Niagara Escarpment Commission -- Leading Edge 2004 Conference

Leading Edge 2004 showcased recent or proposed activities for sustainable communities, research, monitoring and conservation.

Dynamic Guest Speakers

ONTARIO: YOURS TO DISCOVER

Linwood Barclay, journalist and social commentator

Considered one of the sharpest and most hilarious social satirists around, Linwood Barclay draws on his twenty-four years of journalism experience to convey his uniquely witty and insightful take on the world around us. As a staff columnist for The Toronto Star's Life Section, Linwood uses the many absurdities of life as fodder for his popular column which is read by over half a million readers across the country. Linwood Barclay is the author of four books. His latest, Last Resort, is a touching, funny, evocative memoir of his journey to adulthood, received rave critical reviews and was nominated for the 2000 Leacock Medal for Humour.

Presentations: Thursday, March 4, 2004

EXPLORING THE NIAGARA ESCARPMENT

Steve Varga, Senior Biologist, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources’ Senior Biologist Steve Varga provides an instructive overview of the natural features, conditions, and ecological connections of Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment.

SOLVING SPRAWL: MODELS OF SMART GROWTH

Kaid Benfield, Director, Smart Growth Program, Natural Resources Defence Council, Washington, D.C.

The author of Solving Sprawl: Models of Smart Growth in Communities Across America, Kaid Benfield is Director of the Smart Growth and Transportation Program of the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, D.C. Kaid Benfield delivers a fascinating insight into current smart growth initiatives in the U.S.

MAKING WAVES: HIGH-TECH RESEARCH MEETS ORAL HISTORY

Dr. Steve Blasco, Marine Geologist and recipient of the Order of Canada, and Lenore Keeshig-Tobias, award-winning storyteller and Parks Canada interpreter

The submerged history of Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment comes to life through high-tech, multi-beam mapping. Marine Geologist and Order of Canada recipient Dr. Steven Blasco’s fascinating study of the escarpment’s underwater landscape is paralled by ancient First Nations folklore presented by Parks Canada Interpreter and professional storyteller Lenore Keeshig-Tobias.

Workshop Opportunities

Workshop 1: Wednesday, March 3

BUILDING THE GREAT ARC II: A CROSS-BORDER HERITAGE CORRIDOR

Gordon Nelson; Patrick Lawrence; Eric Fowle; Paul Bray; Graham Whitelaw; James Hamilton; Rob Milne; Liz Duval; Kerry Mitchell

The aim of the Great Arc Initiative is to build scientific, professional, business, and public support for the conservation of biodiversity, cultural heritage landscapes, and compatible land use activities in the Great Arc Corridor. This corridor envelopes the Niagara Escarpment through the states of New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, into the province of Ontario. Building the Great Arc II builds upon the success of the first Great Arc workshop held at Leading Edge 2001. This second workshop explores heritage-based recreation in the Great Arc Corridor, featuring paper presentations and breakout sessions.

Building the Great Arc II Paper Presentations:

Historical Recreation Patterns Along the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario and the Challenges to Heritage-Based Recreation and Tourism--Graham Whitelaw; James Hamilton; Rob Milne; Heritage-Based Trails, the Escarpment, and the Niagara Region--Liz Duval; Heritage-Based Recreation Opportunities Along Wisconsin’s Niagara Escarpment Corridor--Eric W. Fowle; Pathway to Peace: What Heritage-Based Collaboration Offers the Cross-Border Niagara Region--Kerry Mitchell; The Erie Canalway: A Heritage-Based Recreation and Conservation Initiative in New York--Frank Dean

Workshop 2: Wednesday, March 3

UNDERSTANDING THE NIAGARA ESCARPMENT THROUGH INTEGRATED MAPPING TECHNIQUES

Adam Fenech, Heather Auld, Brent Taylor, Sadia Butt, Alexis Morgan, Quentin Chiotti, and Peter Timmerman

Using the Niagara Escarpment as a pilot area, the Integrated Mapping Assessment Project at the University of Toronto examines the functional integration of different thematic surfaces, with analysis and interpretation of their spatial correlations. The workshop features seven regional studies illustrating IMAP techniques.

IMAP Workshop Paper Presentations:

Impact of Rainfall on Waterborn Diseases: The Walkerton Case--Heather Auld; The Change in Major Roads Along the Niagara Escarpment 1935-1995: Implications for Wildlife--Brent Taylor; The Change in Landscapes Along the Niagara Escarpment 1750-1810: Effects of European Colonization--Sadia Butt; The Change in the Economic Valuation of Ecosystems and Biodiversity Along the Niagara Escarpment 1972-1994: North Halton Study--Alexis Morgan; The Spread and Severity of the West Nile Virus Along the Niagara Escarpment 2000-2003: Implications of Climate--Quentin Chiotti; Emerging Environmental Issues for the Niagara Escarpment: The Future Challenges--Peter Timmerman

Concurrent Sessions

Thursday, March 4, 2004

Session 1 - Sustainability & Research

11:15 State of the Park Reporting in an Open Ecosystem: An Evaluation of Fathom Five National Marine Park of Canada--Andrew Promaine; Claire McNeil

11:30 Building the Great Arc Initiative in Canada and the U.S.--Gordon Nelson; Patrick Lawrence; Eric Fowle; Paul Bray; Kerry Mitchell

11:45 Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy: A Partner in the Understanding and Protection of Ontario's Escarpment--Bob Barnett

12:00 The Niagara Natural Heritage Ecological Framework--Michael Rose

2:00 Niagara's Water Quality Protection Strategy--Ronald Scheckenberger; Tom Mahood; Adel Ashamalla; Bob Steele; Alison Sivers

2:15 An Analysis of the Effectiveness of the NEP in Protecting the Georgian Bay Shoreline--Alan Ernest

2:30 Moving Beyond Face Value: Rethinking the Role of Values in Sustainability Planning--Anne Varangu

2:45 Agri-Tourism and Sustainability in Niagara--Emily Eaton

3:15 Living on the Edge: Using Permaculture to Foster Sustainability on Escarpment Land--Karen Krug

3:30 A Comparative Analysis of Land Values Within and Adjacent to the NEP--Alan Ernest

3:45 Towards a Sustainable Niagara Foodshed: Learning from Experience--Karen Krug; Robert Feagan

4:00 New Fossils Indicate Prehistoric Pollution of Crawford Lake--J.H. McAndrews; C.L. Turton

4:15 Archaeological Research in the Crawford Lake Area--William Finlayson

4:30 A GIS Probability of OccurrenceModel for the Niagara Escarpment in Southwestern Ohio--Patrick Lawrence; Adam DeMars

Session 2 - Communities in Action

11:15 Long Point World Biosphere Reserve Foundation Forest Corridor Project: An Effective Means of Ensuring Biodiversity Conservation--Paul Gagnon; Matt Brock; Steve Hounsell

11:30 Bruce Peninsula Biosphere Association: The Niagara Escarpment's First Biosphere Community Committee--Carol Reaney; Frank G. Burrows

11:45 Stewardship and Conservation Opportunities--George Francis; Graham Whitelaw; Anne Marie Laurence

12:00 Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust--Frank Shaw

2:00 Urban Bioregional Planning for Working Landscapes: Biosphere Reserves of Melbourne and the Niagara Escarpment--Kate Matysek

2:15 Traditional Knowledge: Its Potential Relevance to Fisheries Conservation and Native Fishing Issues on the Saugeen-Bruce Peninsula--Edwin Koenig

2:30 Biosphere Reserves and Aboriginal Cultural Landscapes--Jim Molnar

2:45 A Community Based Environmental Values Typology for the Niagara Escarpment--Susan Preston

3:15 Community-Based Ecosystem Monitoring: A Tool for Development and Promoting Ecosystem-Based Management--Brian Craig; Paula Jongenden; Jeff Robinson; Graham Whitelaw

3:30 Credit Valley Conservation Greenlands Securement Strategy-–Heather Anne Paleczny; Mike Puddister

3:45 Partnerships in Action: Hamilton Harbour RAP--Anne Redish; Kristin O'Connor

4:00 Giant's Rib Discovery Centre--Barbara Rusnak

4:15 Increasing Citizen Involvement in Sustainability-Centred Environmental Assessment Follow-up--Carol Hunsberger; Tyler Shaw; Thalia Santisteban; Robert Gibson; Susan Wismer

4:30 Volunteer for Nature: Building Capacity for Nature Conservation Volunteering--Bronwen Smith

4:45 Grey Roots and Escarpment Centre Ontario: A Natural and Cultural Heritage District--Lorraine Brown

Session 3 - Environmental Monitoring

11:15 University of Waterloo's Niagara Escarpment Field Monitoring Course: Success through Partnerships--Graham Whitelaw; Anne Marie Laurence; Bronwen Smith; Greg Michalenko; Lisa Grbinicek

11:30 Bruce Peninsula National Park of Canada's Disturbed Areas Monitoring and Restoration Program--Katherine Welch; Frank G. Burrows; Jessica Calhoun

11:45 Monitoring Ecosystem Change in Carolinian Forests & Oak Savannas--Brent Parker; Brian Craig

12:00 Cliff Face Vegetation Communities: Microsite Limitations and the Impact of Climbing--Kathrynne Lynne Kuntz; Doug Larson

2:00 National Monitoring Protocol for Plenthodontid Salamanders--Josh Van Wieren; Jim Wilson

2:15 Ontario's Benthos Biomonitoring Network--Chris Jones; Brian Craig

2:30 The Niagara Escarpment's Black Bear: Conservation Challenges and Opportunities--Frank G. Burrows; Dr. Martyn Obbard; Kim Schlosser

2:45 Land Ownership and Other Landscape-Level Effects on Biodiversity in Southern Ontario's Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve--Kathrynne Lynne Kuntz; Jon Lovett-Doust

3:15 Niagara Escarpment Monitoring: Comprehensive, Integrative and Collaborative?--Graham Whitelaw; Robert Milne; James Hamilton; Lorne Bennett

3:30 Forest Biodiversity Monitoring--Anne Marie Laurence

3:45 Monitoring Tree Health on the Niagara Escarpment--Lisa Grbinicek

4:00 Winter Avian Populations--Rob Milne

4:15 Assessing Health in Canadian Forests using Tree Mortality Rates--Brent Parker; Brian Craig

4:30 Credit Valley Conservation’s Terrestrial Monitoring Program--Deanne Meadus

Poster Presentations: On Display March 3 - 5, 2004

Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy: A Partner in the Understanding and Protection of Ontario's Escarpment--Bob Barnett; Research and Evaluation of the Eramosa Karst in Hamilton, Ontario--Marcus Buck; Digital Analysis of Lichen Abundance: Testing EMAN's Lichen Monitoring Protocol--Jillian Marie deMan; Dan McCarthy; Brian Craig; Ontario's Niagara Escarpment Monitoring Program--Lisa Grbinicek; Anne Marie Laurence; Ontario's Benthos Biomonitoring Network--Chris Jones; Brian Craig; Willow Park Ecology Centre Environmental Programs--Ruth Kuchinad; Eramosa Karst Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI)--Bill Murch; Don Kirk; Joad Durst; A Public Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Environmental Literacy--Tunde Otto-Harris; Securing a Legacy for Niagara's Agricultural Land: A Vision From One Voice--Patrick Robson; Debbie Zimmerman; Smarter Niagara Incentives Program--Patrick Robson; Debbie Zimmerman; Woodland Evaluation System Version 2.0: Methods and Rationale in Assigning Woodland Value--Mark Rowsell; Oak Ridges Moraine Trust--Frank Shaw; Supporting Community Efforts to Protect the Niagara Escarpment--Coalition on the Niagara Escarpment; Trillium Foundation; Prehistoric Pollution of Crawford Lake--C.L.Turton & J. McAndrews

Plenary Sessions

Friday, March 5, 2004

THE NIAGARA ESCARPMENT: Ontario’s First Smart Growth Success Story

Coalition on the Niagara Escarpment and Linda Pim, right, Federation of Ontario Naturalists

The Coalition on the Niagara Escarpment and Linda Pim of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists explore the components of environmentally sustainable planning. The session will include an open discussion on achieving balanced economic growth in biosphere reserves.

KEEP WINTER COOL DAY: Blue Mountain Resort Champions Climate Change Initiative

Blue Mountain Resorts Ltd. leads the industry by being the first ski resort in Ontario that endorses "Sustainable Slopes", the environmental charter for ski areas. The Charter identifies climate change as a potential threat to both the environment and the winter recreation experience.

Keep Winter Cool Day is a joint campaign of the U.S. National Ski Areas Association and the Natural Resources Defence Council. Through this initiative, ski resort operators aim to raise awareness of the potential impacts of climate change on our weather-dependant business, reduce our own greenhouse gas emissions, and encourage others to take action.

CHARTING A NEW PATH: Sustainable Business Practices in Ontario’s Wine Industry

Linda Franklin of the Wine Council of Ontario shares the newest environmental sustainability initiatives under development in Ontario’s rapidly growing wine industry.

THE MEANING OF IT ALL

Conference Co-Chair Richard Murzin, right, facilitates a unique, meaningful and pithy overview of Leading Edge 2004 during lunch on Friday.

Opening Night Reception - “FLAVOURS OF THE BIOSPHERE RESERVE” - Wednesday, March 3 - 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

Meet and mingle with conference delegates in a relaxed social setting. Enjoy fabulous products from Ontario's Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve! Thank you to our product sponsors: