WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OAK RIDGES MORAINE?

Oct 6th, 2010 4:21 AM

Media Advisory WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OAK RIDGES MORAINE? The Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation will convene a briefing session on Moraine related issues. This short session, complete with a light lunch, will focus on past successes put in the context of current and persistent issues. The session will take place on Wednesday, October 20th at Ontario Nature’s headquarters located on 366 Adelaide St. W., Suite 201 in Toronto. There will also be a discussion of a planned aerial tour of the Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM). In short, while significant success has been realized, there remain significant challenges. Some of the proposed topics for discussion at the briefing include: • While more than 5,500 acres of land have been secured and more than 1,000 acres restored what resources are available to continue this work? • Public opinion research reveals that Ontarians still feel the most pressing issue facing the Oak Ridges Moraine is development. Are the municipal and provincial governments being responsive? • Implementation of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan is inconsistent across the Moraine. What is the answer? • Is the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan too prescriptive and intrusive when it comes to “micro-planning” issues? • Can we protect the Moraine while allowing roads, pipes and wind towers to proceed? • How is climate change being addressed by the ORMCP? Is the ORMCP an adequate tool to address climate change? • How will the lack of data and monitoring encumber the 2015 Plan Review? • Is the ORM still relevant now that there is the Greenbelt? • Has the Province met all the commitments it made to protect the ORM for the people of Ontario or is there still more work to be done? • Are we doing enough to protect the Moraine’s most important resource – water! • Is there interest in a planned aerial media tour of the Oak Ridges Moraine? Lunch will be served at 12:30 with discussion to follow. This session is anticipated to last no longer than one hour. Please confirm your attendance by calling Michele Donnelly at 905-833-5733. We look forward to seeing you. Kim Gavine, Executive Director Oak Ridges Moraine Foundation
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ABOUT THE OAK RIDGES MORAINE The Oak Ridges Moraine is one of Ontario's most prominent ecosystems. It is a geological ridge of land up to 300 metres high that runs parallel and about 60 kilometres north of Lake Ontario. It extends 160 kilometres, from the Trent River in the east to the Niagara Escarpment in the west. More than sixty-five rivers and streams that drain into Lake Simcoe, Lake Scugog, Georgian Bay and Lake Ontario have their headwaters in the Moraine. The Moraine supplies drinking water to more than 250,000 people. For more information about the Oak Ridges Moraine, visit http://moraineforlife.org/index.php ABOUT THE OAK RIDGES MORAINE FOUNDATION (ORMF) ORMF has been created to help protect, preserve and restore the environmental integrity of the Moraine. It is a registered corporation and has representatives on its Board of Directors from the environmental community, conservation authorities, municipalities and the provincial government. To date, the Foundation has granted close to $15 million to 177 projects across the Oak Ridges Moraine. For more information about the ORMF, visit http://moraineforlife.org/about/what.php