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continued from p.16 efficient and from a different perspective." McNeil said the purpose of the program is to establish the current health level of the forest canopy in Oakville. Photos taken by the drone will be stored in Town archives and compared with photos, which will be taken of the same locations later in the future. This way if there is a decline in the health of the forests the Town will become aware of it earlier and be able to take the appropriate action, said McNeil. "Emerald ash borer has taught us a lot," he said. "In order to be proactive and deal with the next rounds of invasive species you need to baseline your forest health otherwise you are not going to recognize changes for the good or bad when they come." The photos will also help the Town access the damage caused to Oakville's tree canopy by the emerald ash borer. McNeil said the Town has budgeted for the Urban Forest Health Monitoring Program and there is no additional cost to the Town for using the drone, which is owned by Algoma University. Drone will assist Town in baselining its forest health Biologist and Algoma University Research Assistant Mandy Ehnes, who operates the drone, said photos taken by the unmanned aerial vehicle will also help to determine bird diversity in local woodlands and help access how the destruction of ash trees by the emerald ash borer has impacted bird populations. Ehnes said the small drone is a Phantom 3 DJI Quadcopter, which costs around $3,000 when its equipment is factored in. Between Sept. 10 and Sept. 17 the drone will be used at 36 woodland locations across the town. Ehnes began with Iroquois Shoreline Woods on Thursday. "I am not taking pictures of anything except tree canopy. I want to make that clear," she said. "I am not taking pictures of homes or backyards or anything. It is just tree canopy we're interested in." She said the drone would typically be operating about 30-40 metres above the ground. McNeil said the information uncovered by the drone concerning Oakville's forest health would ultimately be made public in a report to Town council. Three local animal rescue organizations will be on hand Saturday (Sept. 12) to speak with Oakville residents. The Oakville and Milton Humane Society (OMHS), The Dog Rescuers' Inc. and Search and Rescue Dogs Ontario will be at a customer appreciation event for Canadian Pet Connection, 1500 Upper Middle Rd. W. OMHS has the capacity to look after approximately 200 animals that are lost or have been abandoned or abused. Its mission is to address animal welfare issues, as well as provide food, shelter and care for stray and unwanted pets in the community. In addition to having 24-hour emergency Animal rescue groups represented service and adoption opportunities, the OMHS also provides by-law enforcement and conducts cruelty investigations. Oakville-based Dog Rescuers' Inc. is a nonprofit organization run by volunteers with a passion for rescuing and re-homing all breeds of dogs. Search and Rescue Dogs Ontario has been a member of the Hamilton Police Service Volunteers Search and Rescue since 2002. It assists police in ground search-and-rescue operations. The dogs are trained to find live and deceased people. Canadian Pet Connection is open Saturday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. 17 | Friday, September 11, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com MVL LEASING LIMITED 905-849-6995 1064 SOUTH SERVICE RD. E, OAKVILLE LEASE ANY YEAR, MAKE, OR MODEL 2011 BMW 328i xDrive $ www.MVL.ca 2010 BMW 750Li xDrive $ 26,900 39,374 Kms +HST 44,900 69,805 Kms +HST LEASING, FINANCING, SALES, SERVICE, FLEET, DETAILING, STORAGE iNdoor soccer shoes Whether you call it drywall, gypsum wallboard or sheetrock, it's all 100% recyclable to us. Documentation for LEED certification is available. Gypsum is a true closed-loop product, designed for your safety and to be infinitely recycled in to new drywall. 905-847-0520 www.nwgypsum.com Located just off the QEW at 2182 WYECROFT ROAD, OAKVILLE New ArrivAls! FactORy SHOe OUtlet 2394 FAIRVIEW ST., BURLINGTON #1 SHOE STORE #1 CHILDREN'S SHOE STORE n ow o f f e r i n g P h ys i ot h e r a P y o s t eo Pat h y at h l e t i c t h e r a P y 905-632-9688 HOURS: Monday-Friday 9am to 9pm Saturday 9am to 6pm · Sunday 10am to 6pm oakvillesportsmedicinecentre.ca FAMILY OWNED FOR 59 YEARS! 905 337 8455