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8 - Orono Weekly Trimes, Wednesday, October 25, 1995 public domaii, Perhaps a Joint venture could be set up with the Village of Orono and the Municipality of Clarington to bring such a proposal to fruition. All citizens could then benefit from the former nursery lands, with proper guidelines in place to con- trol any abuse. Funding received from these permits would be directed towards maintenance of trails. Volunteer groups could also be encouraged to help mon- itor conditions. I believe it could be a doable project. I would appreciate you passing on these thoughts to the appropriate parties in the hope that some compro- mise for retention of the for- est existence may be found. After ail, wouldn't it be a sharne to lose this land to development, after so many years of stewardship in managing the Orono nurs- ery lands. Don Arrstrong gives Joe Hentig some of the white ash trees that the IGA gave away during their Hometown Trees event on Saturday. Over 300 trees were made available at the Orono store through the IGA's reforestation program. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! The Newcastle Village Lions Club want to thank all the people that had a 'part' in the .Walk-A-Dog-A-Thon for the Canine Vision Leader dog school, on Saturday, October 14. Because of the generous support and participation of those pledging and walking dogs, we were able to raise over $6,000.00 which is approximately the cost of training one seeing eye dog. Thank you to all! Murray Paterson, Chairperson of the Sight & Hearing Committee GOING ON A TRIP??? GETTING MARRIED??? Planning a Special Evening on the Town for Dinner, the Theatre or the Big Game??? Open Letter Written to Mr. John O'Toole, MPP - dated October 20, 1995. Dear Mr. OToole: I recently read about the planned closure of the Orono Nursery. As most of us privately feared, in light of the times, this possibility would one day be realized. After seventy-three years of operation, that day has come and it is a sad day indeed for the local commu- nity here in Orono. We our- selves are directly affected by this closure and its uncertain future as our farm borders this near pristine woodland. First, i would like to take this opportunity to corn- nend the staff at the Nursery for their preserva- tion of these lands. They have been the vigilant cus- .odians and caretakers who have maintained the forest over its long history. We have felt very fortunate to enjoy these lands since our arrival to this area thirteen years ago, which we chose for its tranquil agricultural and forest setting to carry on our farm activity. The Ministry's staff have always been cordial and helpful. They have been, in every essence, good neighbours. Although we occasionally use the forest for recre- ational riding and driving of our horses when tirne per- mits from our busy breed- ing and training schedule, our concern is for the envi- ronment and wildlife inhab- itants all of us who frequent this area have become to appreciate. We understand that pro- posals are being encouraged from the public as to how best to utilize the soon to be vacant lands. Although these times represent such extraordinary fiscal chal- lenges, I would like to respond in a somewhat pos- itive way, even though it may not seem as financially attractive, or possibly as lucrative as other schenes. However, I feel the proposal merits some review in the public's interest for protect- ing these fragile lands as a natural habitat for future generations. 1 am asking the govern- ment to consider the possi- bility of issuing user permits to those who wish to access the property for recreational and educational purposes, similar to what I understand is being done in some areas of the Ganaraska Forest. This would allow for the con- tinuance of activities for cross country skiing, hiking and riding, which presently exist on these lands, while keeping the property in the Cedar Valley Resort Relaxed Atmosphere SEASONAL TRAILER CAMPING - $968.00 Service inci. 7 kms. east of Orono/Hwy. 115 Enter Clarke 4th or 5th Conc. Line 1-905-786-2562