Who We Are
ABOUT FOEL
FRIENDS
OF EAST LAKE (FOEL) was formed in April 2006. During 2007 we
incorporated as a Not For Profit Organization. This requires us to hold
an AGM : the first was held on June 21, 2008, the most recent on May
29, 2009.
Since 2006, FOEL has been continuing
our own testing of East Lake water through our membership in the
Ontario Ministry of the Environment’s Lake Partners Program. This is a
volunteer-based, water-quality monitoring program. Our volunteers
collect total phosphorus samples and make monthly water clarity
observations. This information will allow the early detection of
changes in the nutrient status and/or the water clarity of the lake due
to the impacts of shore-line development, climate change and other
stresses. Our last three seasons of test results for East Lake can be
found on the Lake Partner web-site.
In
2007, Quinte Conservation with help from FOEL volunteers carried out
monthly water chemistry testing on 11 sites in the East Lake and Black
River watersheds, as well as one in East Lake itself. That funding was
for one year only. Friends of East Lake have attempted, with Quinte
Conservaton, to obtain funding for a further four years of testing at a
cost based on the same number of tests in 2007 of more that $80,000.
Unfortunately, these efforts have so far been unsuccessful, though we
will continue to pursue this.
Click to read the Quinte Conservation summary of testing results for 2007.
East
Lake Watershed, Prince Edward County: 2007 Water Quality Sampling
Results
In 2007 FOEL joined the Water Guardians Network, which was formed after
Walkerton and is sponsored by The Environmental Law Association. In
2008, FOEL won a $2000 bursary from this group. Applicants were
requested to submit proposals aiming at helping to educate the public
with respect to source water protection. Our FOEL proposal was for
updating and enhancing our website www.friendsofeastlake.com. The work
was carried out by a local company, InfoLink Web Site Development. We
are very excited about this improvement, which we hope will make our
website a source for environmental and sustainable development issues
for the area.
Since May of 2007, FOEL is also represented with a sitting member on
the Prince Edward Round Table on the Environment and the Economy
(PERTEE), organizers of Trash Bash. FOEL participated again
this year with two teams on County Rd.18 and County Rd. 11.