HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1980-12-03, Page 1Joe the raccoon has become the family pet
of a West Wawanosh faintly who have raised
him since he was a baby.
Kevin Webster found the baby raccoon in
-his-fatheekbarn-in_late-June and the.amily
fed him with a bottle until he was 'old enough
to drink milk from a dish. Small enough to fit
into an adult's hand when he was young, Joe
now weighs 15 pounds.
Kevin's mother, Karen says that young
raccoons usually stay with their mothers
until they are a year old so Joe is'quite happy
to stay around the family barn,
He sleeps in the hay loft where Kevin
found him or in the attic above the summer
kitchen of the house, He eats raw hamburger
and raw eggs, milk, chop and ensilage. In
the summertime, he ate beans and peas he
had stolen from the family's garden. 'He
could also dig up carrots from the garden if
he preferred them for a snack. He drinks his
milk with the farm cats in the barn each
morning. •
Karen says he has always been good with
the children, Kevin and his younger sister,
Janice. But she points out that he does not
have the , reserve domestic animals have
around humans. One day when he had
gotten into a basket of eggs, Karen tried to
take the eggs away and he would not back
away as a cat or dog will when a human trio
to prevent them from eating.
Kevin's mother took Joe to school one day
two weeks ago so that Kevin's grade 2 class
at Brookside School could see a real raccoon.
While Karen would not allow the children to,
touch the animal, Joe was permitted to
Wander around Mrs. 131anchette's classroom
so the children could watch him pick up
things with his fingers and climb onto
things. •
Joe is an especially good climber. He once
followed Kevin's father, Allan up a 16 foot
aluminum ladder. When Allan turned to
come down the raccoon was right behind
him. The raccoon swung around under the
ladder and climbed down under the ladder
against the pull of gravity. He can also open
the screen door of the house; swing around
inside and slide down so when the family
opens the inside door, there is Joe sitting
between the two doors waiting for breakfast.
Karen has doine some reading about baby
raccoons since Kevin found Joe last spring.
Baby raccoons are usually born in April or
May and their eyes_ remain closed for three
weeks. Joe Was found in late June and his
eyes were already open so he must have
been older than three weeks when found.
The mother raccoon was never seen but. a
sibling raccoon was found the day before Joe
and the family gave it to a neighbour to raise
because the neighbour had already raised a
pet, raccoon.
Karen expects Joe may decide to become
independent and go off on his own this
coming, summer. She and Allan have told
their, children that Joe may not alwayi want
to live with them so they are prepared for the
time Joe takes off on his own adventures.
But in the meantime he is the family's pride
and joy.
- Kincardine detachment of the Ontario
Provincial Police are still investigating a
theft which occurred at Lucknow Custom
Welding sometime on the weekend Nov-
ember 21 - 23.
Barry Hackett reported 34 pieces of metal
tubing stolen when he returned to work
Monday morning, November 24.
Kevin Webster has avery special friend in Joe, the raccoon. Kevin found Joe ht the hayloft of
their barn and they fed him with a baby bottle until he grew old enough to eat eggs, meat and
ensilage. Small enough to fit Into an adult's hand us a baby, Joe now weighs 15 lbs. Kevin is
the son of Allan and Karen. Webster of West Wawanosh. (Sentinel Staff Photo]
Hurbh County planner Gary Davidson told
Huron County 'Council at their final meeting
of this term, November 27, that the Ministry
of Environment haS been 'so secretive in
their selection of a site for a disposal area,
that 'he was not aware a Huron location was
on the list of possible locations:
Environment. minister :liarry. Parrott an-
bounced in the legislaturff' On Tuesday that
an area of prime agrileutUral land South
7Ciyuga has been chosen; fora disposal and
Storage area for the bulb.of the proVince's
waStes..yhe minister also said a site in
Huron was number two on the list of possible
locations.
SecretiVe
Davidson told county councilthe Ministry
has.-been extremely secretive and his
• departinent knew nothing about.a proposed
. Huron site until a daily newspaper called
Davidson this week to ask about the HUroh
location.
Davidson.commented it seems difficult
that the ministry could have done any testing
without , some information ,leaking to the
planning department or the warden Of the
county.
The. county planner said he is concerned
that because of the great opposition to the
South Cuyuga-site on environment' grounds,,,,
that the Ministry ,,may fall back to their
number two site which is the Huron location.
The. South Cayuga site, 11/2 kilometres (i
mile) in circumference; lies within: a 12,800
acre tract south :of Hamilton which , the:
Ontario gbvernment ParchaSed six years ago
for '$30 million.
The 'originalintehtion Was to locate a new.
city on the land but the plan failed M.
materialize.
The land ,be'Used for a 'day-based
landfill, a solidification plant,'a laboratory to •
,test liquids entering the, site and storage of
some dangerous wastes, including' cancer-
linked PCBs,
Davidsottsaid he has no idea where in the
county the plant would be located if Huron
was chosen as the site, He• said the environ-
ment minister has hinted the site is located
somewhere between Goderieb and Kincar-
there, ever was a list of possible sites or
dine. Davidson said he would like te,learri if
whether the ministry •-chose the South .
Cariga site because they already own_ the
land. Re said he wonders if Huron was ever
on tlie—iist,
Health Concern
Dr. Brian Lynch, Huron's Medical Officer
of Health, told council members there is a
cause for . concern aboUt the health risks
involvedif a disposal site were to be located
in Huron. He referred to the health problems
created by the Love Canal site and the dump.
an_Hamilton which have made news..: head-,
lines in recent months.
Dr, Lynch said he is also concerned
because the Ministryof Environment is
considering dropping the chlorination of
human waste, He said he would support an
inquiry into the ministry's 'intentions and
suggested that information received by the
county's planning department be referred to
the department of health.
Dr, Lynch indicated it is"not un_tisual for
the Minis* to act so secretively. he said a
friend of his, who is a Medical Officer of
Health in 'Brant County, learned that a plant
to process PCBs was to be located ,in his
county on the television news one evening.
Jack Stafford, deputy-reeve of Howick, who
raised the question, .concerning the Huron
site at the council meeting, suggested the
county council pass a recommendation that
Parrott, Environtnent; Lorne HenderSon,
Agriculture; Georges, Ash, Energy; Frank
Miller, Treasury and Tom Wells, Inergov-.
ernmental Affairs.
Many delegates questioned the decision to
locate the dispoSal plant at ,South Cayuga:'
The people of the area want an environ
mental hearing but the environment Minist-
ry has debided to :forego this procedure.
Agriculture minister Lorne Henderson as-
sured the delegates that the soils have been
checked and found to be-right forthiS type of
the county does not approve of a waste
disposal site in Huron.
"We don't want their dump here,' _he
• said, "We're an agricultural area."
Recommendation•
Clerk-treaturer Bill }tardy suggested
council would be drawing attention to Huron
if they. passed such a recommendation and if
the provincecannot go ahead with the South
Cayuga-siterthe—council's recommendation
could backfire and the ministry would choose
Huron because of county council's objectiom
He 'suggested the matter be referred to the
county's planning board for consideration.
Goderich's deputy-recve Bob Allen made
a motion that;the matter be referred to the
county's planning board to Consider what
action will be taken.
dump site. He also said certain crops to be
consumed directly by people would not be
grown in the area. Parrott stated the
dumping of untreated waste on our land
must be stopped. He also said the people of
Ontario want the Ontario government to own
the liquid diSposal Waste plant and it would
therefore be a Crown Corporation. He said it
would be set up with seven people sitting as
a' board of directors. One of these board
members would be an OFA member and a
Turn to page 4.
Environment ministerHarry Parrott an-
swered several questions concerning his,
announcement last ,week that a liquid. aste
disposal site will be located on prime
farm land at Seuth Cayuga when he
appeared at the'Ministers' BreakfaSt held in
conjunction with the Ontario. Federation of
Agriculture convention. The breakfast gave
delegates to the convention an opportunity
to, ask questions of several ministers in the -
Ontario cabinet including Rene Brimelle;
Resource Policy; Bob Elsie, Labour; •Harry
umpsite location
Burn PCBs:
Dr. Parrott told reporters he wants to burn
PCBs at' the site 'Once technology. is
;.perfected,