The Rural Voice, 2002-09, Page 58tie443
New
Maitland Valley
Conservation Authority
Financial and
technical
support.
A
Assistance with
the development
of planting plans
and maintenance
guidelines.
Call us at 519
335-3557 for
information and
application
forms.
TREE PLANTING
SERVICES
Reforestation Assistance
Service - Seedlings
This service provides
assistance to land-
owners who are
reforesting marginal
lands or planting field
windbreaks. Our
experienced staff will
assist you in choosing
species and creating a
planting plan. Plant
your own seedlings
or have us do the
planting for you.
Roadside & Windbreak
Tree Service
This service offers
larger trees for
planting along
roadsides and in
windbreaks. Avariety
of tree species are
available from the
MVCA based on a 50
tree minimum order.
Call us today for
information on the
application deadline
for this service.
Maitland Valley Conservation Authority
Box 127, Wroxeter, Ont. NOG 2X0
519 335 3557 Fax 519 335 3516
Working for a Healthy Environment
EnGen ius'
INDUSTRIAL CORDLESS,'" PHONE SYSTEM
Up to 250,000 sq. feet in
Warehouses
and up to
3000 acres on
a farm
PERTh
COMMUNICATIONS
400 Huron St., Stratford, ON N5A 5T5
Office (519) 273-3300
Toll Free 1-800-565-9983
Fax (519) 273-4111
4X
More
POWER
than
2.4 GHz
Phones
vi 0Y Rano
t»»))))c(((«qi
Independent of
the Bose Unit
MOTOROLA
Authorized Two -Way
Radio Dealer
54 THE RURAL VOICE
front and then wait six months to get
half of it back."
In a piece of understated analysis
he commented, "It doesn't encourage
conservation."
Beard also suggests the problem
may be deeper than a lack of tax
relief and government funding for
programs. He claims the system is
giving the farmers a mixed message.
He points to the soil conservation
programs of the '80s and '90s, which
are no longer in existence.
"Conservation programs come and
go," he says. "Sometimes it is
important (to government) and
sometimes it isn't."
As with other farm/environmental
issues the subject of on farm wetlands
is not easily resolved. The societal
benefits are fairly clearly illustrated
by the research in the area. The
benefits to the farmer are less clear
and don't appear to include much in
the way of economic incentives for
the individual landowner.
What is clear in the wake of
recent events is the fact
more regulation would
appear to be headed the farmer's way
and will have to be dealt with. In
March of this year the Gran 1 Valley
Conservation Authority put out a
draft of its wetlands policy and it is
reasonable to expect that it is only
one of many that will soon face the
farming community.
Although only three of the clauses
directly mention agriculture it is clear
that the document, if adopted, would
often have a restrictive effect on what
a farmer could do with his land. The
draft specifically says the authority
would discourage new municipal
drainage works that would drain
wetlands and encourage drain
abandonment where merited.
There are no easy answers to the
question of a farmer's right to use his
land as he sees fit verses society's
right to demand a certain type of
stewardship. However, McMillan has
a hopeful approach to the whole
topic.
He says, "We went through this
process in the mid -'80s and the '90s
with the discussions about soil
conservation practices — minimum
tillage and no tillage etc. It was
proved that it was more economical
for the farmer. I believe that we may
be starting that process with regards
to wetlands."0