PAGE 14, WHITBY FREE PTRESS.ý WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13, 1988 CLOC'A report so-on on dying Cranbe rry marsh By Veronica Colangelo The Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority was taken by surprise at a scientist~s remarks that Whitby's Cranberry Marsh is dying. At CLOCAs annual meeting on Jan. 12 Dr. H.G. Lumsden, upland game and waterfowl scientist for the Ministry of Natural Resources, spoke on the progress of the trumpeter swan programn in Cranberry marsh. During his speech Lumsden indicated that the program was in jeopardy because the marsh is dying. Bill Campbell, executive director of CLOCA, says the announcement came as a surprise. "This was the first time I heard of it,- there was no build-up up to it and we were caught unaware of the situation." The 53-acre marsh is located near the Whitby/Ajax boundary and is owned by the CLOCA. The marsb was once an ancient bay of Lake Ontario and is now cut off by a 30 to 40-foot wide barrier beach. In 1982 there« was a high density of breeding mute swans there, more, in fact, than anywhere else in the province. It is why Cranberry marsh was selected as the location for the trumpeter program. As welI, the marsh had a richer growth of pond weeds and no carp are found there because there is no water flow througb from Lake Ontario. Trumpeter swans are a threatened species and the Province is trying to encourage breeding. Since 1983 the Ministry of Natural Resources bas been placing trumpeter swan eggs in the mute swan nests, hoping that the trumpeters will be raised along with the mute swan cygnets. At flrst, the maie mute swans pecked and attacked the trumpeter babies because they were whiter in color than their own kind. Now they are dyed a light yellow To the editor: The recycling and disposai of gar- bage in this decade has become one of the environments' biggest headaches and particuiarly that which affects Durham Region. . We, in Durham, do not want Toronto's "ieft-overs" and should be under no legai or moral obligation to take them under the guise of a "poor neighbor" Who is subjected to the "heriarchy" of the "affluent society," nameiy Toron- to! Toronto should put its priorities first and rather than expending al its time and energy into a highrise Dome stadium, incorporating millia from the Province to the skyrocketing costs of this multi- million dolar edifice, a method to faciiitate tons of w ,aste in their own territory should be devised. Instead of a "towering inferno" like the sky dome, they should have faciiitated an excavation and erec- ted a recycling plant. Instead of quarreling about whose backyard a $7,000,000 Regional headquarters should be iocated ini, the Durham areas had better put their heads together and unite against the pwers that be" in Toronto a ther sn way Durham,_ color to resemble the mute swan and hence are accepted by the maie mutes. Snapping turties also posed a sezious problemn and the ministry bas been removing and relocating them to another marsh in a different watersbed since 1985. In bis address, Lumsden indicated that there bas been a decline in duck broods and black terns also. He says tbe problem is due to high water levels in the marsh that prevent -tbe vegetation from getting sufficient sunlight to promote growtb. According to Lumsden, if the marsb were drained for the summer, the mud would be exposed to tbe air and this would allow for oxydizing tbe compounds and this in turn would encourage fertility. According to Campbell, CLOCA is "not sure tbat this is tbe answer." The authority is now investigating and expects a report to be released in late May or early June. Outside consultants in several expert disciplines have been called in to. research the possibilities. Campbell says there are several factors which could be contributing te the problem. "The area surrounding tbe marsb is used for agriculture, mainly corn production, and use of the chemical atrizine could be killing the vegetation in the marsh when it is leacbed out by rains." Atrizine is a patent weed preventer commonly used in corn production. A field survey is being done now. Campbell goes on to say that "if we do drain the marsb, bow do we accomplish it, by pumping it or by a trench going into the lake?" He also says that if the. water level is regulated, then it is likely to be moved in and out from the lake and tbis means there is risk of carp entering the marsh which isn't desireable. Campbell says that it isn't bags inrecycling cfkgiUA1 %hiU mrr lUI UIIL'J aaa - bage literaily "dumped in their laps."$ Householders and industry wiii have to adopt a new color scheme to enhance Toronto's decor with designated coiorful garbage bags to initiate recycling: "Green" for "greens" -discarded food stuffs; "Red" for "Read" -newspapers, magazines, etc.; "Silver" for tin, jars, etc. If appearance is uppermost in Toronto's mmnd with an elegant skyline and posh architecture enhancing the city's image, streets lined with elegant, color co- ordinated garbage bags of green, red and silver wouid make Toronto streets look like Christmas on gar- bage pick-up day and city gar- bagemenr couid wear co-ordinating uniforîns! This would set a precedent for ail cities and regions to emulate and like the Dome stadium, give arn- ployment to hundreds!1 Toronto, keep your garbage on your own front doorstep as Durham has enough "garbage" on the politicai agenda without adding that of other areas!1 BarbaraBlack Oshawa FISHING at Whitby's Cranberry marsh. known now why the water levels are not fluctuating in the marsh as they have previously. He says there are many unanswered questions. "Right now itfs a wildlife sanctuary and what's going ta bappen to this natural place if we nionkey with it? There's more in there than trumpeter swans and they have a -right to be there too," says Campbell. REGULAR SHIPMENTS of tritiated heavy water will begin later this year along the 401 from the Pickering nuclear generating station to the tritium removal facility at the Darlington nuclear The resuits of the various studies and reports are expected soon and a decision will be made before late July or early August as to what action if any will be taken by CLOCA. generating station. Ontario Hydre will use specially-designed containers on trucks te, carry the tritiated heavy water. Each con- tainer can hold about 4900 litres of tritiated heavy water. Ontario Hydro photo fsl c~taflo~4o EIZLrT~1 -j [i. THE TRUCK and driver hfred by tritium to the tritium removal facility at nuclear awareness groups for a Darlington, are shown in front of the cavalcade from Kincardine to gate entrance and guards to the Darlington on Saturday, in protest of Darlington nuelear station. the Ontario Hydro plan to transport< Free press photo LETTER How about color- c oordinated