COASTAL ZONE CANADA ASSOCIATION
NEWSLETTER #21, MARCH 2007
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 Canada
Association (CZCA), providing news about the Association, its activities
and its members, as well as information of potential interest to
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
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
VICE-PRESIDENT, GREAT LAKES, REPORT (Patrick Lawrence)
(a) IJC Releases 13th Biennial Report
In its Thirteenth Biennial Report on Great Lakes Water Quality,
released on February 8, the International Joint Commission recommends
that the governments of Canada and the United States “create
and apply an uncommonly strong Accountability Framework for Great
Lakes’ restoration and protection” under the Great Lakes
Water Quality Agreement.
For more information go to: http://www.ijc.org/en/publications/pdf/13br_e.pdf
(b) New GLIN Maps & GIS for the Great Lakes region
The Great Lakes Information Network, managed by the Great Lakes
Commission, has released new maps and GIS data for the region. Current
data sets focus on Great Lakes biota, geo/political boundaries,
climate/meteorology/atmosphere, elevation, environment, base-maps/earth
cover, inland waters/hydrography, and more.
For more information go to: http://gis.glin.net/
(c) IJC recommends a new Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
for the 21st Century
The International Joint Commission of Canada and the United States
recommends that the two federal governments replace the current
Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement with a shorter and more action-oriented
document. The Commission urges that the new agreement be signed
by the President and Prime Minister, and endorsed by the U.S. Congress
and the Canadian Parliament. It also urges that it include a commitment
to the early development of a Binational Action Plan with achievable
goals and timelines, measures for evaluating performance, and provisions
for monitoring and reporting for greater accountability when it
comes to the cleanup of the waters of the Great Lakes.
For more information go to: http://www.ijc.org/rel/news/061024_e.htm
(d) Advisory Group suggests guidelines to conserve Great
Lakes aquatic habitat from proposed energy projects
A panel funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission has submitted
a report recommending steps to assure protection of vital Great
Lakes aquatic habitat from disruptions caused by a growing number
of proposed energy projects. The panel noted proposals for offshore
wind projects in the Great Lakes as well as a history of cooling
water intake structures, oil and gas pipelines, and electric cables.
The panel said interest in crossing the beds of the Great Lakes
with pipelines and in installing wind turbines in the beds of the
Lakes, in addition to other proposed lakebed alterations, raises
important questions about protection of aquatic habitat that should
be addressed through revisions in state and provincial policies.
For more information go to: http://www.glfc.org/research/reports/Dempsey.pdf
VICE-PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATIONS REPORT (Grant Gardner)
Work is proceeding on a long overdue upgrade to the CZCA Web-site.
When completed, and in addition to the material currently on the
site, it will include the major outcomes of each of our conferences,
key background papers, and up-to-date links to upcoming CZC conferences,.
A key challenge will be the provision of material in both English
and French, but fortunately many of the items are already available
in both languages. The site will likely be updated in stages; so
keep checking it for improvements! Comments or suggestions on the
structure and content of the site can be sent to ggardner@mun.ca.
CZCA is continuing as a partner in the Oceans Day program of the
Canadian Wildlife Federation. The Federation coordinates Oceans
Day (OD) activities and develops OD teaching kits (with input from
its many partners). CZCA distributes sample kits to its Board members,
many of who are involved in specific Oceans Day activities. This
year the event will be combined with Canadian Rivers Day into a
“Rivers to Oceans Week”, and the theme (yet to be decided)
will have a northern flavor to reflect the International Polar Year
(IPY) 2007-2008.
COASTAL ZONE CANADA (CZC) 2006 CONFERENCE, TUKTOYAKTUK, NORTHWEST
TERRITORIES
Comprehensive reports on the conference were included in the previous
two issues of the newsletter (#19, September
2006 and #20, December 2006). The
following is an update to these reports:
(a) The Coastal Zone Canada 2006 Conference resulted
in the recommendation that a “body” or “network”
be formed that would serve to enhance northerners’ understanding
of public policy related to Arctic coastal and marine affairs. This
recommendation resulted from the following two, separate deliberations
that took place during the conference:
- The Northern Forum, a special meeting of northern participants
from across Canada, held during the conference; and
- Discussions of CZCA conference participants at large, the results
of which are summarized in the “Tuktoyaktuk Declaration”
(see CZCA Newsletter #19).
Both of these fora recommended the formation of the above-mentioned
body or network. As a result, a meeting led by CZCA members Jack
Mathias, DFO (retired) and Thomas Suluk, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.,
is planned to be held in Ottawa on March 29 and 30 to discuss its
establishment. The outcome of this meeting will be reported on in
the next issue of the CZCA Newsletter.
(b) The Conference Web site www.czc06.ca
has been updated with the various PowerPoint presentations from
the conference.
(c) Good progress is being made on the special
issue of the journal “Arctic”, North America’s
premier journal of northern research, which will be devoted to the
conference and is scheduled for publication in the fall of 2007.
SHORT NEWS ITEMS
(a) Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment
On February 1, 2007, the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment
(the Council) released its Action Plan for the next five years,
2007-2012. The Council, a U.S.-Canadian partnership of government
and non-government organizations works to maintain and enhance environmental
quality in the Gulf of Maine to allow for sustainable resource use
by existing and future generations. The Action Plan focuses on three
ambitious goals identified by the people living and working in the
three states (Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts) and two provinces
(New Brunswick and Nova Scotia) that border the Gulf: protecting
& restoring habitats; focusing on environmental & human
heath; and supporting vibrant coastal communities. The Gulf of Maine
Council organizes conferences and workshops; offers grants and recognition
awards; conducts environmental monitoring; provides science translation
to management; and raises public awareness about the Gulf of Maine.
Since the founding of the partnership in 1989, many members of the
CZCA have been involved in Council programs and activities, and
have served on its various committees and working groups. Detailed
information about the Council’s activities, its Action Plan,
its multi-year work plan, and grant opportunities are available
at http://www.gulfofmaine.org
(b) Environmental management and poverty reduction
The Poverty Environment Partnership (PEP) is an informal network
of development agencies, multilateral development banks, UN agencies
and international NGOs. It focuses on the critical links between
poverty and the environment, particularly the fact that better environmental
management is essential to lasting poverty reduction. Canadian representation
on the partnership includes the Canadian International Development
Agency, which hosted the eighth meeting held in Ottawa in 2005.
For each meeting, PEP issues a corresponding Poverty Environment
Partnership Meeting Bulletin. Published by the International Institute
for Sustainable Development and available on-line, the most recent
issue, which covers the tenth meeting held in Nairobi earlier this
year, is available at: http://www.iisd.ca/africa/aupep/
(click the “Summary Report” button). Among
the fora that have addressed poverty/environment issues in the coastal
zone are the Coastal Zone Canada Conferences, see for example the
Conference Statement and Call for Action arising from CZC’94.
c) Arctic impacts of global warming
The European Newsletter, EUCC Coastal News, reports that a study
by a team of Canadian and US scientists predicts that by 2040 global
warming could leave the Arctic without ice during the summer months.
The research, published in a recent issue of the scientific journal
Geophysical Research Letters, found that the extent of sea ice each
September could be reduced so abruptly that, within about 20 years,
it may begin retreating four times faster than at any time in the
observed record. The study was jointly conducted by McGill University,
The University of Washington and US National Center for Atmospheric
Research. For additional information go to: http://www.eucc.net/en/news/CN07-01.pdf
(d) Environmental Indicators for North America
Canada and the United States share air currents, water-sheds,
ecosystems, and habitats that cross the border. But the two countries
often measure environmental conditions and report on them using
different indicators. In November 2006, UNEP released Environmental
Indicators for North America, a 158-page report that looks
at the indicators used to describe environmental conditions and
trends in Canada and the United States. The report identifies common
issues and indicators and suggests a candidate list of feasible
environmental indicators to report on the region as a whole. This
work responds to an increasing need to develop consistent and comparable
approaches to national and regional indicator sets for environmental
and sustainability reporting that better address the needs of those
involved in making policy decisions at national and international
levels. Environmental Indicators for North America is freely
downloadable at: http://www.na.unep.net/reports.php#Indicators
(e) 2006 EMAN National Meeting
Approximately 170 representatives from across Canada attended
the 2006 EMAN (Ecological Monitoring & Assessment Network) National
Science Meeting held in Winnipeg on Nov 21-25. This year’s
conference theme was “Data Outcomes: What have we learned?
Who did we tell? What difference did it make?” Dr. Fikret
Berkes from the University of Manitoba Natural Resources Institute,
one of two keynote speakers, opened the meeting with a talk entitled
“Community Based Monitoring: Bridging Scales and Knowledge
Systems”. The subsequent discussion focused on indigenous
knowledge and its roles and benefits in understanding ecological
status and trends. Summaries of the National Science Meeting, as
well as the EMAN Business Meeting, are available on the EMAN Web
site at
http://www.eman-rese.ca/eman/
reports/meetings/national2006/summary.html
(f) New books on coastal & oceans topics worth checking
out
Fish Cognition and Behavior
Culum Brown, Kevin Laland & Jens Krause (eds); Hardcover;
352 pp; Blackwell Publishing (US); 2006; CAN$199.99
Information: http://www.blackwellfish.com
Introduction to Coastal Dynamics and Shoreline Protection
G. Benassai (Ed); Hardcover; 352 pp; WIT Press (US); 2006; US$195.00
Information: http://www.witpressusa.com
Monitoring in Coastal Environments Using Foraminifera and Thecamoebian
Indicators
David B. Scott, Franco S. Medioli & Charles T. Schafer;
Paperback; 193 pp; Cambridge Univ. Press (UK); 2006; US$43
Information: http://www.cambridge.org
(Note: Canadian authors; originally published in hardcover in 2001)
Ocean
Robert Dinwiddie; Hardcover; 512 pp; Dorling Kinderley (DK Publishing)
(US); 2006; CAN$65.00
Information: http://isbns.net.book/0756622050
(Note: Published in association with the American Museum of Natural
History; good introduction to the subject; well illustrated)
The Dynamics of Integrated Coastal Management: Practical Applications
in the Sustainable Coastal Developments in East Asia
Chua Thia-Eng; Hardcover & Softbound; 468 pp; PEMSEA (Philippines);
2006; US$64.00/48.00
Information: http://www.pemsea.org/ecomm/onlinestore_new.htm
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 16-20, 2007; 9th International Coastal Symposium
(ICS2007); Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia; Hosted by Griffith
University.
Information: http://www.gu.edu.au/school/eng/ics2007/
Apr 24-25, 2007; Science in the Changing North
Conference 2007; Yellowknife, NT; Organized by Northwest Territories
Environment & Natural Resources and Indian & Northern Affairs
Canada.
Information: http://www.scnconference.ca/
May 9-11, 2007; 10th Canadian Workshop on Harmful
Algae; Mont-Joli, Québec; Sponsored by the Phycotoxins Working
Group of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Information: http://www.osl.gc.ca/conf/tox2007/
May 9-11, 2007; CARICOSTAS 2007 -- 3rd International
Conference on Integrated Management of Coastal Zones; Santiago,
Cuba; Organized by Univ of Oriente, et al.
Information: http://www.uo.edu.cu/centros/CEMZC/Ing/
May 16-18, 2007; Third Annual Atlantic Canadian
Coastal & Estuarine Science Society (ACCESS) Conference and
Workshop (Theme: Our Changing Ecosystems); Sydney, NS; Hosted by
Cape Breton Univ.
Information: http://faculty.capebretonu.ca/mjones/access/
*May 21-26, 2007; Sixth International SAMPAA Conference
(Theme: Ecosystem Based Management: Beyond Boundaries); Acadia Univ.,
Wolfville, NS; Presented by The Science and Management of Protected
Areas Association.
Information: http://www.sampaa.org
May 24-26, 2007; Regional Workshop: “Planning
for Sustainability – From Vision to Action at the Community
Level”; Stellarton, NS; Sponsored by the Southern Gulf of
St. Lawrence Coalition on Sustainability.
Information: http://www.coalition-sgsl.ca/workshop
*May 28-Jun 1, 2007; “Air, Ocean, Earth and
Ice on the Rock” (CMOS-CGU-AMS Joint Congress); St. John’s,
NF; Hosted by: the Canadian Meteorological & Oceanographic Society,
the Canadian Geophysical Union, and the American Meteorological
Society.
Information: http://www.cmos2007.ca/en/index.htm
*Jun 11-14, 2007; International Symposium on Integrated
Coastal Zone Management; Arendal, Norway; Convened by Institute
of Marine Research, Arendal (co-sponsors include ICES).
Information: http://www.imr.no/iczm/
*Jun 30-Jul 3, 2007; 13th International Conference
on the Environment (topics include: environmental issues in New
England and the Maritime Provinces; coastal management issues; and
community and sustainability); Portland, Maine; Presented by the
Interdisciplinary Environmental Association.
Information: http://www.ieaonline.org
*Jul 22-26, 2007; “Coastal Zone 07”
(Theme: Brewing Local Solutions to your Coastal Issues); Portland,
Oregon; Sponsored by NOAA Coastal Services Center.
Information: http://www.csc.noaa.gov/cz/
*Jul 31-Aug 3, 2007; International Association
for the Study of the Commons (IASC) 2007 Conference (Theme: Transitions
in defining and utilizing North American commons); Corner Brook,
NF; Hosted by Sir William Grenfell College, Memorial University
of Newfoundland.
Information: http://www.swgc.mun.ca/iasc2007/index.asp
*Aug 20-24, 2007; IPY (International Polar Year)
GeoNorth 2007 (Ist International Circumpolar Conference on Geospatial
Sciences & Applications); Yellowknife, NT; Organized by: Natural
Resources Canada, Can. Inst. of Geomatics, and NT Centre for Geomatics.
Information: http://ess.nrcan.gc.ca/ipygeonorth/index_e.php
*Sep 29-Oct 4, 2007; “Oceans 2007”
(Theme: On the Edge of Tomorrow); Vancouver, BC; Sponsored by MTS/IEEE-OES.
Information: http://www.oceans07mtsieeevancouver.org
Sep 30-Oct 3, 2007; 34th Aquatic Toxicity Workshop
(Theme: Navigating New Waters); Halifax, NS; Sponsored by the Aquatic
Toxicity Workshop Board.
Information: http://www.atw.ca/
Oct 1-3, 2007; Scientific Workshop on the Impact
of Global Climate Change on the Arctic Coastal Zones (Theme: Arctic
Coastal Zones at Risk); Tromsø, Norway; Organized by LOICZ,
AMAP and IASC.
Information: http://w3k.gkss.de/events/arctic07/
Oct 26-Nov 2, 2007; PICES 16th Annual Meeting
(Theme: The Changing North Pacific: Previous patterns, future projections,
and ecosystem impacts); Victoria, BC; Sponsored by PICES / Hosted
by DFO and PICES.
Information: http://www.pices.int/meetings/
May 23-29, 2008; Coastal Zone Canada 2008 Conference;
Vancouver, BC; Sponsored by the Coastal Zone Canada Association.
Information: francisk@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca
The contribution of Marie Lagier for translating the English text
into French is gratefully acknowledged. Thanks are also expressed
to Maxine Westhead, DFO, Ottawa, ON 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.
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