"EDMONTON - The study of how oilsands pollution is affecting the massive peatlands in the northeast will come to an abrupt halt this spring as two scientists found out last week their funding has been cut."

"In an unexpected move, the new federal-provincial Joint Oilsands Monitoring (JOSM) agency did not include wetlands (peatlands, bogs and muskeg) or groundwater in its monitoring plans — even though peatlands cover 40 per cent of the landscape in the northeast oilsands area.

Melanie Vile and Kelman Wieder, biology professors at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, have been working in the Fort McMurray area for years. Wieder said they were surprised and disappointed that peatlands are not included in JOSM’s monitoring plans — especially given the importance of peatlands as an early indicator of pollution impacts."

Sheila Pratt report for the Edmonton Journal January 15, 2014. [2]