Stephanie Merrill – CCNB

Researchers and Groups to Tackle Blue-Green Algae in NB Lakes

Stephanie Merrill — Tue, 01 Nov 2016 14:07:36 +0000

Blue-green algae on a New Brunswick lake. Source: 2gnb.ca While a number of New Brunswick lakes have had persistent blue-green algae challenges, last summer we saw a spike in the number of lakes added to the Department of Health advisory list, including outbreaks in well-populated lake watersheds, relatively undisturbed lakes, and surface water supplies providing drinking water. Since 2010…

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It’s time to write the final chapter on the water classification regulation

Stephanie Merrill — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 17:53:29 +0000

I attended the Nashwaak Watershed Association AGM last night where Mr. Charles Murray gave a refreshingly candid presentation to the membership about his 2014 report on the Province’s Water Classification program and regulation. As the director of CCNB’s freshwater program and someone who has been advocating for our waters, particularly the enforcement of the Water Classification regulation…

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Chair of Canadian fracking panel encourages continued moratorium

Stephanie Merrill — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 20:17:24 +0000

There isn’t enough evidence showing the impacts of shale gas extraction to justify a science-based decision to develop the resource in Atlantic Canada.This was the key message delivered during a lecture in Fredericton last night by Dr. John Cherry, the chair of the 2014 Council of Canadian Academies panel on hydraulic fracturing.Dr. Cherry was in the provincial capital this week to meet with the…

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Departmental Deja Vu: Groups need help to keep rivers and lakes healthy

Stephanie Merrill — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 15:42:26 +0000

This summer our lakes are making headlines; not for their cool, clear nature but because they are getting sick. Blue-green algae blooms have flared up on Washademoak Lake, Harvey Lake and portions of Grand Lake — three lakes known for their swimming and boating. Except, the Department of Health is advising New Brunswickers that recreating on or ingesting these waters could lead to itchy…

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Blue-Green Algae in New Brunswick Lakes

Stephanie Merrill — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 14:28:40 +0000

When you hear about “blue-green algae blooms” you may conjure up images of Lake Erie or Lake Winnipeg which in 2013 won the dubious distinction of the World’s Most Threatened Lake. So full of blue-green algae, you can see the blooms from space. Yikes. We’ve got a bit of our own blue-green algal bloom problem in New Brunswick. Not as big and widespread as Lake Winnipeg mind you…

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CCNB presents to the Sisson Mine Environmental Impact Assessment Review Panel

Stephanie Merrill — Wed, 24 Jun 2015 15:19:43 +0000

Presented to the Review Panel of the Environmental Impact Assessment of the Sisson Mine project on June 22, 2014, in Stanley New Brunswick. Good evening to those in attendance and panel members. Since the beginning of the federal and provincial environmental impact assessments for this project, the Conservation Council has not taken a position on the mine. Instead, our efforts have been…

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“I got one, I got one!”: first time fly fisher

Stephanie Merrill — Mon, 25 May 2015 15:23:39 +0000

For over 10 years now I’ve worked on, advocated for, and paddled down some of New Brunswick’s greatest rivers and never once have I fly-fished. A sin, I know. It’s been on my bucket list though for a long time and on Friday I casted a fly line for the first time. I took up a friend’s offer to go spend the day on the Cains River, a part of the Miramichi watershed. Howie is an enthusiastic…

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Public invited to participate in Sisson Mine consultation

Stephanie Merrill — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 19:11:58 +0000

The Conservation Council is an official intervenor for the joint federal and provincial review process for the Sisson mine project. We hired 11 scientific experts to review the scientific merits of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report in October 2013. The federal Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency is preparing a report on its findings regarding the environmental and social impacts of…

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CCNB statement on Fracking Commission Terms of Reference

Stephanie Merrill — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 19:00:11 +0000

The Conservation Council of New Brunswick says the geography of shale deposits might be different in New Brunswick but the environmental impacts of shale development are experienced the same way from Arkansas to North Dakota to Alberta to N.B. Water reacts with contaminants matter where the incident occurs, and greenhouse gas emissions contribute to climate change and negatively affect the health…

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Share your stories where the pipeline meets our waters

Stephanie Merrill — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 17:41:56 +0000

TransCanada’s proposed Energy East pipeline route will cross New Brunswick rivers and streams over 280 times as it snakes its way from the border at Edmundston, down the St. John River Valley through the woodlands and farmlands of Carleton County, across Grand Lake cottage country, the fertile plains of Hampton, and ending beside the majestic Bay of Fundy. The pipeline will cross many waterways…

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