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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1990-11-07, Page 6Page 4 Luchnow Saltine Wednesday November 1 MO iluron Fringe Field Naturalists are roamers and explorers Bags, fields, swamps, ood woods are places the Huron Fri ge iyield Neutralists like to .roam and explore. The club is well known for its Kincardine Christmas Bird Count and its blue bird houses can be seen. on fence posts in the area. Pet project The Huron. Fringe Field Natural- ists have taken on the preservaliuu of blue birds as their pet project.:' Club president, Geoffrey Walker'. initiated the project about four years -a Blue bird populations have dwindled, Mr. Walker : says, because they haven't -anywhere to build their nests. "Forty to 50 years ago blue birds couldbe seen in flocks .around here," he says. • Mr, Walker says his`'group have been working very hard putting up blue bird houses so the blue birds can nest, The naturalists check the houses and try to keep out the sparrow and wrest population by sweeping out their nests, Mr. Walker says the blue birds are shy and not very aggressive birds and won't nest when other birds have invaded their space. Bird houses can be seen on fence posts along roads , mostly in Huron and Ashfield Townships and on the properties of members, who Wanted a flash of blue to brighten their lives. HELPING SIMONE KIRTON, Centre of Huron Township feed the birds in her back yard are. other members of the Huron Mr. Walker has also had local schools involved in helping the blue bird. population as well, He gives talks to school and gives boxes to young people who are interested in. school and the kids put them. together. They do a goad job,' Mt. Walker says. After the students have finished building the bird houses they put them up around the school and are responsible ur thtrtaittxaancc. Mr, Wakfoes sayseir he tcwouldn't want to start with students any younger than in grade four, but if any teacher is interested. he invites' theist. to .call him at his home at RR3 Ooderich., His;. number is 529- 7777; Christmas bird count • The Huron Fringe Field Natural- ists are also involved in bird count- ing; and the seventh annual Kincardine Christmas, Bird Count will take place Saturday, Dec. 29. On that day, the members of the club will walk through their previ- ously designated area and count the birds they see. Last year 20 birders braved snow, wind and cold to list a total of 6,452 individual birds,-comprisedof . ' 43 species. Fringe Field Naturalists, presi this Was the. first count that dent Geoff Walker, left and his . included . no. song sparrows and Wife Ruth, far right,(Bev ,Fry white -throated sparrows and the Photo) ; numbersfor the house fnch and. ' cardinal' were down • substantially Loin. the 1988 count. Five Canada Geese were counted, the first time k they've been spotted since the count began. tending them. -We will make the bird house, the Ministry. of the environment pays for the materials. We take the bird houses in bits and pieces to the Many interesting outings This past year the Huron Fringe Field NaturaliSis have walked. Because wife assault usually, happens at home, people tend• to think of it as a family affair. But wife -assault is not a private matter. It is .a crime. As a community we should all be concerned. For emergency' assistance or referral, call the Wife Assault Helpline, listed in the white pages of your telephone directory or call the police. Ontario. Women's Directorate 0 Ofltark.. WIFE ASSAULT IS AGAINST THE LAW through the Faulkner Tract in the Bruce County Forest followi eg trails through varied habitat. They have also visited Langside Bog and Dickey's ay's Green. it is one of the very fear bop in the area. The site is part of a linkage system to the Lucknow River which allows a good corridor for animal movement. Dickey's Creek was originally a large river, as indicated by the old riverbank, The waterway is also part of the Weknow River system and is a good waterbird habitat, n In September, the group went for a walk through, Carcenocic Swamp. and the Schmidt Lake Nature area and preserve and in October went bi'rding at the Kincardine sewage lagoon, The area is well known for its different types of birds. Each year the Huron Fringe Field Naturalists have an outing especial- ly geared for children. In June the group. went to Ken and Bonnie • Holtby's farm just east, of Kincatone where children ' were shown several 'varieties of ducks and were able to swim inthe pond. They` were also taken on a tour of the barband a walk in the 'bush,. Atitsinonthly meetings, the local naturalists often view slides- and listen to presentations by guest speakers Who have visited other parts of the world. Hiking through West Wawanosh The' ;group will be walking through river. flats,, hardwood and cedar bush on the farm. of Norman and Florence Wightman on Conces- sion 4, West Wawanosh at its next outing Nov.. 10 at 10 .a.m. Anyone who is interested .isinvited' to attend. Watch for :: the black and yellow HaN signs. Phone Mr. Walker for more information. • Increase in agricultural business anticipated, Asia/Pacific regio Ontario's agriculture and food industry could achieve a $250 mil- lion increase in exports to the Asia/Pacific region over the next five years, according to Michael Loh, Ontario Ministry of Agricul- ture and Food', (OMAF) senior rentative in Tokyo. verse opportunities are ex- pected, , with continued market liberalization' in the Asia-Pacific region in the 1990s," said Loh. "Licreased sales of Ontario products will most likely result from further expansion of major existing exports such -as pork and soybeans." Small but significant growth could come from increased exports of - whisky,, hides and furs, breeding stock, biotechnology. and 'ginseng, according to Loh. Japan, Taiwan and Korea are Ontario's three main export markets. Hong Kong and Singapore are also important as key importers of Ontario products. The Asia-Pacific region is On- tario's fastest . growing market. In the last five years, it has doubled its .exports from $144' million in 1984 to $318 million in 1989. By the end of 1990, the region is expected to be the second largest market for Ontario exports after the United States, surpassing Western Europe for the first time in the province's history. "In recent years, increasing market liberalization and the growing prosperity of Asian countries have created a demand for quality Omsk) agricultural and food products, Loh said. "Having representatives in the market ' place has definitely increased the activity of Ontario firms in the Asia/Pacific region," Said Loh. "In the past, exporters tended to shy away from doing business in the region because they were unfamiliar with languages, business practices and import regulations." OMAF provides the supportthese firms need to breakinto the market. This includes basic market surveys for Ontario firms to determine sales potential for their products. "To cope with the demand for market information, the Ontario Ministry. ,of Agriculture and Food office in Tokyo has compiled business reference materials for this region; to help Ontario businesses of all sizes participate in the export expansion program," explained Loh. OMAF Tokyo helps build per- sonal contacts between buyers and sellers through numerous trade missions and other promotion ac- tivities. New buyers are regularly recruited and the Tokyo office facilitates Asian .buyers' access to Ontario suppliers through introduc- tions, sample shipments and per- sonal visits. Trade shows have been sponsored in Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul and Sin- gapore: In Japan, staff works with the Canadian Embassy to organize food • fairs at major • supermarkets and hotels, while new food items are regularly added to the range of -products assembled for trade shows and Canadian food fairs. Loh said OMAF will continue to identify market niches where ,generic products can break through, using selection, processing, pack- ggingand brand identification tech- niques. "This decade promises tremen- dous growth potential for Ontario agricultural and food exports. With a keen eye on targeting oppor- tunities pportunities and optimizing responses to the growing demand in the Asia/Pacific region, I think there's a bright and lucrative future for Ontario's exports," Loh said.