The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

SECTION 2 - PAGE 10 - PLAINDEALER - FRIDAY, AUGUST 3,1»84 Waste study committee reconsider's compost By Kurt Begallta Plaindealer News Service The McHenry County Waste Study Advisory Committee discussed the method of com­ posting yet another time July 30. Good or bad, inexpensive or costly, the bottom line is that the public must stem an ever­ growing waste stream, com­ mittee Chairman Ike Bitton said. "The responsibility lies with the community," he added. Nick Gnirikos of Algonquin, a citizen who has spent 10 years researching composting techniques, gave a presentation on an aerobic composting operation in Omaha, Neb. In the "windrow" method, material consisting largely of straw, hay and animal waste from nearby stockyards is piled in strips approximately 5 feet high, 10 feet wide and 400 feet long. A $120,000 machine automatically turns the material to aerate it and hasten decomposition. Between 2,400 and 2,700 tons of material are turned per hour. Piles are turned anywhere from twice a day to tri-weekly, he said. It takes six weeks for the entire composting procedure, Chirikos said. Chirikos said the plant produces about 13 tons of compost per day, with a 40- percent reduction in volume of the original material. "I saw the benefits, and I just wanted to promote this," he said. Chirikos said that composting can be used on a variety of solid wastes, septage and sewage. "I want to see all types of organic materials mixed together," he added. Compost should not be looked at as a product to be sold im­ mediately, Chirikos said, adding that market demand would evolve from a consistent supply. A minimal amount of monitoring is required for temperature, acidity and bacterial count. Nonetheless, he is convinced composting faces an uphill struggle for implementation. "It has to displace an economically feasible system (in landfills)," he added. He called on people to "clear the fog" out of the issue. Ann Hughes, chairwoman of the county board's Health and Agriculture Committee, asked the study committee to take a greater hand in researching some questions previously placed before the county state's attorney office. She said Assistant State's Attorney Paul Ry&ke has been responsive as possible under his heavy workload. To that end, questions on the county's authority to regulate waste disposal and the possibility of it violating anti­ trust laws were forwarded to the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission. Gary Schaeffer, natural resource planner with NIPC, made a brief presentation on a two-year, $20,000 waste study, financed by a grant from the Chicago Community Trust, the commission is conducting. NIPC will evaluate trends, determine lives of area landfills and the possible impact on future disposal and study legal issues. The target date for completing studies is Jan. 1, 1986. Stephen Aradas, director of the McHenry County Planning Department and a member of the committee, suggested that the committee is getting tangled up in "legalese." If the panel waits until there are specific laws outlining precise powers, it runs the risk of inaction, he said. "You aren't going to render any decision, and we're all going to sit around and twiddle our thumbs," Aradas said. * Aradas called on the county to be "bold" and consider no law in the area of county waste control as tacit approval, rather than perceiving some theoretical restrictions. "We're dealing with new laws and new issues," Hughes said. "With some there is no legal precedent." Oratorio Singers invite new members Pl|indealer photo by Donna Bertulis Made in the shade This infant kept a firm grip on a golf umbrella and had it "made in the shade", so to speak, when his mother took him out recently for a stroll at Petersen Park. Recycling drive Saturday Rehearsals for the New Oratorio Singers, under the direction of Thomas Wikman, began July 23, at Salem Methodist Church, Barrington. Practice sessions will be held twice a week during the summer in preparation for an early fall concert. All active members, plus prospective members are in­ vited. Auditions for newcomers Will be scheduled one-half hour before rehearsals during the first few weeks until the director has had the opportunity to hear all new singers. Appointments for auditions may be made by telephoning Michael Emrich (815) 459-0455. The 1984-85 season, the sixth for The New Oratorio Singers, will begin with a performance of "Elijah" Oct. 14 at St. John The Baptist in Johnsburg. Singing in the title role will be Timothy Noble, internationally-acclaimed baritone. The group performs with a professional orchestra comprised of members of the Chicago Symphony and Chicago Lyric Opera Symphony. Chorus members participate from more than 30 different communities throughout the Chicago suburbs, as well as . southern Wisconsin. The group has performed such varied works as the Durufle " R e q u i e m " , H a y d n ' s "Creation" and "Mass in Time of War", the Verdi "Requiem", Kodaly "Te Deum," Bruckner "Mass in E Minor" and Rossini's "Stabat Mater". Wikman is the conductor of Music of the Baroque in Chicago, nationally-known voice teacher and concert organist and has performed at the White House, Orchestra Hall, the Ravinia Festival and Woodstock Opera House. . • A - • Prescribed burning is an environmental issue By Dave Cooper Forestry and Natural Heritage .. Not everyone knows a whole lot about forestry in Illinois, but who doesn't have the image of "Smokey Bear" indelibly etched in his or her mind? By any measure, Smokey has been a public relations "tour de force" for nearly half a century. He has been so effective, in fact, that there is debate about whether he's been too successful. Critics argue that it is an oversimplification to condemn all fires, and a bilogical injustice to always prevent them; defenders of Smokey cite im­ pressive statistics showing how much has been done to reduce the acres of forest destroyed by fire each year. In reaction to this repertoire of management activities. They're doing it to preserve and help restore native plant communities such as prairies, which thrived under a regime of fire before Europeans came. They're doing it to create, im­ prove and maintain certain kinds of habitat for wildlife. And they may soon be doing it for other useful purposes as well. So how can these dedicated conservationists be Smokey's disciples and preach fire prevention to you one day, then turn right around and touch the torch to your "vista valley" the next? Well, that's not so hard to understand. You might call them proficient pundits of pyro, equally skilled at starting and starving fires, and knowing when to do both. They know that under certain conditions and for certain purposes fire can'*be used to do good. But th£y also know that, left to chance-or worse, to amateurs-wildfires can do great harm. The debate surrounding Smokey has been blown all out of proportion. That old bear, who will celebrate his 40th birth­ day on August 9th, has done a good job and should continue his crusade. We should heed his words about "wildfires" and, at the same time, be aware of the good things that can be done with . "prescribed fires." The McHenry County Defenders wiil conduct its regularly scheduled recycling drive (first and third Saturdays) on Saturday, August 4, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The drives are held in the parking lot of McHenry Community High School West Campus, 4724 W. Crystal Lake Road. Co-sponsoring the drive with the Defenders will be the Methodist Men of Lake-in-the- Hills United Methodist Church. Tom Monroe, president, and his group will be on hand to perform the duties necessary for a successful recycling drive. Items which will help both o r g a n i z a t i o n s i n c l u d e : newspaper, used motor oil, aluminum scrap of all kinds, brown paper bags and car board tied in easy-to-handle bundles, glass containers with all metal and plastic removed, and "tin" cans which have been rinsed and flattened. Jhe drive cannot accept •INTRODUCTORY OFFER G onservation Connection CLEAN & ADJUST EXISTING WATER SOFTENER v > s1450^ controversy, the U.S. Forest Service in recent years even began to allow natural fires to bum in some wilderness areas, }a practice that has since been _ Jhe subject of additional debate and misunderstanding. *; I guess I'm in the middle somewhere. I just saw one of Smokey's new bumper stickers Sfcfet implores us to "Prevent Wildfires." I like that because tfcey 've used the restrictive term "wildfires." We must rpalize that not all fires end up being bad. And whether you '•$Blew it or not, Illinois' foresters, naturalists, wildlife biologists and -park managers are frequently using "prescribed tiiiniing" these days in their r ONLY REG. '39 M n FAN A AnIIKT 4^ - ^ RENT A m WATER SOFTENER FROM •» MOU 90 DAY OFFER J . 'ir. RENT RINSEHVAC •the professional do-it-yourself carpet cleaning system First Hour of Rental . FREE Jll.00 per hour for every hour •Herooftor. (Example-2 hours - total IctMrfeSI plus to*.) NO MINIMUM Specie) Rental Rot* Good Mon-Thurs OINSf 'N VAC cleans the way Jirofoootonals do at a fraction of th* NO MINIMUM OVERNIGHT SPECIAL! •^8:00 pm-9:00 om ) $10.00 mm W. RTE. 120 • McHENRY. II SOFT WATER SERVICES, INC. (815)344-4300 OK (312)949-8000 •WEEKDAYSt_ieHOiES,ir. JOIN US I OR _ SSKhSMWU . • Friday F,.shk^pYerc?.' Smell or Scrod, Soup & Featuring lake > P EAT«. Salad Bar...All to 2p."rl* 0 •Sunday Brunch VOa.m- 0inelels 8 Featuring Belg urn ,.IlkT, h \ §§|llll3 CHAPEL HILL ¥5 COUNTRY CLUB 2,ooN SSv'aRD 815-385-0333 |||lip magazines or junk mail, since those items cannot be recycled. Bi-metal cans (some pop cans) which are made partially of aluminum and partially of steel can also not be recycled and hence are not accepted at the drive. Participants will receive payment for their 100 percent aluminum cans: 29 cents per pound if the cans are crushed and 27 cents per pound if un- crushed. A bonus of one cent per pound is paid for lots of 100 pounds or more. A second recycling op­ portunity will be available on Thursday, August 9, from 9 a.m. to noon, in the parking lot behind McHenry FS, 4004 W. Elm St., McHenry. Access to the area is made via Borden Street. At the drive, only glass and aluminum cans will be accepted, but participants will be paid for both of them. For further information, contact a Defender represen- tativq.at 385-8512. OUR VERY BEST FOR MUCH ' A:*. 1000 FAMILIES needed for I national producttes 4 „ -J 1 , i V ' I viln After more than construction, ° an(j sup to purcha drastic ing price. EASTMAN H01PE theOrtMWf31 rrcd shopped Sine* >008 America's Boot Warranty! Eastman House it so confident you'll love the quality, comfort and support o( the new Royal Crown* 350 coil-on-coil construction, they back it with the most comprehensive mat­ tress warranty ever. Your new Ortho- poae 350 carries a fully funded 20 year non-pro-rata warranty. »50 U.S. S«v»nQ* Bon<| 20 Year Non-Pro-Rata Warranty Our store has been selected to partici­ pate in this market test. A limited number of twin, full, queen and king size sets are available. In addition to special test market savings, you'll receive a *50.00 U.S. Savings Bond when you complete a test market evaluation of the Orthopose Royal Crown® 350. Rogularty Tool Morkot ,.,*600.00... *440 *700.00,., *520 <*.«. *899.95,„ *590 -- *1099.95.., *880. sat *»old only in sett Special test market Ievto|i an rove cheka ef the new Orthepere Istre firm er Luiury Flrmnen ef Hie TrenqeHt. BROWSERS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME! 90 DAYS SAME AS CASH WITH APPROVED CREDIT MAItTliVS Ml WAT njiNtrunE in I WO Islts Ave. . Woodstock. II Hours: Doily »-5:» Mondoy I Friday M Closed Sunday (815) 3M-M#4 \