HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1989-03-15, Page 22Page 22
Times -Advocate, March 15, 1989
Sun Bow! stars - The winning team of the "OV Sun Bowl" held at the Zurich bowling lanes on Febru-
ary 4, consisted of back left to ;right, Frank Stokkermans, Klaus Jeromkins and Doug Smith Jr. Front,
Teresa Jeromkin and Sherry Sauder. Photo courtesy The Advance
Most Canadians love our national
bird.
As a kid at home in southern On-
tario. it was a tremendous thrill to
hear Canada geese plaintively honk-
ing their way north in the spring.
The Giant Canadas were almost
extinct at one time..
Only a handful were found 25
years ago and wildlife officials
nursed them back in special ponds
and special programs throughout
the province. Helping them rebound
was the absence of DDT. When this
substance was banned, eggshells re-
tained their hardness and almost all
birds joined the comeback trail.
The program to replant the .Giant
Canadas in southern Ontario has
been almost too successful. They
are breeding at a rate unprecented in
modern history. In the late 1960s,
about two dozen were found nesting
around the perimeter of Lake Onta-
rio. Officials now believe the popu-
lation exceeds 100,000.
They arc beautiful birds. To sec
the big flocks and hear them over-
head is food for the soul.
I did a couple of feature stories
when officials were trying to rein-
troduce them 25 years ago. At that
time, the eggs and the parent birds
were placed on floating platforms in
dozens of public ponds. The pro-
gram has succeeded far beyond the
expectations of the time.
The Giant Canadas do not fly
south for the winter as the smaller
honkers do. They simply follow
open water south. It can be as cold
as a penguin's pinafore but if the
ponds and streams are open, the
Giant Canadas hang around.
So what is the point of all this?
They are becoming a nuisance.
Goose deparadation of crops has in-
creased with the increase in the
goose population. Regular readers
know I am a walker. I walked in a
ihne loot in
by
furroWJ
lanais Jr! apprK,aled by eo0 Trotter EMa+e Rd Erm077 Om N3q 2C 7
beautiful public park last fall and
had to go out on the street because
an entire arca of that park was
choked with geese and their drop-
pings.
Geese graze and destroy corn
seedlings, beets, carrots, soybeans,
wheat, rye oats and barley. They
have also attacked vegetable gar-
dens, particularly tomato plants and
cucumbers.
Because they arc our national bird
and beloved by most of the popula-
tion, they are on the protected list.
But they are costing some farmers
millions in crop damage.
You can scare them away, of
course. but you need a permit to
shoot them unless you do it during
the hunting season from Septem-
ber 24 to December 21 and from
January 16 to January 21 last sea-
son. But -- and it is a big but -
most of the areas where damage is
highest arc closed to hunting at
any time of tho year.
Even if hunting was to be al-
lowed in more populated areas, I'm
sure most farmers would rather
have the geese than some of the
hunters. They might do more dam-
age than the geese.
It gets complicated, of course,
because emotions run strong. I do
not own a gun of any kind and
never have. I have trouble under-
standing people who hunt for
pleasure. Killing God's creatures
for sport is not my idea of a good
time.
Therefore, hunters are at the bot-
tom of my list.
Something, though, is going to
have to be done to curb the grow-
ing goose population. If the explo-
sion is unchecked, the damage will
increase every year. Another
drought year when geese are forced
to switch from dried grass to green
crops will certainly exacerbate the
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Offer ends March 26, 1989.
problem.
Wildlife officials are advocating a
program to allow hunters on pri-
vate lands and to extend the hunt-
ing season for geese, because geese .
on private property arc most cer-
tainly causing damage on neigh-
boring farms.
If it happens, I'll just have to get
earplugs when the season starts.
Ain't it a shame that we can't con-
trol the population and prevent the
damage in some other way?
Hay council releases 1988
remuneration and pay increases
ZURICH - Former deputy -reeve
Claire Deichert received the highest
amount of remuneration of the
members of Hay council last year.
Deichert's convention expenses and
registration fees pushed his remu-
neration up to the $6,488.74 mark
last year.
Councillor Donald Weigand re-
ceived the next highest amount,
S5,536.55, due mostly to the num-
beit.of special meetings he attended.
Reeve Lionel Wilder received a
total of $5,283.65 for the year,
$750 of which is for his cheque
signing authority.
Councillors•Murray Keys and Gc-
rald Shantz were remunerated
$4,892.30 and $5,227.90 respec-
tively.
Details of remuneration break-
down are available at the munici-
pal office.
Hay council members are also
automatically trustees of the Hay
Council Telephone Company; re-
muneration for this responsibility
has never been made public.
Council approved wage increases
for municpal staff at their January
meeting. Part-time labour will be
hired in 1989 at a rate of $7 an
hour, increasing to $7.50 and $8
an hour in 1990 and 1991 respec-
tively.
The works superintendent will be
paid $32,150 in 198.9, rising to
$34,450 in 1991.
The clerk treasurer will be paid
$35,150 in 1989, $36,300 in
1990, and $37,450 in 1991.
The water project supervisor will
be paid $17,150 in 1989, rising to
$19,450 in 1991.
The reeve will be paid $120 for
each meeting and special meeting
in 1989. The deputy -reeve will re-
ceive $115 for the same, and coun-
cillors will be paid $110.
Shipka couple back from Florida
By Annie Morenz
SHIPKA - At last week's pro-
gressive euchre party held at the
Community Centre there were sev-
en tables in play with twelve
games played.
Winners were: ladies high Joan
Finkbeiner; ladies low Gwen
McKellar, Zurich; mens high Harry
Sheppard, Parkhill; mens low won
by Sandra Dietrich playing a man's
card; most lone hands for ladies
Mabel Fraser; most lone hands for
men John Dietrich.
The north group ,were in charge
of arrangements and lunch.
Another euchre will be held in
two weeks on March 22.
Personals
Karen Guenther has received word
that she passecji,her final exams as a
Certified Management Accountant.
Congratulations Karen!
Sporting nice tans after several
weeks holidays in Pomona arca of
Florida, are Harold and Doreen
Finkbeiner, who returned home last
Friday.
Ferman and Leota Snyder, visited
a couple days last week, in London,
at their daughter's, Esther and Ric
Storey and son Scou.
Thursday evening, Hugh and I at-
tended a birthday party, for his sis-
ter, Hazel Corbett, at Hensall.
Attending were Ross and Donna
Corbett, Steve and Janine Corbett,
Gerry, Cecilia and Laura, Al and
Joan Corbett, Jonathon, Cathy and
Becky, all of Hensall area, Connie
and Bob Chaffe, Mitchell, Marjorie
Adams, Exeter, Jeff and Sheila Cor-
bett, Lindsay and Michael, of Staf-
fa.
In the social time we reminisced
and visited and played with five of
Hazel's great grandchildren who
were present.
Lunch refreshments and birthday
cake rounded out the evening.
Hugh and I visited an afternoon
last week with Carl and Phyllis
Niebergall, in Southcott Pines, and
enjoyed a number of solo games
with them.
4-11 news
The "Eight Nifty Knitters",
Grand Bend I.4 -H club met Tues-
day, March 7 at Lori Finkbeiner's
house. The next meeting will be
held at Jaqui Vandenberk's home, at
6:30 on March 14.
At the meeting we worked with
dyes. We used onion skins, koolaid,
walnuts, Rit dye and tea as our
dyes. We dyed pure sheep's wool
and some white yarn. Also we
worked on our projects.
Junior leader Connie
plained how to judge
knitted articles.
Russell ex -
a class of
By Lori Finkbeiner,
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Lydia C. Martin
Home (519) 745-7866
J. Robert Benner,
B. Comm., LL.B.
is pleased to announce the relocation of his prac-
tice effective March 20, 1989, to spacious new of-
fices at:
J. Robert Benner
Barrister and Solicitor
200 Main Street
Lucan, Ontario
NOM 2J0
Telephone: 227-4441
Fax: 227-1701
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1
If we told you Barbara speaks with her hands, wou youiI en:
"At first my being deaf was difficult. I had to
have patience to help my co-workers feel
more comfortable with me. Now they
knows how much I can do."
Ietween the deaf community and the
hearing world, difficulty in communicating
For a poster of this ad tcrite:
Ontario Office for Disabled Persons.
700 Bay Street. 16th Floor,
Toronto, Ontario MSG 126
can he an isolating and fnlstrating�7 harrier.
Yet, every day, people like Barhar:iare fac-
ing the challenges and building bridges.
With encouragement and support
from her family, the deaf community and
hearing people, Barbara has;had access
to teachers and interpreters who have
opened doors to a promising tuture. •
Barbara is doing everything she can to be
recognized and accepted for her abilities.
Let's see what she and other. like her have
to wand hear what they're .,tying.
Do you have an open mind?
Office for
Disabled Persons
O Ontario
Remo Mancini. Minister
David Peterson, Premier