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The Wilderness Committee An Environmental Catastrophe in the Making: The Hay Point Bog Peat Mine United Kingdom, a country which has a centuries-old tradition of peat mining, and well-established companies involved in this activity. This year, the UK is closing down this industry entirely, in spite of the fact that the country is in dire economic straits and desperately needs the jobs and income that peat mining provides. Why are they doing this? Because they have come to realize that the release of greenhouse gases through peat mining nullifies the expensive reductions in greenhouse gases being made in other areas of the British economy. Yet Manitoba, with its stated objective of respecting its Kyoto commitments, does the exact reverse. Something is very wrong with this picture. Is a park no longer a park? It boggles the mind that the Manitoba government would even consider allowing such a destructive activity to take (...continued from page 1) eat mining is NOT “P a sustainable or a renewable industry.” place within the boundaries of a provincial park. In 2008, when Premier Gary Doer announced the phase-out of forest activity in all of Manitoba’s parks save one, he summarized his government’s position with the bold declaration: “a park is a park is a park.” Yet peat mining is infinitely more destructive than forestry. A forestry operation covering a similar area of the one proposed here would be over in a matter of weeks and, with replanting, the regrowth would begin almost immediately to once again sequester the carbon lost through clearcutting. On the other hand, peat mining would take place over 45 years. During this time, the ecological services provided by the peat bog, including providing habitat for one of the widest diversities of plant and animal life in Manitoba as well as water filtration services for our lakes, would come to a complete halt. (continued on page 11...) Page 10 Nature Manitoba News Vol. 4, Issue 2 - Mar. / Apr. 2012
THE PRINCE BASKETTAIL (...continued from page 9) Based on internet searches and correspondence with several dragonfly experts, the two nearest previous Prince Baskettail records to Manitoba are in Beltrami County, Minnesota and near the north shore of Lake of the Woods, east of Kenora, Ontario. These are respectively about 174 km south and 89 km east of our observation. The Ontario Odonata Atlas (http:// nhic.mnr.gov.on.ca/MNR/nhic/odonates/atlas.html) also shows a cluster of records farther southeast of Kenora in the Rainy River district of Ontario. Thus the Manitoba records, though adding to the provincial list, represent only a modest range extension. Given the limited exploration of extreme southeastern Manitoba by naturalists, local populations could be long-standing and do not necessarily represent active range expansion. The Prince Baskettail is one of several dragonfly species that reach their northwestern range limits in or near extreme southeastern Manitoba; who knows what further exploration of the area might turn up? An Environmental Catastrophe in the Making: The Hay Point Bog Peat Mine (...continued from page 10) Not a sustainable industry Even using the best so-called “restoration” activities postmining, it takes approximately 30 years for the bog to start storing carbon again. It will take thousands of years for it to recapture all the greenhouse gases released as a result of the mining operation. Peat mining is NOT a sustainable or a renewable industry. A modern economy, as presently constituted, requires oil and gas, mineral resources such as copper and nickel, and trees. A modern economy has no need for peat moss. There are readily available, equally effective, and no more expensive substitutes for horticultural peat moss. Environmental Assessment biased and unreliable KGS Group, an engineering consulting firm, has prepared a so-called “environmental assessment report” for submission to Manitoba Conservation as required by the Manitoba Environment Act. One does not need to read very far into this report to discover that it has been bought and paid for by the proponent. There is not even a pretense of objectivity when, on page 10, one can read the following: “The purpose of the proposed development is to continue to provide quality peatbased growing media products to meet the demand of our distribution network in over 40 countries worldwide.” Our? The entire report is replete with industry spin and propaganda, including repeated references to “harvesting” peat. This is industry-speak in order to suggest a renewable resource, which peat most certainly is not. One can no more “harvest” peat than one can “harvest” copper or nickel. A different view of the same Prince Baskettail. e will also know if “W we have a minister who understands what conservation means.” The KGS Report barely deals with the most harmful effect of the proposal which is the release of greenhouse gases (GHG). It provides little context for its affirmations and makes no reference to the content of ongoing discussions in the United Nations and in the European Union on the subject. The report states that post-mining decomposition accounts for 71% of the production of greenhouse gases, but then makes the following affirmation on page 25: “However, GHG emissions from decomposition are associated with the end use and should not be attributed to the producer.” That’s akin to an accused who states that, while he did fire the gun, he cannot be held responsible for what happened to the bullet after it left the barrel. The report then makes its GHG calculations based on only 29% of gas releases and expresses that as a percentage of total greenhouse gases emitted throughout Canada to come up with a ludicrously small number, thereby concluding that the proposal would have no harmful effects. Using this methodology, no industrial activity on earth could ever be considered to have a harmful effect on the environment. The KGS report is a sham. If the Manitoba government allows this project to proceed, it will constitute a de facto abandonment of its own stated objectives with respect to the reduction of greenhouse gases, and an abandonment of former Premier Doer’s affirmation of what a park should be. The decision on the peat mine will be the first test of the leadership of Manitoba’s new Conservation Minister Gordon Mackintosh. In an interview he stated that a decision would come fairly soon so it is possible that by the time this article is published, we will know the outcome. We will also know if we have a minister who understands what conservation means. In the next issue of Nature Manitoba News (May/June), just in time for gardening season, look for an article on alternatives to peat moss. Vol. 4, Issue 2 - Mar. / Apr. 2012 Nature Manitoba News Page 11
Page 1 and 2: An Environmental Catastrophe in the
Page 3 and 4: y Tommy Allen Photo: Laura McMaster
Page 5 and 6: Rod Macivor, The Ottawa Citizen Nat
Page 7 and 8: Bill Blaikie to receive Nature Mani
Page 9: Photos: Larry de March Habitat alon
Page 13 and 14: Les McCann (Generally on Wednesdays
Page 15 and 16: Christian Artuso Rarities are alway
Page 17 and 18: Ardythe McMaster but Wood Frogs wer
Page 19 and 20: Breaking for lunch on Bulging Lake
Page 21 and 22: Tommy Allen “I would not set out
Page 23 and 24: Want to dig deep into the wonders o

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