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RONO WEEKLY TIMES Serving East Carington and beyond since 1937 65¢ GSTincluded Wednesday September 181996 September is Big Brothers Month Qlebrate 50 Years 0 0f e anraskaFores? Come out and help cele- brate the 50th birthday of the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority. A family picnic will be held on Sunday, September 22 start- ing at noon at the Ganaraska Forest Centre. People who wish to attend are asked to bring their own food and chairs, but beverages will be provided by the GRCA. The first task undertaken by the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority when it was created in 1946 was the creation of the Ganaraska Forest. The area had previ ously been cleared of trees, which caused major problems with floods and erosion. A desert like environment was created as top-soil, no longer kept in place by trees or replenished by decaying undergrowth, was washed away. High runoff caused by the lack of trees, plagued Port Hope and other areas along the river. The Ganaraska Forest was thus created to remedy this problem. In the 50 years that have followed, continued on page 2 Forum To Be Held On The Future Of The Ganaraska Forest Big Brothers of Clarington held a flag raising ceremony at the Municipal Adminstrative Centre in Bowmanville to mark the start of Big Brothers Month. Representatives from Big Brothers got a little help from some of Ciarington's politicians. In the front, 1-r, are Mayor Diare Hamre, councillors David Scott and Pat Pingle, Big Brothers of Clarington Executive Director Nancy Scott, and Councillor Mary Novak. In the back, 1-r, are Sally Barrie, Jill King, and Ruth Nunn of Big Brothers, and councillors Ann Dreslinski and Larry Hannah. Presently, Big Brothers is looking for matches for 14 boys. Everywhere we look in the news we see youth in trouble. Maybe all they needed was a positive influence in their lives. You could be that influ- ence. If you are over 18 and can spare just four hours a week, phone Big Brothers at 623- 6646 and make the difference in a boy's life. Disposali A special forum on the future of the Ganaraska Forest will be held at the Ganaraska Forest Centre on November 9. The forum's goals will be to protect the for- est 'andto answer the ques tion "By what mechanisms can it best be sustained." Presently the forest is main- tained by the MNR; in 1997 the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority takes over control of the land. Process For Many people are worried about the future of the forest and the implications the loss of the forest could have on the entire watershed. A variety of speakers, including pro- fessors, planners, area politi- cians and other concerned people, will start promptly at 9:00 a.m. The forum will last all day, wrapping up at around 4:00 p.m. Niva Rowan of Save the continued on page 2 The Orono Forestry Lands Decided Upon The future of the Orono Forestry Centre is a little clearer as the province has finally committed to paper its plans for the lands. In a meeting between rep- resentatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ontario Realty Corporation, the Property Manager, Clarington's acting Economic Development Officer, and the Chief Administrative Officer held on September 12 to advise the Council of the site's current status and on the dis- posal process being imple- mented. The representatives of the Ministry of Natural Resources have stated that the Province will be selling the production lands (western border of the property) and the parcel of land which includes the existing build- ings and infrastructure. Provincial assets (eg. equip- ment) will also be sold but it will either be negotiated with one of the land sales or by a separate process. The forest ed lands (in the neighbour- hood of 1,000 acres and includes the creek and val- leylands) will be retained by the Province however, they will not be "actively" man- aged. To dispose of the identified properties the Ontario Realty Corp. will approach other provincial Ministries to deter- mine whether or not they have an interest in retaining all or portions of this site. This inquiry has been initiat- ed and it is believed that the indication of interest, if any, will be known by the middle of October. Should there be no interest expressed then the Ontario Realty Corp. will then approach the Municipality of Clarington to determine what interest, if any exists relative to the prop- erty. If any interest is expressed by any other provincial Ministry regarding the land, discussions with them will be conducted before the Municipality is approached and offered the land. If the Municipality does not express an interest in pur- chasing the land (they have in the past stated that they cannot afford to purchase it) the Ontario Realty Corp. will then proceed t initiate the selling of the site to private interests. The process to be used will be one of three options: a local real estate agent will be asked to facili- tate the sale; the property will be sold by public auction; or the property will be sold by public tender. It is most like- ly that the third option will be the one exercised. In order to sell the property, an appraisal is to be carried out by an extemal agency for the Ontario Realty Corp. This appraisal will enable the Province to establish the sell- ing price of the Centre. The appraisal is to be initiated this week. The representative of the Ontario Realty Corp. used the term "fair market value" as a key theme to the selling of the property throughout the meeting. The Province has agreed to keep the Municipality informed of any future actions regarding the disposi- tion of the lands. Volume 60, Number 37 Ji