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WHITBY FREE PRESS,WEDNESDAY,DECEMBER 18, 1985 PAGE 13 Public awareness helps preserve natural heritage As Durham Region looks to new development to meet the demands of an ever-expanding population, the role of the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority as guardian to the regions's streams and woodlands - and the wildlife and fish that inhabit them -- )s becoming in- creasingly critical. According to Steve La Forest, CLOCA's Information and Education Co-ordinator, ap- proximately il percent of Durham's lands are considered highly sensitive, either as representative and charac- teristic environments or as natural habitats for indigenous wildlife and fish. Another two thirds of the region is classified as being of a low sensitivity and where ever possible CLOCA of- ficials try to direct development to these areas. "If Durham didn't have CLOCA reviewing development proposais for their environmen- tal impact, that input wouldn't be there," said La Forest of the ap- proval process that ail develop- ment must undergo. "In most cases we can only comment on a proposal, we don't have veto power... Our over- riding concern is not so much to say we are for or against development but we can point out where the good places to go are where proposais might be modified to make them more compatible with the natural en- vironnent." While he concedes that the development approval process "is not perfect" from an en- vironmentalist's standpoint, Mr. La Forest said that for the most part both municipalities and developers have been co- operative and willing to listen to CLOCA's input. "Obviously municipalities want development but I think we've bit a pretty good balance," said the official. Infact, although they may ap- pear to represent opposing poles in the environment versus development debate, Mr. La Forest believes that CLOCA can help smooth the way for development. Under the provin- ce's Environmental Assessment Act, any proposal for develop- ment which may have environ- mental implications must un- dergo an environmental assessment by an independent consultant hired by the developer. It can be a costly and difficult process for the developer who may find he has to make significant revissions to his initial proposal. Indeed, the develop- ment may even be scrapped en- tirely as a result of the assessment. If a developer consults first with CLOCA however, they can steer him in the right direction and make it easier for the proposals to satisfy the requirements of the assessment process. Public awareness is an impor- tant ingredient in the assessment process and if Durham's natural heritage is to be preserved, Mr. La Forest believes there has to be a committment to conservation on the part of the general public and an awareness of how it is achieved. To that end, the conservation authority held one of its regular information sessions last week in its Oshawa headquarters. The presentation outlined significant natural habitats in Durham that were identified in a comprehen- sive study completed by the authority in 1977 and further provided those in attendance with background on the environmen- tal assessment process and how it can be used to preserve these sensitive environments. "This is something people should be concerned about. Without this awareness we wouldn't have got to the point we have. It was political will that made the Environmental Assessment Act. "I think we now have a system in place that's workable and we can maintain these sensitive areas if people are interested. Without the support of the people The Central Lake Ontario Conservation ordinator Steve 1 Authority is trying to increase public awareness ces Interpreters1 of the region's environmentally sensitive-areas (centre). and how they can be protected. Seen here are the authority's Information and Education Co- these areas will start to disap- pear." said Mr. La Forest. Any species of wildlife and fish which is dependent on the woods and wetlands of Durham is threatened, according to Mr. La Forest, and in the past 100 years many creatures once considered to be indigenous to the area have moved on or, as was the case with the passenger pigeon, become ex- tinct. Bears, the timber wolf, lynx and cougar have all disap- peared form the region while others, such as the porcupine, are dwindling as our forests are cut back. In Durham's lakes and streams, trout and salmon only exist to-the extent that they do because their numbers are ar- tificially maintained and Mr. La Forest said the Ministry of Natural Resources has given up stocking lake trout in Lake On- tario because the water quality is no longer good enough to sustain them. While some species simply disappear, other less desirable species thrive when the environ- mental balance is disrupted. Fish such as suckers and carp seem to do very well in polluted waters, and can play havoc with marsh vegetation that is an important food source for ducks and other water fowl. The more people understand La Forest and Natural Resour- Debbie Boehm and Dave Ruch Free Press Staff Photo about the inter-relationships of Durham's natural environment and the political avenues that are there to preserve it, the easier it will be for CLOCA to carry out its mandate, said Mr. La Forest. "Public awareness is an impor- tant part of our job. A lot of people have no idea of what protections are there. The municipal officials and planners are aware of the process but not the general population. An in- formed public helps us and makes us politically accountable. Local input is important and people should make their concer- ns known to their local represen- tatives," said Mr. La Forest. CLOCA winner caught the bug early Todd Burgess isonly 9 years old, but already he's becoming known as Durham Region's an- swer to Ansel Adams. The tail thin sixth grader, started photography when he was seven and has already won three 1st place awards in local photography contests. The most recent was last month's Central Lake Ontario Conser- vation Authority (CLOCA) competition in which he entered a color photo of the West Lynde creek, shot not far from his house. He would likely have, won more contests by now, except that he's still too young to qualify for many of the com- petitions. "So far it's just a hob- by," he says shyly, "but someday I'd like to take courses and become a professional." Todd isn't the only shutter bug in bis family. His brother Joel, 7, also takes pic- tures and his father, Bill, operates a portrait studio in his spare time. Only the boys' mother, isn't camera-crazy. "I just want snap shots," says Marlene laughing - "they don't appreciate me." Unlike most kids whos first camera is an in- stamatic, Todd and Joel got their start on their father's old-style 4x5 view-finder, complete with bellows and over- sized sheet film. "Working with such a camera was a great education for them, says their father. "Most people nowadays have never even seen a view- finder. I wanted the boys to learn how the pioneers did it." In addition to this camera, the boys work with their father's more portable 2 % Yashica and their own single lens reflex equipment. For indoor shooting, they've got a basement full of studio lights, backdrops and other photographic parapher- nalia - not to mention a fully-equipped dark- room. 1 The latter allows Todd and his brother to develop and print their own black and white photos. While the boys' equipment would be the envy of a lot of professional photogra- phers, their "art" lies as much in the concept behind their images as in their technical ren- dering. A lot of their ideas germinate through discussions with dad. "Me and dad share ideas about what to take pictures of all the time and sometimes he suggests camera angles," says Todd. Lately, however, the 9-year-old has been coming up with some ideas of his own - like the time he set up a coke bottle in his father's studio and stuck a wilted rose in it to ex- periment with commer- cial photography. Bill and his two sons are almost as in- separable it seems as each is from his camera equipment. Whenever they think the day's "right" - "not too bright and not too dark" - they go out and shoot. An average ex- pedition may last two to three hours and send them tromping through woods or wading in creeks. For com- petitions they'll generally hit at least three locations so they'll have lots of negatives to choose from. Bill Btugess smiles proudly when he talks about his sons' accom- plishments. He, himself, didn't start taking pic- tures till he was in his twenties, and he's only hafore they graduate now working on getting from elementary his certification as a school. professional studio "I'm getting older, s0 photographer. I've got to train the boys to take over my studio At the rate his kids business, then 1 can sit are going they'll back and relax," jokes probably be taking on Bil. professional work It doesnt look like he'll have any difficulty persuading Todd and Joel to do just that. In fact, Todd is already scheming-about how to keep the business in the family. "I sure hope my kids want to learn photography," he remarks. 1