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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1985-11-20, Page 17401FOCC:000/4NOVANWA' ri$4, t N:4;740 ' 'he „Goderich y •:committee of Ducks Llthidtalk raised VOW .. for the preservationofhabitat at. their • second annual auction held at. • the Candlelight Restaurant, ;Goderich on • Friday night; . .••• • An Original painting by Bill Creighton, a . St. Helens area artist and wildhfe bioldgist, and a duck decoy carving by Jim Remington of Goderich were included in the auction. Twenty-five items contributed by local businesses, which are acknowledged as supporters of Ducks Unlimited, and limited 'edition prints by various artists were also included m the raffle and auction. The Goderich Committee of Ducks Unlimited was formed while the Hullett Wildlife Management Area was being established in 1984. Richard Ottewell of Goderich attended the London Committee's fund raising dinner and was approached by Ducks Unlimited Eastern Regional Supervisor Dave Gray about starting a local committee. Instrumental in the organization of the Goderich committee, Ottewell, who is currently the publicity officer for the Goderich committee, is trying to establish a Greenwing program in the area. This is a Ducks Unlimited introduction to conservation for kids 17 years of age and under. Ducks Unlimited Canada has spent the past four decades developing, preserving, restoring and maintaining waterfowl habitat in this country. Since its timely inception in 1938, it has used approximately 80 cents out of every donated dollar to construct 2,000 water control projects and reserve nearly 3,000,000 wetland acres for waterfowl and other wildlife. To date, over $160 million has been spent by Ducks Unlimited on its various wetland programs. One of these is the Hullett Wildlife Management Area which opened on April 25, 1984 following nearly two decades o planning, in co-operation with the Ministry of Natural Resources. The Hullett Wildlife Management Area is located in an extensive floodplain of the south Maitland River. Its purpose is to provide additional water fowl habitat and when developed to its fullest potential, it will not only offer a variety of hunting and other recreational opportunities to the people of Ontario, but will also augment existing biological research. Co-operative Agreement It was 1979 when the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ducks Unlimited Canada signed an agreement to co-operatively develop the 5,000 acres of land in Hullett Township into a manageable wildlife area. Until then, it was just a river floodplain with old pastures and third-rate farmland. Under the terms of the agreement, Ducks Unlimited undertook to design and pay for the water control structures. It provided $1.25 million to construct 20 kilometres of dikes, flooding 2,000 acres in the wildlife area. It also agreed to maintain and repair these structures. For its part, the Ministry of Natural Resources acquired the land, which cost $825,000 and prepared it for flooding. The ministry is also responsible for overseeing the da -to-day use of the area. Ducks Unlimited became involved with the '(nnen project because it is located in the natural fly way of ducks and geese. psoit ' (indeitinark, • , , „, Bereaved need your ungoing support The Ducks Unlimited dinner and auction, held in Goderich on Fri- day night, raised approximately $16,000. Here, Bruce Sully ( left), Bill Creighton.(photo by Todd Mowatt ) chairman of the Goderich chapter of 1 ucks Unlimited and David Gray, regional chairman for Ducks Unlimited admire a painting by These birds fly up the Atlantic coastal route, along the Mississippi Valley and meet over the area of the Hullett Marsh. The importance of the Hullett Wildlife Management Area can't be over- estimated. Not only does the wetland help control the spring runoff but it gives wildlife a place to breed and grow. Deer, coyote, foxes, raccoons, beavers, muskrats, mink, weasles and frogs roam the Hullett Marsh. The migratory geese and duck population in the spring and fall is now up to 20,000 birds. In addition to the Hullett project, the Ministry and Ducks Unlimited propose to co-operatively develop 16,000 hectares of waterfowl habitat throughout Ontario by 1987. Wetlands Important About 80 per cent the original wetlands in southern Ontario have been drained for a variety of agricultural and industrial uses. Wetlands are areas covered either permanently or seasonally with standing water, including swamps, marshes, bogs and fens. In their natnEal state, they maintain and improve watee-quality, help control flooding and provide a habitat fo fish, waterfowl and wildlife. They contribute substantial social and economic benefits, including outdoor recreation and tourism benefits from hunting, fishingand bird watching arnounting to more than 53 million user days a year. Wetlands are also a source of many important resource products such as fur, wood and wild rice, valued in excess of $300,00I million anti:ugly: Even through the Ducks Unlimited record of achievement is unparalleled by any other conservation organization, it can't afford to rest on its record. Like people, waterfowl and wildlife must have a liveable environment if they are. to survive. If their wetland habitat isn't conserved today, it may be lost forever. Ducks Unlimited Canada isn't sure how much will be needed in the distant future to perpetuate our waterfowl resources but, if a sum equivalent to that being spent on the breeding grounds in the United States (where 20 per cent of North America's waterfowl are produced) was made available, approximately $70 million would be required annually in Canada. ". • Victoria School students participate in concert Matt Maxwell and Jack Grunsky performed a concert Thursday for and English gearing their performance for audience participation. the children of area schools at Victoria School. The musicians sang traditional songs and some of their original works. in both French (photo by Todd Mowatt) Death is inevitable. No matter who we are or what we've contributed to or taken out of life, each of us someday dies. And, everyday, many of us are dying. Whether we're slowly starving in Ethiopia, suffocating in a volcanic mud slide in Columbia or dying of cancer or heart disease in North America, our obituaries fill newspapers around the world. In cold, hard reality, death is business as usual. But, no matter how many times death happens, it never stops hurting the sur- vivors. I first discovered death at age 21 when my Mom died of breast cancer. Sure, before that, I intellectually knew that liv- ing beings eventually die. But, it took the loss of someone very loved and impor- tant in my life for me to truly understand that I will die too. And, I will have very little control over that fact. That realiza- tion still frightens, .angers and baffles me. Though the question of life and death virtually consumed me for some time three years ago, I'd put it away in a back compartment of my brain, only taking it out when I could ponder it at an intellec- tually safe distance from my emotions. Because, up close, in the palm of your hand, death hurts like hell. And, after all my wondering, reading and researching, I've come no closer to the truths about life and death than any other amateur philosopher. My one observation is this—we really need to improve our treatment of the liv- ing Ieft behind after death. To do so, we must examine our own feelings and capabilities of dealing with death. Recent deaths in the families of friends and colleagues have managed to rip through the scar tissue I'd grown over the wounds I suffered after my Mom's death. And, the memories of how I felt when recently bereaved are again fresh in my mind. Just after my Mom died, I was first shocked and disbelieving. But, as —relattves-anll., friends <began ..to ,gatner, each of them full of grief, the truth became clearer and I became increas- ingly angry at the entire world. I was furious with the doctors whom I blamed for allowing her to die. I was upset with family members who seemed to need my support when I already felt so weak and helpless. And, I was angry at the people, who in an attempt to comfort me, told me my mother had been "taken for some higher purpose." (Let God take their mothers foe such purposes—I'd prefer mine alive, I fumed. ) But, most of all, I was hurt by the peo- ple who avoided me or denied my pain because of their own feelings of discom- fort and inability to deal with death. Though I now understand those people who "say nothing because they don't know what to say," I have some advice for the next time they must deal with the bereaved. Don't worry about what you will say to a bereaved person. Your mere presence at the funeral home will help to express your shared grief with the survivors. But, do say something acknowledging the death and expressing your sympathy. By sharing your grief, you help the bereaved person express his or her grief. Pretending nothing has happened will on- ly add to the hurt. Offer to spend some time just listening if a bereaved person wants to talk. Sometimes, all that's needed is an em- pathetic ear. Let the bereaved person set the agen- da. Everyone reacts differently to death and there is no proper time to cry or to "get on with life," especially for the first few years after the death. Keep in mind that a bereaved person may need your support long after the funeral is over. It takes a long time— sometimes years—to come to terms with the death of a loved one. Don't be afraid to bring up the name of the deceased or to share memories about the deceased with the bereaved person— he or she may even thank you for it. The bereaved person may not initiate a con- versation about the deceased for fear of sounding like a broken record even if the deceased person is the only thing on his or her mind. And, don't be too hard on yourself. If you're doing your best to give care and support to the bereaved person, that's all you can do. Any anger expressed may be aimed more at the situation than at you. The "whys" of both life and death still elude me despite my determination to figure them out. I want to offer words of comfort to those I know who are still in the raw stages of bereavement but I'm not sure what they are. Neither religion nor philosophy could ever take away the pain I initially felt after my loss. The only thing I know to be true is that time really does help to ease much of the pain. But, some of the pain never really does go away completely...it's only balanced by the wonderful feelings of good times shared with your deceased loved one. Hang in there. Though it may not seem so now, things do get better.