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2 - QfOftO Weekly Times, Wednesday. -January 26, 20QQ ^ ORono X^^Weekly Times Sensing East Clarinyton and beyond since 1 937 Subscriptions $23.36 + $1.64 G.S.T. = $25.00/year Publications Mail Registration No. 09301 Publishing 50 Issues Annually at the Office Of Publication 5310 Main Street, P.O. Box 209, Orono, Ontario LOB 1M0 ' E-Mail Address: oronotimes@speedline.ca Phone/Fax (905) 983-5301 Publisher/Editor Marg Zwart Studied to death It was interesting to hear from Warren Coulter last week, that the Wilmot Creek Watershed had already gone through one round of destruction. Coulter, a Water Resource Technologist with the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority handed me some background background information on the Wilmot Creek when I went to see him about the upcoming public meeting on the future of the Creek. The Wilmot Creek Watershed, once comprised of vast forested areas which were cleared for agricultural purposes as early European settlers came to the area beginning in the 1790's. By the turn of the century nearly all of the forest cover had been removed from the watershed, leading to increases in surface erosion, floods and a decrease in the amount of ground water available to feed the system. It is hypothesized that the creek was beginning to dry up during the summer months in the late 1800's. The extensive deforestation deforestation of the watershed led to a collapse of ecological systems and the local economy. Flooding and erosion became more frequent frequent and intensive, resulting in the loss of soil fertility. With successive successive crop failures in the late 1930's and early 1940's, many settlers settlers abandoned their farms and reforestation began on the Oak Ridges Moraine. The resilience of nature is amazing. In 1954, Hurricane Hazel cleaned out the system'. The surge of water washed out the sediment and many of the dams which had accumulated over the years. I don't know how much the early settlers understood about ecosystems, watershed and subwatersheds, but they must have realized something was out of whack when the Atlantic Salmon began disappearing from the creek. Attempts by Samuel Wilmot to restore populations in 1865 did lead to a short-lived increase in populations but in 1880 they declined again. By the turn of the century Atlantic Salmon had become extinct in the area. Those early settlers did not have the benefit of the number of studies we now have on the Wilmot. Coulter said the Wilmot was a heavily studied creek, and he has the reports to prove it. You and I paid for each one of those reports dating back to the late 70's including the one being done now. Part of the purpose of this Watershed Study, is to glean all the pertinent information from previous previous studies, up date it and make it relevant today. The Conservation Authority is asking for your input on the stewardship issues. Not just protecting the creek, but also enhancing enhancing it. ; "Changes have to take place at the grass roots level," says Coulter, "they are ultimately the ones that will make the changes." Historical data and the numerous subsequent studies will not be enough to protect the creek from encroaching development if the will of people is not behind it. f Letters to the Editor) The 105th Havlland Family Reunion will be held July 15. 2000 at Waterford Lakes, Waterford, Ontario. Saturday's events will start at 11:00 a.m. with registration, registration, followed by a 12:00 p.m. pot luck buffet meal. There will be afternoon games for all ages, renewing acquaintances, acquaintances, genealogy sharing, viewing group photographs and the "Canadian Havlland Family Genealogy" book, baseball and swimming.» Captain John Havlland, a United Empire Loyalist, having having served the British as an artificer in the American Revolution, moved from New York and settled in 1803 at Townsend Township, Norfolk County, near Brantford. Descendants have held a reunion annually since 1896. Sincerely, • David F. Havlland London, Ontario Get more out of life. Call Big Brothers. Dear Marg, Rants and Raves....Part 1 Hey! Whoa! Hold it! And, stop the presses! This item was initially completed and dropped in the mail slot at the Weekly Times office Saturday AM while on our weekly buckboard run. Having read last week's editorial on the hospital emergency emergency rooms crisis, and, after taking a little poke at Mr. Mike and his soon-to-be-complete destruction of Ontario's health care system, I set out on a major ranting over Chretien and the federal government's plan to dole out millions of our dollars to Canadian based National Hockey League teams. -This campaign had been spearheaded spearheaded by Rob Bryden, owner of the Ottawa Senators....and, a long time/big time financial supporter supporter of the Liberal party. Last week it seemed like a done deal, in spite of the uproar from the general public, including people from the cities directly involved with this cash grab. It's generally perceived that this is just handing out millions to multi-millionaire owners with big egos so they can pay more to multi-millionaire players with even bigger egos....half of whom don't live in this country during the off-season. Another public perception, and a correct one indeed, is that this money trough would NOT be a onetime onetime thing. Remember the Winnipeg Jets? You do? After getting help from the city and Manitoba government.,..a couple couple times, 1 think....they moved to Phoenix. And public anger increased immensely when Ken Dryden, the venerable and supposedly supposedly intelligent president of the Maple Leafs, figured they're also a Canadian team, and should qualify along with Ottawa, Calgary, etc. for the handout. That could almost make one throw up, if one were to look up Maple Leaf Entertainment Ltd. (who recently bought the Air Canada Centre AND the Toronto Raptors) on TSE ultimately, that move by Dryden could have been what forced the feds to flip-flop on their financial plan. , Anyway, a little further along on our'buckboard run I picked up a little blurb on the radio, but didn't catch the whole story. Shortly, after , grabbing a Saturday Sun, the banner line almost jumped off the page at me....."Feds Pull The Plug. Ottawa bows to public public pressure, kills financial aid offer." Right off the bat I'm thinking this must be a joke, eh? A misinterpretation? A serious gaffe by some overreacting overreacting reporter? Like when the U.S. papers erroneously headlined Dewey's defeat of Truman? No? Then, there it was again later Saturday on the Hockey Night In Canada broadcast, broadcast, with John Manley, the Minister of Whatever, and Chretierfs personal shield and battering ram, trying his best to explain' their (read. Chretien's) decision. And make no mistake about it, this was Jean's baby from the word go. Now, you can paint this however you want:...call it.flip-flopping, call it waffling, call it'eating crow. Or bending to public pressure, which is precisely what they* did. In the original item I'd pointed out how Ontarians and Canadians at large react when we reach our limits'. usually with a pencil, at election time. • Bob Rae and his majority gov- emmeiit wouldn't listen to the people, and the NDP, provin- cially and federally, still haven't recovered from their crushing defeat. Muironey wouldn't listen to the people. Following the next election the Conservatives had been whipped so badly, they could. hold their caucus meeting in a two-seater booth at McDonalds. So, does this turn of events Saturday mean the Chretien Liberals are now going to do what they were elected to do....that being carrying out the wishes of the people who put them in office? Has he actually LISTENED to the people? Or did he just pick the lesser of two political eyils? I suppose we'll find out before too long. If he sticks to his guns regarding the NHL handout that'll be a start. If he finally dumps the GST and completely gets rid of the Young Offenders Act that will be even better. And, if he ties a rock around Shiela Copps' neck and pushes her off Parliament Hill down into the Ottawa River, he's got my vote next time around. Regards, Bob Rdtz, Kirby (soon to be Nakina) Ontario. Sir: Canadians have felt shocked and disappointed with the recent news of Canada Post's refusal to Issue a postage stamp honouring Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's 100th birthday this August. There Is room In the 2000 stamp schedule to celebrate celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Department of Labour, to honour the Seventh Day Adventist Church and to depict the Pacific Loon and antique mailboxes - but not, (continued page 3)