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Page A8 ♦ THE CANADIAN STATESMAN ♦ July 19,2006 durhamrcgion.com Orono Crown Lands receives loan of wood chipper Will help till organization can buy their own BY JENNIFER STONE Staff Writer ORONO -- Langley Utilities had a wood chipper it wasn't using; the Orono Crown Lands Trust needed one. For Langley president, CEO and part- _ owner Shane Hastings, there was little question as to what he should do. "Mine is just sitting in the yard" at the Bowmanville-bascd business, said Mr. Hastings, "It's never used anymore. I saw the last story (in Clarington This Week, about the OCLT needing a chipper to deal with invasive species) and it clicked that this was something I could do ... Why not give them this one? It was just sitting in the yard, doing nothing." Mr. Hastings said he holds a special affinity for Orono, his first home town in Ontario, and "love(s) the forestry up there." The trust, which manages the 633- acre forest in Orono, first approached the Municipality for a $5,000 grant, to buy a wood chipper to aid in the control of invasive species threatening natural regeneration in (he former tree nursery. But, Clarington councillors twice voted against that possibility, saying, since the lands are owned by the Ministry of Natural Natural Resources, paying for the chipper should be a provincial responsibility. When it became clear the Province 'Langley's offer comes at a great time, while we endeavour to raise the necessary funds to purchase an auto-feed wood chipper.' -- John Slater wasn't going to pay, the Municipality offered an interest-free loan to help the, OCLT pay for the equipment. The loan, though, was turned down, because the trust simply didn't have any way to pay it back, said OCLT chairman John Slater. But, the donation from Langley, which does high voltage work and holds a number number of municipal street light maintenance contracts, is very welcome, said Mr. Slater. "Langley's offer comes at a great time, while we endeavour to raise the necessary necessary funds to purchase an auto-feed wood chipper," he noted. "We greatly appreciate appreciate Langley's generous offer towards the stewardship of the Orono Crown Lands." The donation is typical of the type of generosity found in Clarington, said Councillor Gord Robinson. "That is what makes Clarington the special place it is," he said. "That's why . I'm very proud to be part of this town, that we all get together and support each other." Walter Passarella / Metroland Durham Region Media Group . t,n 8® th ™ ws some shrubbs into the chipper he's donating the use of to the Orono Crown Lands Trust. With him are the Chairman of. the Trust, John Slater, and R. Keith Tregunna, a director of the Trust. i .1N ,ri -B < E 9 $ g»' b }= g o id ri m V- " " £> Ü@53.k g ■s is 6 ai il? s r g ro vj o .y -i: v. r' ™ ~ rJ : ! i i-1 45 1Î8 : ë " N ' :pii : ' ; ' i- jtjL