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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1995-11-15, Page 2Page 2 Times -Advocate, November 15, 1995 IN THF NEWS_ Regional wrap up Preliminary. hearing set for Steve Murray GODERICH - A preliminary hearing date has been set for Steve Murray, 45, of Goderich, who is facing a second-degree murder charge, reported the Mitchell -Advocate. Murray is charged in connec- tion with the disappearance of his daughter, Mistie Nicole Mur- ray, who has not been seen since she was reported missing May 31. The preliminary hearing will take place March 5 to 8. Lobby group claims plan can save millions GODERICH - The Concerned Citizens of Ashfield who oppose a Huron County landfill site in their township presented a new one-stop waste collection plan to County Council last Thursday. According to the plan, the county can save $40 million by dismissing plans for a landfill in Ashfield Township and accept- ing a plan from Bluewater Recy- cling, reported the Clinton News -Record. Spokesperson Rob McQueen told council Bluewater is pro- posing to take 100 per cent of the waste generated in the county. Under the plan, Blue - water would recycle 75 per cent of what it collects. The remain- ing waste could be incinerated. The Bluewater plan will begin in 1996 as a pilot project in three municipalities. Morris Tract will not be logged GODERICH - After a 90 - minute closed session, Huron County Council recognized the intrinsic value in the Morris Tract is greater than the timber value, reported the Goderich Signal -Star. Council approved a motion by Councillor Bill Weber of Ste- phen Township that the Ministry of Natural Resources commence the clean-up of the tree damage to the tract caused by the July storm and further that the Nature Conservancy of Canada be giv- en the first opportunity to make an offer on the Morris Tract. It was also announced an ap- praisal of the property valued the timber at $160,000 and the land between $125,000 and $150,000. Christmas Bureau accepting donation HURON COUNTY - The Hu- ron County Christmas Bureau is accepting donations of food, toys and new clothing beginning the,week of December 4. There are five 1995 Bureau lo- cations in Huron including Exet- er Pentecostal Tabernacle at 670 Main St. S. and drop-off points in Goderich, Wingham, Seaforth and Clinton. "While it may seem terribly early to be thinking about Christmas, the volunteers who manage the Bureau have been working since September pre- paring to help brighten Christ- mas for more than 1,000 needy - children across the county," stated a Children's Aid Society press release. 1 Reminder of sacrifice Speakers remind us of sacrifices our forces continue to make EXETER - Speakers at Re- membrance Day events during the weekend remind us of the sacrifice Canadians made during two World Wars and continue to make in on- going peacekeeping efforts. Rod MacAlpine, a 35 -year mem- ber of the regular force, was the guest speaker at the Exeter Legion Remembrance Day banquet held Saturday night. MacAlpine retired in July after commanding the successful trans- formation of the Meaford Tank Range from a dormant to active base. In an era of military cut- backs, the development from a staff of just eight to over 200 with ac- comodation for 1,000 has been a tremendous accomplishment. MacAlpine spoke to the Legion group about the changes the Ca- nadian miliary has faced and the sacrifices the Town of Exeter and surrounding communities have made. Exeter lost 31 men in WWII and 52 in WWI. The role of the military has evolved into a peacekeeping force that often has its hands tied with re- spect to what it is able to do. Wit- nessing ethnic cleansing in eastern Europe and the bruality of Rwanda present professional diffiulties for Canadian soldiers and peacekeep- ers who fiave lost the distinction of a front line and spend much of their time in negotiations. Jake Cornish, shot down 50 year ago and taken prisoner, spoke of his experiences at the Hensall Le- gion Banquet and the close bonds prisoners of war form that carry on today. "You get to know you're prisoner pals better than you know parents," said Cornish. In 1984 Cornish travelled to Hol- land for the 40th anniversary of lib- eration. Dutch people flew Cornish and his wife to Holland where he was presented with many tokens of remembrance and thanks. He said the trip made him aware of how the Canadian efforts in WWII are still appreciated across Europe. • ttttti min * MEI — tom::'` • tttttt4 ,ti: :.. uta At. -w IIR ,`•44w* IRE • 111R1 riot rr ttS►' —1 71# ;: S i 411 MI ,::'si■ _1 t, Rod MacAlpine receives thanks from Exeter R.E. Pooley Branch 167 Legion President Bill Wilds for speaking at the Re- membrance Day Banquet held Saturday night. Opinion Pinery Park looking for volunteers to count deer Pinery hopes to have a to- tal of 350 volunteers for Nov. 18 Park Deer Survey By Bill Kilburn - Naturalist The folks running Pinery Provincial Park must think us local people are a few needles short of a tree. Pinery is now looking for volunteers tgggrve as "Deer Surveyors" for the 1995 Park Deer Survey on Nov. 18. What are the benefits of becoming one of these deer surveyors? Well, you get to roll out of bed in the early morning hours, dress in your warm- est winter clothes, and spend the next four hours walking five kilometres up steep hills and through dense underbrush. So seriously, Pinery, why would anyone want to help count your deer? Jeff Skevington, park nat- uralist, bills it as "a unique opportunity for local people to see the park and its inhabitants, in a way not seen otherwise." Skevington says because this is the rutting or mating season, peculiar deer be- haviour may be observed, such as "sneaking deer". Sneaking deer? "Instead of bounding away, bucks, or male deer, actually have been known to sink to their knees, ant- lers and all, and crawl through the underbrush to avoid intruders, rather than risk leaving their val- uable mating territories," explained Skevington. Sounds intriguing, but why count deer in the first place? Terry Crabe, resource manager at Pinery, of- fers the answer. "The resource management strategies developed for the park with respect to deer will be based on the work done in the survey. Along with vegetation studies and pellet group [deer dropping!] counts, the numbers obtained will help us to determine if it is necessary to reduce the size of the deer herd in Pin- ery." The importance of the survey is the reason local residents and first-time participants Sean and Sue Morrison have decided to become involved. "We also get to see the park for free," added Sue. Sold on the idea of becoming a deer surveyor yet? You better hurry to sign up! Pinery already has over 200 of a hoped for 350 volunteers spending this week counting their fingers and toes in prepara- tion for the count. If you're interested in participating as a deer sur- veyor, you can reach Jeff Skevington or Lisa Ramm at Pinery by calling (519) 243-8545. Please note: Only pre -registered participants will be granted entry to the park on the morning of the survey. A free lunch will be served at the conclu- sion of the count in appreciation of the participants. Number of deer accidents increase ar Continued from front page to the woods where they eventually die, sometimes because they are made easy prey for coyotes. According to a general survey based on the animals' tracks, ap- proximately 72 deer crossed roads surrounding the Pinery each day last winter but thanks to special re- flectors and controlled hunts, along with a few severe winters that have decreased the deer reproduction rate due to less available food, ac- cident numbers are down. During the past two years deer accidents have numbered 20 to 30 per year in the Pinery area, while a three -year - peak from 1991 to 1993 revealed 90 to 100 such accidents each year. Although roadside reflectors are considered useful since vehicle lights bounce off them to produce a red warning flash that may re- semble eyes of predator, it's dif- ficult to determine if such reflectors acutally work in deterring deer from dossing roads near the Pin- ery. In a 1993 experiment when black bags were placed over newly - installed reflectors, less deer were hit due to being spooked. However, such reflectors, without being cov- ered by bags, have been known to work in Western Canada and Eu- rope. Combined with controlled hunts, the reflectors do mean less deer are getting hit near the Pinery. This is the fourth year of a controlled hunt, which takes place from late August to late December on the outskirts of the park. During the past three years, the hunt, conducted by bow and shotgun hunters, has resulted in the elimination of 125 deer each year in the three kilometre 93 C hunting zone surrounding the park. Crabe said the aim of the hunt is "specifically to address the crop damage and deer accidents," add- ing deer population is "on the downward side." The less food available for deer in the park, he explained, the more they wander to farmers' fields in search of food. As a result of the controlled hunt, there are less deer - related accidents around the park, farmers are experiencing less crop damage and park boundaries are re- ceiving less damage. Not only is the Ministry of Nat- ural Resources concerned with deer along the Pinery's perimeter, it may take steps to keep the number of deer within the park under control. Last summer the park had its man- agement plan amended to allow in- ternal deer reduction if needed. In the last deer survey, conducted in 1993, 827 deer were counted. The Pinery is normally able to support 175 to 200 deer. On Saturday the Pinery will con- duct its second such survey with the help of 300 volunteers who will form continuous lines across the park and walk inwards in an effort to count the deer. "That's probably the most ac- curate method we use," said Crabe, adding, "Once we do this count, we'll know (more about) this situa- tion." Damage to Lynn Tremaln's van, which included a smashed headlight and dented roof, Is considered to be under the aver- age amount of damage done to a vehicle when it hits fl deer crossing the road. Average damage estimate9 are In the $1,500 to $2,000 range. OCWA reviews proposal with Biddulph council BIDDULPH TOWNSHIP - In reviewing the proposal to operate and maintain the water facilities for the township, council learned if ownership of the facility was transferred to the municipality, or if 'the township decided not to have (OCWA) Ontario Clean Water Agency as the contractor running the facility, it would have to pay $27,000 in order to pay off the debt on the frontage and connections. Bruce Boland, of OCWA, also informed council such a transfer would entail legal fees incurred by the ministry. At council's last meeting, Boland said the transfer would only involve a registration fee. At the request of council, the contract's due date has been ex- tended to its next meeting on Nov. 21. Council refuses grants for hotel BIDDULPH TOWNSHIP - On Nov. 7 council declined committing any grants to the Lucan and Area Heritage Committee for the purpose of help- ing to save and restore the Grand Central Hotel. The Heritage Committee approached council on Oct. 16 with the pro- posal of Committee Chair Mike Anderson. Because the committee has not presented council with a capital financial plan and operating budget, and because council lacks funds for the project, especially in light of provincial government funding doubts, council de- clined financial commitment to the project. On Oct. 16, Lucan Council re- jected Anderson's proposal for similar reasons. Warm room to be finished by December +' Continued from front page Members of the community have long requested a warm and easily accessible room be built in the are- na for those with respiratory prob- lems, the elderly and the phys- ically challenged. The Rec Centre first looked into building a warm room five years ago but a lack of funds prevented them from starting the project. Mike Soldan, board chairperson, said the project will cost $25,000 and so far nearly 75 per cent of the funds have been raised by com- munity service groups, local busi- nesses and concerned citizens. Since Tom McCann stepped for- ward to make the first donation pledging $1,000 towards the pro- ject in memory of his wife Pauline, other groups quickly followed in- cluding a $1,000 . donation from Exeter Minor Hockey Association and $1,000 from the Exeter Le- gion. "We've had some sizable dona- tions from the service clubs now we're looking for individuals to help," said Soldan. "We are re- alizing the fundut we still need a little more help with donations." Urlin said two weeks ago one of the spectators at an Exeter Hawk hockey game donated all the mon- ey he won from the scoring draw to the warm room project. "That's the kind of community spirit we need to pull this off," said Urlin adding a number of in- dividual contractors have vol- unteered their labor in the construc- tion process. Soldan said it is important to keep the fundraising drive alive be- cause the room will still need to be fumished and decorated after it's constructed. "We're hoping the general public in Exeter will come through and put us over our goal, and from what I've seen so far, I'm convinced we will have a functioning warm room by next month." /4r1' U XAT!Ok . Iffivier . KA -0? Your home office can and should 1' y•ur dram come true. The mixt;, re of prints adds a lot to Nus rcx•m, layerins (inc beautiful thrrs 00 tole of another from walls to windows- This room is Ji..,eticmnl but beautiful top! - l•.r t9/3 - A tradition of professional .rrvice and quality at truly affordable prices. RAINTREE Deign fr Decoration Timothy St. Louis. ARID°. IDC 85 Downie Street, next to the Anon Theatre • pWfar 519-273-6322 — out of town call l-80('-461-2617 1 • OAC. fix tit; months • tandNd Tim Offer ¶bn mtmben may apply for membership Mir NNW bene.e. y a $1400. iw.ow la err mobs a Asp ar amp bww.r er 1,,.".r eV pwr d"`°a 1.61174; pwn �a '., w.r FM b so MI ter +arp+ct w he1.,. vase AI p« ared yw Id ib im m rod utctwill or hard promo'.b. wi,�.�d prem. Ie.' h.. w Swoo slide' mow ell ~i.�m%rpe. Is may ad1e pis �114sp4rei pwrMood w w...wher rho world W w isle d.ecceee. d W Os w..i M Ord w b.y •i r1'.P1;11Cifel:T:i.111 1;1t•T► 00011102i or at nu. t1roN 1124413M ``'Ll")/t u MMm! ns.o' t1 Neer/