Zebra mussels are infamous for clogging water infrastructure intakes, threatening local ecosystems and being almost impossible to control once they make their way into a lake or river.

Forum to fight aquatic invasive species

The advisory group is the latest in Manitoba’s AIS measures

The Government of Manitoba is hoping that a multi-stakeholder advisory group will help hold the line on water-based invasive species. The Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Advisory Forum was announced June 26 to “ensure a regionally diverse range of perspectives are incorporated into prevention and containment activities,” according to a government release. The forum will be

Wetland restoration in Pembina Valley ‘a rarity,’ said CD officials

About 160 acres have been converted back to wetland after the landowners farming it saw more advantage using the acres to hold water than farming it at a loss

Brenda and Cliff Seward had known for a long while a certain piece of farmland wasn’t very productive — but they kept on cultivating it anyways. This was about 40 acres, once slough, and drained more than 30 years ago, explains Brenda who farms southwest of Morden in the Kaleida area. Read more: A watershed


An algae bloom in Walsh County has tested positive for toxic cyanobacteria production.

Early bloom raises algae poisoning concerns

The blue-green algae can be harmful or fatal 
to humans and livestock

An early cyanobacteria bloom in Walsh County, North Dakota suggests livestock producers need to exercise caution with water sources this summer. Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, can produce toxins that are harmful to livestock, wildlife and people. Blue-green algae often occur in stagnant ponds or dugouts with elevated nutrient levels, forming large colonies that

Wetland undergoing restoration to retain additional water in the basin.

Wetland restoration relies on farmer participation

MHHC is seeking more landowners interested in wetland restoration on their property, 
something that can benefit them and those downstream

A Deloraine-area wetland restoration project is showing how farmers can work with habitat organizations to alleviate downstream flooding, while retaining water for their own use. The Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation project, on properties owned by Gord Weidenhamer and Glenn Scott, is restoring a 32-acre wetland that was drained years ago by previous owners. Weidenhamer said


Lake Winnipeg algae bloom

Prairie water woes need collective action, not more words

Excessive moisture and flooding in recent years have compounded the threat to Prairie lakes

Whether you are driving along a rural road or flying across southern Manitoba, it does not take long to appreciate why this province is known as the land of 100,000 lakes. From Prairie potholes to the inland seas of lakes Manitoba and Winnipeg, these water bodies help define this province and who we are as

The size of the Gulf of Mexico dead zone in 2011. The coloured gradients indicate the oxygen levels that present in the water at that recorded time.

Fertilizer run-off is just one piece of the dead zone puzzle

More perennial crops and protecting wetlands would help reduce 
the low-to-no-oxygen zone in the Gulf of Mexico

It’s true that fertilizer run-off, sewage, and other pollutants from the Corn Belt have significantly boosted dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico. That’s because up to half of the fertilizer applied isn’t absorbed by crops, and in order to grow more food we’re using 20 times more fertilizer in the Corn Belt today than



retired dairy farmer Gord Hammell

Retirement project reinforces need for conserving natural land

Retired dairy farmer Gord Hammell is redoing a breeding bird survey he did in the 1970s, 
documenting changes to local land, water and wildlife

Gord Hammell came to Manitoba over 40 years ago to count ducks, and after a long interval milking cows, he’s counting again. The University of Guelph science student arrived in 1970 to do summer research for his master’s thesis on lesser scaup, a waterfowl also called “little bluebill” whose numbers have long been in decline.


wetland marsh

Wetland count begins in southwestern Manitoba

Project will reveal distribution and interaction of wetlands in agro-Manitoba

Water and land managers will soon have a precise picture of the state of wetlands in southwestern Manitoba as staff with the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corp. begin a mapping and classification project this spring. Wetlands as small as a quarter of an acre will be included in the study designed to help farmers and drainage

Worthwhile trade-off

New drainage and water management initiatives announced earlier this month will make it easier for Manitoba farmers to drain low spots in their fields, but harder — much harder — to convert wetlands into annual crop production. It may seem like a nuanced distinction and it will undoubtedly make many in the farming community nervous