Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association
Encyclopedia
Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association is a not for profit group that rehabilitates streams, rivers and creeks on the largest freshwater island in the world Manitoulin Island
, Ontario
, Canada
. They partner with the entire community, including farmers, fisherman, and local lake and fish associations. Their rehabilitation projects enhance water quality
and the fisheries resource on Manitoulin Island and Lake Huron
which is fed by the streams. These streams were once very productive for salmon
and trout
spawning
, but have been destroyed by centuries of human land use practices.
Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association has rehabilitated 23 major sites on four waterways. These include the Manitou River
, Blue Jay Creek
, Norton's Creek and Bass Lake Creek. They have also had a class environmental assessment conducted of 184 waterways on Manitoulin Island and identified a top ten priority waterways that need to be rehabilitated. The Blue Jay Creek and Manitou River Enhancement Strategy was completed in June 2001 and approved in December 2003. As of 2010 they are starting work on the fifth waterway, the Mindemoya River
. An enhancement strategy for the Mindemoya River was created and approved in 2009.
They installed the first frost free nose pump in Northern Ontario. The nose pump is a cattle watering system that uses a well instead of having the cattle drink from the nearby streams.
In 2008 Manitoulin Streams was featured in the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH)
Ontario Out of Doors magazine
when then Minister of Natural Resources The Honourable Donna Cansfield
toured the Norton's Creek rehabilitation site while work was being completed.
Manitoulin Island
Manitoulin Island is a Canadian island in Lake Huron, in the province of Ontario. It is the largest island in a freshwater lake in the world. In addition to the historic Anishinaabe and European settlement of the island, archeological discoveries at Sheguiandah have demonstrated Paleo-Indian and...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. They partner with the entire community, including farmers, fisherman, and local lake and fish associations. Their rehabilitation projects enhance water quality
Water quality
Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...
and the fisheries resource on Manitoulin Island and Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
which is fed by the streams. These streams were once very productive for salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
and trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
spawning
Spawn (biology)
Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...
, but have been destroyed by centuries of human land use practices.
Manitoulin Streams Improvement Association has rehabilitated 23 major sites on four waterways. These include the Manitou River
Manitou River (Manitoulin Island)
The Manitou River is a river in Ontario, Canada. It is approximately 15 km in length.It starts at the south end of Lake Manitou at a dam in Sandfield, ON in the Township of Central Manitoulin and ends at Michael's Bay on Lake Huron at the south end of Manitoulin Island.The Blue Jay Creek and...
, Blue Jay Creek
Blue Jay Creek
Blue Jay Creek is a river on Manitoulin Island in Central Manitoulin and Tehkummah townships, Manitoulin District in northeastern Ontario, Canada and a tributary of Lake Huron.-Course:...
, Norton's Creek and Bass Lake Creek. They have also had a class environmental assessment conducted of 184 waterways on Manitoulin Island and identified a top ten priority waterways that need to be rehabilitated. The Blue Jay Creek and Manitou River Enhancement Strategy was completed in June 2001 and approved in December 2003. As of 2010 they are starting work on the fifth waterway, the Mindemoya River
Mindemoya River
The Mindemoya River is a river on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada which flows about from Lake Mindemoya to empty into Providence Bay on Lake Huron. There is a large sandy beach at the mouth of the river. "Mindemoya" comes from the Ojibwe word mindimooyenh, which means "old woman"...
. An enhancement strategy for the Mindemoya River was created and approved in 2009.
They installed the first frost free nose pump in Northern Ontario. The nose pump is a cattle watering system that uses a well instead of having the cattle drink from the nearby streams.
In 2008 Manitoulin Streams was featured in the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH)
Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters
The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters was established in 1928, and is Canada's leading conservation organization, as well as a non-profit registered charity. The Federation lobbies for the protection of wildlife and Canadian outdoor traditions...
Ontario Out of Doors magazine
Ontario Out of Doors
Ontario Out of Doors is a Canadian hunting and fishing magazine. OOoD is owned by Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters; until 2009, it was published by either Maclean-Hunter or Rogers Media. It was founded in 1967....
when then Minister of Natural Resources The Honourable Donna Cansfield
Donna Cansfield
Donna H. Cansfield, is a politician in Ontario, Canada, who has represented the riding of Etobicoke Centre in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 2003...
toured the Norton's Creek rehabilitation site while work was being completed.
Awards
- 2008 "Success Story of the Year" award at the Bi National State of The Lakes Ecosystem Conference (SOLEC). The SOLEC award was presented by the U.S. Consul General and Canadian Consul General.
- Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) 2009 Zone "D" Conservation Club of the Year Award.
- Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) Mary Pickford Trophy. Awarded on March 20, 2010 to Manitoulin Streams for their 2009 rehabilitation work. Named after the late actress the trophy is awarded to 1 of 660 OFAH member clubs that is judged to have achieved the most for conservation over the previous year.