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The Times Advocate, 2004-01-28, Page 16At this point in time people are getting an appreciation of the environment and doing something about it." MELISSA PROUT TIMES-ADVO(;ATE Crossroads 16 Wednesday, January 28, 2004 Exeter Times Advocate Grand Bend exchange student to Australia Melissa Prout of Grand Bend was recently awarded the A.D. Latornell award from the Ontario chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society. (photo/PatBolen) By Pat Bolen TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF GRAND BEND — "I always maintain a sense of hope and I think at this point in time people are increasing their awareness and appreciation of the situation. Humans are always going to have a negative impact on the environment, but it is possible to create more of a balance instead of being the locust in the field." Melissa Prout of Grand Bend is well aware of the importance of the environment and the impact devel- opment can have on it. The Lakehead University student was awarded the 2003 A.D. Latornell award from the Ontario chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society at its yearly symposium Nov. 17 at the Nottawasaga Inn in Alliston. Prout is in her third year of a four year program at Lakehead studying outdoor recreation, parks and tourism, environmental science and geography. She will be heading for Australia next week for six months to study at Charles Sturt University (CSU) which has programs designed to coincide with the programs at Lakehead. Located between Melbourne and Canberra, CSU is the first environmentally friendly campus in Australia in the city of Albury Wodonga. Prout had been planning on going with her room- mate who dropped out, but she will be flying down with a second cousin who attends the University of Western Sydney, although Prout doesn't know yet where she will be living. Her six month stay in Australia will include three months of study and three months of travel, and she is looking forward to figuring out the Australian lan- guage and doing some hiking and camping or "bush - walking." The twin city of Albury Wodonga is on the border between New South Wales and Victoria with the boundary between them the Murray River, which is one of the best locations in Australia for white water rafting and kayaking. The criteria for applying for the student portion of the A.D. Latornell award are: • Enrolled in a recognized Ontario college or univer- sity • Possess a high degree of interest and ability in the area of soils and water management • Hold Canadian citizenship • Maintain a good academic standing Those applying also have to write a 250 word essay on soil and water conserva- tion in Ontario as well as what they know about Arthur Latornell who worked with the Ministry of Natural Resources for almost half a century and was prominent in several areas of conservation. Upon his death in 1991, Latornell bequeathed most of his estate of over $2 million to the University of Guelph. It is used to support a variety of projects, including the annual Latornell symposium, field colleges, schol- arships, travel awards and continuing education grants. The theme of Prout's essay was "Water is the lifeblood of the earth," which focused on the need for education on protecting water systems. "A lot of people care about it, but they aren't doing anything about it," says Prout. "It's about what people can do to help conserve their water supply." She also did a powerpoint presentation on Latornell and his leadership style. As well as the award, Prout received a $600 bursary, which can be put toward her education, or attendance at the national conference which will be held in St. Pauls, Minnesota this year, although she will be in Australia at the time. The conference in November covered three days which Prout said was very interesting. "It was jam packed with information sessions and I met some amazing people from Ducks Unlimited and the Guelph Lake Nature Centre." Several other awards were also presented at the conference, including the Pioneer award which is given to those who have had a long term commitment to the field of conservation. Prout said there were about 30 sessions a day to pick from and most of the sessions she picked dealt with interpretation and education and how to intro- duce the conservation outlook at the earliest grades. Others she attended covered changing parks from focusing on tourists to becoming more protected. "A lot of the sessions fit in well with the courses I'm taking such as ecological literacy and private steward- ship. It's definitely something I want to pursue." Working at Pinery Park for the last two years, Prout said she has seen the pressures put on our park sys- tem. "It's really interesting to see the way some people see a provincial park and what it's used for. People come in and complain "where is the playground?" And that is where the education part comes in, trying to teach people about the importance of preserving our natural resources." Prout said many of the sessions at the conference were water based. "One was about having watershed festivals, and try- ing to create an awareness of the importance of water in communities, but doing it in ways that people were keen on coming out to see, rather than public sessions where they're told where their water comes from." With her father Tom Prout general manager of the Ausable Bayfied Conservation Authority, Prout said she has always been exposed to conservation issues. "My parents did a good job of creating awareness for us growing up. We grew up on a farm and that helps a lot. I have friends in Toronto and they have no idea what goes on in rural areas." Besides urban sprawl and population growth, Prout said one of the biggest conservation issues is overcon- sumption. "That goes for not just water, but everything. People just consume stuff without even thinking about it. In one of my courses we talked about the triangle for getting anything done. It's awareness, appreciation, and action. You have to create awareness, but you also have to create an appreciation. People like going to the beach but they may not realize what that does when they leave litter there. Then you have to have some kind of action like a beach cleanup. Creating an awareness is the biggest step." Prout said she does see positive signs in how we treat our resources. "At this point in time people are getting an apprecia- tion of the environment and doing something about it. She noted prominent author David Suzuki has pub- lished a book citing good things people have been doing to protect the environment. After she finishes her education, Prout is looking at a job in general conservation education or working in provincial parks, but for now she is just looking for- ward until her first trip abroad saying, "12 days, an hour and 47 minutes till my flight takes off." Melissa Prout of Grand Bend will be attending Thurgoon Campus at Charles Sturt University in Australia, the first enviromentally friendly university in the country. Buildings are constructed of rammed earth walls and concrete floors, which store the sun' s heat in winter and keep buildings cool in summer. Large, shaded windows with recycled timber frames provide ample ventilation, daylight and views. (Right) The artificial wetlands at the university use native wetland plants and "anaerobic" conditions to break- down polluting substances in the grey water. (photo/submitted) Middlesex OPP assists with book appeal MIDDLESEX COUNTY —On Jan. 12 Lt. -Gov. James Bartleman appealed to the public to respond gener- ously to provide used books in good condition for peo- ple of all ages in Ontario's Northern First Nation's communities. The Ontario Provincial Police partnered with other government ministries to act as a drop-off centre for the lieutenant -governor's book program. Other part- ners in this initiative include the Ontario Public Service, the Department of National Defence, the cities of Toronto, Mississauga and Hamilton and numerous not-for-profit organizations. The London Detachment of Middlesex OPP has received numerous calls from members of the public in support of the program. To date, the four Middlesex detachments have already received approximately 1,400 books. Two school children from Westmount public school in London have raised the stakes. The OPP was con- tacted and asked to assist in transporting up to 2,500 books the children have collected. Middlesex OPP members will be transporting the books from the school to West Region Headquarters. The collected books were handed over on Jan. 26. The books will be taken to OPP West Region Headquarters and stored until Jan. 28, when they will be picked up by a transport truck and delivered to OPP General Headquarters in Orillia. Books can continue to be delivered to the mail trail- er behind the Legislative Building at Queen's Park from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, or they can be mailed to the Office of the Lieutenant -Governor, Queen's Park, Toronto, Ont. M7A 1A1.