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It's all part of the show with the MacDonalds from R.R. 1 Newtonville in attendance at the collector's show in Orono on Saturday. The MacDonalds had also taken part in the Bowman- ville parade. How much am I bid Barb Swan, the auctioneer, before an eager crowd at the Old Tyme Hoedown and Box Social, something old but just too new today to attract a capacity crowd. The highest bid was up over $20.00 from a crowd of fifty in attendance. Woods, Water and Wildlife by Marion Strebig t0 prevent it, or suppress it as Phoenix quickly as possible. But in the The prospect of fire horrifies natural world ' scientists are most people. Our natural reaction is discovering that fire may not always spell catastrophe. In the northern forests, controlled bunts, imitating natural fires, are sometimes used on jackpine stands to help regeneration. regeneration. Like the phpenix, that fabulous bird which rosP anew from its own ashes, the jackpine depends on the heat of fire tP release its seeds from their cones Anyone who has spent much time in the north has reaped the benefit of bums in the bush. Where the fire has gone through, wild raspberries will flourish for a few seasons, fueled fueled by the nutrients released by fire. After a few seasons, the berry patch gradually gives way before the intrusion intrusion of woody growth. In south-western Ontario, there is a special ecological community which would disappear without the regular occurrence of fire to retard woody growth. The largest remaining remaining area of Oak Savanna occurs at Pinery Provinciàl Park, on Lake Huron. The Ministry of Natural Resources describes the ecology of Oak Savanna as "characterized by open sunny conditions with widely spaced trees. Between the trees, meadows composed of prairie shrubs, grasses and herbs give the Oak Savanna of Pinery its unique character. Many plants in Pinery are more closely related to the tall grass prairies found 600 kilometers further west, and as such there are many plants and animals in Pinery considered rare or endangered in the province of Ontario. Most of these plants can only be regenerated through burning," Thirty years ago, before much was known about this special habitat, a pine plantation was planted in part of the Oak Savanna. Pine occurs naturally in other areas in the park, but the savanna is an arid environment with limited nutrients. In this plantation, the pines were set out 5-6,000 to the acre. In the savanna, pines might occur naturally two to an acre. After 30 years the' pine plantation has produced scraggly 35 foot pines, half the height they should have attained under normal growing growing conditions. A pine plantation is essentially a sterile place with little understorey and little diversity in species, unlike the savanna which has more than 600 species of plants and animals, including species like Goshawk, Cooper's Hawk and the Kamer Blue butterfly. This last species whose main Ontario population exists exists in the Pinery, feeds only on wild lupine a plant which thrives in the wake of a burn. Other fire regenerated plants which occur here are New Jersey tea and fragrant sumach. In presettlement North America there were 26,000,000 hectares of Oak Savanna. Now there is less than .03 Vo of this habitat remaining. remaining. The Pinery has 1200 hectares of the remaining Oak Savanna. In order to preserve this habitat, the Ministry of Natural Resources decided that it was necessary "to mirfiic the processes of natural fires which have maintained the health and diversity of the Oak Savanna over the past 5,000 years." Accordingly a controlled burn took place in the Pinery at the end of April. Unlike the towering inferno inferno forest fires of movie fame, this was more like a litter or grass fire, burning along the ground', Its effect was to retard woody growth, remove fire sensitive plants like the planted pine, and aid in the regeneration of the specially adapted savanna species. An TON observer in attendance reported that all the Ministry preparations emphasized safety cpnsideràtions for wildlife,, property property and people. The fire was brief, lasting only several hours, and was over before nesting season had begun. Observers noted that deer returned to the site the next day, and small mammals emerged from underground burrows. For Terry Crabe, the biologist, it was the suc- Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, May 31, 1989-11" Arts Council receives additional $2 million Nalini Stewart, Chair of the Ontario Ontario Arts Council acknowledge with pleasure the allocation of an additional $2 million to the base operating grant of the Ontario Arts Council by the Ministry of Culture and Communications. This was announced announced as part of the Provincial Budget oh May 17 by the Treasurer of Ontario and included in a $25 million increase to cultural agencies and institutions, "in recognition of the economic importance of Ontario's Ontario's cultural sector and its unique ability to foster creativity and innovation". innovation". The allocation is in addition addition to the Council's 89/90 annual annual appropriation of 3.97% and represents an increase of 10.8Vo in provincial operating support to the total of the $32.2 million, 89/90 budget of the Council. The Council has been seriously campaigning for a significant jn- cessful beginning of a plan to ensure ensure the perpetuation of the Oak Savanna of the Pinery. He looks forward to watching the regeneration regeneration of the savanna vegetation. He also commented that after a fire like this, the population of small mammals mammals by the second season is normally normally much higher than before the burn. For those interested in an update of the old fable, visit Pinery Park : next season 1 , or even later this season, and see a modern phoenix rise from its ashes. crease to the funding of the arts in the province for several years, most recently making a bid for tripling the Council's budget over a five year period. Mrs. Steward said: "It is not just the money which we are delighted to receive, it is the significance of an allocation at a time of serious economic pressures from many other sectors. While $2 million represents only a small percentage of the money we are seeking in our Five Year Strategic Plan, to us it is a major signal from the government in these difficult economic times, that the cultural life of Ontario is considered an integral part of the quality of life on which this government government has placed a priority. It is reassuring that Ontario is listening to the voice of its artists. As cited by the Treasurer and our own Minister, the government is viewing the arts as an investment rather than a charity. The Board of the Council will continue to seek increased increased funding. Wg are encourag- " ed to believe that our goals for the cultural life of the province appear to be aligned with the objectives of' the current government." Norman B. Walford, Executive Director of the Council, reported that the $2 million will assist with immediate pressures and that the Council expects to be able to announce announce how this money will be allocated to the arts at the June Council meeting on June 13. DR Y CLEANING SER VICE 24 HOUR SERVICE GOOD RATES ONE DAY SERVICE 1 MILL, STREET, NEWCASTLE Affordable Dream Vacations! • Free Vacation Planning Services • Discount Cruises " • Charter Vacations • Airline Tickets e Honeymoon Packages • Hotel and Gar Reservations PERSONAL & CORPORATE TRAVEL SERVICES Travel Agents International We're with you alt the way 68 KING ST. 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