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| Photo: Copyright Bow River Shuttles All Rights Reserved 2012 |
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Looking back along the Bow River - Season 2011
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Tories shut down ‘groundbreaking’ freshwater research station
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An aerial photograph shows one of the many bodies of water used for research in Northewestern Ontario's government-run Experimental Lakes Area Image courtesy of John Shearer |
Tories shut down ‘groundbreaking’ freshwater research station
Anne McIlroy
Globe and Mail Update
Thursday, May 17, 2012
“I think we have a government that considers science an inconvenience.” - Dr. David Schindler, University of Alberta
The federal government is closing a research station scientists have used for decades to study how pollutants like acid rain and phosphates affect lakes.
The Experimental Lakes Area is in Northwestern Ontario, about 250 kilometres east of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Since 1968, government and university scientists have used its 58 small lakes to test hypotheses about freshwater ecosystems. One experiment has been running for 40 years.
Bow River Fishing Report - from May 11 2012
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| Today along the Bow River. Photo: Copyright Bow River Shuttles All Rights Reserved 2012 |
Friday May 11 2012
McKinnon Flats to Carseland
The fishing was not so good for us.
We fished big streamers almost all day hoping for a big fish. The two rainbows that we did catch were when we stopped to fish. Both fish were on stonefly nymphs.
I sure love your service. I can't wait to go again, living in Edmonton makes it a little harder to get out but I love the Bow and hope to fish it more successful next time. Thanks again for your service. Cheers.
THANK TO ROB A. FOR THIS FISHING REPORT.
Looking back along the Bow River - Season 2011
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| Kids at both ends. Photo: Copyright © Bow River Shuttles All Rights Reserved 2012 |
Monday, May 21, 2012
Today along the Bow River - May 2012
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| All photos: Copyright © Bow River Shuttles All Rights Reserved 2012 |
Federal Budget 2012: Opposition to budget bill galvanizing
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The size and scope of the budget bill is massive. Ciaran Griffin/Getty Images |
There have been many articles written thus far about Bill C-38. This is one of the better ones, in that it offers a fair amount of detail regarding the changes that are proposed. I think it’s worth the read.
Here is little of what it said about the fisheries act.
“The process for issuing permits under the Species at Risk Act is being altered and the Fisheries Act is being streamlined so only major bodies of water used for commercial, recreational or aboriginal fisheries will be protected.
These far-reaching fisheries changes prompted British Columbia Conservative leader John Cummins to write a personal letter to Harper warning of a voter backlash and complaining that Bill C-38 would put “public ownership” in the hands of the federal fisheries minister rather than Canadians.
The minister “then would be able to do as he sees fit with that resource, which may not be in the best interest of the fish or the people, but it is a loss that shouldn’t happen.
Historically, we as Canadians, had ownership of the fish and this bill would eliminate that,” Cummins writes.”
Looking back along the Bow River - Season 2011
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| Photo: Copyright © Bow River Shuttles All Rights Reserved 2012 |
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Fisheries Act: Proposed changes and environmental implications
The Canadian government has presented a new budget that includes sweeping amendments to the Fisheries Act. This is an issue that directly affects the quality of life of all Canadians, and greatly impacts the Great Lakes region.
Habitat protections for fisheries help protect watersheds for people, and the Canadian government is seeking to substantially weaken those protections.
Amendments to streamline the Fisheries Act to promote industrial development and economic investment would replace the existing single, established, and largely effective national standard to protect fish and fish habitat with a patchwork of unknown provincial policies.
In its haste to make changes, the government did not consult experts at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, scientists, experienced environmental lawyers, or hunting and angling groups. It’s not clear that they consulted First Nations. Many prominent environmental groups across Canada have spoken up to oppose the changes, as well as more than 600 scientists.
Via: Water Matters
Looking back along the Bow River - Season 2011
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| Photo: Copyright © Bow River Shuttles All Rights Reserved 2012 |
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Today along the Bow River - May 2012
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| All photos: Copyright © Bow River Shuttles All Right Reserved 2012 |
Saskatchewan
At the Ironwood Stage & Grill, Calgary
MONDAY May 21 Zachary Lucky, Carly Maicher
“Striking and beautifully crafted, the songs on Zachary Lucky’s debut album reveal a talent for melody and a newfound confidence – Come & Gone is an enticingly brief, but highly auspicious debut” said exclaim.ca.
Fly fishing & Life jackets
At Bow River Drift Boat Rentals/Bow River Shuttles, we provide our boat rental clients with life jackets. We have the suspender style and the fanny pack/belt style. Both types are comfortable to wear and don’t get in the way of fly casting.
Wearing a life jacket is mandatory when floating the Calgary city reaches of the Bow River. Further downstream, they must be in your boat, although you are not required to actually wear them.
We strongly recommend that you wear them anyway.
From Canadian Red Cross:
National Lifejacket Day is May 19, and we are inviting you to help promote the importance of lifejacket wear by entering our photo contest. Show us that you wear it by submitting the best photo of you modelling your lifejacket!
This year, 200 people will drown while boating. Yet most boating-related drowning fatalities could be prevented – by the simple use of a lifejacket or personal flotation device (PFD).
Of those who drown, 88% are not wearing, or are not properly wearing a lifejacket or PFD. Many boaters feel safe just having a lifejacket nearby. But when something goes wrong, you won’t have time to put it on. A lifejacket can save your life – but only if you wear it.
LINK: Canadian Red Cross
Looking back along the Bow River - Season 2011
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| Photo: Copyright © Bow River Shuttles All Rights Reserved 2012 |
Friday, May 18, 2012
Why is CPAWS speaking out? Reason No. 1: We support healthy ecosystems.
No matter how you frame it, we’re all connected to our natural surroundings – this has always been the case and always will be. We can’t afford to look at our ecosystems as stand-alone entities – they’re all intricately connected components of a global system. What affects one component of this global system will undoubtedly affect another.
Changes to federal environmental legislation being rolled into Bill C-38, the omnibus budget bill which is passing through Parliament this month, will make it harder to assess the full impacts of new development projects on nature. The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, the federal law that ensures that the environmental consequences of development proposals are carefully considered, will be replaced by much weaker legislation. The number of projects that are evaluated will drop dramatically; Cabinet and the Minister will have discretion to decide which projects will be assessed; binding timeframes of one or two years will be imposed on all federal review processes, regardless of scope; there will be less opportunity for public input; and many projects currently requiring a federal review will become the responsibility of provincial and territorial governments. All in all, a dramatic weakening of one of our key federal tools to protect the environment.
We believe that economic development and environmental protection are connected and that the long term health of our economy relies on assuring a healthy environment for the future. If Canada takes shortcuts and a piecemeal approach to assessing the impacts of economic development projects on environmental health in favour of fast-tracking new development projects, we run a great risk of tipping the balance in the wrong direction.
We believe healthy ecosystems are the foundation of a healthy economy, and not an obstacle to be overcome. On June 4th, we will be speaking out on behalf of strong laws to protect nature. We ask you to join us in sending the message to our government.
Visit www.blackoutspeakout.ca for more information and to join us in speaking out.
LINK: Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
Looking back along the Bow River - Season 2011
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| Photo: Copyright © Bow River Shuttles All Rights Reserved 2012 |
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