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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1992-08-19, Page 17Government programs enable ABPA to employ students By Michelle Ellison T -A Staff EXETER - Two government pro- grams are enabling the Ausable- Bayfield Conservation Authority to accomplish important environmen- tal work this summer while giving eight students practical experience that will be advantageous to them in the future of environmental stud- ies. The summer programs dealing with shoreline management, spe- cial environment monitoring and environmental maintenance are funded under the Experience and Environmental Youth Corps pA,- grams through the federal govern- ment. Anita Broers of Kirkton is a third year geography and environmental science major at the University of Western Ontario and is currently updating a 1984 review of Environ- mentally Significant Areas (ESA). She says these are mainly wood- lands and wetlands that are private- ly owned, but play a significant role in supporting rare plant or ani- mal life. "We are trying to get the owners aware of the significant areas so if we let them know they won't clear the land as quickly," says Broers, adding that the significant areas can also be destroyed by drainage. Broers' duties include research- ing over 50 designated areas to record any changes in size and con- dition since the compiling of the 1984 data and map out all the ESAs in the Ausable-Bayfield wa- tershed. The inventory is scheduled for completion and release to the pub- lic this fall following on-site re- search by Broers herself. Another project developed be - Mapping at charting are important aspects of both Jacqui LaPorte (left) and Anita Broers' duties as summer students at the Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority working on differ- ent environmental assessments. cause. of the concent over erosion along the shore of Lake Huron is the Shoreline Managt nent Plan and Sir Sanford Fleming water re- sources student, Jacqui LaPorte, has been on hand to organize three open house forums to discuss the ProPosed Pim Nearly 300 people attended last week's forum and LaPorte says, "ft's good to see that many people out because we use their comments to do the second draft of the plan." LaPorte has been doing mapping and drafting of the shoreline, orga- nizing the openhouses and design- ing information pamphlets for hon- eowners on the shoreline. LaPorte also feels she has gained on-site knowledge of the impor- tance of diverting the erosion pro- cess through public assistance. "lt's important that people keep an open mind, listen to the techni- "We get involved in many aspects of ABCA, so we get a taste of everything." cians and submit written comments on the plan," advises Laporte. "It really means something to have their contribution." Both 20 year-old LaPorte and 22 year-old Broers feel lucky that as students they landed summer em- ployment related to their career in- terests. "If we have to do a thesis or something in school we can use this experience. We also have con- tact (names)," says LaPorte. This association with the entire authority is what both girls agree has been most beneficial. Up to • date computer programs and con- tact with different employees have taught the students about all as- pects of the environmental field in which they may someday choose a career. "It's a big and upcoming field," says Broers. "There's going to be a Improper management turns landfills into 'time bombs' GUELPH - Without proper man- agement, the toxic elements in many of Ontario's 30,000 landfills can turn them into time bombs, says a University of Guelph land resource scientist Prof. Les Evans says inappropri- ate landfill management practices, especially the addition of chloride, can mobilize toxic elements and move them into ground water. "Landfills; in an environmental sense. are like time bombs ready to go off every time chloride is add- ed," he says. Working with postdoctoral stu- dent David Lumsdon and graduate student Kim Bolton, Evans is inves- tigating the movement of heavy metals such as mercury, cadmium and lead in soil and sediment. The results have been startling. When chloride ions are present, there is virtually no absorption of mercury by soil or sediments and reduced absorption of cadmium and lead. Instead, the elements become pan of the landfill leachate, working their way towards surface or ground water. "This can have serious health and environmental consequences," Evans says. Normally, metal ions in landfills are attracted to the negatively charged surfaces of soil particles. But metal ions can also combine or "complex" with same of the other organic and inorganic ions in the landfill leachate. The most com- mon of these are negatively charged chloride ions from salt, which enter landfills through the disposal of salt -contaminated snow or from food-processing industry wastes. This complexing can be danger- ous, he says. Complexing with chloride, for ecample, reduces the attraction of the metal to the soil particles. Instead of sticking to soil, the metals nnay be carried into near- by surface and ground water. In the laboratory, Evans measures Granton by Muriel Lewis GRANTON - Decoration Day was held at the Granton Cemetery on Sunday. Percy Hodgins has made a good recovery, having spent the pest week in hospital. F.W.LO. Conference '92 Muriel Lewis enjoyed a bus trip with a group of other Women's In- stitute members, mainly from Mid- dlesex. August 6 to 11 when they attended the F.W.I.O. Conference '92 held at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. Two keynote speakers projected the Conference theme "Reach for the Stars" and a choice of work- shops enabled participants to put the there into practice. The Finnish Dancers entertained at the opening on Friday evening. The Hon. Lyn McLeod, Ontario Liberal Leader from Thunder Bay addressed the conference following the Saturday luncheon on "On Way to reach .the Stars". At Ibis time a Canadian Deslgaers Fashion Show entitled Serenade was also much appreciated. Many outside tours before and af- ter the conference were available, the most popular being Old Fort William. Amethyst Mine, Thunder Bay City and Kakabeka Falls. Leaving on Thursday morning and staying overnight in Wawa, the bus group reached Thunder Bay in time for a city tour and the confer- ence opening at 7 p.m. On the re - tum trip which began on Sunday af- ternoon, overnight stops were made at Duluth, Minnesota and Macki- naw City, Michigan. At the St. Thomas' Anglican church on Sunday, the Reverend Stephen Emery celebrated Holy communion and the message theme was the assurance that (keel will provide in present day times of anx- iety and uncertainty. Service -time for the next two Stmdays is 8:30 That sass no service at the Unit- ed Church on Swnday. filar ser- vices commence spin on August 30. the absorption by soil of toxic met- als in the presence and absence of chloride ions. The chloride concen- trations used are similar to those found in typical landfill leachates. To detect the heavy metals, Evans is using a new 525.000 pola- rography unit, a gift from the Radi- ometer Corp. through its Canada agent, Bach -Simpson Ltd. of Lon-! don. He is one of only four re- searchers in North America to re- ceive such a unit, a recognition of his work in the applied aspects of metal specialization. "The polarography unit allows me to detect minute concentrations - as small as 0.1 parts per billion - of metals in water," he says. "And unlike traditional methods, it al- lows me to measure the proportion of free metal, the most toxic form of metals in water." Evan's work is funded by the On- tario Ministry of the Environment and the Natural Sci Linces and Engi- neering Research Council. Usbome & Hibbert Mutual Fire Insurance Company Exeter, Ontario NOM 181 (Established in 1876) Provides Full Insurance Coverage for Farm Properties New Applications are Welcomed DIRECTORS & ADJUSTERS Jack Hardpan RR 3 Luca° 127.4306 Larry Gardiner, RR2, Staffs ..341.2[78 Lloyd Morrison, RRI St. Marys ...329-4277 Lome Feeney. Mitchell ,145.5163 Jack Hedger% RRI, Kirkion 394152 Joseph Chills, RAS Michell 4454705 AGENTS Ross Hodpsrt, Easter ,236.3200 John Moore, Dublin ..$464112 Joseph iniac, Mitchell .414012 Head Ottios, Exeter 1960360 A refund from surplus was ds- clsrsd for all policy hoklMit who qualify, aro on r000rd Met in good standing as at Decant - bar 31. 1991. lot [of careers) out there (to choose from I.' Also getting first hand experience that may lead to a career in envi- ronmental studies are four other students who work throughout the Ausable-Bayfield area to improve various environmental conditions. Andrew Thompson, who has been with the conservation authori- ty for two years, supervises Jeff Turnbull,' Mike Agnew and Joanna Chardola in daily duties involving trail and stream maintenance, boardwalk and dock building, ero- sion control projects and placement of gabian baskets. '"It's a good program. We get in- iSf�7QlitfSQl' ZEBRA MUSSEL HOTLINE INFORMATION. SIGHTINGS. SOURCES 1-800-653-7711 0‘14111"1 1I"".1111\ 111 lit Ik 11 \ II "1 volved In many aspects of ARCA, so we get a taste of everything. That is beneficial for anyone want- ing to get into the field," says Thompson. This crew is also extremely pleased to be a pan of the young environmentalists at Ausable- Bayfield because of the hands-on , experience. "It's a foot in the door," says Turnbull who studies Geo -Science at Sir Sanford Fleming College. "It can open many doors," adds Agnew about the up and coming field. John Schwindt, extension Servic- es manager with the ABCA, be- lieves the summer programs -serve two important functions. Through their participation in the projects, he says, the students gain an insight into the environmental and resource management fields. "We give them training and knowledge of what a conservation agency is and does. As well, these programs extend our budget, allow- ing us to do things we wouldn't oth- erwise do," says Schwindt. Red Haven Peaches Pick your own, your containers Starting Sat., Aug. 22 Former Undsey Orchards Bayfield Phone 482-3366 •,t &PS agi) :yo1:1 ('TPi� 1 ioN (' 99 b annwrrsar-v s cul 11. y�� THE DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY BAND N\ banner 11's you. is. ,)11,. 11)11 or arty annlversnr% ,,'t N•r1.7rt., t lt15 vl'ar, loll iter vou[I nta rr\ nrr all over /Rall, 421 Main St., S. Exeter 235-2720 Listowel, 135 Wallace Ave. N. N4W 1K8 291-3280 Wingham, 201 Josephine St. NOG 2W0 357-1911 . �. 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