Index: Editorial Current News Items Renew Your Membership Preserving the Bras d'Or

The Second Annual General Meeting of the Bras d'Or Stewardship Society will be held on March 27, 1999. Meeting time is 2:00 p.m. Location is at the Bell Museum. Members of the Society are encouraged to attend!   ***

Issues which threaten the current and future integrity of the Bras d'Or Lakes are at the forefront of the Bras d'Or Stewardship Society's agenda. The society's first two NEWSLETTERS provided ample evidence of environmental threats to the Bras d'Or Lakes and its watershed. Often the most serious environmental threats rest right before our eyes, but go unnoticed because we have come accustomed to live with the deficiencies through a sense of benign passivity. In fact, it is easier to dismiss degenerative issues rather than bring them to the forefront of attention where appropriate action can be initiated.

Ignoring reality is conducive to following the path of least resistance.

The role of our NEWSLETTER is to help bring focus to our members and concerned individuals that there are serious threats which negatively impact the current and future environmental stature of the Bras d'Or Lakes and its watershed. During the last six months the society's board has been looking closely at the major threats. Information has been collected that show that none of the sewage treatment plants servicing communities contiguous to the lakes and the watershed operate at acceptable levels. Investigation has revealed that there is not a systematic monitoring program in place to quantify the success of treating community sewage. The baseline information is non-existent for accurate assessment for understanding the real adverse effects of treatment systems that function improperly.

As citizens and taxpayers, we have the right to a healthy and clean environment. As individuals concerned about the future of the Bras d'Or Lakes, we have a right to know what the facts are. It is the hope of the society's board of directors, that you, as members, will begin to ask the hard questions. The more pressure brought to bear in the right places will continue to move ahead our agenda, to protect, conserve and restore the Bras d'Or Lakes to its rightful place of importance.

With the publication of our third NEWSLETTER, it is hoped that you will get a strong sense of the Bras d'Or Stewardship Society's determined commitment to become a firm and steady voice in the future stewardship of the Bras d'Or Lakes and its watershed.