durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, June 23, 2022 | | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a whollyowned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 70 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the newspaper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca newsroom@durhamregion.com facebook.com/newsdurham @newsdurham WHO WE ARE Vice President Dana Robbins Regional General Manager Anne Beswick Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman Managing Editor Mike Lacey Director of Advertising Tanya Pacheco Director Distribution Jason Christie Director Creative Services Katherine Porcheron Durham Advisory Council Dan Carter; Esther Enyolu; Jake Farr; Dr. Vidal Chavannes; Cynthia Davis; Elaine Popp/Don Lovisa; John Henry; Sue McGovern; Kerri King; Steve Yamada; Kelly LaRocca; Peter Bethlenfalvy; Dr. Steven Murphy; Norah Marsh; Tracy Paterson; Chris Darling; Christina Curry CONTACT US This Week Phone: 905- 579-4407 Newsroom: 905-215-0462 Sales: 905-215-0424 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Fax: 905-579-2238 Web: www.durhamregion.com Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at durhamregion.com Delivery For all delivery inquiries, call 905- 579-4407 or visit the Contact Us page on durhamregion.com. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT DURHAMREGION.COM LETTERS & COMMENTARY It's the little things that bring the most joy -- isn't that the saying? And so true for me the other week when I came across a toad in the yard, the first in ages. We used to have lots crawling about the grass and garden in years past, and I miss them. Really miss them! Signature bumpy skin, bulgy eyes on top of his head like periscopes. He was a fat little guy not three inches long, almost the same dark brown as the flower bed soil. Had I disturbed his shady daytime rest, pulling weeds from around the calendulas? I watched him make his way in fits and starts to a clump of Chinese chives and huddle there, safe from my big boots and grasping hands. I would have loved to pick him up and feel his cool tummy skin, stroke my finger along the pale line running down his back amid the colourful warts and glands that make toads so unique. Look closely at his beautiful golden eyes and horizontal black pupils. But my husband was done tilling the next row and I had to go plant lettuce and cress. And when I got back to the flower bed minutes later my toad had vanished. I knew he was hiding nearby, however, waiting for night to come out and feast on grubs, slugs, snails, sowbugs and cut-worms munching away on our veggies. Free pest control, with dozens of insects and caterpillars per night pulled into the toad's gaping mouth by his pink sticky tongue. Female toads are bigger than males and presumably consume even more of these bothersome nibblers. Three huge ones used to camp out at the base of our spruce tree on summer afternoons and pick off ants running up and down the trunk. Toads are members of the frog family, with a difference. They walk slowly and awkwardly compared to their cousins' longlegged leaps. Though they meet up, mate and lay their jellylike strands of eggs in ponds and marshes, they roam far afield after changing from wriggling tadpoles to darling toadlets, able to absorb all the water they need from dew and rain, through their skin. The glands that pepper their backs as they grow up secrete chemicals that protect them from predators. Any dog that picks up a toad in its mouth soon drops it, and won't do so again. Toads are critical indicators of an ecosystem's health, being highly sensitive to pollution and pesticides. Having one appear near my door brought me a ray of hope and a flash of joy. Nature queries: mcarney1490@gmail.com or 905-725-2116. Metroland columnist Margaret Carney finds so much to discover and marvel at exploring the great outdoors. VERY WELCOME, WARTS AND ALL: TOADS IN THE GARDEN MARGARET CARNEY Column A toad breaks into song. Columnist Margaret Carney says toads are "critical indicators of an ecosystem's health" and she was delighted to see one in her garden, noting she used to see many. Mike McEvoy photo SINGING TOAD 'SAD DAY FOR DURHAM' To the editor: Re: Durham council approves plan to develop 9,300 acres of farmland. It was a sad day for Durham when a majority of elected councillors voted for a future land-use scenario that totally ignored the recommendations] of their own staff, not to mention all the concerned citizens who made presentations and wrote letters. What this means is that those of us who care about the future of food and imminent climate catastrophe will simply dig in our heels all the more and, come October, make sure that those who are returned to municipal governments speak for us, not for the deep-pocketed developers who are intent on buying up and destroying the last remaining farmland. GABRIELLE UNTERMANN CLAREMONT COUNCILLOR 'UNDERCUT MONTHS OF PUBLIC CONSULTATION' To the editor: Re: Durham council approves plan to develop 9,300 acres of farmland. Though it's his first term on Regional Council, Whitby's Steve Yamada felt he knew enough about long-term land use planning to move a motion at the May 3 Planning Committee that advanced the Land Needs Scenario (2A) developed by BILD, a development and construction industry lobby group. The BILD scenario had not been fully analyzed by Durham staff. In doing so, Mr. Yamada also undercut months of public consultation on the five scenarios developed by Durham staff and consultants, and thus blindsided many involved. He appears to have accepted the development industry's view that "whitebelt" lands i.e. lands outside the Greenbelt and outside urban boundaries, are merely default "future urban areas." Many areas requiring permanent protection were not included in the Greenbelt almost two decades ago due in part to incomplete natural heritage data/mapping and political pressure. Efforts continue to secure permanent protection for some Durham lands. We must elect representatives to Durham's eight local councils, some of whom will also sit on Durham Regional Council, who support sound planning policies which help prepare our communities for the future. On Oct. 24, please vote and choose wisely. LINDA GASSER WHITBY SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT DURHAMREGION.COM