershed Protection: http://www.cwp.org/wetlands/index.htm. Founded in 1992 and located in Ellicott City, MD, USA, the centre is a non-profit corporation that provides the technical tools for protecting streams, lakes and rivers. This new Web-site expands the Center’s watershed protection program to integrate wetlands into its larger watershed protection efforts.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS

(This item comprises selected events of potential interest to members, the emphasis being on Canadian and US conferences. Events indicated by an asterisk are repeats from previous lists. Members are invited to submit items for inclusion.)

Apr 26-27, 2006; 4th Annual Pacific Canada Oil & Gas Development Forum (major emphasis on the offshore); Vancouver, BC.
Information: www.insightinfo.com

*May 14-18, 2006; The Coastal Society’s 20th International Conference (Theme: Charting a New Course – Shaping Solutions for the Coasts); St. Pete Beach, FL. Information: www.thecoastalsociety.org/conference/tcs20/

May 16-17, 2006; Atlantic Canada Coastal & Estuarine Science Society (ACCESS) 2006 Workshop (Theme: The Connectivity of Maritime Aquatic Habitats); Fredericton, NB.
Information: dmethven@unbsj.ca

*May 29-Jun 16, 2006; Summer Institute in Coastal Management; Univ. of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI; Sponsored by the Coastal Resources Centre, Univ. of Rhode Island.
Information: www.crc.uri.edu/

*Jun 14-15, 2006; 10th Canadian Pollution Prevention Roundtable; Halifax, NS; Hosted by the Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention.
Information: www.c2p2online.com/main.php3?section=98&doc_id=65

*Jul 5-8, 2006; 3rd National Stewardship Conference (Theme: Valuing Nature – Stewardship and Conservation in Canada); Corner Brook, NF.
Information: www.stewardshipcanada.ca

*Jul 12-16, 2006; “CoastGIS 2006” (7th International Symposium on GIS and Computer Cartography for Coastal Zone Management); Wollongong & Sydney, Australia; Sponsored by the Univ. of Wollongong.
Information: www.uow.edu.au/science/eesc/conferences/
coastgis06.html

Jun 4-9, 2006; American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) 2006 Summer Meeting; Victoria, BC (Victoria Conference Centre).
Information: www.aslo.org

*Aug 12-18, 2006; Coastal Zone Canada 2006 Conference & Youth Forum; Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories; Sponsored by the Coastal Zone Canada Association.
Information: www.czc06.ca

*Sep 3-8, 2006; 30th International Conference on Coastal Engineering; San Diego, CA; Sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Information: www.icce2006.com

*Oct 25-27, 2006; Seventh BoFEP (Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership) Bay of Fundy Science Workshop; St. Andrews, NB; Hosted by the Huntsman Marine Science Centre.
Information: www.bofep.org

Dec 9-13, 2006: Third Conference and Expo on Coastal and Estuarine Habitat Restoration (Theme: Forging the National Imperative for Restoration); New Orleans, Louisiana; Sponsored by “Restore America’s Estuaries”.
Information: www.estuaries.org

The contribution of Marie Lagier of the World Water Council, Marseille, France, in translating the English text into French, is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also expressed to Maxine Westhead, DFO, Dartmouth, NS for reviewing the final version of the newsletter.

Questions and comments pertaining to this newsletter should be addressed to the editor, Brian Nicholls, at nicholls@telusplanet.net.

Questions and comments pertaining to the Coastal Zone Canada Association should be addressed to the CZCA Secretariat at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, P.O. Box 1006, Dartmouth, NS, B2Y 4A2 or email coastalz@mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca.