Portage Routes and
Traditional Rights of Way
Initiative]]> Avneet Kamboj, Manpreet Kaur, Kaelyn Welde
]]> pollution in Haliburton County Lakes]]> HALIBURTON COUNTY]]> diverse selection of organizations. It also underscores the vital importance of integrated
watershed management (IWM) in maintaining ecological balance and human well-being,
particularly in Haliburton County, which lies within the Great Lakes watershed. The report
highlights the diverse ecosystem services provided by watersheds, including freshwater supply,
flood control, recreation, and economic prosperity. It identifies challenges such as the impact of
improper water management on habitat and property owners along the Trent Severn Waterway
(TSW), emphasizing the need for balanced approaches to support economic activities while
preserving ecosystem integrity. The proposed watershed council (hereafter “the council”)
prioritizes community engagement, flexible funding, and diverse expertise for effective watershed
management through a water quality approach. It recommends funding opportunities with
organizations like the Trillium Foundation for funding flexibility and aims to obtain charitable status
to diversify funding sources. Volunteer participation and collaboration with academic institutions
will be key to the council’s success. Overall, the report highlights the critical role of community
involvement, adaptive management, and collaborative partnerships in ensuring the long-term
health and sustainability of watersheds in Haliburton County and the Upper Kawarthas.]]> This summary seeks to provide stakeholders with a preliminary indication of the health of Kabakwa Lake (hereafter, Kabakwa). This is done though explaining what the benthos community assemblage infers about the current water quality of Kabakwa. The objectives for 2023 include (1) collecting benthos through a modified OBBN sampling protocol; (2) identifying collected benthos in lab and sorting them into OBBN groupings; (3) quantifying each group using metrics to determine abundance, richness, and diversity; (4) interpreting the results to provide an assessment of Kabakwa’s water quality. ]]> Flora and fauna observational data, organic content data, water chemistry, and water flow data were collected. All data was then inputted into the OWES scoring manual for Northern Ontario, and a score for the Grace Lake Wetland (GLW) was calculated. Our preliminary results found that the wetland could be deemed provincially significant, as it scored 247.52 points in the “Special Features” component, and a wetland can score a minimum of 200 points in this component to be considered a provincially significant wetland (PSW).
Our findings suggest that there is likely justification for a formal assessment of the GLW, and there may be more findings by a professional team than we were able to gather in this preliminary assessment. There are various opportunities for the expansion of our findings in future research, including conducting the assessment over multiple seasons and engaging members of the Grace Lake community to partake in various citizen science initiatives. If a
formal assessment designates the GLW as provincially significant, then it and any area within 120 meters of it will be protected from unsustainable development.]]>