A watershed management plan was being developed for the Bras d’Or Lakes in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. A key component was the creation of guidelines for comprehensive development standards to assist and coordinate the actions of local municipal governments and related agencies to preserve the watershed. Lead researcher and co-developer of the comprehensive development standards that were sensitive to the local context, sufficiently flexible to address variations in the priorities and capabilities of the implementing organizations, and practical and manageable on a day-to-day basis. While many BMPs focused on protecting the natural features within the watershed, several also served the dual purpose of protecting shoreline development from negative lake impacts such as storm surge and sea level rise. This work included an extensive review of best practices, detailed GIS analyses of implementing the development standards, and several targeted interviews with agencies involved in the development, implementation, and monitoring of BMPs within environments similar to the Bras d’Or Watershed.

With EDM | Environmental Design and Management.