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4-Orono Weekly Timies, Wednesday, April 18, 1984 The Ca."msport Championship team Return of the WiId Turkey WOODS, WATER AND) WILDLIFE Arlin Hackman - leration of Ontario Jaturalists Chances are that Christmas dinner is as close as y'ou've ever corne to contact with a wild turkey. For many peo- pic, they're the stuff of Arnerican folklore. No wonder. By the early 1930's they were ail but wiped out south of the border and long gone frorn that portion of their original range in southwestern Ontario, due to habitat destruction and hun- ting. Farned naturalist C.H.D. Clarke appeared, to conclude their story when hie cornpared the prospects for restoringR this magnificent bird to the challenge of rcintroducîng buffalo to the prairie wheat country. But-today Meleagris galiopavo, one of two turkey species native to north America, is back in Ontario, released in srnali numnbers in- to part of its former range in Haldimand-Norfolk. Growing to a length of three to four feet and wirh a wing span of up to six feet, wild turkeys depend on tracts of mature deciduous forests for cover. Mating in late winter before ground- nesting, they feed on wild fruit, bernies and nuts and oc- casionaily srnail birds or mnice. Keen eyesight, excellent camouflage and strong wings, ailow wild turkeys to keep their distance t'romn in- truders, which makes thert- very attractive to hunters. Reintroduetion has been attemipted before in Ontario wvith little success, This is largely because it was ex- ecuted by inexperienced in- dividuals, using birds which had interbred with domnestic stock and were unabie to surt- vive in the wild. But this îi n te r's well-organized release invoiving the Ministry of Naturai Resources, the Ontario Federation of Angiers and Hunters and the Federation of Ontario Naturaiists, faces other serious obstacles. Severe winters could wipe out a fledging population over- nig-ht. Poaching and acciden- tai in terbreeding %wi th domestic birds also p ose reai probierns requiring close mnonitoring of the unpuhiiciz- cd release sites. Such pro- grams are expensive and .in- volve trernendous logistical probiernis in arranging the purchase, safe capture and transport of the transplanted stock. We worn't know for some timie if the experimnent witl prove as successful here as othiers have south of the border. But together with re- cent prograrns to resurrect the peregrine faicon and baid eagle in southerni Ontario, the reintroduction of the wild turkey is a laudable sîgn that wiidlife managers are developing a comnmitrncnt to maintain, indeed restore, the wildiifc diversity which we have ail cone to cherish. Sam Reports from Queen 's Park Student Venture Capital Program 0a Profitable Learning Experience The Ontario SecrtUariat f'or social Development is Once again promoting businless skills and iitiative am-ong ,-Ur young p' eople. 'Thlene 1984 Student Venture Capital Program cani provide up ito $2,OOO intcrest-free to launch a summwer business. 'Fhe Student venture Capital Programi began in 1974 when 37 st!udent businesses were startedl up. Ten years later, the niumber of1 businesses operated by students through the program bas reached 876, creat ing summer jobs for more thian a thousandstudents across O- tarto. In order to be eligible for a ioan, appiicants miust be 15 years of agje or older and must be retuning il-to sho oni a fuili-tiime basis in thie fali of this year Th ulkof Ithe business activity should take place between the beginning of Apn-*ii d October 1, 1984. Because this us an Ontarie ex- perience programn, businessesC must becratedJwiin the p)rov ince. Thec On1ta i io Yout h Secretariat, iconjunçction with the Royal Banik and par- ticipating Clambers Of Com- mnerce, sponisors the program: they w\ill ailso be able to Pro- vide tips on býusin-ess plann- ing, market research and the successfui delivery of pro- ducts and services. Past ex- perience has showNiithfat the labour-intensiv'e, service- oriented businie-ss with low overhead is the mstpro- ftabl e endeavor. The people wh dminister To further up-date you on the .progress being made on the Pickering to Oshawa sec- tion, of the GO-ALRT system, 1 arn pleased to say that the tenders hv been called for the first contract on the "prebuild!" portion. The work on the GO-ALýRT alignmnent wil iipovidie the base for the inistallation oif trackwork. This contrat isi one of eleven civil or-ks con- tracts proposed for tender during 1984/85 on the easten portion of the GO. ALRT system. Finaily, the Ministry of Transportation and Comi- munications has cornpleted an environmentai sesmn study which will resuit in the re-construction of thre section of Highw,%ay 2 w0iich runs for one-third of a kilom-.etre east of the CPR subway at the east limit of theiae of Newcastle. Congratýulations to Buister and Gwýen Harris on thieir 5th \Wedding Anve 1ry will be looking forward to co- ordinaiting w \ith Earl 'Mce Cullougeh the Special ceremnony at Coronation Public School for the tree planinrg and celebration of our bi:enItenliliai1.