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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-11-22, Page 35Wednesday, November 22, 2006 TIMES -ADVOCATE 35 New responsibility (Note: The following is the eighth of 12 columns in 2006 about the Ausable Bayfield watershed's conservation pioneers, during the 60th anniversary year recog- nizing the formation of Ontario's first Conservation Authority — the former Ausable River Conservation Authority, now the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority — and the creation of the Conservation Authorities Act of 1946.) EXETER — The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority was given great responsibility in the early 1980s. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) dele- gated new responsibilities to Conservation Authorities and the ABCA changed from having a Resources Manager to hiring a General Manager. Our staff structure was reorganized and we were given the jobs of site plan reviews, tender document approvals, contract awards, final inspections, engineering report approvals and reservoir operating procedures. Our budget reached $1 million for the first time. We no longer had to go to the MNR for approval for intermediate steps in completing projects and studies. We were ready to embark on a new era but there was no time to ease into our responsibilities. We had a lot of work to do. The ABCA employed its first full-time profes- sional engineer in 1982 and I was honoured to be the one named to that position. And there were lots of projects to keep me and the other staff busy. There was the Seaforth Flood Plain Management Study to implement, a Flood Plain Administrative Study in Port Franks, a Dublin Flood Line Delineation Study, a stream rehabili- tation project to restore trout habitat at Trick's Creek, a floodplain delineation and stormwater management study for the Zurich Drain, dune grass plantings in Thedford, erosion control work (on the Walker Drain, Stewart Gully, Nairn Cemetery, Port Franks and Bayfield River Valley) and a study on farm waste manage- ment, to name only a few. The ABCA was busy planting hundreds of thousands of trees, replacing the failed gabion basket structure at the Stewart Gully with a fabric -form mattress protection. The Arkona Lions Club and the ABCA worked together on the successful creation of the Arkona Lions Museum and Information Centre, constructed in 1985. The addition of new responsibilities and growth of the Conservation Authority's work made it fitting that a new Administration Centre was constructed at Morrison Dam Conservation Area in 1983. The building, creat- ed jointly with the former Township of Usborne, was made possible through works programs at the time. The ABCA's general manager, Tom Prout, was a key person in moving that project forward and finding avenues to finance the work. The ABCA was moving forward with the approval of a new Watershed Plan in 1985. The Watershed Plan identified several main pro- gram areas including flooding, soil erosion, water supply, water quality, recreation, forestry, environmentally -significant areas, fish and wildlife and cultural and historical resources. One of the most significant changes in the early 1980s was the approval of Ontario Regulation 544/84, the ABCA Fill, Construction and Alteration to Waterways Regulation. The document would continue to guide our work until it was replaced this year with a new regu- lation governing how we apply rules to ensure development is done appropriately to protect life, property and the environment. We were given great responsibility in the early 1980s and over the next quarter century we have worked hard to exercise that duty for the benefit of watershed residents. The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority is holding its Grand Finale event for the 60th Anniversary Dec. 1 at the ABCA Administration Centre at Morrison Dam Conservation Area, east of Exeter. As part of that event it is unveil- ing its inaugural Watershed Report Card at 1 p. m. ALEC SCOTT WATER AND PLANNING MANAGER ABCA Local Royal Fair winner Sheep cham- pion — Lucan resident and Ilderton Sheep 4-H club mem- ber David Hodgins recent- ly won Grand Champion Novice Showperson in the Junior Sheep Division at the 2006 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto. Above from left are Junior Sheep Show represen- tative Daryl Hopkins, Hodgins and the 2005 Ladies Lead and Wool representative Danielle Cardoza.The Oxford Ewe Iamb David showed is from Reid -About Farms of Lucan. (photo/submitted) Weight loss challenge offered By Pat Bolen TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — Doctor Karl Weselan of St. Marys is looking for someone around South Huron who wants a challenge - specifically a weight loss challenge. Weselan, the owner of Excel Fitness and Lifestyle Consultants, has teamed up with South Huron Golf and Fitness (SHGF) to help a selected resident lose weight with a four month program of nutrition and exercise. Weselan said he is tak- ing applications and the person selected will receive a free four-month membership at SHGF as well as four months of free personal training and nutrition with Excel. It will be the fourth such program Weselan has run, with three previous challenges in Stratford and St. Marys that saw the participants lose between 25 and 30 pounds, he said. "Our goal is to show people they can effectively lose weight with proper instruction and guid- ance," he adds. After joining most fit- ness clubs, "most people don't get proper training, they quit and don't come back." Weselan said he is look- ing for someone over 16 years of age who has a flexible schedule that will allow them to meet the requirements of the pro- gram. The applicant chosen will be required to work out at SHGF four days a week, for around an hour at a time of cardiovascu- lar exercise and resis- tance weights, as well as Offering a challenge — Linda Muirhead (left) and Lucy Sedlak, owners of South Huron Golf and Fitness in Exeter have teamed up with Doctor Karl Weselan, owner of Excel Fitness and Lifestyle Consultants in St. Marys to offer a four- month weight loss challenge to a local resident. (photo/Pat Bolen) an eating program designed by Excel. Both the exercise and diet plans will be custom designed for the partici- pant, said Weselan, who added "you're almost guaranteed weight loss and learning to eat and train properly." Candidates will have two weeks to return applications with the final date to accept applica- tions Dec. 6 with inter- views to be arranged for Dec. 9-10 at SHGF. A $500 deposit will also be required to be put down by the successful applicant, which will be refunded at the comple- tion of the program. There will be an open house/selection Dec. 16 at SHGF and the challenge will officially start Dec 18. In addition to the diet and exercise, Weselan said anyone applying must be "highly motivat- ed...tired of being over- weight," as well as willing to have their before and after pictures published. Weselan said after a screening process of applications received, the program will be laid out depending on the starting situation of the person chosen. There will be regular goals set out on how much weight is to be lost each week, but Weselan said a typical amount for a male is one and three quarters to two pounds a week, with females aver- aging one pound a week. Applications for the challenge can be picked up at SHGF and Weselan can be contacted at www. excelconsultants. ca.