Caring for Muskoka’s environment with the unknown unknowns.
Unknown unknowns cause problems we cannot anticipate, problems that can be small or very large. By Peter Sale. Our environment faces four types of risk. Known and unknown risks that…
Protecting Our Water. A 21st Century Challenge.
By Peter Johnston. Damage due to flooding is becoming more frequent in Muskoka as climate changes. In this changing world we cannot manage flood risk or anything else in our…
Municipalities embark on a long and winding journey towards watershed management.
Collaborative approach needed to enable watershed-scale decisions that address local land-use issues. By Kevin Trimble. Kevin Trimble, a board member at the Muskoka Watershed Council, spoke at the Integrated Watershed…
Do the turtle and deer have a legal right to use Muskoka’s lakes and land as we do?
Just because our legal code declares that other species do not have rights does not make that assumption correct. By Peter Sale. The snapping turtle is Canada’s largest freshwater turtle…
‘So what?’ The role of adaptive management in the Muskoka watershed.
The process is not trivial, but has the merit (and the need for) involving all interests in the watershed working together in a process of integrated watershed management. By Neil…
The future Muskoka I would like to see.
By Jeff Lehman. The Muskoka watershed is surely among the most loved environments in our country. Millions of visitors cannot be wrong in finding something truly special — and those…
Balancing fire protection, recreational esthetics and ecological health
Conifers are more susceptible to wildfire, but the fortunate mix of deciduous trees in our Muskoka forests creates a more resilient ecosystem. By Richard Lammers. Will the warming climate in…
The future Muskoka I would like to see.
In my future Muskoka, buildings are constructed to the greenest standards available, and pedestrians and cyclists rule. By Dr. Peter Sale. The many waterfalls of Muskoka are already providing green…
Science is easy, it’s bringing people together to fight environmental problems that’s the difficult part.
Those who say we should delay environmental action until the science is clear are usually seeking to stall action. By Geoff Ross. Participants listen to speakers at the Municipal IWM…
Might the time be here for community engagement in lake management?
Lake health is guaranteed by vigilance — by monitoring indicators of current and emerging threats. By Dr. Norman Yan An old lake management model from 30 years ago didn’t make the light…
Water in Muskoka – By the Numbers
By Rebecca Willison. Muskoka – That’s a lot of water – and it all matters! Most maps you see of Muskoka don’t include the full extent of our water resources,…
Caring for Muskoka waterways needs to be similar to how we care for our health.
The kind of integration that keeps our body healthy does not yet exist for managing the Muskoka Watershed. By Geoff Ross. Unless you have training as an ecologist, you may…