Preserving the Waters of the Great Lakes

ONTARIO APPLAUDS U.S. RATIFICATION OF
GREAT LAKES WATER COMPACT

On October 3, United States President George W. Bush signed the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. His signature followed the ratification of the compact by eight Great Lakes states - Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - and the U.S. Congress. This step enacts in U.S. law a historic cross-border partnership among Ontario, Quebec and the Great Lakes states to protect the waters of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin.

In 2005, Premier Dalton McGuinty, Quebec Premier Jean Charest and the governors of the eight states signed a good-faith agreement protecting the waters of the basin. The states also endorsed a companion interstate compact.

The agreement and the compact:
• place a virtual ban on removing or transferring water out of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin;

• establish a common, basin-wide standard for managing the resource;

• set goals and objectives for conserving water; and

• commit the parties to creating a science strategy for critical issues facing the Great Lakes, such as the impacts of climate change and the cumulative effects of water use.

The terms of the agreement were incorporated in Ontario's 2007 Safeguarding and Sustaining Ontario's Water Act. Quebec’s National Assembly voted to endorse the agreement and tabled legislation in June. With the U.S. ratification of the compact, the terms of the agreement and compact will apply throughout the Great Lakes states.

This international partnership is a landmark in cooperation among governments and across borders. In addition to this partnership, the advice and input of a multi-party advisory panel, Ontario First Nations and the public was critical in helping Ontario pursue a strong agreement.
The Great Lakes are of vital importance to Ontario, and we look forward to collaborating with our neighbours. Most Ontario residents get their drinking water from the Great Lakes Basin and it supports more than half of Canada’s manufacturing output, a quarter of the country's agriculture and $300 billion annually in trade between Ontario and the U.S.

The Great Lakes agreement and compact are part of Ontario's long-term plan to work with other governments and partners to protect, restore and sustain the Great Lakes for the benefit of Ontarians now and in the future.

Students Pawns in School Board Politics

O.F.A.H. calls refusal of outdoor club donation blatant hypocrisy

In an unprecedented move, and apparently based solely on his personal opinion, the Education Director of the Thames Valley School Board has refused to allow a high school to accept a donation of five thousand dollars from a local outdoor association. The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (O.F.A.H.) is appalled at the action taken against its member club, the East Elgin Sportsmen’s Association, and is calling the move highly offensive and hypocritical.

“Education Director Bill Tucker has unilaterally decided, after the fact, and after an established history of carrying out this event, that the legal, sanctioned provincial shooting competition doesn’t follow his personal moral compass,” said Jack Hedman, President of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. “Mr. Tucker’s decision, on behalf of the school board, to refuse the generous donation from the East Elgin Sportsmen’s Association implies that its members are not valued or respected within the community, and frankly, that attitude is deeply offensive to the club, the O.F.A.H., and every law-abiding firearms owner in this country.”

The East Elgin Sportsmen's Association was established in 1955, and runs a family sporting club near Springfield. For the past three years it has hosted the provincial competition of the International Practical Shooting Confederation (I.P.S.C.) as a fundraiser for the East Elgin Secondary School drama program. In exchange, several students have volunteered at the five-day event, for which they have received community service hours.

Mr. Hedman noted that the O.F.A.H. delivers a mandatory hunter safety education program that includes firearms safety training, and that the province has a long history of safe hunting. The timing of Mr. Tucker’s newfound opposition to target shooting is no doubt connected to the misguided and uninformed campaign by Toronto Mayor David Miller to ban handguns in Canada.

“Handguns are already classed as prohibited firearms in Canada. Banning their legal use will not fix the real problem, which is illegal guns in the hands of criminals,” added Hedman. “What a ban may do is encourage more of the same kind of knee-jerk reaction taken by Mr. Tucker, which is to unfairly discriminate against Canada’s law-abiding hunters, target shooters and collectors.”

With 82,000 members and 655 member clubs, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters is the largest nonprofit fishing, hunting and conservation organization in Ontario. For more information visit www.ofah.org.

For up to date information about outdoors activities in Southern Ontario visit Southern Ontario Outdoors at www.sooutdoors.ca . Southern Ontario, the best place for hiking, camping, cycling, fishing, hunting and paddling.

The Race is On

Well like it or not Canadians are heading to the polls on October 14. That's right, the day after Thanksgiving. As users of our great Canadian outdoors heritage it is important for all of us to pay attention to the views of politicians and especially their positions - individual and collective - on the sustainable use of our wild resources.

Over the next several weeks I will report on some issues of concern and where possible the perspectives of both local candidates and national leaders. Whether you hike, camp, hunt, fish, canoe, boat, cycle or enjoy recreational power sports like ATVing and snowmobiling there are issues of concern to us all.

Be sure to visit www.sooutdoors.ca, you're best source of information related to outdoors activities in Southern Ontario. The site is still under construction but new content is being added daily. Post a comment on one of the blogs or visit the forum to discuss issues related to your favorite outdoors pastime.

Whatever your political leanings do your part by discussing the issues and above all get out and vote on October 14. If you don't vote; don't complain. The biggest threat to democracy is complacency!

SD

Southern Ontario Outdoors

We’ll it’s been too long since posting to this blog but I should be back in writing mode very soon. You see this has been the summer of development and anything not directly involved in that development got sidelined.

The development I’m talking about is an exciting new venture and website called Southern Ontario Outdoors. Although not quite ready for a formal launch you can view the site and concept at http://www.sooutdoors.ca/ .

This site is designed to promote outdoor activities in Southern Ontario and will initially offer where to, when to, and how to advice related to hiking, camping, cycling, fishing, hunting, and paddling in Southern Ontario. The site is designed to help you find the activity related information you need for any geographical location in Southern Ontario. And, you will be able to find what you want with just a few mouse clicks.

For the purpose of the initial launch the eastern geographical boundaries run from Parry Sound to Bancroft and south to Belleville. That area will be expanded as demand increases.

The new site includes a blog for each theme section, an event calendar for each theme section and regional specific information related to each theme section. The site will launch with a fully functional forum for each of the specific theme sections so visitors can exchange tips, ask questions, and talk about their recent outdoors adventure in Southern Ontario. Future plans include a newsletter and additional theme sections.

Content is being added daily and should be at the 90% mark by the end of September.

“We’ll get you SO…Outdoors!”

I hope you visit soon and visit often. I’d love to hear your feed back and/or suggestions for improvements or enhancements.

Lloyd

Find Sick or Orphaned Wildlife; What Should You Do?

If you find juvenile wildlife that appears to be orphaned, sick or injured, avoid contact to prevent bites and scratches. Some species can carry diseases and parasites that are harmful to humans.
Injured wildlife also requires specialized and immediate care to recover and return to the wild.

Signs of orphaning, injury or illness may include:

...Blood, wounds or swelling on the body
...Lethargy
...Body covered in fleas
...Unusual or uneven loss of fur or feathers
...Vocalizing and/or following humans around
...A fawn that is wandering around
...Contact with a domestic cat
...Difficult or raspy breathing or sneezing
...A dangling leg or wing
...Closed eyes
...Head tucked under wing

Orphaned Wildlife
It is normal for some species to leave their offspring temporarily alone, especially during the day.
For example, deer and cottontail rabbits spend much of the day away from their well-camouflaged offspring to minimize the chance of predators finding them.

To determine if young wildlife is truly orphaned:
▪ Check the animal periodically for 24 to 48 hours to see if it is still around, but keep your distance.
▪ Keep cats and dogs away from the area where the young animal is; the adult will not return if it is noisy or if predators or people are close by.

Care Necessary To Help The Animal
▪ If you find an injured, sick or orphaned wild animal, contact a wildlife custodian who can provide the specialized and immediate care necessary to help the animal.
▪ If you must handle it, seek the advice of a wildlife custodian to minimize risk of injury to yourself and to the animal.
▪ Wear protective clothing and equipment, such as leather gloves, to avoid bites or scratches, and wash hands well after handling the animal.
▪ Under the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, a person may only keep wildlife for 24 hours to transport it to a veterinarian for treatment or to a wildlife custodian for rehabilitation or care or to relocate it following capture as a problem animal.

Contact information:
▪ Ontario Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Network (OWREN):
- call 905-735-9556, or
- contact info@owren-online.org
- visit www.owren-online.org

▪ Local Humane Society or local branch of the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA):
- call 1-888-668-7722 or the Ontario SPCA Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre at 705-534-4350
- visit http://ontariospca.ca/.

Diseased or Dead Wildlife
▪ If you suspect there is a public health risk from a sick wild animal, such as rabies, or you or your pet had contact with a suspected rabid animal, contact your local Public Health Unit immediately.
▪ Rabies is fatal for humans and animals if not treated.
▪ Symptoms of rabies and several other diseases in animals can include tremors, aggressive behaviour, partial paralysis, convulsions, and loss of fear of humans.
▪ To report a dead crow, raven or blue jay, contact your local Public Health Unit.
▪ To report other dead animals or birds contact the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/toce.shtm).


Wild animals that have been live-trapped or acquired by other means must be released no further than one kilometre from the point of capture for adults and no further than 15 kilometres for juveniles (although not on private property without landowner’s permission) and within 24 hours.

Contact Information:
· Public Health Units:
o call 1-866-532-3161 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday
o visit www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/contact/phu/phuloc_mn.html for a list of offices.

· Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre:
o call 1-866-673-4781
o visit http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/toce.shtml.

This information was provided by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/ and proudly sponsored by www.DistinctNorthernArt.com where you will find the most unique Canadian Wildlife Art.