Staff of the University of Manitoba’s Delta Marsh Field Station (DMFS) is being laid off, as they were informed that the station would be closed by Nov. 30 and be reopened in May of 2010.
Staff of the field station have concerns about the closure, as there has been no assurance from the U of M of plans to reopen the DMFS in May.
U of M director of public affairs, John Danakas, told the Manitoban that “[the DMFS] is not being closed permanently at this point,” saying the station will just be closed for the winter, a time when there is little research activity.
Danakas also explained that throughout the period of time the station is closed the U of M would be working on a new business model under which the DMFS can operate.
“It’s a facility that really does need attention. The infrastructure is not in very good condition,” he continued. “For the last number of years, the DMFS has not been a financially viable enterprise with operating and infrastructure challenges which have rendered it unsustainable under its current business model.”
Currently the U of M has leased the land the DMFS is located on for the last 40 years from the provincial government, and in 2006 the lease ended. At this point in time the university was discussing the transfer of the land rights to the U of M, a process that is still ongoing.
Dr. Gordon Goldsborough, director of the DMFS, said he was “shocked and devastated” when he was told about the closing of the station.
“We knew there were some financial issues we needed to address, [ . . . ] but not in my wildest imagination did I think they would close the station.”
Goldsborough indicated that the plan for the winter months was to use the station as a headquarters or base-camp for the researchers who planned on continuing to monitor the water quality of lake Manitoba.
According to Danakas, despite the closing of the station, the effect on the research will be minimal — a statement that Goldsborough feels is incorrect.
“Well it’s hard to say the degree of the effect [the closure will have on research], but to call it minimal I think is unwarranted,” said Goldsborough.
“We’ve been very active in some years at the marsh. One of the projects this year was on lake Manitoba where we were going out across the lake collecting water and sediment samples,” he continued.
“Now that we don’t have the field station, I’m not quite sure how we’re going to be able to carry out that work. It’s a fairly major study on the water quality of the lake. [ . . . ] To call it a minimal effect is simply ignorant of the work that is going on,” said Goldsborough.
“If I had been asked, I would have been able to clarify to people just what effects there would be, but I was just never consulted in this whole matter.”
The Delta Marsh Field Station is one of three stations that are responsible for monitoring the water quality of Lake Manitoba.
Danakas said that there are already steps being taken to ensure the reopening of the DMFS.
“A steering committee has been established at the University of Manitoba to explore options and make recommendations for a vibrant DMFS, operating on a sound and sustainable business model,” said Danakas.
“Over the winter, the steering committee will engage the services of a consultant to review the current business model of the DMFS with the intention of re-opening the facility in the spring of 2010 under a more financially sustainable model.”
Danakas explained that the savings from the closure would be a sizeable fraction of the DMFS’s annual operating budget, which is in excess of $400,000 not including utilities, but that the exact amount of savings the university would gain is difficult to pin-point.
