For those interested in watershed studies, environmental management plans, Trout Lake and the streams flowing into it, this open house will be the hottest ticket in town.
Plus, it is free to attend, and all the action takes place on April 13, beginning in East Ferris. The municipality’s open house runs from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Corbeil Park Hall at 390 Highway 94 in Corbeil.
During the afternoon of the 13th, North Bay will have its open house in the main lobby of City Hall—200 McIntyre Street East—from 3 to 6 p.m. The purpose of each is to gather information from the public to add to an upcoming study on Trout Lake, a study that will help to establish policies to ensure the continued health of the lake.
“It’s important to let the public know that we’re doing this study,” mentioned Paula Scott, of the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority. “We’re gathering all of the information at this point to help inform a background study,” she added, which will compile around 30 years of research into a newly minted report on the state of the lake.
“It will update all the data, look at everything we’ve done, gather all of that information, and give a new snapshot of where we are,” she said. “This study will look at everything” the Conservation Authority has gathered on the lake to provide a “comprehensive overview.”
“Anybody can come out and ask any questions they may have,” explained Greg Kirton, East Ferris’ director of community services. “And we’ll also be accepting feedback and information that people have” regarding the lake’s health or what they may want to see in the study.
“We want to ensure we maintain this high level of water quality,” Kirton said, and a comprehensive study, informed by residents’ insights, will help to create a policy to do so.
David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.
