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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1986-11-19, Page 15BUS DRIVERS GET AWARDS — Safe driving awards were handed out Monday night to bus drivers employed by the Exeter branch of Charterways Transportation. Back, left, Ken Baker, Bill Vanderweil, Elmer Rowe, George Pratt, Arnold Lindenfield, Shirley Kipfer, Mar- tin DeBrutrn, Aldeen Skinner, Pamela Wolper, Grant Triebner, Bill First woman to hold Huron post Vanderweil, Donna Smith, Gary Skinner, Harvey Smith and Andy Anderson. Front, Gordon Phillips, Pat Patterson, Jack Cockwill, Norm Walper, Sam Skinner, Don Dearing, Ken McClinchey, John McClin- chey, Jack Coates and branch manager Ken Ogden. Missing were Harold Hendrick, Allan Hendrick and Joyce Marrinan. Many firsts as warden honored It was a night of firsts when Huron County honoured its first woman warden at the annual warden's ban- quet Friday night at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre. The location of the dinner in Brussels was a departure from the normal tradition of holding the ban- quet in Goderich as Warden Leona Armstrong asked that the event be held in her home community. The reeve of Grey Township lives just out- side Brussels and has been active in the community in many capacities. In addition, as Bayfield Reeve Dave Johnston told the 265 people attending the banquet, it was the first time that both the warden and the warden's spouse had been pictured on the front of the banquet program. A color photo of Mrs. Armstrong and her husband Jim was on the cover of the program edition. It was fitting, Johnston said, because when Mrs. Armstrong's father, Harvey Johnston held his ban- quet as warden in 1952, it was the first occasion spouses had ever been in- vited to the banquet. Mrs. Armstrong instituted another first v hen she asked County Engineer B...Dempsey to propose a toast to Huron County. Mr. Dempsey, who recently announced his resignation to accept a position with an insurance company, said it gave him many deep feelings to be asked to propose the toast. Huron County, he said, is the end of the road - not only in physical terms, being beside Lake Huron - but in the long years of effort it took in building the county from pioneer days to the present. It is also the beginning of the road, for the young people who are growing up in the county, Dempsey added. It was a night, naturally, of praise for Mrs. Armstrong, who will com- plete her one-year term with the elec- tion of a new warden next month. There was gentle criticism, however, from Bruce County Warden Doug Thompson, who spoke on behalf of eight other counties represented at the dinner. He told the gathering Mrs. Armstrong had set a bad example for others at conventions because she wanted to attend all the work sessions. The warden was praised for her "quiet dignity" by Hullet Township Reeve Tom Cunningham, himself a warden in 1984. Mrs. Armstrong, he said, was not one of the most vocal her desk. members of the county's executive Among the most unique presenta- committee, but kept a calm hand on tions of the evening was a framed the controls. salute from the Michigan State He said he hoped she would be Legislature delivered by Glen Kerr, around at the county level to see the a friend of the Armstrongs and a completion of the projects that had member of the legislature. been started under her ad- ministration. The renovations at Huronview and the new Huron Coun- ty Pioneer Museum are two such pro- jects, he said. Mrs. Armstrong, following presen- tation of a county ring by McKillop Township Reeve Marie Hicknell and Hay Township Reeve Lionel Wilder, said her term as warden had been a most challenging and exciting year. She said she hoped that she had not forgotten how to cook in •the year of being away from home. Among the activities in which she had par- ticipated were three sesquicentennial celebrations in the county, the warden said. A few words of praise were also directed by Mrs. Armstrong to her husband Jim for his support throughout her term of office. During every session of county council dur- Times-Advocate, November 19 1986 Page 15 Iaimiiumans can't do fl u h about lake della* this fail. The' problem is not just the Lake levels but poor management of shoreline development, which has allowed people to build vacation pro- perties in potentially hazardous areas, say the 'researchers. They studied the reasons behind last Year's damages of some 130 mi11(alp and con- cluded there is a real -need for some kind of overall coastal'te manage- ment policy. t• - • The Great LakeeshOeiline has been extensively developed for recreation, housing, agriculture and Industry. But many shore areas cotta glacial sediment that is erosion pro- ne, resulting in loss of land during periods of high water and severe wave action. Davidson -Arnott says shorelines are dynamic physical features that are incompatible with static buildings. Most Great Lakes cottages were built between 1930 and 1940, during an unusually warm and dry period when lake levels were probably below average, says Kreutzwiser. Lake Huron was at least four feet higher about 350 years ago, he says. Although too little is known about fluctuations in lake levels to be cer- tain, it's possible today's levels are not high but average. • In an effort to protect their proper- ty private landowners have built many shore protection structures ranging from seawalls to metal groynes that protrude like piers into the water. A study by Davidson - Arnott found that 71 per cent of the structures built along the Lake On- tario shore in Stoney Creek failed within 10 years of construction. In ad- dition, shore protection efforts reduce the esthetic qualities of the coast and, in most cases, exacerbate erosion problems, he says. Cottager* _ on the Great Cakes have helplessly watched >atgrmy waves - submerge their beaches, lawns and eve!) houses during the last two years. This fall, Storing have already caus- ed extensive water damage in areas of Lake Huron, -.Lake,.Frie and Georgian Bay. Cottageraap blaming water levels that are the ghest for this century and pointing the finger of responsibility at .'govelft'Nnent for btl ldingt4nts, div And naviga- Hen structut 1 jiteVelland- Canal. <t L According to University of Guelph g+�oi . plsologisl :,B0 t_4 Davidson-. Arnott and geographer Reid Kreutz- wiser, it is long-term, above-average precipitation that is causing the period of high lake levels. The twc scientists say high levels are a natural phenomenon that human in- tervention can't alter enough to maid a difference during a severe storm when strong winds can raise lake levels six or seven feet within 12 to 18 hours. The researchers say they'd like to see initiatives taken to prevent damage . on the remaining undeveloped shoreline and to mitigate the damagealready done, perhaps by allowing developed areas to return to natural systems or by public acquisi- tion of beach front property. Kreutzwiser spent the summer working with a committee formed by Ontario's 'ministers of natural resources and municipal affairs to study long-term solutions for shoreline management along the Great Lakes. The committee held 20 public hearings, which usually involv- ed cottagers' organizations, and will release their findings and recommen- Centrolia courses face drastic cuts Farmers won't be able to take near- ly as many short courses through Centralia College of Agricultural Technology (CCAT) this year as they did last year since funding for most of the courses has been cut. The college's head of communica- tions and continuing education, Kathy Biondi, said last year the college ad- ministrated 54 free short courses in five counties and more than 1,000 farmers enrolled in them. However, the Canada Employment and Immigration Commission has ing the year, she said, Mr. Armstrong • completely withdrawn its funding for r r.hasattrange4i4•.dA}t >A?0%441i f tld@d ,��► lYeni 50 course to ten cote ses," Biondi•said. '°"s'Ilnles'k she can find funding through another program, only the one day livestock information seminars will be held. Bob McDougall, a counsellor for the employment commission in Goderich, said the funding cut was a consequence of the Canadian Job Strategy program introduced by the Canadian government last spring. It set out new guidelines for and objec- tives for training and the CCAT courses "weren't within what the department is allowed to purchase under the program." According to McDougall, some of the courses weren't long enough. The farm courses were not abandoned in favor of non-farm courses, he said. Biondi estimated that the costs of running a single three to five-day course amount to about $2,000 in - I saw a bluebird a month ago today and the thrill is still with me. He was perched with a group of sparrows, almost, but not quite in- distinguishable from them. When he turned his back and flitted to the ground he was obviously not a spar- row. That beautiful blue back and tail set him apart. And it was a he because the blue was bright and shiny in the sun. As is the case with many birds, nature made (he male much -more flamboyant than the female so that she can remain on the nest unseen. Maurice Maeterlinck in his 1909 play, The Blue Bit•d, made the bluebird a symbol of elusive hap- piness. Thoreau sa id bluebirds carry the. sky on their hacks. They were once plentiful in Ontario during (he summer months. As a boy in the Kawartha Lakes • area, I can remember seeing them many tines, especially in flocks in the I+F Farm Credit Corporation Canada ANNOUNCEMENT 44 Farm Credit Corporation Canada announces the appointMent of Jeff Heitkamp os Credit Advisor at its Goderich office He will .be serving the farmers in the Townships of Ashfield, East and West Wawanosh. Colborne, Hullett and McKillop in the County of Huron. Prior to ac• ceptance of this appoint- ment, Mr. Hietkomp was a Credit Advisor at our Woodstock office. He may be contacted at 21 East Street, Suite 203, Goderich, On• ario Telephone (519) 24-8381 Canada late fall, getting ready to migrate. As I understand it, two things have con- tributed to the drop in the bluebird population. They are almost rare these days. The agressiveness of the imported English sparrow has been one of the great reasons for the decline in the bluebird population. Wherever the bluebird nests, the sparrows follow. Soon. the bluebird eggs disappear and the sparrows take over. A second reason was the use of DDT. The chemical, widely -used by farmers after the war to kill weeds, affected the thickness of the eggshells. The bluebird was one of many species af- fected by the chemical, possibly because its favorite nesting places are orchards, farmyards, roadsides and open woodlands, the very spots where DDT would be used extensively. Recently, "though, I read that the bluebird is making a comeback in ('anada. Many people have enticed them back by making special nesting boxes for them and discouraging the sparrows from using them. 1 should not suggest that bluebirds are making a comeback in all of Canada. The bird I'm referring to is more correctly known as the eastern bluebird. It does not range west of the Rockies; in fact, it is rarely seen much more than 100 miles north of the Canna -USA. border. It migrates in the cold months to the southern United States, northern Mexico and Florida. It is, by the way, a member of the thrush family as is our harbinger of spring, the common robin. The bluebird has melodious song, almost a whistle, and is easily distinguishable from the sparrow. Until recently I never believed that serious hirdwatchers identify a bird's song and then find the bird and that is how they chalk up their birdwat- ching . totals. After hearing the bluebird's faint whistle in our bar- nyard last month, I now believe it. I heard the call and it took me half an hour with ;he field glasses to find that bluebird. It was worth it. 1 wat- ched hint for an hour with great glee. When he finally disappeared into the hardwood hush behind our house, the glow of his discovery stayed with me for hours and the thrill for weeks. I hope they are making a com- eback. It would be wonderful to see and hear them in profusion around our place. It is the only bluebird east of'the Great Plains in the U.S. and east of the Prairies in Canada. There is a Western bluebird, also a beautiful bird but unseen here. Also, 1 would like to see a mountain bluebird someday. I've heard they are sky-blue except for a white stomach. They do not have the rusty throat and breast like our eastern bluebird. I also hope Maeterlinck was right when he said bluebirds bring hap- piness. We sure could stand a big dose of that these days. eluding co-ordinator and instructor fees, and hall rental. If the co- ordinators fees were eliminated, she figured courses could be offered for $20 a day to classes of 20 people on a cost recovery basis. Another option is to ask producer groups to sponsor guest speakers. In the past couple of years an average of 1,200 or more producers enrolled in the free courses which ranged in subject from machinery repairs to young farmer training, to microcomputers in agriculture. The courses were held one day a week at oa,Au pail;. - -,n Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life con- sists , in the elimination of nonessentials. u Y, ns RANDY POINT FARMS CENTRED AROUND ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION • Our breeding stock provides our buyers with proven genetics from the top 3% animals tested across Canada. • Our program enables us to offer quality and health at o price that is hard to beat • We have an ongoing supply of A.I. sired +Hemp/Duroc, York/Landrace boars 8 Fl York/Landrace gilts • Our closed herd is ranked "Good" by the OMAF standards of .HRrd H alth Cla sificotion. Ca7�i dT our . stock anytime! Delivery available KURT KELLER R,R. 1, Mitchell, Ont. 519-348-8043 ONTARIO BEEF PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION INFORMATION MEETING LUCAN COMMUNITY CENTRE Thursday, November 27 at 7 p.m. All Dairy and Beef Producers Welcome EXETER DISTRICT CO-OPERATIVE ANNUAL MEETING FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21 .at South Huron Recreation Centre (Exeter) 6:30 p.m. BANQUET ; MEETING - DANCE Banquet Tickets :6.00 per person Advance Tickets Only. 235-2081 EXETER DISTRICT COOP 4 blocks west of the Fire Holl , 233-2081