HB NEWS 4 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TOWN’S PLAN T0 BATTLE LDD MOTHS With the return of warm- er weather, Halton Hills is i plan in place to protect its tree can- opy from potential destruc- tion by Lymantria dispar dispar (LDD) moths. by Halton Hills council dur- ine its most recent m¢ 1. The plan to combat the moths will include a combi- nation of traps, limited ground spraying of biopesti- cides on municipal land, urlap kits for resi- dents to protect trees on their property, public edu- cation, along with surveys Metroland file photo Plans are in ine works t to protect loc: mantra ‘laper d sleet (LDD) town director of public works Mark Covert in a re- port to council. 2. He noted that Halton Hills has experienced sever- al LDD outbreaks over the of egg masses and tree defo- _ last few decades, with resi- liation. dents raising concerns over “Staff is confident that theincreasingmoth popula- these actions will increase tioni in: recent years —some- e town! i id be due to the current LDD moth out- break and provide i creased tools to mitigate any impacts in 2022," said not only outbreak severity, but the fact more people ave been getting outdoors during the pandemic. 3. Over the past two years, moth traps have been deployed to municipal trees where caterpillars wet own to be present to cap- flying male moths, which reduced mating op- portunitie: nie it “seemed like the caterpillars were every- where, Covert wrote | that there was hiram ae lefolia- tion of municipal trees ob- served last year, and “there are signs that an LDD pop- ulation Collapse may be on ontracted crest V Valley Conservation (CVC) in 2021 to assess the LDD moth population local- ly. After surveying 80 sites — including town-owned woodlot, park and street tree locations — it was con- cluded that? 25 5 per cent of the location: the potential for posse o defoliation this year. “The northern and west- ern areas of Georgetown had the highest concentra- tion of sites with a potential for moderate to severe defo- liation in 202 | noted Co- vert in his repo Details are stil to come on when and where the free burlap kits will be available for residents. OPINION SEND US YOUR LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Independent Free Press values the opinions of its readers, and the com- munity at large. With that said, we wel- come your letters to the ed- itor on all matters that im- pact area resident We ask that Tetlers beno more than 275 words, and include the full name and town of the writer. Your address and tele- phone number must also Catch a Great Deal! be included for verification purposes only. We do not publish anonymous let- ters. Letters will be edited or rejected for offensive content, factual errors, le- gal is issues or space restric- nd your letters to newsroom@thelFP.ca. Browse Price. What for the right price! @autocatch... OPINION ALLYSHIP IS ABOUT YOUR ACTIONS COMMITMENT TO INCLUSION, SAYS DALE BOYLE DALE BOYLE (HE/HIM) Column creating the change we need to see. We need to shift our view of an ally from an iden- th, something you are, to it as as action, something yo "Alleria tke efforts and actions by privileged groups to advance the interests and needs of inalized groups, whether the inter- ests are social or systemic. Allies play a crucial role in helping to shift societal con- ersations, advance change in organizations, and help to further the efforts being made Paton 28 LOBTQ+ Tuesday, May 17,is Inter. comm national Day Against Homo- In ono of. Internation- ia, T iaandBi- al Day Against ‘obia, phobia, which is held annu- ally to raise awareness sur- roundi! human rights inequities and to encourage selves as being an ally to 2S- LGBTQ+ communities, feel- ing proud to announce pub- licly support for their queer onteoane trans friends, family or coll Unfortunately, simply identifying as an ally is not Transphobia and Biphobia, mitment to action. nouns by sharing your own in various so and recruitment strategies to attract more diverse col- i youre not sure which action to take, consider starting by engaging | in edu- nn. Take the to lis- tn to the BS LGBTQ" com- unity, read their stories, discover what the current Is are, and ask how to T ways y can actively demonstrate support. For individuals, ac- tions can include engaging in conversations, volunteer- ing ata Jocal PSLGBTQ+ arity or Prid Pall tion, Sotting, ‘ime or sup- porting a fundraising event, advocating for change when you see inaccessible sys- or e' normalizing kee “conversation on pro- and biphobia? Message us at newsroom@thelFP.ca. To- where people are able to be their authentic Dale Boyle (he/him) is the operations manager at The Gilbert Centre. Email him at DaleB@Gilbert- rutre.ca. WE DIG DEEPER ON THE ISSUES THAT MATTER TO YOU. ~ a Fy 3 a v i Zz VISIT THEIFP.CA TO READ CURRENT AND PAST INVESTIGATIONS