Success Stories:
Community Watchdogging
on Lake Ontario
By Krystyn Tully
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The Angus Bruce on
patrol near Kingston, Ontario |
Environmental Bureau of Investigation/
Lake Ontario Keeper
Krystyn Tully
Energy Probe Research Foundation
225 Brunswick Avenue
Toronto, ONT M5S 2M6
416-964-9223 (ext. 242) or 1-800-26.EARTH (ext. 242) 416-964-8239
(fax)
E-mail: keeper@e-p-r-f.org
www.LakeOntarioKeeper.org
In the year 2000, there
was no full-time, independent body monitoring pollution
crimes on Lake Ontario. To address this need, the Environmental
Bureau of Investigation (EBI) launched the Lake Ontario
Keeper Program (LOK) in early 2001. LOK patrols Lake Ontario
in our two boats, working with communities throughout
the watershed to enforce environmental laws.
In the Fall of 2000, GLAHNF
awarded EBI a grant that was specifically used to set
up LOK’s website, one of our chief forms of communicating
with communities and citizens around the lake. In February
2001, LOK was approved to be a member of the Waterkeeper
Alliance. In Summer of 2001, LOK put its first boat in
the water and launched its website. In December 2001,
LOK was officially launched with a visit by Waterkeeper
Alliance President, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. In Summer 2002,
LOK will launch upgrades to its website, including an
expanded environmental law section, interactive features,
and video/audio segments. All are ongoing projects.
Lake Ontario Keeper, which
services the whole of Lake Ontario, was set up to:
· Enforce environmental
laws in the watershed (independently or by assisting government
agencies)
· Serve as a visible deterrent
to potential polluters
· Investigate ongoing pollution
crimes
· Teach other water users
how to identify contaminated sites and what to do when
they find them
· Unite water users around
the lake in the single goal of protecting the waterbody
More than being specific
outcomes, much of the work we do is part of strengthening
the process by which the people who live around the water
are able to protect the lake, their communities, and their
local economies. We have successfully supported other
community groups in the establishment of patrol programs.
Four out of last summer’s five cases we worked on sparked
official government investigations with the potential
to lead to criminal charges. Our main office is in Toronto;
one boat is on Wolfe Island (at the mouth of the St. Lawrence
Seaway), and the other is in Hamilton (at the western
end of the lake). This summer will be our first tour of
the American side of Lake Ontario.
What do you consider
the key to your success?
The recognition that we,
solely, cannot save the lake for the communities it supports,
but that we can provide citizens with the tools they need
to become part of the day-to-day process by which polluters
are identified, held accountable, and through which standards
for healthy environments and communities are elevated.
One of our most important
roles is to give a voice to the lake, and to the people
who are directly affected by its contamination (see Port
Hope example below).
How would you outline
the steps you took to organize your project in order to
advise another group working on a similar project?
· Be out on the water as
much as possible-your work and credibility stem from what
you see and experience directly in the field
· Know your community-there
are people in every community who know the history or
waterways though years of direct use. They can be valuable
tools for identifying key problems, developing historical
context for issues, monitoring contaminated sites, and
noting changes in the environment.
· Be transparent about your
work-everything we do is logged on our website. People
around the lake can follow our work, and the website adds
to the "visible deterrent principle", and is
a living testament to actual conditions on the lake. This
has proven to be very important in getting communities
and government agencies to appreciate issues and act on
them.
What have the effects
of this effort been on your organization’s work?
· Developed credibility
within communities and the media.
· Developed LOK’s reputation
for being a knowledgeable and unique source of information
about the state of Lake Ontario.
· Developed a new understanding
of the importance of environmental law enforcement within
the environmental community.
How has this project
affected your community?
The web of eyes and ears
monitoring the lake is growing, which builds information,
understanding, and also pressures the government to act.
What particular stumbling
blocks, challenges, or defeats did you encounter?
Our investigation into coal
tar blobs floating on the Hamilton Harbour was rejected
by the Ontario Ministry of Environment because we could
not identify the source; we will resume this investigation
this year.
How many people were
involved?
a) Initially: 5
b) Finally: 20 + volunteers
Over 8,000 people-hours
were spent coordinating public events, conducting investigations,
administration, and website development.
How was public involvement
motivated and facilitated?
· Motivated through news
articles (people read about us and wanted to learn more,
assist, etc.) and a few fundraising/public events.
· Volunteer monitoring is
coordinated through our office by LOK staff.
How was public education
a component of your program?
Generally: media awareness
and a school speech by a well-known personality, Robert
F. Kennedy, Jr.
Specifically: training in
the field for documenting and sampling.
What was the primary
means of communication?
Our website/weekly e-news
service.
What resources were available?
The GLAHNF grant paid for
our initial development. Site maintenance and core funding
have come from (a) fundraising events, and (b) foundation
grants.
What level and types
of media exposure were you able to obtain and how did
it affect/assist your efforts?
LOK has received overwhelmingly
positive press attention, from local community press to
national TV and international journals.
For example:
· General articles about
our work appearing nationally generate visibility and
promote our message.
· National coverage of our
work in the Port Hope area brought renewed energy to a
community fighting the effects of 50 years of nuclear
waste.
· Local coverage brought
LOK to the attention of several new funders.
Environmental Bureau of Investigation/
Lake Ontario Keeper
Krystyn Tully
Energy Probe Research Foundation
225 Brunswick Avenue
Toronto, ONT M5S 2M6
416-964-9223 (ext. 242) or 1-800-26.EARTH (ext. 242) 416-964-8239
(fax)
E-mail: keeper@e-p-r-f.org
www.LakeOntarioKeeper.org
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