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Showing posts from October, 2008

Lake of the Prairies – The New Lake Winnipeg?

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New Report Expresses Water Quality Concerns - by Larry Powell "Clean, potable drinking water is critical for human life and, therefore, a necessity for prosperous, sustainable communities." - Shell River State of the Watershed Report - 2008 A study of western Manitoba’s Shell River watershed points to the buildup of nutrients as the most serious water quality problem in the region. The 2008 "State of the Watershed" report by the Lake of the Prairies Conservation District is a report card on the health of our surface and ground water. Its verdict? It could be better! Autumn in the Shell Valley - photos by L.P. The Shell River rises in the Duck Mountains and meanders southward for almost 80 kilometers before emptying into the Lake of the Prairies at Asessippi Park. The watershed stretches well into Saskatchewan. In Manitoba, it covers almost 3,000 k

Future Hog Barn Development Will Be Less "Extreme." Minister

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ROBLIN, MB. Oct. 20-'08 by Larry Powell Manitoba's Conservation Minister, Stan Struthers, promises that past mistakes in the way factory hog barns have grown up in parts of the province, will not be repeated elsewhere. Struthers makes the remarks in an interview wit h "Paths Less Travelled" today. (Struthers Photo Courtesy Gov of MB) In the face of sustained and sometimes vicious opposition from the hog lobby, Struthers (also the Minister responsible for the environment) recently piloted a law through the provincial legislature, freezing the development of new factory hog barns in three areas of the province; the Interlake, the Red River Valley and the southeast. But new ones will still be allowed in the rest of the province! In that regard, Struthers has reassuring words for people in these areas (like myself) who might fear they will be adversely affected by new barns. He says a working group will bring recommendations back to him that will address such things as s

A SPIKE IN ETHANOL'S COFFIN?

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Reviewing biofuel policies and subsidies; Annual report weighs opportunities and risks of biofuels 7 October 2008, Rome - Biofuel policies and subsidies should be urgently reviewed in order to preserve the goal of world food security, protect poor farmers, promote broad-based rural development and ensure environmental sustainability, FAO said today in a new edition of its annual flagship publication The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2008. (also see post directly below and my article "Bursting the Ethanol Bubble" in older posts.) L.P .