OTTAWA, ONTARIO – Using the power of synchrotron light to better understand and protect Canada's wetlands is the objective of an agreement signed today between Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) and the Canadian Light Source (CLS),Canada's national synchrotron facility.
Under the agreement, Native Plants Solutions (NPS), DUC's environmental consulting division, will have access to the CLS's synchrotron science techniques where intense beams of light are created to probe the nature and structure of matter. By using synchrotron technology, NPS can study the constituents within water, soil, biota and air to develop restoration, reclamation and remediation activities.
"Ducks Unlimited Canada is committed to forming partnerships that support sustainable development and focus on scientific data that protect wetland systems and their associated habitats," says Jamie Fortune, acting CEO for DUC. "Through this exciting partnership with Canadian Light Source, we hope to better understand the impacts of chemicals and compounds in wetlands, while also working towards a way to prevent these impacts in the future."
"We are very pleased to be working with Ducks Unlimited Canada, a world leader in wetland conservation and research," says Josef Hormes, Executive Director of the Canadian Light Source. "Canada's synchrotron is an acknowledged leader in using synchrotron light to answer questions related to preserving our environment and aiding the sustainable development of Canada's natural resource sector."
Possible areas of research for the two organizations to team up include projects related to the restoration and protection of healthy wetlands. This includes working with companies in the Canadian energy industry to help mitigate and reduce the impact of their operations in nearby watersheds and waterfowl habitat, by adding synchrotron techniques to the tools available to DUC's environmental researchers. For example, the CLS has been used to track substances found in effluents from mining and milling operations, identifying their chemical forms and assessing how they move through ecosystems – information that was then used by the mining companies to improve their effluent monitoring and treatment practices.
The Canadian Light Source is Canada's national centre for synchrotron research and is a global leader and a recognized centre of excellence in synchrotron science and its applications. Located on the University of Saskatchewan campus in Saskatoon, the CLS has hosted 2600 researchers from academic institutions, government, and industry from across Canada and 20 countries on over 5,600 user visits, delivering over 20,000 experimental shifts to users since 2005. CLS operations are funded by Western Economic Diversification Canada, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, National Research Council of Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Government of Saskatchewan and the University of Saskatchewan. www.lightsource.ca/media/quickfacts.php.
About Ducks Unlimited Canada
Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) is the leader in wetland conservation. A registered charity, DUC partners with government, industry, non-profit organizations and landowners to conserve wetlands that are critical to waterfowl, wildlife and the environment. Learn more at ducks.ca.
Note to editors:
An example of the wetlands research conducted at the Canadian Light Source is available at: http://www.lightsource.ca/media/tabs_on_Se.php
For more information contact:
Royal Hinther
Director of Business Development
Canadian Light Source Inc.
Ph: (306) 657-3603 Cell: (306) 717-4008
Matthew Dalzell
Communications Coordinator
Canadian Light Source Inc
Ph: (306) 657-3739 Cell: (306) 227-0978
matthew.dalzell@lightsource.ca
Amy Doerksen
National Manager, Communications and Marketing
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Ph (204) 467-3258 Cell: (204) 451-2237
A_doerksen@ducks.ca