Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1990-06-13, Page 7ti BY SUSAN OXFORD ypeople tHr4.1 t aware y ' a p near SeatoNt'W canoe, id watch. cross country enjoy being 9utdoozs. lee Is alaiaia0e11.1 y 1° bird species, man)r rnammats°arid plan WO,In summer a'rpersob can op sec , to 12,' --Blue Heron -nests atop trees a foiy hundred; feet tall. Mullett provincial Wildlife >, Ma'U these plus more 1114,1400 ates of area that has marsh and `ponds for waterfowl hab purposes and an uplands. area .for forrestanimals and birds. It also has 42'kms of nature -trails for people to hike. Perhaps Hallett is best known fpr,":' its large number of waterfowl Oat stop there during migration. Being on two major migratory flyways, the Mississippi and Central, Hullett' plays host to these birds on their Journey. Some species of birds retrain and make Hallett their home for breeding season, and many of these birds retain year after year. It is because of Hullett's strategic location within the two flyways that it was chosen to be the area of the wildlife area. As Southern Ontario marshes and wetlands were being dredged, filled and asphalted at a growing rate in the 1960,s, some people saw the need;for some of the disappearing areas to be preserved, or 'created: Hallett was chosen as an area to ' crate a marsh and, after a decade of, Planning and land purchasing by the" Ministry of Natural Resources, the dream became a reality with the help of government, volunteers and Ducks Unlimited Canada. Expertise and lands were channelled into Hallett for Ontario's largest marsh development. Much of the land was flooded with a system of dykes and water - controls, creating seven different cells, or ponds, to be a habitat for waterfowl. The floodwaters are captured from the spring runoff coming ,r m fanners fields through ditches. Every spring the same process is used to fill the ponds. Since the runoff is collected before fanners fertilize their fields there are very little pollutants in the water. Marshes act as a filter sys- tem and most pollutants brought into them are filtered out. During spring runoff time canoeing is per- lnd:. �t witted on the ponds mai May 15, then it is stopped to prevent distur- bance of the breeding and nesting birds. Water in the marshes even- tually flows back into the South Maitland river. There are some pockets of prime agricultural land in the Hallett area that are privately owned. Owned by Hallett are 650 acres of land being farmed by a local farmer on contract. The farrier maintains some of the area by sowing and maintaining grass to give many bind species ground nesting cover. Lure ernes of buck wheat, barley, spring wheat and oats are cultivated as iced for the birds and wildlife. Each year a per centage of crops is un- harvested to provide forage during the winter. Although many migrating water- fowl stop at Hallett, about 20 a is o e CONSERVATION OFFICER - Robert Gibson, Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officer at Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area, loves his work and the Hullett area. Oxford photo. species remain to nest. Among the species are Mallard duck, Blue Wing Teal, Wood Duck and Blue Heron. Although the Wood Duck .was becoming a rare species their number is increasing in Hallett from 15 years ago to 500 last year. ' Most ducks live two to five years and usually migrate back to its home after wintering south. The majority of ducks at Hallett winter in Florida or Mississippi and some off the Teals go as far as South America. While south some ducks will pick a mate and court them, while some ducks wait . until they return north before courting. All summer long the ducks rhise their young and prepare them for the flight south when the weather turns colder. Of the 13,000 ducks expected to stop at Hallett each spring 750 breeding pairs will stay and they will raise about 4,000 ducklings. Before Hallett became a wildlife area most of the migrating birds would stop and leave to go towards Manitoulin Island when the natural marshes of Hallett started drying as summer began. The seven ponds at Hallett are drained on a yearly rotation basis and left for that year to allow the vegetation to regrow. Since the duck population at Hallett is so high every year it is necessary to control their numbers S by hunting. All hunting regulations a and licenses are in effect and Hul- lett has some of its own restrictions. c There are some designated water- c fowl sanctuaries. There are 13 h parking lots in Hallett and three of them are near the waterfowl area. To help keeps things under control at Hallett there is a fulltime MNR employee at all tunes: Robert Gibson is a conservation officer with MNR Wingham office. He has the right to enforce laws controlling' hunters by giving fines, revoking licenses and possibly seizing weapons. He has the right to imprison someone for breaking hunting laws, although he has never. Gibson studied Fish and Wildlife at a three year course at ' Sault Ste. Marie college before taking law enforcement courses through the MNR's teaching facility at Dorset to enable him to become an enforcement officer. In college Mr. Gibson studied forest and wildlife management, sciences, biology,. tree identification, environ- mental biology, forest protection against fire, chemicals and insects, mapping and administration. He grew up in Wroxeter where his father owned a sawmill. Mr. Gibson lived an outdoors life and learned to hunt and practise conservation. Currently at Hallett is a resource technician supervisor, Murray Skin, on a summer contract to help him gain experience with the MNR. He is a recent graduate of the Forestry a Technician program at Sir Sanfred Fleming college in Lindsay. Mr. u vatron officer; MrOkla t trClm, Wingham and loves the outdoors .] and tenting and feels that' {iyr' becoming a.conser"vation '.hg, office will 'Pave the opportunity to lihlp; sty u 1 ' sibilities at ' l inilett. Mr, , Gi stilt figures that 20 per cent of his timed 'i, is spent m enf�ement eelli4 a +est: " tit: in wildlife: tit einent Ines. He' has Worked at itpu tt; scam. 1985 just as the marsh" development was finished Mr'Skin is supervising five students employed-underEnvironjnent Youth' Corps, one person hired' under budged and .one veaont hued 8�r C anada g1111 oymen't anidei a 1p.'progrant leaching job skirls. Volunteer help is gained through :schools bringing o1Ut children to help clean the' grpunds or. ted and duels hotdses ,•or plant ter and shrubs. M. Gibson has noticed that over, the years people are getting better at cleaning after themselves and showing mom pride in Hallett by practising better land stewardship. He notices Hallett is attracting more high-quality hunters and more people reporting violations. As marshes and wetlands in Southern Ontario are being drained and fulled, people from further points are coming to Hallett to hunt and enjoy the other ac- tivities offered. To help take the strath of hunting off the water fowl during peak season Ring -Neck Pheasants,. which are not natural to this area, are bred and raised in Hallett. Outdoor cages have been built to hold 150 breeding stock adult pheasants. These birds will :,y about 3,500 eggs and these are put into in- cubators and almost 80 per ceat hatch. After enough eggs have been collected the breeding stock are released from Point Farms provin- cial park for campers to see. The pheasants nest, lay more eggs and raise a family in the wild. Once the eggs at Hallett hatch. the chicks are kept in a warm housing unit until they are larger. Over the summer they eat grain grown at Hallett and grow until they are released in the fall. Every year 150 adults are held back to'be nest year's breeding stock. The Ring - Neck Pheasant is an easy bird to raise, a rapid grower, beautiful and has a nice meat. The uplands area takes up 1,400 hectares of'hills, valleys, meadows, forests and -small natural wetlands. Here is a natural habitat that provides nesting protection for many bird species. The forests have foxes, coyotes and white tail deer. In the uplands area its possible to see how different animals ate dependent on each other for coexis- tence. Employees at Hullett main- tain a hedgerow of juneberry, utumn olive and high bush cran- berry the animals and birds of the plaids feed on. protect the environment. -Both men have many kin's courses were much the same s Mr. Gibson's, but, being a more recent graduate he had courses in omputers, modern environmental oncems and french. In the future e hopes to take more courses with MNR towards becoming a conser- The Hulleu Provincial Wildlife Area is always open, but driving is limited through the area. Hikers, other walkers and mountain bikers are allowed anywhere there are no no -access signs posted. Seniors' Property Tax Grants are in the mail The Honourable Remo Mancini, Minister of Revenue, has announced that the Ministry recently began mailing the first instalment of the 1990 Property Tax Grant (PTG) cheques to approximately 694,000 senior households across Ontario. Item cheques have a total dollar value of more than $200 million. ''The Property Tax Grant for Seniors program is designed to Offset municipal and school taxes ;paid by senior citizens who own or resit their homes and apartments," says Mancini. "This initiative The maximum PTG interim reflects the Ontario Government's payment per household is $300, concern for the well-being of the with an average of $288 per che- province's senior citizens by que. The grant is payable in two making tax benefits available." instalments in the year. The spring "We're really putting something instalment is an automatic payment. back into society in two ways," The second instalment is mailed in continues Mancini. "By providing the fall, after PTG applications seniors with the means to continue submitted by seniors are processed. living independently, we become First-year recipients will receive partners in a common focus - caring their PTG applications in the fall to about the community: The skills claim their property taxes or rent and resources seniors contribute are for the entire year. an immeasurable asset." The mailing of the PTC interim V It's A Dirty Job...But Somebody's Got To Do It... LET US DO IT FOR ONLY Oil Change Special 95 UP TO 5 LITRES OIL, NEW FILTER MOST CARS & LIGHT TRUCKS 1 V 1 We Know How To Keep You Cool!!! AIR CONDITIONING SPECIAL *Check complete air conditioning system •Inspect belts, hoses, connections •Recharge If necessary (includes freon) 3595 BOOK AN APPOINTMENT TODAY e 527-1010 Service Dept. open Saturdays till 1:00 p.m. grant cheques is staggered, to per- mit a continuous flow through Canada Post, and to avoid delays in delivery. Enquiries regarding any of the Guaranteed Income and Tax Credit programs, including the Property Tax Grant, can be made by calling the Ministry's toll-free number, 1- 800-263-7965. French language enquiries, 1-800-668-5821 and telephone service for the deaf at 1- 800-263-7776. ANNUAL MEETING Wingham and District Hospital Corporation Notice is hereby given that the Annual Meeting of the Wingham and District Hospital Corporation will be held in the Nursing Assistants Training Centre, Catherine St., Wingham, Ontario on Thursday, June 21, 1990, at the hour of eight o'clock p.m., for the revision of bylaws; for the election of Governors; for the appointment of Auditors; and for the tran- saction of such other things as may properly come before the meeting. Copies of the Annual Report and Hospital Financial Statements may be obtained at the front desk of the Wingham and District Hospital prior to three o'clock p.m., Thursday, June 21, 1990. Said documents will also be available at the Annual Meeting. Memberships granting voting privileges may be purchased at the front desk of the hospital for one dollar ($1.00) prior to five o'clock p.m., Wednesday, June 6, 1990. No member- ship sold after that time, on that date, will entitle the purchaser to a vote. Dated at Wingham, Ontario, this fourteenth day of May, 1990. By Order of the Board of Governors. N.M. Hayes, Secretary Ttib IuiRON.'. MlicVIh II r DIRILLINO W.p. FIPppar 7- aptd,5esns. 4 AM{QDERN RO!TA¢Y.RIGS $22.11737 322416i6 POSITti11 JUNE 1 1 9 7 V. t:. PICUR owN S ''RA BER IES. NQW,AVAILABL ,., Fall Ahead Fur Piek ng. ]trap:& Conditlgna ES AGARDE14ER'S PARADISE There are still Tots of bedding plants, etc., available for last inlnuteplanting.*allgrownlji OUROWNgreenhouses atRepaid with tender, ' loving care. Large seleptlon of Nursery,$tock, Soils, Peat Moss, etc. TOMATOES & ASPARAGUS.00111fREADY Asparagus Avallabte In Freezer qudntlties FARM MARKETGARDEN CENTRE.NURSER,7•CIREENHOUSES wholesale Flatau, RR #1 BAYRIELD 4024020 OPEN 7 DAYS,A MEEK Mon. -FH. 949, Sat., Sun. 948 NEW! l''ILL RII 100% GOVERNMENT GUARANTEED • No fee going in • No fee for administration • No fee for unscheduled withdrawls With top interest rates, the T -Sill RRIF is the answer to your retirement needs. ieient Centre Investment and Tax Planning 96 Main Street, SEAFORTH 527.0420 Please send me your informative RRIF brochure Name Address City Postal Code Phone FACTORY DIRECT SALE Canada's No. t Preferred Washer, Dryer & Dishwasher" $669 DEPENDABLE MAYTAG WASHERS SELECT MODELS • Lasts longer, needs fewer repairs and costs Tess to service • Heavy duty • Large capacity 'Basad on Canadian consumer surveys. Prices may vary by Individual dealer. LIMITED 1OYEAR WASHER TRANSMISSION W-RRANTY SELECT MODELS DEPENDABLE MAYTAG DRYERS • No,1 preferred brand* • Dependability proven in commercial laundries DEPENDABLE MAYTAG DISHWASHERS • Nobody gets dishes cleaner • No pre -washing with Maytag • Niel cleaning MAYTAG REFRIGERATORS WE WILL GUARANTEE IT TO THE YEAR 031"041,0111;`VVV Limited Time Otter 5 REASONS TO BUY A MAYTAG • DEPENDABILITY • QUALITY • DURABILITY • LONG, STRONG WARRANTIES • EASE OF OPERATION BOX =6 FURNITURE OPEN MON.-SAT. 9:00 - 5:30 MAIN ST. SEAFORTH