Manitoba Eco-Network attends the 43rd Annual RRBC Land and Water International Summit Conference

🌊Earlier this month, the Manitoba Eco-Network attended the 43rd Annual RRBC Land and Water International Summit Conference, where our Executive Director James Beddome sat in on the International Red River Watershed Board & International Joint Commission’s speaker session.

🌊Joined by an international coalition of advocacy groups from both North Dakota and Manitoba (including Manitoba Animal Save, Save Lake Winnipeg Project, and Dakota Resource Council), the Eco-Network spoke on the importance of protecting Lake Winnipeg and the Red River from the negative environmental impact of two proposed mega-dairy farms – less than two miles from the Red River, and within the shared watershed of Lake Winnipeg.

🌊When excess manure slurry is spread on agricultural fields as fertilizer, it can lead to the accumulation of nutrients, including phosphorus nitrogen in rivers and lakes. Phosphorus and nitrogen feed the often-toxic blue-green algae blooms in Lake Winnipeg, posing significant health threats to humans, animals, and all aquatic life.

🌊Due to the advocacy work of the Eco-Network and the rest of the coalition, the International Red River Watershed Board has indicated that it will review permits related to the two mega-dairy operations, and will support conducting a cumulative effects assessment.

🔗To learn more, read the local news coverage of this event:
CityNews Winnipeg: https://winnipeg.citynews.ca/2026/01/15/environmental-advocacy-groups-voice-concerns-about-pair-of-north-dakota-dairy-farms-impact-on-lake-winnipeg/
Winnipeg Free Press: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2026/01/15/critics-of-proposed-n-d-mega-dairies-make-case-at-winnipeg-conference
Radio Canada [FR]: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/tele/le-telejournal-manitoba/site/episodes/1139581/episode-du-15-janvier-2026

🔗Or visit this page on our website to read our perspective: https://mbeconetwork.org/groups-from-canada-and-the-united-states-join-forces-to-stop-massive-pollution-of-the-red-river-and-lake-winnipeg/