Swamp-thistle Cirsium muticrun BO 
     
    
   
   
    
     HABITAT CODES: BO - bog/swamp; BR - burn; CO - cut over; D - dry soil; FP - flood plain; HW - hardwood; LL 
     
     - lowland; M - moist soil; MW - mixed wood; R - rich soil; SL - steep slopes; SW - softwood; T - Tolerant 
     
     overstory; UL- upland; W - wet soil. e.g. RHWFP - rich, hardwood, flood plain. 
     
    
   
   
    
     TROUT KILLS: 
     
    
   
   
    
     Torrential rains on July 10th heralded the death of hundreds of speckled trout as pesticides were washed 
     
     fiom potato fields into adjacent streams. Sudden heavy rains in the 2 weeks that followed led to still more fish kills. 
     
     By the end of summer, fish kills had been reported in 8 of the Island's 263 watersheds. Despite the scientific 
     
     difficulties with identifying sudden pesticide kills, the report confirmed that the kills were attributed to pesticides 
     
     from potato fields. 
     
    

    
     The government responded by creating the Action Committee on Agricultural Runoff Control. It had strong 
     
     representation from the potato industry which has expressed serious concern about the fish kills. In addition, it had 
     
     representation from surface water and trout enhancement specialists. The Committee's report was released on 
     
     October 7th. It's recommendation included stricter enforcement of existing legislation, movement of the efi'ective 
     
     date for bufl‘er zones for agriculture to an earlier date than originally planned, amendments on property tax to 
     
     encourage environmental farm plans to be implemented on leased land, targets for environmental farm plan 
     
     development by potato farmers, a code of practice, and other recommendations. 
     
    

    
     The government issued a press release on October 7th expressing praise for the work of the Committee and 
     
     indicating support for implementation of the recommendations. It was unfortrmate that the Ministers' News Release 
     
    
   
   
    
     was rather ambiguous with regard to deadlines for implementation. Watch developments in the coming months to 
     
     see what actions are implemented. 
     
    
   
   
    
     NEWS FROM ABOUT: Compiled by J. Dan McAskill 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Canadian Nature Federation (CNF) and naturalists in many communities welcomed an agreement 
     
     between the governments of Canada and Nunavut to create a new national park called Sirmilik on northern Baffin 
     
     Island. The agreement also elevates two existing parks - Auyuittuq and Ellesmere Island from national park 
     
     reserves to full fledged national parks. Inuit leaders and government officials worked for over a decade to bring this 
     
     joint effort to reality. Sirmilik brings the number of national parks to 39 with 25 of Parks Canada's 39 natural 
     
     regions now represented in the national terrestrial park system. At over 22,500 sq. km., Sirmilik National Park is the 
     
     third largest in the park system, which now protects 2.5 per cent of Canada from industrial development. 
     
    

    
     Just fifieen seconds of time filling your gasoline tank will reduce toxic emissions, save Canadians $1 million 
     
     a year and two million litres of gasoline, and reduce benzene emissions by 15 tonnes a year. This change will be 
     
     imposed with the introduction Gasoline and Gasoline Blend Dispensing Flow Rate Regulations. The change will 
     
     reduce spillage and cut the amount of pollution released when gas vapors are displaced from tanks. Most of the 
     
     country's 13,000 gas stations will have to modify their pumps at an estimated cost of $4 million but Environment 
     
     Canada officials said the slower fill-ups will save Canadians about $1 million a year and two million litres of 
     
     gasoline. The use of a small turbine designed as a backup power generator for hotels, hospitals and shopping centres 
     
     can almost totally eliminate wasteful gas flaring in the Alberta oil patch while putting new power into our electric 
     
     power grid. (adapted from Canadian Nature Federation’s Conservation News Weekly Summary and June 7 daily 
     
     summary by Tom Balint) 
     
    

    
     The Bald Eagle is about to soar off the United States endangered species list! This majestic national bird 
     
     declined because of the United States poisoned its environment. The eagle nearly disappeared from the lower 48