HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1988-11-02, Page 14PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1988.
Huron loses renowned conservation advocate
One of Ontario’s most respected
conservationists and strongest
voices for land and water steward
ship has passed away, leaving as a
legacy a lifetime of work that will
never be duplicated.
Norman Alexander of Clinton,
and formerly of Londesboro, died
October 25, 1988 at London’s
University Hospital in his 78th year.
Left to mourn are his wife, Helen
M. Alexander; his children, David
and Mary Elizabeth Alexander of
Kincardine; James and Ruth Alex
ander of London; Elaine and Don
Cousineau of North Bay; and six
grandchildren. Mr. Alexander was
predeceased by one brother, John.
Mr. Alexander’s name is synon
ymous with soil and water conserva
tion all across the province, and it is
in a large part due to his tireless
efforts in land stewardship that the
county of Huron today enjoys its
reputation as a leader in conserva
tion methods in farming. His work is
known and recognized in many other
parts of Canada, as well as in the
USA, where the Soil Conservation
Society of America presented him
with its prestigious Honor Award in
1981, in recognition of his “signifi
cant contributions and achieve
ments in land and water conserva
tion.’’
Mr. Alexander also served as one
of Canada’s representatives at an
international jointcommission of the
Pollution for Land Use Activities
Reference Group (PLUARG), and
spent much time travelling at his
own expense to study conservation
methods used in some American
states, as well as reading very
extensively to increase his own
knowledge of stewardship methods.
He was one of the first persons in
Ontario to recognize that the
intensivefarming methodsof the
past number of years was doing
irreparable damage to our most
valuable resources, our land and
water, and was one of the first to
crusade for conservation farming
practices.
In 1983, the Huron Soil and Crop
Improvement (HSCIA), upon which
Mr. Alexander had served as a
long-time director, in conjunction
with the Ausable-Bayfield Conser
vation Authority, instigated the
Clinton hosts
violence forum
on Thursday
A community forum on family
violence planned for Thursday,
November 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the
Clinton Town Hall is intended to
draw attention to community re
sponsibility for the problem, says a
representative of the Huron County
Family Violence Committee, which
is hosting the event.
Mary Sehl, Chairperson of the
committee, said estimates that one
in eight Canadian women are beaten
by their male partners have enor
mous implications, not just for the
families affected, but for the entire
community.
* ‘ Society pays for the hidden costs
of family violence through lowered
productivity in the labour force and
increased use of medical care, the
courts, police, and social agencies,’’
she said.
Three representatives from Lon
don’s co-ordinated, multi-service
approach to family violence, a
program which has received inter
national acclaim, will be featured at
the forum. They include Bob Gough,
Director of Changing Ways, a
program to stop male violence;
Marion Boyd of the Battered
Women’s Advocacy Clinic, a unique
non-crisis, non-residential counsell
ing service for battered women; and
Inspector John Robinson of the
London Police Force, which has led
the way in laying assault charges
against perpetrators of family vio
lence.
Norman Alexander Conservation
Award which is presented annually
to the Huron County farmer who is
judged by a panel of his peers to have
contributed most to soil conserva-
NORMAN ALEXANDER
tion throughout the previous year.
In 1987, the Maitland Valley
Conservation Authority instigated
its own Conservation Award of
Distinction, naming Mr. Alexander
as its first recipient. Mr. Alexander
had served as Hullett Township’s
representative on the MVCA for a
number of years, resigning only a
few months ago; he served as a
constant guardian of the original
intentions of the Authority, spend
ing hundreds of hours studying
water and flood patterns from the
air, and proposing more efficient
methods of flood control throughout
the county.
He also served as Hullett’s*,
Drainage Commissioner for more
than 14 years, a position which early
enabled him to observe the full
impact of erosion damage, and
which led to his lifelong and
consuming interest in the subject, as
wellastohispositionasthesoil’s
most passionate advocate.
In 1984, Mr. Alexander built the
Foodland Stewardship Centre in
Londesboro, where he maintained
the mobile Soil and Water Manage
ment Model which he created the
same year, and where a large library
on conservation, as well as a number
of erosion-controlling devices, were
available to the many hundreds of
visitors the Centre attracted. In
addition, he took his management
model around to many Huron
County schools, plowing matches,
Fairs and organization meetings, in
order to spread his message to the
greatest number of people.
“Mr. Alexander has brought the
message of soil and water conserva
tion to thousands of people in
Ontario and beyond. His work will
have a long lasting impact on the
condition of our soil and water
resources,” said MVCA chairman
Bruce McCall in presenting the
Authority’s conservation award last
year.
Mr. Alexander had operated the
Londesboro Seed Plant for many
years before his retirement.
Mr. Alexander’s funeral was held
on November 28 from Londesboro
United Church, with interment at
Baird’s Cemetery, Stanley Town
ship.
NOTICE
TO THE RATEPAYERS OF
ASHFIELD, WESTWAWANOSH AND
EAST WAWANOSH TOWNSHIPS
An all candidates meeting will be held at the Brookside
Public School on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1988 at 8
p.m. for those who are running for the position of trustee
with the Huron County Board of Education.
We hope you will take this opportunity to meet with the
candidates.
Linda Andrew,
Clerk-Treasurer,
Township of Ashfield.
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