Overview
The “nearshore waters” of the Great Lakes are where the land meets the water. They are the ecological link between the watersheds and the water and is where most people interact directly with our Great Lakes. However, nuisance and harmful algae, harmful chemicals, bacterial contamination of beaches and impediments to coastal processes are impacting water quality and ecosystem health in the nearshore.
WEBINAR SERIES
Environment and Climate Change Canada has conducted the first cumulative assessment of the Canadian Great Lakes nearshore waters; the Great Lakes community is invited to the webinar series to explore the results and discuss the findings.
Session 1
Out of sight, but not out of mind - Contaminants in Water, Sediment, and Fish
November 23, 2021
5:30 - 7:30 PM EST
Register here
Session 2
8,500 km of Great Lakes shoreline: Coastal Processes
December 2, 2021
5:30 - 7:30 PM EST
Register here
Session 3
With Great Lakes, comes Great Responsibility: Areas of High Ecological Value
December 7, 2021
5:30 - 7:30 PM EST
Register here
Session 4
Nutrients, too much of a good thing: Nuisance & Harmful Algae
January 13, 2022
5:30 - 7:30 PM EST
Register here
Presentations
Click the download button to access the presentations. These will be available after each session.
Satyendra Bhavsar
Dr. Satyendra Bhavsar is a Research Scientist with the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. He leads the Ministry’s Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program. He is an Adjunct Professor at numerous universities including the University of Toronto, Windsor, Laurentian and Ontario Tech. He is a Professional Engineer and received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and Environmental Engineering from the University of Toronto. Dr. Bhavsar’s research focuses on studying contaminant fate‐transport, food web dynamics and exposure to humans. The overarching goal of his work is to guide policies and management actions regarding contaminants in the environment and for safe human consumption of fish.
Gregary Ford
Greg joined Swim Drink Fish in 2019, and the following year assumed the role of as the Great Lakes Water Monitoring Manager with the goal of improving community access to the waters of the Great LakesHe also sits as the Executive Director for the Niagara Coastal Community Collaborative, providing leadership to their community science initiatives, water quality investigations, nature-base shoreline restoration, stakeholder and collaboration. Greg earned his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture in 2015, his Masters of Planning and post-graduate certificate in Natural Resource Management in 2017, and second post-graduate certificate in Ecosystem Restoration in 2019.
Tom Edge
McMaster University
Tom Edge applies DNA technologies to better understand the microbiology of water. He has a Ph.D. in environmental microbiology, and worked over many years at Environment and Climate Change Canada, leading research on advances in genomics, microbial source tracking and waterborne pathogens, as well as developing regulations for the international trade and environmental release of genetically engineered microorganisms. He now conducts research as an Adjunct Professor at McMaster University, and he has founded a social enterprise to work with communities to conduct microbial source tracking projects. Tom serves on the International Joint Commission's Health Professionals Advisory Board, the Board of the Great Lakes Beach Association, and Health Canada's federal/provincial advisory group reviewing Canada's recreational water quality guidelines.
SESSION 2 - December 2, 2021
Peter received his Bachelor's and Master of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo, specializing in coastal geomorphology and geology. He is a Certified Floodplain Manager and a Professional Geoscientist. Pete has 30 years of consulting experience managing multi-disciplinary investigations in coastal regions across the world, including the Great Lakes.
As the Executive Director of the Stewardship Centre for BC (SCBC) since 2010, DG provides leadership and project management for delivery of stewardship projects and resources to audiences throughout BC and across Canada. With deep experience in science-based best management practices for land and water, DG has been instrumental in the development, application, and proliferation of SCBC’s Green Shores program. She works with partners in government, industry and non-governmental organizations at the community, regional, provincial and national level, working from her island home on the traditional territories of the Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh), Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm), Tsleil-Waututh (Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh), and Sechelt (Shíshálh) First Nations.
Cory has a B.Sc. in Engineering from the University of Guelph and has been working in the field of water resources engineering and natural hazard management for the past 23 years. He is the Watershed Services Coordinator at the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority and oversees the program area responsible for defining flooding and erosion hazards for both riverine and coastal systems within the GRCA watershed. He is a strong advocate for managing natural hazards in a responsible and collaborative manner to ensure the development of safe and resilient communities.
SESSION 3 - December 7, 2021
Isobel Heathcote
Isobel Heathcote is President of Wyndham Research Inc., a consulting company with expertise in environmental policy, watershed restoration, and public engagement. For more than 40 years, she has been involved in Great Lakes science, policy, and management through her work in the public and private sectors and academic appointments at the University of Toronto and the University of Guelph. She holds a B.Sc. from the University of Toronto and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Yale University.
Scott Parker
Dr. Scott Parker is an ecosystem scientist with Parks Canada with over 32-years of experience in conservation planning and management. During this time, he has worked as an ecologist in several national parks and national marine conservation areas, including Gwaii Haanas and Bruce Peninsula / Fathom Five, and he now works on regional and national conservation issues within the Protected Areas Establishment and Conservation directorate. He is also a member of the World Commission on Protected Areas and an adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo, where he teaches a course on species conservation titled “Stopping the 6th Extinction”.
Patrick Rivers
Over the past four years, Patrick has coordinated Environment and Climate Change Canada’s climate change vulnerability assessment for Great Lakes coastal wetlands, which has identified risks and potential impacts to areas of high ecological value as well as approaches for enhancing their resilience. Previously, Patrick served as the Ontario Regional Coordinator of ECCC’s National Wetland Conservation Fund and supported the administration of the Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk, building on years of monitoring wetland health. Patrick holds a Masters of Environmental Science from the University of Toronto and is currently pursuing a post-graduate certificate in GIS for Environmental Management.
Sandra George
Sandra graduated from the University of Guelph as a biologist and has worked for the past 40 years on environmental and natural resource issues mostly in the Great Lakes. Since 1994, she has worked with Environment and Climate Canada on Great Lakes programs where she coordinates ECCCC activities to support the implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality and Canada-Ontario Agreements. Currently she coordinates ECCC’s Ontario Region’s Nutrients Program where she leads, with our binational and domestic partners, ECCC’s efforts to implement the Canada Ontario Lake Erie Action Plan to reduce phosphorus loads to Lake Erie, the development of binational phosphorus targets and the implementation of the binational adaptive management process for Lake Erie.
Dr. David Depew
David Depew is a research scientist with the Watershed Hydrology and Ecology Research Division with Environment and Climate Change Canada with expertise in water quality and aquatic ecology. Current research interests include the use of stable isotope tracers to identify phosphorus sources and understand phosphorus cycling in aquatic ecosystems, ecosystem dynamics related to the proliferation of nuisance algal blooms and understanding the impacts of invasive species on ecosystem structure and function.
Dr. Peter Esselman
Dr. Peter Esselman is a Research Fisheries Biologist with the USGS Great Lakes Science Center. His research extends the theory and approaches of landscape ecology into large lake and river contexts to support natural resource decision-making from local to continental scales. Since joining USGS in 2014, Dr. Esselman has worked to apply emerging technologies and analytical approaches to the description of large-scale spatiotemporal variation in forage fish abundances and habitats that underpin Great Lakes commercial and recreational fisheries. He is also actively engaged in the detection, measurement and modelling of invasive and nuisance species distributions and abundances and building regional networks around lakebed mapping and technologies.
Resources
WEBINAR SERIES AGENDA
Webinar Schedule
November 23, 2021
(5:30 PM - 7:30 PM)
December 2, 2021
(5:30 PM - 7:30 PM)
December 7, 2021
(5:30 PM - 7:30 PM)
January 13, 2022
(5:30 PM - 7:30 PM)
REFERENCE MATERIAL
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s assessment of the Canadian nearshore were conducted between 2018 and 2021. See the Detailed Methodology report for the technical aspects of the cumulative assessment approach, and the results and highlights reports (Lake Erie and Lake Ontario) for lake specific findings.
Canadian Great Lakes Nearshore Assessment: detailed methodology
2 MB
Lake Erie Canadian Nearshore Assessment: 2018 highlights report
5 MB
Lake Erie Canadian Nearshore Assessment: 2018 results report
3 MB
Lake Ontario Canadian Nearshore Assessment: 2018 highlights report
6 MB
Lake Ontario Canadian Nearshore Assessment: 2018 results report
3 MB
Contact
If you have any questions about the workshop, please fill the contact form below or use this e-mail address: greatlakesnearshorewebinarseries@stratos-sts.com