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Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, June 22, 1988-11 * •Cf-' The Federation of Ontario Naturalists . FON Conscrvalion Condi o. Moat field Park 3.65 Lusinüi" Riuftl. Dun Mills. OnUtiiu. MJli 2WB Phone: .(416) 444 8419 X 1 by Marion Strebig Use or Abuse What do you expect a provincial park to be ? Probably to provide an environment quite different from the one you're usually in - more natural and tranquil. Although originally parks were intended as placed which would preserve our natural heritage of plant and animal life, often they have not been protectors of either wildlife or habitat. In certain parks sport hunting, trapping and logging have been permitted. In the fall signs in Presqu'ile Provincial Park warn visitors away from duck hunting hunting blinds on certain beaches. In wilderness parks like Quetico nonnative nonnative trappers have been permitted to take large harvests of fur- bearers. Back in 1978 the Progressive Conservative Government brought out the so-called Blue Book on Ontario Ontario provincial parks planning and management policies. This is viewed viewed as a model by other jurisdictions. No sooner was the new policy in place and 245 new parks announced then special interest groups began chipping"away at the size and integrity integrity of the proposed new parks. Even though the parks represent only a tiny fraction of Ontario's 1,000,000 square kilometer land- mass, they wer'e seen as a denial of individual rights to unhampered recreational and economic opportunity. opportunity. When the lobbyists finished there were only 155 new parks left and many of these were to, accommodate accommodate mining, logging and hydroelectric hydroelectric development, as well jts sport-hunting and trapping. y All these uses, which have com» to be known as "non-conforming" uses because they do not conform" to the idea of parks expressed in the Government's own Blue Book, have been opposed by the Federation Federation of Ontario Naturalists. The present Liberal Government inherited schizophrenia in the parks system. The park that ran interpretive interpretive centres in the summer was open to hunters in the fall. At first the Government appeared willing to accept this exploitative use of parks. However, Gregory Sorbara, chairman of the Liberal cabinet committee on regulations, questioned questioned the place of such uses in our provincial provincial park and refused to rub- berstamp/the Government's policy. There the mat ter has sat for three years while the Liberal Government tried to decide. Should the parks have special treatment? About 80% of Ontario's vast landmass is Safety problem stops esouree extract id! 1 an( * s P t,lls ae- t 4» a • i • SÆtfKa; transport .of tritium Poll conducted l° r Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources had shown clearly what people didn't want in the parks More than 80% of the population were opposed to sporthunting in provincial parks, and 73% opposed mining operations. operations. Finally on May 17, 1988, the Minister of Natural Resources, Vincent Kerrio, announced in the legislature the government's decision. decision. There was to be no logging, sport hunting, trapping, mineral exploration, exploration, mining or hydroelectric development permitted in wilderness or nature reserve class parks like Quetico and Polar Bear, In all other provincial parks no trapping, mining or hydroelectric development was to be permitted. Logging was limited to Algonquin and Lake Superior Parks. This decision took considerable political courage on the Government's Government's part because there is a vocal minority which feels that all areas sfiould be open to economic entrepreneurs entrepreneurs and sportsmen. The government's decision confirmed the Canadian Wildlife Service 1983 report which found that while only 7% of the adult population in Ontario Ontario hunts, 80% expressed an interest interest in enjoying wildlife in undisturbed undisturbed surroundings. Last weekend I visited a protected protected area in which trees soared like great, columns 150 meters into Design ■defect:; in the bolts which secure Ontario Hydro's • tritium transport flasks have forced the utility to postpone plans to truck the radioactive waste on Ontario roads. The bolts secure the two giant 9 foot high casks that are carried on a flat-bed tractor-trailer truck. Each cask contains 4750 litres of heavy water contaminated with tritium. Even one five-hundredth of a gram of tritium (20 curies) is a fatal dose. Since a 9500 litre shipment of tritiated heavy water is allowed to the air. When they topple thé trunk remains, providing nest sites for northern waterthrush and winter wrens in the exposed root mass and seed beds for species' like yellow birch whjch will only germinate on rotting wood. There are hollow trees which house barred owls and southern flying squirrel. Understorey vegetation like dogwood and viburnum flourishes. By day the canopy of tall trees keeps the woods cool and moist long after surrounding land is dry and parched; By night the wood is lit by a million fireflies. Has an undisturbed woods like this any value aside : from the prospective prospective value of its timber and its furbearers?-Obviously many people in Ontario feel that it has, and our Government has agreed. , contain over 9(X),(XX) curies of tritium, there are technically 45,000 fatal doses in each shipment. Because of the safety problem with the bolts, Ontario Hydro expects expects that/the tritium removal facility, facility, at the site of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, won't start operating until late September or October. The facility is expected to receive one shipment per day whenrit begins operation. Jeff Brackett, of Durham Nuclear Awareness, stated, "This problem vindicates our position that tritium transport is unsafe. We shouldn't wait for an accident to happen before we find out that there is yet another safety fault." Randy Dryburgh of the Orangeville group, Citizens Concerned Concerned About Nuclear Transport (CCANT) said, "The fault in the tritium flasks shows that the Orangeville town council made' a wise decision when they opposed tritium transport through our municipality." Peace and environment groups have opposed tritium transport, commercial use and export of tritium for over two years. They point to safety problems with tritium, and the fact that it may contribute to nuclear weapons if exported. exported. Nuclear Awareness Project is calling for separate tritium removal facilities to be built at Pickering and Bruce in order to eliminate the need for transport. Planning a Wedding? Be sure to view the selection of Invitations ' Announcements Reply Cards and others at the Orono Weekly DOWNTOWN ORONO 983-5301