The Region of Waterloo (ROW) and Oxford County contain a significant landscape unit called the Waterloo Moraine that provides multiple ecological and water resource functions to surrounding communities. These functions include; providing a clean and abundant source of water, natural landscapes for plant and animal habitats, natural areas for recreational enjoyment, prime agricultural lands on which to grow food and aggregate resources in close proximity to large markets. This landscape unit is similar to the Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM) located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The purpose of this research is to conduct an examination of the current state of management for the Waterloo Moraine within the ROW and Oxford County. Attributes of the Waterloo Moraine examined include; water resources, agricultural resources, mineral aggregate resources, Environmentally Sensitive Landscapes (ESLs), natural core areas, natural linkage areas and settlement areas. While the hydrologic functions have been most studied within this landscape unit, the Moraine has predominantly been studied from a focused perspective rather than a comprehensive one. Using expert knowledge and available secondary sources the following research questions are investigated: (1) What do we currently know about the Waterloo Moraine and how is this knowledge (or lack thereof) applied to its future existence and sustainability? (2) Who are the stakeholders when it comes to growth and management of the Waterloo Moraine? (3) Which places need to be protected from development most throughout the Waterloo Moraine? (4) Where does the Waterloo Moraine fit into management policies and plans existing in the Region of Waterloo and within the Province of Ontario? Key results of this research include; (1) The boundary of the Waterloo Moraine remains undefined; however, rough estimates of the overall size and various portions within each county, township and city it encompasses have been projected. To date, the largest portion of the Moraine lies in Wilmot Township (36.9%) and the smallest portion lies in North Dumfries (3%). (2) Many stakeholders are involved in the protection and management of the Waterloo Moraine. Regional and provincial officials ultimately control where development and growth occur and which areas in the ROW should be protected most. Those responsible for the initial ‘push’ for Moraine protection are grassroots groups and individuals coupled with the local media. (3) Criteria designating development ‘hot spots’ across the Waterloo Moraine has been established and six ‘hot spots’ within the Waterloo Moraine are designated. Limited recognition has been given to the Waterloo Moraine complex in regional policies. It is therefore suggested that the creation of a Waterloo Moraine Act be considered in order to protect and manage this landscape unit. The Act would promote protection measures for the Moraine’s valuable attributes at the highest provincial level and eventually lead to a conservation plan. It is recommended that the ROW further refine the Waterloo Moraine’s boundaries, develop a database to monitor changes in various features and functions across the Waterloo Moraine’s landscape and promote the implementation of a Waterloo Moraine Act.

The Region of Waterloo (ROW) and Oxford County contain a significant landscape unit called the Waterloo Moraine that provides multiple ecological and water resource functions to surrounding communities. These functions include; providing a clean and abundant source of water, natural landscapes for plant and animal habitats, natural areas for recreational enjoyment, prime agricultural lands on which to grow food and aggregate resources in close proximity to large markets. This landscape unit is similar to the Oak Ridges Moraine (ORM) located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The purpose of this research is to conduct an examination of the current state of management for the Waterloo Moraine within the ROW and Oxford County. Attributes of the Waterloo Moraine examined include; water resources, agricultural resources, mineral aggregate resources, Environmentally Sensitive Landscapes (ESLs), natural core areas, natural linkage areas and settlement areas. While the hydrologic functions have been most studied within this landscape unit, the Moraine has predominantly been studied from a focused perspective rather than a comprehensive one. Using expert knowledge and available secondary sources the following research questions are investigated: (1) What do we currently know about the Waterloo Moraine and how is this knowledge (or lack thereof) applied to its future existence and sustainability? (2) Who are the stakeholders when it comes to growth and management of the Waterloo Moraine? (3) Which places need to be protected from development most throughout the Waterloo Moraine? (4) Where does the Waterloo Moraine fit into management policies and plans existing in the Region of Waterloo and within the Province of Ontario? Key results of this research include; (1) The boundary of the Waterloo Moraine remains undefined; however, rough estimates of the overall size and various portions within each county, township and city it encompasses have been projected. To date, the largest portion of the Moraine lies in Wilmot Township (36.9%) and the smallest portion lies in North Dumfries (3%). (2) Many stakeholders are involved in the protection and management of the Waterloo Moraine. Regional and provincial officials ultimately control where development and growth occur and which areas in the ROW should be protected most. Those responsible for the initial ‘push’ for Moraine protection are grassroots groups and individuals coupled with the local media. (3) Criteria designating development ‘hot spots’ across the Waterloo Moraine has been established and six ‘hot spots’ within the Waterloo Moraine are designated. Limited recognition has been given to the Waterloo Moraine complex in regional policies. It is therefore suggested that the creation of a Waterloo Moraine Act be considered in order to protect and manage this landscape unit. The Act would promote protection measures for the Moraine’s valuable attributes at the highest provincial level and eventually lead to a conservation plan. It is recommended that the ROW further refine the Waterloo Moraine’s boundaries, develop a database to monitor changes in various features and functions across the Waterloo Moraine’s landscape and promote the implementation of a Waterloo Moraine Act.

For more than a century, public transportation has played a significant role in society. Transit agencies, like other service industries, are intent on improving their quality of service so as to increase transit ridership and attract passengers from other modes. In recent years transportation technologies have been improved which increase safety, mobility for people and goods, and reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. An evaluation of the impacts of these operational and technological advancements is required for transit agencies to capture the potential benefits for their systems. The Region Municipality of Waterloo (RMOW), a mid-size region in Ontario has implemented an express transit service (iXpress) in Sept, 2005. The service has longer distances between stops and incorporates advanced technologies. The goal is to increase transit ridership and, as a result, to reduce GHG emissions. This research has been conducted to study the iXpress service and to develop several methods to determine the impacts of high speed transit service on passenger attraction, operational efficiency, and regional air quality. In this research, the change in total cost of travel between origin destination pairs is correlated to changes in observed ridership. Further, several surveys were conducted in the RMOW to evaluate the travel pattern changes of residents who switched from other modes to iXpress. Based on fuel consumption data, a model of GHG emissions as a function of route and vehicle characteristics has been developed to capture the operational impacts of a new iXpress service. The iXpress service of Grand River Transit (GRT) has been successful in attracting riders despite delays in technology implementation. The cost analysis presented in this research shows that the introduction of iXpress resulted in approximately 30% reduction in overall cost of travel by transit. As a result, ridership (boardings) has increased by 11% and 46% in the northern and southern sections of the iXpress service area respectively, while accounting for overall growth in the system. An analysis of travel patterns and mode shifts suggest that travelers switching from auto mode to iXpress have resulted in annualized reduction of approximately 530 tonnes of GHG. A fuel consumption analysis indicates that buses on the iXpress route have an average fuel consumption rate of 0.54 L/km while, buses serving local route consumes fuel of a rate of 0.62 L/km.

For more than a century, public transportation has played a significant role in society. Transit agencies, like other service industries, are intent on improving their quality of service so as to increase transit ridership and attract passengers from other modes. In recent years transportation technologies have been improved which increase safety, mobility for people and goods, and reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. An evaluation of the impacts of these operational and technological advancements is required for transit agencies to capture the potential benefits for their systems. The Region Municipality of Waterloo (RMOW), a mid-size region in Ontario has implemented an express transit service (iXpress) in Sept, 2005. The service has longer distances between stops and incorporates advanced technologies. The goal is to increase transit ridership and, as a result, to reduce GHG emissions. This research has been conducted to study the iXpress service and to develop several methods to determine the impacts of high speed transit service on passenger attraction, operational efficiency, and regional air quality. In this research, the change in total cost of travel between origin destination pairs is correlated to changes in observed ridership. Further, several surveys were conducted in the RMOW to evaluate the travel pattern changes of residents who switched from other modes to iXpress. Based on fuel consumption data, a model of GHG emissions as a function of route and vehicle characteristics has been developed to capture the operational impacts of a new iXpress service. The iXpress service of Grand River Transit (GRT) has been successful in attracting riders despite delays in technology implementation. The cost analysis presented in this research shows that the introduction of iXpress resulted in approximately 30% reduction in overall cost of travel by transit. As a result, ridership (boardings) has increased by 11% and 46% in the northern and southern sections of the iXpress service area respectively, while accounting for overall growth in the system. An analysis of travel patterns and mode shifts suggest that travelers switching from auto mode to iXpress have resulted in annualized reduction of approximately 530 tonnes of GHG. A fuel consumption analysis indicates that buses on the iXpress route have an average fuel consumption rate of 0.54 L/km while, buses serving local route consumes fuel of a rate of 0.62 L/km.

While the extent of grasslands in Southern Ontario has been greatly reduced, urban and suburban areas provide numerous potential sites for their restoration. Grassland restoration in cities can provide ecological and cultural benefits, but soil conditions may be less than optimal for native species recovery. This thesis explores the use of soil amendments in order to address nutrient deficiency on old-field meadow restoration sites. Five treatments were tested, namely the addition of (1) nitrogenous fertilizer, (2) native legume species, (3) biochar, (4) a combination of the previous three, and (5) an unaltered control. Each treatment was replicated four times on two different test plots in Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada (Huron Natural Area and Springbank Farm), for a total of 40 subplots. The experimental plots were tilled in the fall of 2011, a randomly selected treatment was applied to each subplot, and then all were seeded with a mix of five native meadow species (2 grass, 2 forb, 1 sedge). Soil samples were taken from each subplot both before treatment application and also at the end of the growing season in 2012, and tested for nutrient levels (N, P, K), pH and organic matter. Species richness, as well as soil temperature and moisture, were regularly monitored over the growing season. In the fall of 2012, above-ground vegetation was harvested to assess accrued biomass. In order to detect differences in means, results were tested using one-way and repeated-measures ANOVAs, where appropriate. Pearson???s product-moment correlations were also employed to test for linear dependence between variables. There were no significant differences between treatments in terms of soil nutrients or pH at either site. At Huron Natural Area, post-treatment biochar-treated subplots had slightly higher levels of organic matter than controls (p=0.095). Values for species richness, above-ground biomass, soil temperature and soil moisture did not vary significantly between treatments. Species richness at Huron Natural Area was positively correlated with 2011 N (r=0.42; p=0.07) and organic matter (r=0.52; p=0.02) levels, while at Springbank Farm it was negatively correlated with 2012 N levels (r=-0.67; p<0.001). Above-ground biomass at Huron Natural Area was positively correlated with 2011 and 2012 P levels (both r=0.52; p=0.02), while at Springbank Farm it was positively correlated with 2011 N, P, K and organic matter, and 2012 N, P and K (all r>0.44; p<0.05). At Huron Natural Area, above-ground biomass was negatively correlated with soil temperature (r=-0.64; p<0.0001) and positively correlated with soil moisture (r=0.38; p=0.1). This study uncovered a strong, but variable, relationship between N concentration and species richness in old-field meadows. Furthermore, productivity was tightly correlated with different soil nutrient concentrations at each study site. The results demonstrate the need for restoration approaches to address local soil conditions on order to be effective. To date, there have been very few studies on meadow restoration, particularly in North America. More, and longer-term, multivariate studies are needed in order to test the effectiveness of different techniques.