Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News
The Newsletter of the Great Lakes
Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund
The Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News is the newsletter of the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund, published five times per year. The News is intended to provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas among citizens and organizations working to protect aquatic habitats in the Great Lakes Basin.
Volume 14, Number 4 • Fall 2006
Grassroots Update
Advocates,
The following is the first edition of (and the inspiration for) a new section of GLAHNews. This
section will be reserved for ~ 200 word vignettes of local issues in the GLB.We want to celebrate
and recognize the day-to-day struggles we’re all fighting with anecdotes from local advocates
– YOU! Please send your story to emily@watershedcouncil.org.We’d love to hear a) your
local success and b) what we should call this column(!).
Dear GLAHNF,
What I find could add to your mission of the
newsletter are some of the smaller ‘brush
fires’ I am sure play out daily around the
lakes. This came to mind when I attended a
grassroots initiated meeting to stop the
development of a skateboard park at the
Col. Sam Smith Park here in Toronto’s west
end. The decision where to site this
concrete skateboard facility was made
behind closed doors between the city
council member Mark Grimes and the city
planning people.
Many people had fought successfully to
have Sam Smith as a natural park, a serene
sanctuary for wildlife and native plants
which included a wetland area. The
proposed skateboard facility would
virtually abut to the wetlands and
threatened the basic intent and design of
the park.
It appears the community including the
skateboarders themselves rallied against
the whole process (but not the skateboard
park itself, just the location) and it probably
will not be built on this sensitive area.
Little news flashes like this probably occur
daily around the lakes. Perhaps a column
dedicated to little vignettes on these lesser
issues would be welcome to GLAH readers.
It would also be welcome support to those
front line troops who take on issues like
this and fight doggedly to prevent them
impacting the local environment – which
added up makes an important contribution
to preserving the Great Lakes environment,
flora and fauna.
Regards,
W. R. (Bil) Thuma, Geophysicist Consultant,
International Marketing Geotec/Plus Ultra
Toronto, Ontario
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