November 2020 - Rebecca Osborne Speaks on Local Environmental Concerns

Rebecca Osborne

Our guest speaker was Rebecca Osborne who is a candidate for her PHD on Environmental Toxicology and has a BSC  Environmental Science & Ecology from the University of Waterloo.

Rebecca exemplified all that CFUW is about, female education, and the power of women.  She was a brilliant example of offering and Kindly filling  in for a last minute cancellation.  She encouraged us all by sharing some of her extensive education enhancing our knowledge about our Haliburton environment.  She has a delightful fun personality, humorous, and was able to explain a complicated interesting scientific topic in as meaningful understandable way.
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She shared her knowledge on environmental concerns and the multi-generational effects of metals on freshwater snails.  "Snails are like the "Canary in a coal mine".  Snails are more important than most of us know, they clean our environment &  are very sensitive to environmental change and are a great indicator of the health of our environment.  She gave a wonderful slide presentation on the 5 environmental concerns relevant to us here in Haliburton.  Her topic's presented early warning signs & how we all can play a role in protecting our environment and our beautiful lakes.
Topics Concerns:

1. Human Impact -  How how behaviour impacts and undermines our environment
2. Road Salt - Risk to plants, animals and aquatic environment
3. Invasive Species - Human activities can significantly modify ecosystems, zebra mussels.  Snails are hosts to many parasites.
4. Waste Water Treatment - Taking care and doing maintenance on your septic system, high concentrations of pharmaceuticals in our waste water and released back into our waterways.
5. Algal Blooms - Can be toxic to humans and animals depending on the colour, blue, blue-green, red or brown.  Blooms can become more frequent as the earth warms.  
6. Reducing Wildlife Vehicle Collisions - Structures put in place to provide safe passage for large and small animals to cross over busy highways and the success of these structures have decreased traffic accidents and insurance claims.  Win Win situation.

Rebecca ended her slide presentation with some adorable pictures of wildlife using the overpasses and underpasses.Rebecca reinforced why & how we all play a role in protecting our environment.

• Keep Shorelines Natural
• Stop fertilizing lawns
• Decrease use of phosphates
• Limit agricultural run off into our waterways

Rebecca's honorarium will go to Environment Haliburton.