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Page 16. Whitbv rreu Press, Wednesday, May 12, 1993 p. From Our Handsise To Your Heari 3rd Annual Spring Country Collectables & Craft Show and Sale May 15 & 16, 1993 Sat., 10 arn - 5 pm & Sun., 10 ain - 4 pin ~E AUfii~Bowmanville Arena .J~-4~IOn the corner of HWY #2 (King St.) & I-WY #57 Aduits: $2. Seniors: $1. Chidreni Door Pizes Info: (416) 985-1616 under 12: FREE (416) 985-0572 COMPOST PJGHT FOR Durham Region canK.help you compost your organic kirchen anid yard wasre, easily. in jour own backyard. A selecrion of composters are available naw, for only $15 each, ar a distriburor close ro you. Camposring and recycling, ragerher, can makie a big difference in reducing the amaunt af wasre gaing ta landfill. Nor anly will rhe enviranmenr benefir, yaur gorden wilI be greener from the nurrient rich compasr yau add ro the sali! Pick up the composter of your choice at one of rhe following locations: Newcastle: Newcastle Lumber Limired Hwy. #2, East of MiII St. Rekîsier Gardens Two kýms Wesr of lowmanville Hwy. #2, Dowmanville Whirby: OGS Landscape Do-lr Centre 5515 Thickisan Rd. North, North of Taunron Rd.. Broolo Oshawa: Hollond Building Centre 1277 Wilson Rd. North, Oshawo Pickering: Sheridan Nurseries The Home And Design Centre 1 755 Pckiering Patkwoy Ajax: Picovs Greenhouses 380 Kingsron Rd. E. lrock: Vieveens Nursery 468 Moto Rd.. Beavetton Unirs may olso be purchased or the Deavettor.. Connington and Sunderland municipal offices. Home delivery of a composrer for an addirianal charge of $6 co be arranged by collhng the '5rudenrs for the Environmenr' Horline. For eveiy unir ordered over rhe Horlîne, SFTE will donore 53 ta eîrher the Ajax/Pickering Unted Way or ta the Unired Way of Oshawa/Whirby/Newcostle (the choice is yours). When you buy o composter, you'll olso ger a Guide To Home Composting - free - plus a We Compost srcker for your Blue Box rhor relis your neighbours you recycle and reduce. For odditionol information. pleose call)urham Region's Compost Hotline or 1-800-667-5671, or for home delivery service coll the SFTE Hotline or 1-800-567-9756. $1 ciU c0 :'DURHAM: A raccoon peers around your wild grapevine, eyeing you curiously from the garden. Meanwhil-le, two squirrels scamper across the lawn, heading straight for the mountain ash. And over at the bird feeder, American goldfinches flutter busily, fussing over that last batch or seeds. What are these creatures doing in your urban backyard? You've invited them there, by creating a sniall but fascinating wildlife space on your own property: a garden of trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers that attracts animnais and becomes their new homne. And, in the process, not only do you have a great new hobby, but you're also hielping Canada's environ nient. Creating a wvildlife space is something ainy urban dweiler (with a backyard or balcony) can do. And because our cities are eating up more and more wildlife habitats that in turn, disrupts our enviroamient, it's aiso, something Environment Canada is asking Canadians to consider. Help your e-cosystem Ail living things, inciuding you, are part of the pianet's ecosystem. So if the ecosystem is disrupted, if the environment's delicate balance is upset, then we can al feel the consequences. For exanîple: somewhere in yr area, there's probably at east one species of mammal, bird, amphibian, reptile or plant that's in danger of disappearing because the city, factory or farni has wiped out its habitat. Such disappearances, nowv occurring at an alarming rate, are a grave threat to the ecosystem's balance. In short, says Environment Canada, not only doe ve have a moral obligation to give the creatures back their homes, but doing se, also helps you. t helps your environment in many ways, including: 0 Cleaner air -- Wildlife spaces purify urban air; the plants remove carbon dioxide and return oxygen. e A 1 tougher' environnient - By keeping more or the enviroament wild and varied, you're fortifying its ability to withstand environmental extremes. For example, iawns require constant care and watering, whereas native shrubs and grasses do well under various weather conditions. 0 Abundant water -- Whien it rains on a city much of that rain can't get into the ground because the ground is covered by streets and buildings. As a resuit, the undergroud water level iowvers -- often beyond the reach of tree roots. A wiidlife space will help repienish the water supply. How to ci-ente your own wildlife spaoe Unlike Most backyard landscapes, a wildlife space isn't a carpet of lawn and a collection of exotic plants. It's a carefully designed ecosystem that uses plants native ta animal habitats. That way, it attracts animiaIs ta' your backyard. Guidelines for creating a wîldlife space: garden shouid offer a diversity of food and cover. e Plant in ciumps. By pianting shrubs and trees in natural-looking clumps, hedge- rows and thicekets, you're providing animais with ideal shelter. So don't leave space between individual trees and shrubs -- leave space betwecn clumps of plants. e Plant in layers. AnimaIs love layers. Give your space a deep, rich texture by planting not just trees and flowers but aiso shrubs, small trees and grasses. e Plant native plants. If you want animais in our backyard, you have to give them plants they're already adapted to. So don't choose exotie plants -- choose native ones such as jack pine and wild grape. You'll lfind such plants are also cheaper to buy and maintain. e Avoid chemnicais. Because they kill organisms that are vital ta poilination and decay, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides can upset your mini- ecosystem. When possible, therefore, replace 'the synthetic fertilizer with compost, replace herbicides by mulching and weed by harid. In the process, you11 save money. e Don't over-clean. Don't clean away the dead leaves and plants tili late spring (such plant matter provides animal shelter and ground insulation). Better still, don't ever remove the autumn's last leaf-faîl. And to provide cover for wildlife, don't trim the iower branches of shrubs and evergreen trees. a Instail nest boxes. Nest boxes or bird houses can be important substitutes for natural nesti ng sites ý However, they must be designYd correctly to encourage native species and be properly cared for to reduce parasites and disease. What animais wili show up? That depends where you live. But in most cities, don't be surprised to sec rabbits, raccoons, squirrels and a great variety of birds such as woodpeckers, nuthatches, grosbeaks, finches, jays, swallows, chickadees, wrens and sparrows. From time to time, you niay be surprised. People with wildlife gardens have reported turtles, owls and even a moose or two. For details on how to create your wildlife space, write to: Public Information Centre, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, roomn 1640, Whitney Block, 99 Wellesley St. W., Toronto, Ont. M7A MW. For information on bird bouses and feeders, write to: Publications, Canadian Wildlife Servicd, Environment Canada, Ottawa, Ont. KlA 0113. Wil the ecýaturebccome peste? Generally not, so long as you don't tempt them. This means: e Don't leavy dairy or meat products in your compost heap. If you do, make sure the heap is properly covered. 0 To keep raccoons and skunks out of your house, barricade the areas under iDDD DURHAM REGION Duy a Dockyord Composter for Just