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Earthways on Wheels My predecessor George Krause used his bicycle to deliver the majority of Earthways to the city's membership. According to George he started out on empty streets at 6:00 am or earlier on Sunday mornings. Thus, like an early milkman, he made his deliveries. Being a versatile man George was the driver as well as the runner. His labeling partner, Nadina, could stay in bed and get ready for church and the choir. I also used the bicycle method, but only in good weather and for shorter distances. I am less fit. One of the distributors. Mr. Breedyk, also manages his route in this fashion, weather again permitting. Beneficial side effects are gained by deliveries in these ways: free fitness exercise, exposure to fresh air and the seasons and a closer knowledge of the neighbourhood and its people. George's fitness level led him to climb the CN tower twice in about 10 minutes as a fund raiser for the Canada Trail.The other delivery method is done similarly to Meals on Wheels. A two person team consists of a driver and a runner. In my case Gita is the driver and I do the running. Also the Baughs in Bright's Grove have been using this method for years in a fairly wide area. With meals there is the drawback of not staying too long and starting to chat. The other meals will cool down. My door rings often and the call develops into a pleasant, friendly exchange of information but aggravating to the driver. (Usually women want to talk.)
And my thanks to Modris for this article as well as his delivery efforts. Ed. |
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IJC Commissioners Appear before Canadian Parliamentary Committee On Tuesday, February 10, 2003 the International Joint Commission appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee of Fisheries and Oceans to give evidence calling for immediate action on stopping the spread of invasive species in the Great Lakes and other boundary waters. Canadian Chair, the Rt. Hon. Herb Gray noted: We believe immediate Canadian Government federal action is required to make compulsory by regulation improved ship's ballast water management procedures The Great Lake region's sense of the biological and economic urgency of the problem drives the call for more federal leadership and immediate steps to prevent further introduction and spread of alien invasive species U.S. Chair Dennis Schornack told the Committee: Let me be blunt - the gateway to the Great Lakes is controlled by our two nations. As two nations dedicated to maritime free trade, we have always laid a welcome mat at this door. But as nations also dedicated to conserving a world-class freshwater resource, we must take strong measures to keep our lakes free of unwanted invaders and open to commerce. As highlighted in our 11th Biennial Report on Great Lakes Water Quality, the IJC continues to call for a reference to address each of these recommendations and "to coordinate and harmonize binational efforts for action to stop this ongoing threat to the economy and the biological integrity of the Great Lakes. Let me remind the committee that in 1978, Canada and the United States agreed to a standard calling for the zero discharge and virtual elimination of persistent toxic chemicals in the Great Lakes. Now, 25 years later, Canada and the United States must be guided by that same vision as we act to stop biological contamination that is just as persistent and just as dangerous as chemical contamination. Commissioner Robert Gourd advised: The Commission has long recognized the threat of alien invasive species to the Great Lakes St. Lawrence ecosystem. As far back as September 1990, the Commission in collaboration with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission issued a special report recommending that all oceangoing ships at minimum be required to exchange their ballast in mid-ocean before entering the Great Lakes. We also recommended the United States and Canada, through their Coast Guards and other responsible agencies coordinate their ballast water exchange and treatment programs as fully as possible for purpose of standardization, monitoring, and enforcement. Simply said this has yet to happen For a copy of the Commissioners full statements please go to: |
| Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas Progess
Dear Field Naturalists Clubs, Thanks to a great core of volunteers the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas is entering the third season of the project in good shape. Volunteer birders from across the province have contributed over 50,000 field hours, recorded breeding evidence for 283 species in the province and completed over 16,000 point counts. We are making significant progress in achieving our goal to provide an up-to-date assessment of the distribution and abundance of the birds that breed in Ontario! The project is entering the third of five field seasons, a crucial time for assessing current progress and strategizing future direction. The list of Regional Coordinators and their regions is provided below. If you would like more information, please contact me at 1-866-900-7100 or atlas@uoguelph.ca . Thank you for your support. Atlas Regional Coordinators For a map of the regions see http://www.birdsontario.org/atlas/n_ontmap.html Also this from the Carolinian West Regional meeting on March 29. There are 1675 registered participants in the Breeding Bird Atlas with 2,677 squares. Thousands of breeding sites and many rare birds have been spotted with a total of 283 species (and counting) reported. Unsurprisingly the most prevalent bird is the American Robin. Birds that are well down in count include the Loggerhead Shrike and the Purple Martin. An interesting sidelight of this bird count is the almost instantaneous availability of data due to the internet. When the first atlas was done there was a ten year delay from the start to the information becoming public, due to the longer periods of time required for collecting, sorting and publication of data. |