Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
Subscription Form

Get notified of the best News

Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
22K Followers
25K Likes
5K Followers
1K Followers
Mountain Life
Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
  • The Great Outdoors

A Source of Water & Recreation for Millions, the Great Lakes Face a Growing Threat from Microplastics

  • May 9, 2018
  • Ben Osborne
Total
1
Shares
1
0
0
0
0
0
Total
1
Shares
Share 1
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0

The essence of outdoor culture and life in these parts is the big blue pond we all live beside. Georgian Bay is the archetypal godfather of Ontario’s backcountry. It’s long been a beacon of the area’s natural prestige, and a marker of cleanliness. Its clear, cold waters are the envy of the world. And it’s tough for many of us to accept that there could be anything wrong with it.

 

MLBM Spring18 HRc copy 3
Georgian Bay’s 30,000 Islands. Photo: OTMPC

words: Nelson Phillips

But Georgian Bay is a large and complex ecosystem, and isn’t immune to the world’s growing environmental problems. Contaminants in the Great Lakes are nothing new.

As one of the most populated corridors in North America, the Great Lakes region is no stranger to bacteria, parasites and invasive species, along with wastewater, agricultural and industrial runoff. Recently, microplastics have been tracked in the Lakes, and the data is alarming. A 2016 study from the United States Geological Survey found plastic fibres present in 22 percent of all river flow into the Great Lakes.

In a 2016 study, the provincial government cited up to 6.7 million particles of plastic per square kilometre in Great Lakes nearshore waters.

In March 2018, the World Health Organization launched an inquiry into the risks associated with plastic in drinking water, after more than 90 percent of globally popular bottled water brands were found to contain microplastics. In one bottle of Nestlé Pure Life (sourced in Ontario at Aberfoyle and Erin) concentrations of plastic were as high as 10,000 parts per litre. The province of Ontario leads Canada in monitoring for microplastics.

In a 2016 study, the provincial government cited up to 6.7 million particles of plastic per square kilometre in Great Lakes nearshore waters, with the highest count occurring in Humber Bay, Toronto. Plastic microbeads (spherical pieces about a millimeter in width or smaller) were present in each of those samples, making up approximately 14 percent on average of the microplastics found.

 

MLBM Spring18 HRb copy 2
ABOVE Autumn Peltier. Photo courtesy Stephanie Peltier

Sites tested included Lake Erie downstream of Detroit-Windsor, the mouth of the Grand River, and near Fort Erie. Samples from Lake Ontario were collected in Hamilton Harbour, Humber Bay, and Toronto Harbour.

Georgian Bay was not tested, but an independent study conducted by Amy and Dave Freeman for National Geographic’s Beyond the Edge blog, found that in 969 samples from nearby Lake Superior in 2015, 94 percent contained microplastics.

Overwhelming evidence points to a growing problem with pollution and microplastics in the Great Lakes, but with any luck, the calvary is on the way.

Overwhelming evidence points to a growing problem with pollution and microplastics in the Great Lakes, but with any luck, the calvary is on the way. The EU banned microbeads in 2014, and US Congress followed suit in 2017. Environment Canada says that effective July 2018, microbeads in various shower gels, toothpastes and facial scrubs will be banned.

Furthering that positive upswing, research by the Global Microplastics Initiative, one of the largest and most diverse microplastic pollution datasets, reveals that of out of 22 sample tests from Georgian Bay, only a few signalled evidence of plastics. Notably, samples from Tobermory, Severn Sound, Massasauga Provincial Park, and Byng Inlet averaged around 2 particles/litre. Samples from Owen Sound, Nottawasaga Bay, Christian Island, and Killbear Provincial Park all registered zero.

 

MLBM Spring18 HRa copy 2
Snug Harbour lighthouse, Georgian Bay. Photo: OTMPC

In March, Autumn Peltier, a 13-year-old water protector from the Unceded Territory of the Wikwemikong First Nation of Manitoulin Island, addressed the United Nations General Assembly.

The lone Canadian to be nominated for the 2017 Children’s International Peace Prize, Peltier was in New York to speak about sanctity of water as representative of civil society. “Where I come from I am so fortunate—I can still drink the water from the lake,” she told the delegation.

“No one should have to worry if the water is clean or if they will run out of water… No child should grow up not knowing what clean water is… We all have a right to this water.”

If we can stand to learn anything from our treatment of water, it’s that we take for granted the nature of life on this planet and in this country. We don’t need much to sustain life; shelter, food, and water. Finding out how we’ve impacted Georgian Bay with pollution and microplastics is a crippling reality to shatter our preconceived notions of a pristine Canada.

“Many people don’t think water is alive or has a spirit. My people believe this to be true,” Peltier added. “Mother Earth doesn’t need us, but we need her… One day I will be an ancestor, and I want my great-grandchildren to know I tried hard to fight so they can have clean drinking water.”

 

Total
1
Shares
Share 1
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • Environment
  • great lakes
  • Ontario
Ben Osborne

Previous Article
  • CLIMBING

Clipping In: How Pro Climber Leslie Timms Found Her Home on Escarpment Rock

  • May 2, 2018
  • Ben Osborne
View Post
Next Article
  • The Great Outdoors

Peeling Back the Baselayer: Icebreaker Bares All in Transparency Report

  • May 9, 2018
  • Ben Osborne
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • On The Trail
  • The Great Outdoors

Helly Hansen Presents: Adventure Planning 101 with Squamish SAR

  • Sarah Bulford
  • May 16, 2022
View Post
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding
  • The Great Outdoors

Blower Pow and Disappearing Pants

  • Sarah Bulford
  • April 26, 2022
View Post
  • In This Issue
  • The Great Outdoors

ML Launches Mushroom Life

  • Sarah Bulford
  • April 1, 2022
View Post
  • Leslie Anthony
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding
  • Stay & Play
  • The Great Outdoors

Spring at Sun Peaks

  • Sarah Bulford
  • March 8, 2022
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer
  • The Great Outdoors

Backcountry Skier John Baldwin Headlines VIMFF’s 2022 Best of British Columbia Night

  • Sarah Bulford
  • February 22, 2022
View Post
  • FALL GEAR
  • SPRING GEAR
  • THE GEAR SHED
  • The Great Outdoors
  • WINTER GEAR

The Legend of San Poncho

  • Editor
  • December 9, 2021
735990496 1280x720
View Post
  • The Great Outdoors
  • Videos

Friday Flick: Island of Plenty

  • Sarah Bulford
  • July 2, 2021
View Post
  • On The Trail
  • The Great Outdoors

Win Adventures to the Filming Location of the HISTORY® Channel’s “Alone” Season 8!

  • Sarah Bulford
  • June 8, 2021
Featured Posts
  • Mountain-Life-Coast-Mountains-Winter-2023 1
    ML Coast Mountains Winter-Spring ’23 Issue Out Now
    • February 3, 2023
  • Saint-Lawrence-ice-canoe-Jean-Anderson 2
    Jean Anderson: 40 Years of Ice Canoeing
    • January 31, 2023
  • CHOK-Images-RAB-Avril-2022 3
    Chic-Chocs: True Eastern Alpine
    • February 2, 2023
  • Life-Time-Grand-Prix-gravel-bike 4
    New Docuseries Profiles the World’s Elite Off-Road Cyclists
    • January 30, 2023
  • Fjallraven-Nuuk-Parka-daniel-blom-photo_jacket 5
    Gear Shed: Multisport Winter Roundup
    • January 26, 2023
RECENT POSTS
  • L'Hymne-des-Trembles-Laurentians-Quebec
    L’Hymne des Trembles: Uncompromising Laurentian Skiing
    • January 27, 2023
  • Brian-Hockenstein-surfing-Iceland-water-and-ice-ML
    In the Land of Water & Ice
    • January 24, 2023
  • Marie-Pier-Desharnais-A-Womans-Experience-on-K2-flag-crop
    Marie-Pier Desharnais: A Woman’s Experience on K2
    • January 23, 2023
Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
INSTAGRAM
mountainlifemedia
22K Followers
There are some first times that we will always remember. Like the time I skied off-piste through the alpine highlands of le parc national de la Gaspésie.
@shimizuimg getting those January goods ❄️ #mountainlifer
With four decades of ice canoeing under his belt, Jean Anderson has dominated a sport that's unique to Quebec and that he helped shape.
Featuring three gravel and three MTB events, the series explores the intense competition and love of the sport among 60 of the world’s premier cyclists.
Winter commute with #mountainlifer @michelle_pittam ❄️🚵‍♀️🌲
@lhymnedestrembles.ca is no mirage. Set in the lush Laurentian forest, yet easily accessible (less than an hour and a half from Montreal), this luxurious ski-in ski-out residential resort by @groupebrivia is nestled at the foot of the Versant Soleil side of Mont Tremblant. The Tremblant region is a perennial destination for outdoor enthusiasts from around the world, and within the province, attracting 3.5 million visitors annually.
ML staff and gear partners highlight the latest jackets, boards, crampons, hoodies, insoles and bindings in alpha order. #Linkinbio to learn more!
Adventures like this one require an inspiring team. @timemmett is a longtime friend, adventure partner and extraordinary human; an explorer, pro climber, surfer, freediver—you name it. @luca.freediver is an incredibly talented freediver, fresh off breaking the Canadian national freediving record (85 metres). The fourth man on the team, @brianhockenstein, is a filmmaker and multi-talented snowboarder always ready to jump into the fray and capture the magic. - words Jimmy Martinello. #Linkinbio to learn more!
We came in search of the connection of the human spirit to both art and adventure, whether climbing from the depths of moulins and ice caves, breaking through ice while paddleboarding fjords, climbing icebergs, freediving between tectonic plates or surfing cold waves.
A thousand and one things could have gone wrong, but she made it to the top:  @mariepier.desharnais is the first Quebecois woman to climb K2.
Follow

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

There are some first times that we will always remember. Like the time I skied off-piste through the alpine highlands of le parc national de la Gaspésie.
@shimizuimg getting those January goods ❄️ #mountainlifer
With four decades of ice canoeing under his belt, Jean Anderson has dominated a sport that's unique to Quebec and that he helped shape.
Featuring three gravel and three MTB events, the series explores the intense competition and love of the sport among 60 of the world’s premier cyclists.
Winter commute with #mountainlifer @michelle_pittam ❄️🚵‍♀️🌲
@lhymnedestrembles.ca is no mirage. Set in the lush Laurentian forest, yet easily accessible (less than an hour and a half from Montreal), this luxurious ski-in ski-out residential resort by @groupebrivia is nestled at the foot of the Versant Soleil side of Mont Tremblant. The Tremblant region is a perennial destination for outdoor enthusiasts from around the world, and within the province, attracting 3.5 million visitors annually.
Mountain Life
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertising

Input your search keywords and press Enter.