Memphremagog Conservation
(Reprinted with permission)

Founded by Gordon Kohl, Peter Kohl and Herbert Mitchell in 1967 and incorporated in 1968, Memphremagog Conservation Inc. (MCI) is a not-for-profit organization now in its 38^th year caring for the health of Lake Memphremagog and its surroundings.Today with a membership base of 500 households, MCI represents an enrolment of about 1200 individual members when counting spouses and the occasional adult child living at home.



MCI activities are almost completely derived from membership donations.In its beginning years MCI participated in developing anti-pollution bylaws in effect today in many localities in Québec. The first training courses for sanitary inspectors were given in collaboration with MCI in the early 1970’s. MCI financed sanitary inspections for the municipalities bordering on the lake until 1980.Earlier initiatives have included:

• 1969 Commissioned Raymond Desroches, biologist, University of Sherbrooke to establish the quality of lake water 1970 Engaged team from Bishop’s University to perform an inventory of septic facilities and an evaluation of coliform contamination. Eleven maps evaluated over 1000 individual resident septic systems around the lake 1972 MCI organized the Youth Patrol; today called The Lake patrol to better reflect the hiring of students enrolled or graduated in environmental studies. 1985 MCI organized a letter-writing campaign involving over 2600 persons condemning an American plan to build a nuclear waste site in Northern Vermont. This opposition along with the efforts of another organization caused the project to get shelved
• 1987 MCI organized a successful petition signed by over 6000 citizens to halt the plans of a Calgary company to establish a houseboat rental business.

Some more recent initiatives include:

• 1999-2004 MCI with other organizations and concerned individuals stopped the expansion of the Intersan (Bestan) dump site 2000 A Code of Ethics brochure promoting responsible lake behaviour was printed and distributed by MCI and has been adopted by all lakeshore municipalities 2002 MCI initiated a Lake Patrol educational programme to interact with day school children around the Lake with over 500 children reached so far 2004 MCI was the first environmental organization to speak out and attend every hearing to protest the proposed expansion to the Coventry, Vt. dump site 2004-2005 MCI launched its “Operation Healthy Lake-Phase I” study to catalogue aquatic plants and sediment deposits in 100 metre sections at one, two and three metre depths along the entire Canadian shoreline. The largest and most expensive study of this type ever conducted on the Lake.
• 2002-2005 MCI spearheaded a successful campaign to protect the integrity of Mont-Orford National Park from a threat stemming from an exchange of park lands in order to accommodate the construction of 1400 condos ,two hotels, parking for 3200 cars etc.etc.. which, among other things, would have resulted in loss of unique forest and threatened Castle Brook with increased sediment and consequent damage to Magog Bay. Activities included presentations at BAPE hearings, organizing an environmental group to collect over 8000 signed petitions and making two presentations to two ministries in Québec City

Click here to visit the MCI website.


(Photo: Matthew Farfan)