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The International Joint Commission will hold public hearings August 15-20 on the final report of its International Lake of the Woods and Rainy River Watershed Task Force. The Task Force Report to the IJC makes recommendations on how the United States and Canada could work together to better manage water quality, water quantity, and related issues in the international Lake of the Woods and Rainy River watershed.
Our Foundation will be appearing at these hearings and making submissions aimed at improving upon the recommendations contained in the Task Force report.
It is the position of our Foundation that the Task Force Recommendations are a good starting point for building an international watershed framework for the future but by no means do they go far enough. Read our full response here  LOWWSF Submission To IJC Hearings
In summary:
- They provide a launching point for further defining an effective watershed governance model for our basin.
- We strongly support the Task Force recommendation to create a new IJC International Watershed Initiative Board with pollution authorities for Lake of the Woods.
- However, this needs to be developed further to define a cohesive and unified governance model for our basin. Effectively we need and orchestra leader and this should be the proposed new International Watershed Board.
- More can and should be done to simplify, unify and integrate existing structures and mechanisms into a cohesive and unitary coordination framework for water management.
The Foundation will be appearing at these hearings to make submissions to improve upon the recommendations in the Task Force Report.
The Task Force Report and recommendations for the future of Lake of the Woods can be dowloaded here.
Please attend and make your voices know -- this is your "one in a hundred years" chance to be heard and make sure that the IJC gets it right for the next 100 years!
The IJC Commissioners will hold hearings at the following dates and locations:
| DATES | CITY | MEETING LOCATION | CENTRAL TIME |
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| Monday August 15 |
Fort Frances, ON |
La Place Rendez Vous
1201 Idlywild Dr. |
7:00pm |
| Tuesday August 16 |
International Falls, MN |
Rainy River Community College Theatre, 1501 Highway 71 |
6:00pm - Board Meeting
7:30pm - IJC Hearing |
| Wednesday August 17 |
Cook, MN |
Cook Ranger Station 320 North Highway 53 55723 |
7:00pm |
| Thursday August 18 |
Baudette, MN |
Historic Rex – Hotel Event Room 103 First Street NW 56623 |
7:00pm |
| Friday August 19 |
Stratton, ON |
Kay-Nah-Chi-Wah-Nung (Rainy River First Nations Interpretation Center) Shaw Rd |
1:00pm |
| Saturday August 20 |
Kenora, ON |
Lakeside Inn (Best Western) 470 First Avenue S. |
9:00am |
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Efforts to restore Lake of the Woods water quality and the role of the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation are highlighted in Ontario Environment Minister John Wilkinson's Annual Report on Drinking Water for 2010.
In a chapter titled "Partners Taking Action on Lake of the Woods Water Quality", Minister Wilkinson describes the threats of blue green algae to water quality and lake trout habitat on Lake of the Woods and the important role of partnerships with organizations in the watershed, such as our Foundation, in the Ministry's Lake of the Woods Watershed Stewardship Strategy.
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Read more...
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The Quetico Foundation has issued a report on the Hydro-electric Development Proposals on the Namakan River concluding that Hydro development on Namakan River poses grave danger to lake sturgeon, a threatened species, and to the integrity of The Lake of the Woods/Rainy River watershed. Full details of the Quetico Foundation's assessment of the proposed hydro-electric development and their campaign seeking that the Ontario Government reject these proposals, can be found at the Quetico Foundations website http://www.queticofoundation.org/namakan.html
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 The Health Professionals Task force of the International Joint Commission has released its report into links between human health and water-related issues in the boundary waters of the Lake of the Woods and Rainy River basins. Download / View Report.
Reported recently by the IJC in their Winter 2010 issue of Focus on IJC Activities Newsletter (Volume 35, Issue 1) the IJC announced the following: "The Task Force commissioned the report in collaboration with the International Rainy Lake Board of Control, International Rainy River Water Pollution Board and the International Lake of the Woods Control Board as a project under the International Joint Commission’s International Watersheds Initiative.
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In late August, IJC Commissioners Allen Olson (US-Section) and Pierre Trépannier (Canada-Section) toured the south shore of Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River to examine the erosion, flooding and nutrient loading problems of these waters. This fact finding tour was part of the annual joint meeting of the IJC’s International Rainy Lake Board of Control and the International Rainy River Water Pollution Board.
Foundation Executive Director Todd Sellers and Ontario’s new Lake of the Woods Coordinator Kelli Saunders participated along with representatives from Minnesota’s Lake of the Woods County Soil and Water Conservation District, US Geologic Survey and members of the IJC’s International Rainy Lake Control Board and the International Rainy River Water Pollution Board.
During the tour, the Commissioners had an opportunity on the lake to view the erosion of Pine Island (which is disappearing), erosion and flood plain features of the Rainy River and to view areas in Minnesota where the Lake of the Woods Soil and Water Conservation district is working to stabilize shorelines and improve sewage systems. |
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