HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1984-05-02, Page 20r{
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With the -Hullett Project and Ducks his native state. Ijis biting cartoons, depic-
Unlimited-being in the news, 1 felt: some of ; ting the demise of America's ducks and
our readers might be interested in the a€- > geese, set -the tone for a campaign to secure
forts the U.S. Gov't. and conservationists permanent funding for habitat acquisition.
have put forth for the same aims. The Duck Perhaps Darling's most far-reaching con -
Stamp Program in the U.S. is a lot different tribution was the idea of a Federal revenue
from the Canadian outlook, and what stamp to generate the needed money.
follows is a brief history of how it works. The efforts of conservationists like Ding
America's once -enormous populations of Darling paid off on March 16, 1934 when Con -
ducks and geese had fallen on hard tunes ' gress passed the Migt'atory Bird Hunting
back in 1934. The long decline began many Stamp Act. Proceeds from sales of the Duck
decades earlier. As millions of acres of Stamps were used to buy and lease water -
prime waterfowl habitat were drained for fowl habitat. Over the years, Darling';s.-yfar-
e-h a ock_s., steadily dwindl_; sighted inspiration evolved into one 'of the
agriculture, the , ug_. �1. _X
ed. Their numbers were further reduced by i most successful ongoing `conservation pro -
indiscriminate shooting and market hun- grams ever devised.
ting. Even nature joined the onslaught when From the start, the Duck Stamp program
the mid-continent was ravaged by a drought proved successful. Some 635,000 of the first
of historic proportions. stamp were sold at $1 each. By 1938, sales
But 1934 also marked the dawn of a new topped one million. Those were the days
era for the nation's waterfowl. In July of when wetland habitat could be bought for as
that year, Congress created a revenue- • little as $1 an acre in some areas. During the
raising device that was popularly known as late 1930's and early 1940's, the Migratory
the Federal "Duck Stamp." Every water- Bird Conservation Commission, which
fowl hunter 16 years of age or older was re- oversees the purchase or lease of such
quired to ' purchase a stamp annually. areas, added vast tracts of wetlands to the
Recognizing the stamp's value for wildlife National Wildlife Refuge System. A major
and as a collector's item, a growing number focus was the upper Midwest - the nation's
of non -hunting conservationists and stamp prime waterfowl territory - where impor-
collectors also began to buy them. By 1984, a tant breeding areas were preserved.
half century later, over 285 million "Duck As the years went by, the cost of habitat
Stamp" dollars had gone to preserve some steadily climbed. Land that once could be
3.5 million acres of precious wetland habitat bought for as little as $1 to $10 an acre may
- habitat that formed the backbone of the nowcost as much as $1,000 an acre. As a
world's greatest system of waterfowl ' result, new wetlands acquisitions tend to be
refuges.
Before the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(aided by Duck Stamp revenues) stemmed
the alarming trend, the continent's most im-
portant waterfowl habitat was rapidly
vanishing. The Dust Bowl years, coupled
with wetland drainage, had left north -
central U.S. marshes largely bereft of water
... and waterfowl. These vital regions,
together with the wetlands of the Canadian
prairies and Alaska, were key production
areas where the bulk of North America's
_waterfowl nested and reared their young.
Crucial staging and migration rest areas in
mid -America were also vanishing, along
with bottomland - timbered swamps of
southern river systems and lush Gulf Coast
marshes that served as wintering havens. ,
The U.S. Congress first responded to these
threats by enacting the Migratory Bird Con-
servation Act in 1929. The law authorized a
program of land acquisition, for waterfowl
refuges (expanding the existing National
Wildlife Refuge System established in 1903).
The landmark legislation, however, failed to
provide a, steady, ,flow of funds for the pur-.
.chhaaseof wetlands.:• .-
Conservationists, led by nationally known
political cartoonist Jay N "Ding" Darling,
smaller than in the past The price and sales
of Duck Stamps have gone up along with the
value and scarcity of wetlands. Sales reach-
ed 2"inillion in 194647 and hit a peak of over
2.4 million in 1970-71. The cost of the stamp,
meanwhile, rose to $7.50 in 1979.
The focus of the program has also chang-
ed over the decades.. The goal in ., recent
years has been to preserve key wintering
and breeding habitats in each of the four
major north -south waterfowl migratory
flyways, particularly those most threatened
by development. Efforts are also underway
to save areas .needed byspecies whose
numbers are low or declining, such as. black
ducks, canvasbacks and redheads.
Not only waterfowl benefit from the
"Duck Stamp" program. Many other
wildlife species, including one-third of our
"endangered or threatened species, find food.
and shelter in the wetland habitats purchas•
-
ed by Duck Stamp revenues'. Many of our
commercially important species of marine
fish and shellfish rely on these coastal
.wetlands for spawning or nursery grounds.
The habitat preserved by Duck, Stamp
funds also directly serves people. By tem-
porarily
emporarily storing floodwaters, wetlands
reduce losses of life and property. By blun-
set about correcting that oversight. Darling, tingthe force of storm waves; they stabilize
cartoonist for theDes Moines Register, was and protect coastal shorelines. And by ab -
an avid duck hunter who had witnessed the sorbing and. filtering out pollutants, they
destruction "of prime -waterfowl -habitat in- .help to -purify -our waters..
Prt
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Avx,/�frfr �%fr/// ! i.r./2/
Fitness
Last weekend Ron Whetstone and his son Marty of Bayfield decided to, try their luck off
the Bayfield pier. Prior to taking the picture father Ron was explaining to his son what to
do if he got a bite. Their luck wasn't with them as they didn't catch a fish.(Rod Hilts
photo)
By Kevin Dugu. aly
Fit Fivenevia
Congratulations to Peggy Jones fdr coin-
pleting her Level Qne Fit Five Program,
The Fitness Ontario Fit Five Pre -grain -IP a
FRSE personal fitness program awarded
individuals participating in any fitness
related activity. A. ll you have to do is pick up
your level one program from -any of the
following locations: Town Office, Post Of-
fice, McLeans and the Arena, and you are on
your. way!!!
The first individual to complete. all five
levels, will receive a $20.00 gift certificate
from McLeans.
Group health and dental
programs for qualified
employee groups
from three to as many
as you've got!
Ask your
insurance agent,
consultant, or me.
For details contact:
Brian Dalton
371 Dutferin Avenue
London. Ontario N6B 1Z5
(519)439-0136
riiilLP6E
CROSS
Program Update
Please note that the Ladies Afternoon
Aerobics and the Peanuts Palace programs
havebeen cancelled .due to . insufficient
registration. Anyone having registered will
be refunded. - •
Clinton -Gymnastics Club
The Clinton- Gymnastics Club program
will be offered from May 7 to June, 18 at the
Clinton High School Main Gymnasium. This
6 week Monday evening program is geared
for elementary school aged children... A
special feature is the final class in which all
participants are awarded a .certificate acid
all parents and participants enjoy donuts
aadbeverages:
Registration deadline is by Friday, May 4
at the Town Offices (52 Huron St.).
Learn to Golf
Attention youth golfers! ! The Clinton
Recreation -Committee omnmittee would like to offer a
LEARN TO GOLF instructional program
for youth (boys and girls) ages 8 to 14 years.
This unique program would provide youth
golfers with an opportunity to learn the
skills of golfing. For more inforrhation
please contact the Recreation Director at
482-3997.
Men's Ball Hockey
Attention males ages 15 and over. The
Clinton Men's, Ball Hockey League has
begun. There are still openings for addi-
tional participants. Should you be interested
in joining, please contact Steve Gibbings at
482-7009.
Mixed Adult Softball
What's this, a MIXED ADULT RECREA-
TION SOFTBALL league? Are you in-
terested in playing some "non-competitive"
fun -oriented softball? Well GOOD NEWS!!
h+e Clinton Recreation Committee is
organizing a mixed Adult (ages 18 and over)
-Softball:eague .- The -league would involve
each team playing one evening game per
week.
You can enter your own team, maximum.
t s
of 15 players, or as "an individual'. A
REGISTRATION session has been set for
WEDNZSDAY, MAY 16, 6;000 p.m. to 7:00
p.m at the Clinton Arena. For -more infor-
mation contact the Recreation Director at
482-3997.
"illy Gully season opener
Sunday, May 6 begins Hully Gully's
Motocross Season with their first CMA sanc-
tioned race. Riders from all parts of Ontario
have already registered in all classes to
race in, this event. Friday and Saturday,
May 4 and 5, Honda Canada gives riders a
start with a special motocross school.
However, Hully Gully has already been very
busy' preparing both the track and riders for
the upcoming season.
On April 21 and 28, Hully Gully has con-
ducted their own clinics for riders, and
track builder and race director, Chuck Col-
lins has prepared the track to make it better
for riders and spectators.
Provincial and Federal Agencies have
lent their. support to Hully Gully to improve
the facilities fuer spectators ac well as "Om."
petitors. New bleachers are being built and
the park is being beautified under the terms
of a special co-ed job creation project. The
new facilities will e opened in time for the
1984 "Expert" National Championships set
for June 17.
The May 6 Season Opener promises to be a
fitting start for what organizers believe will
be their best season yet. Practice for com-
petitors is set for 9:30 a.m. with Junior and
Schoolboy classes racing at approximately
10:30 a.m. and Seniors and Experts racing
at 2:00 p.m.
years of age. Last season, this class was run
as part of the Labatt's Senior Nationals, and
the CMA and Hully Gully will run this class
again this season.
Mr. F
armer:
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"Export" malting barley contracts
"Export" Nattawa soybean contracts that pay.
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Grain Marketing through our own Brokerage
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Mitchell 346-8433. Mensal! 262.2327. Granton, 225.2360
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