Burkhard Metzger, who is the new director representing the Municipality of Central Huron, Dave Frayne, who is the returning chairman representing the Municipality of South Huron and Perth South; and Mike Tam, new vice-chair representing the Municipality of West Perth took part in the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority’s annual general meeting recent.

The board of directors of Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) re-elected Dave Frayne as chair at the Feb. 21 annual meeting and the board elected Mike Tam as vice-chair. Frayne, a councillor with the Municipality of South Huron, represents South Huron and Perth South on the board of the local conservation organization. Tam is a councillor with the Municipality of West Perth and represents that municipality on the board.

The conservation authority also welcomed Burkhard Metzger to the board as the new representative for the Municipality of Central Huron.

Ausable Bayfield Conservation works closely with landowners and residents in the watershed to protect soil, water, and living things by creating awareness and taking positive action together. The local agency is unveiling the new Watershed Report Card, which is released every five years, at the annual Conservation Awards evening on Thursday, March 21. For more information, phone the office at 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610 or visit abca.on.ca for information.

The Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority is an independent, corporate body established under Ontario’s Conservation Authorities Act. Local municipalities identified the need for such an organization in 1946 to deal with serious problems of flooding, soil erosion, water supply, and water quality. Twelve member municipalities appoint the members of the local board of directors that governs ABCA.

This local conservation agency is the first of 36 conservation authorities formed across Ontario. Ausable Bayfield Conservation’s area encompasses the drainage basins of the Ausable River, Bayfield River, Parkhill Creek, and the gullies that drain directly to Lake Huron, from an area north of Bayfield to an area south of Grand Bend. The 2,440-square-kilometre area of jurisdiction is largely rural with a population of about 45,000. A group of 34 community members met over a 12-month period to create a Conservation Strategy to guide the organization and blaze the trail for a mission and vision for the work in the watershed. Its mission is to protect, improve, conserve, and restore the watershed in partnership with the community and its vision is for healthy watersheds where our needs and the needs of the natural environment are in balance.

Members of the organizing committee, Larry Wein of the Exeter Lions Club and community volunteer Janet Clarke, presented Louise Rether-Kopp with her prize at Morrison Dam Conservation Area east of Exeter on Thursday, Feb. 28.

The Conservation Dinner committee has announced that Louise Rether-Kopp is the winner of the early bird prize, which was drawn on Feb. 25.

The Exeter long-time patron of the Conservation Dinner wins a limited-edition print by popular artist Elisabeth Tonner-Keats. The work of art is called Midday Pause and the framed print is number 168 of 475.

The Conservation Dinner is organized each year by the Exeter Lions Club, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, and other community members on the dinner committee. The support of businesses, donors, patrons, volunteers, and artists has helped the annual event raise more than $650,000 for local projects in the event’s history which spans almost two and a half decades. The Conservation Dinner supports accessible trails for environmental health and human health, conservation education and recreation opportunities for young people and the young-at-heart, and commemorative woods that improve forest conditions and remember loved ones, among other important local conservation work that could not happen without this kind of public generosity.

The 24th Annual Conservation Dinner takes place Thursday, April 18 at South Huron Recreation Centre in Exeter.

To purchase a ticket, or to donate, phone 519-235-2610 or 1-888-286-2610 or visit online. Tickets are $60 each, with a charitable gift receipt for income tax purposes for $30. The volunteer committee welcomes donations of financial support, art, sports and entertainment memorabilia, crafts and furniture, travel packages, jewelry, and other items.

This year’s event should be very special indeed with Canadian theatre icon Peter Smith, interim artistic director of the Blyth Festival, as the special guest for 2013 and with Goderich artist Madeleine Roske, an acclaimed painter who has five works in the permanent collection of the Huron County Art Bank, creating this year’s feature piece. The gala event also features the dinner, a lively live auction, silent auction, special raffles, general raffles, a ticket for a wine tasting, great fellowship, and much more. Items available for bidding that evening include fine original art, carvings, sports and entertainment memorabilia, jewelry, travel packages, one-of-a-kind items, and much more.

Paul Sherban, who is site supervisor of the Mid-Huron Landfill Site, stands by the piles of shingles and wood from the Goderich and area tornado in this 2011 file photo.

HEATHER BOA Bullet News GODERICH – It will cost three dollars a tonne more to haul garbage to the Mid-Huron Landfill Site starting April 1, after a decision by its board Wednesday.

The fee will jump from $82 to $85 per tonne, making it the second fee increase since 2006. In 2006, the fee increased five dollars a tonne, from $75 to $80. Then in 2010, it nudged up to $82 a tonne.

Folks headed to the landfill site with a load of garbage in the back of a pickup truck will continue to pay $10, which is the charge for a load of 100 kg or less.

During its board meeting, members from the municipalities who are partners in the landfill site debated the fee increase, as they considered how much of an increase would be required to ensure a yearly surplus could be tucked away into a reserve to help pay for the costs associated with closing the landfill site, which is anticipated to occur in 2017, and maintaining it for another 50 years.

“It’s always confusing how much to put away in reserve. You probably can’t put enough away,” said Larry McCabe, who is the board’s secretary.  The board’s 2011 financial statement estimated it will cost nearly $14 million to close the site and maintain it for half a century. Closure costs include adding a cover of vegetation and building facilities for drainage control features, and leachate, water quality and gas recovery monitoring. After the site is closed, the board will continue to monitor the site.

At the end of 2011, the board had about $5.6 million in reserve funds – much like a savings account – to pay for these expenses. At that time, the actuary’s estimate adjusted interest earned on money set aside by each of the six partner municipalities in the landfill from 2.5 per cent to 1 per cent. For the Town of Goderich, its share of costs to close the landfill site jumped from about $1.89 million in 2010 to approximately $3.96 million.

“I’d rather be proactive instead of going back and asking the partners sitting around the table for more money one more time,” said Tyler Hessel, who is a councillor in the Municipality of Bluewater. He suggested a $3 increase in 2013, followed by a $1.50 yearly until the site closes.

Hessel also predicted a drop in tonnage to the landfill site in coming years, as a result of a move by the public to recycle more materials and reduce waste.

In 2012, the board projected a $110,000 deficit in its budget but a dry year resulted in lower than anticipated costs to haul leachate to Goderich for processing along with less snow removal and the board now expects a surplus of about $60,000, which will be put into reserve to help cover the closure costs.

Jim Anderson, a hauler from Auburn who owns Bin There, told the board $85 per tonne was a reasonable fee.

Participating municipalities in the landfill site board include: Town of Goderich, townships of Huron-Kinloss and Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, and the municipalities of Central Huron, Bluewater and Huron East.

EXETER – Goderich artist Madeline Roske, well known for oil paintings in bold strokes and vibrant colours, has been named feature artist for this year’s Conservation Dinner.

“We are very honoured to have someone of Madeleine’s talent bring her skills for this year’s event,” said Bob Laye, who is chair of the Conservation Dinner Committee.

Roske has five paintings in the permanent collection of the Huron County Art Bank, a collection of 36 contemporary works by county artists that depict Huron County.

Each year the Conservation Dinner selects an artist to create the feature art as one of the highlights of the live auction portion of the evening.

Roske said it was a “pleasant surprise” and honour to be announced as the 2013 Feature Artist.

“I do care about the earth, and the air and the water, and I think to be associated with the Conservation Dinner is really a good fit,” she said.

Roske was born in Wales and lived in several places in her youth, including stints in Scotland and Montreal, Quebec. She came to Ontario, with her family, as a teenager.

She has enjoyed visual arts her whole life but her painting began to flourish after she became a member of the Goderich Art Club in 1985. She later began to develop her lifelong interest in art as she attended classes at the Southampton School of Art during several summers. The former public health nurse gained a whole new vision of what art can be when she started a two-year art therapy program at the University of Western Ontario in 1989. She saw performance art and the work of new artists with a “totally different view of art” and it expanded her vision of what visual arts could say. Painting has given her a way to “express the joy I feel in nature and my responsiveness to the natural world,” she said.

Painting requires skills and technique but Roske said “there is a part that comes from inside” and the art that people love exhibits “an intangible quality.” She paints with the desire to combine the technical proficiency with the emotional impact that resonates with the viewer. Some art inspires appreciation for the artist’s technical skills, Roske said, and some art (like the work of Rembrandt, for example) can “bring you to tears.” The viewer’s relationship with her paintings is not just what they see, but also what they feel when they see her work and the personal relationship they have with the painting’s story.

Her main artistic medium is oil painting although she has also painted with watercolours and acrylics. Roske finds rich colours even in “the between seasons.” Her themes are diverse but she draws inspiration from the natural surroundings of Huron County, which she has called home since she moved to Goderich in 1976.

“Huron County provides an inexhaustible source of material and it is my privilege to record it,” she said. Her artistic inspiration often happens when something “catches her eye” in her environment, whether it be some flowers, the back of a building, beach scenes, cows in a pastoral setting, or a farmer’s market.

Roske’s paintings can be found throughout Canada and farther afield, including international destinations such as the United States, Hong Kong, and Germany. Her work can be seen at Goderich Co-op Gallery and Artworks etc. in London. For more information on the work of artist Madeleine Roske visit mroske.com

The Conservation Dinner is organized each year by the Exeter Lions Club, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, and other community members on the dinner committee. The support of businesses, donors, patrons, volunteers, and artists has helped the annual event raise more than $600,000 for local improvements in the event’s history spanning almost two and a half decades. The Conservation Dinner supports accessible trails for environmental health and human health, conservation education and recreation opportunities for young people and the young-at-heart, and commemorative woods that improve forest conditions and remember loved ones, among other important local conservation work that could not happen without this kind of public generosity.

The 24th Annual Conservation Dinner takes place Thursday, April 18, 2013 at South Huron Recreation Centre in Exeter. To purchase a ticket or to donate to the charity gala, please phone 519-235-2610 or 1-888-286-2610, visit conservationdinner.com, or e-mail [email protected]. Tickets, $60, include a $30 charitable gift receipt for income tax purposes. The volunteer committee welcomes financial support as well as donations of art, sports and entertainment memorabilia, crafts and furniture, travel packages, jewelry, and other items.

The Conservation Dinner Committee has selected the Early Bird Draw prize print for 2013. The limited-edition print is by popular artist Elisabeth Tonner-Keats and the print is called Midday Pause. It is number 168 of 475. Organizers say the chance to win this beautiful print is an extra incentive to buy a ticket early for the gala dinner and auction. People who purchase their ticket by Feb. 22 will have a chance to have their name selected, in a draw, to win the print. The draw for the print will take place on Monday, Feb. 25.

The Conservation Dinner Committee will have a big job to do this year trying to match the previous year’s record-breaking total. The 2012 dinner raised $53,664 in net proceeds for accessible trails, conservation education, conservation recreation opportunities for youth, stocking of fish in the Morrison Reservoir for an annual family-friendly fishing derby, commemorative woods, and more.

Bruce Hodge, president of the Exeter Lions Club, and Bob Laye, chair of the Conservation Dinner Committee, hold the limited-edition print Midday Pause, by artist Elisabeth Tonner-Keats.

SOUTH HURON – A limited-edition print by artist Elisabeth Tonner-Keats that captures the scene of a calm day on the river is this year’s prize in the early bird draw of the Conservation Dinner.

Midday Pause, print number 168 of 475, is offered as incentive to buy a ticket before Feb. 22 for the gala dinner and auction. Draw for the print will take place on Monday, Feb. 25. The 24th Annual Conservation Dinner takes place Thursday, April 18, 2013 at South Huron Recreation Centre in Exeter.

The Conservation Dinner is organized each year by the Exeter Lions Club, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, and other community members on the dinner committee. The support of businesses, donors, patrons, volunteers, and artists has helped the annual event raise more than $600,000 for local projects in the event’s history, which extends well past two decades. The Conservation Dinner supports accessible trails for environmental health and human health, conservation education and recreation opportunities for young people and the young-at-heart, and commemorative woods that improve forest conditions and remember loved ones, among other important local conservation work that could not happen without this kind of public generosity.

The gala event features a well-known special guest, an accomplished feature artist, live auction, silent auction, special raffles, general raffles, dinner, ticket for a wine tasting, and more.

Items available for bidding that evening include fine original art, carvings, sports and entertainment memorabilia, jewelry, travel packages and more.

To purchase a ticket, or to donate to the charity gala, phone 519-235-2610 or 1-888-286-2610 or visit online. Tickets are $60 each, with a $30 charitable gift receipt issued for income tax purposes. The volunteer committee welcomes donations of financial support, art, sports and entertainment memorabilia, crafts and furniture, travel packages, jewelry and other items.

Ian Jean. File photo.

SOUTH HURON – Local landowners in the Ausable Bayfield watersheds are invited to order spring trees.

Property owners are now ordering trees for planting on marginal land and as windbreaks or watercourse buffers and to reforest sloping banks. Trees provide a variety of benefits including reducing heating and cooling costs, preventing soil erosion, improving the look of a property, and marking property boundaries. Ontario studies have shown increases in yields for field crops buffered by windbreaks. Trees along watercourses improve water quality and provide wildlife habitat and travel corridors.

Many local property owners are taking positive action by taking part, said Ian Jean, who is Ausable Bayfield Conservation’s forestry and land stewardship specialist.

“Local landowners are improving the health of the watershed by planting trees,” he said.  “We could not plant tens of thousands of trees every year without their cooperation and their interest in planting trees on their land.”

Landowners in those watersheds purchased and planted about 13,000 trees through last year’s spring tree orders. Their work helped Ausable Bayfield Conservation’s spring tree planting program plant a total of 61,000 trees.

Grants are available for some projects.

“Funding is available for many projects and depending on size and location, half or even all of the cash costs may be repaid through grants,” Jean said. The federal and provincial governments offer some cost-share programs and in some counties, such as Huron County, a Clean Water Project provides grants.

People are encouraged to call Jean at 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610 to find out more about grants, about spring tree planting orders, or for advice on planting the right kind of tree on the right site.

The conservation authority has announced that 2013 spring tree orders have started and people are already taking part. Residents can mail in tree orders by the end of January, or make over-the-counter orders by the end of February. (Payment of all orders is due by Feb. 28, 2013). The spring tree order form, and more information, is available online  or by phoning 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610.

Tree planting for windbreaks can reduce wind-caused erosion. “Topsoil is a very valuable resource,” Jean said. “We had two big windstorms last spring that reminded us how quickly it can be lost.”

Ausable Bayfield residents can order several kinds of tree species through the spring tree program. Species include Norway spruce, white spruce, white cedar, white pine, tamarack, silver maple, red oak, bur oak, black walnut, black cherry, sycamore, tulip tree, red osier dogwood, staghorn sumac, nannyberry viburnum, Austrian pine, serviceberry, autumn blaze, sugar maple and highbush cranberry.

Ian Jean. File photo.

EXETER – Professional tree planters from across southwestern Ontario converged on the Ausable Bayfield watershed to see local projects and discuss strategies this past week.

This is the fifth year Trees Ontario has facilitated this tree-planting strategy tour in different areas but it is the first time the annual event has been held in the Ausable Bayfield watershed. Those taking part Nov. 20 included private consultants, stewardship council members, commercial tree nursery representatives, field advisers from Trees Ontario, and staff members from conservation authorities.

Trees Ontario has a mission to increase the forested landscape of Ontario’s private lands through the support and promotion of tree planting programs and by working with partners, government, associations, private and corporate sponsors. The non-profit organization sponsored the tour.

The tree-planting practitioners met at the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) workshop east of Exeter to learn about and discuss the equipment and approaches used in this watershed. They toured a variety of tree-planting sites in the watershed from spruce and pine planted in the 1950s at Hay Swamp to more recent multi-species tree planting projects that include restoration of the original hydrology and wetlands to the site in what’s called reverse drainage.

“Reverse drainage and wetland restoration is really important where it can be practically achieved on marginal lands in our watershed,” said Ian Jean, who is an ABCA forestry and land stewardship specialist.

“Storing water for slow release and groundwater infiltration reduces runoff and downstream erosion while filtering contaminants. We get the greatest water-quality benefit on tree-planting projects where we can include wetlands,” he said.

Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority plants between 45,000 and 65,000 trees annually on private land in partnership with local landowners. Trees Ontario is now the largest provider of funds for tree planting in the watershed through their 50 Million Tree Program.  Planting sites must be a minimum of one hectare – or 2.5 acres – to qualify for funding.

“Most of the projects we get that are large enough to qualify for the Trees Ontario funding are retired pasture or fallow land that is too steep, rough or an odd shape to crop,” Jean said.

“Usually these areas are in valley lands or along creeks where planting trees makes sense. More recently we are seeing some farmers plant trees on small one- or two-acre pieces or corners that are no longer practical to crop with the larger equipment. Often we can combine these areas with connecting windbreaks to reach the one-hectare minimum,” he said.

Forest cover in the Ausable Bayfield watershed area is just under 13 per cent.  The long-term goal of the conservation authority is to reach 20 per cent forest cover.

“We are fortunate to live in one of the most agriculturally productive areas of the country,” Jean said.

“There is still room for more trees, on less productive land, valley lands and other marginal areas. If we protect what we have and people continue to plant trees, we believe 20 per cent cover is achievable,” he said.

ABCA provides a full-service tree-planting program and works with landowners to access funds from Trees Ontario and other sources to offset the cost of trees and planting.  For more information on tree planting and applicable grants, please contact Jeanat 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Colin Tam is bundled up for the Owl Prowl. File photo.

EXETER –Learn about owls and their amazing nocturnal adaptations through multimedia presentations and a moonlit guided hike to call for owls next month.

The 2012 Owl Prowl, hosted by the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, will take place on Friday, Nov. 2 and Saturday, Nov. 3. Each evening runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Last year, more than 250 people took part in the walk, with some hearing and seeing at least two Eastern Screech Owls.

The event is a chance to hear an interactive presentation about owls and to take part in a night-hike owl ‘hoot.’ People are invited to ‘lug-a-mug’ to the event and enjoy hot chocolate and a campfire. Hot chocolate is provided courtesy of the Huron County Dairy Producers.

The Owl Prowl takes place at Morrison Dam Conservation Area Workshop, on 71108 Morrison Line, two kilometres east of Exeter and just south of Highway 83. The Owl Prowl event is free but donations are always welcome to support conservation education. People taking part are asked to dress for the weather and to leave pets at home.

For more information, visit ABCA’s website, call 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610, or e-mail [email protected]

Bullet News HURON COUNTY – Nearly 5,000 Hydro One customers in South Huron and parts of Bluewater and Huron East were the last to have power restored at around 11 p.m. last night.

Power to about 15,000 customers was cut off when a hydro pole on a 115-kV transmission line was knocked down at about 1 p.m. yesterday, probably in a weather-related incident, said a spokesperson from Hydro One tonight.

Crews rerouted lines so that about 10,000 customers could have power, while they continued to work on the downed line.

For updates every 15 minutes during an outage or to download a smart phone application, visit the Hydro One Storm Map.

SOUTH HURON - Residents in the Ausable Bayfield watershed are being asked to curb their water use by 20 per cent, as the conservation authority’s water response team continues a Level 2 low water advisory.

Although record-low stream flows reflect a more serious Level 3 low water advisory conditions that could mean water restrictions, the WRT at the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority has decided to keep the watershed at a Level 2 condition. It cited stream flows that are well below 30 per cent of the lowest summer monthly average, the target indicator for a Level 3 condition.

However, since water users are no longer irrigating crops, demand is down so issuing a Level 3 advisory would not have a lot of effect, said Davin Heinbuck, who is a lands and water technologist at the ABCA. He said going to a Level 3 requires making a recommendation to the Ontario water directors’ committee, which is comprised of directors from numerous provincial ministries, and requires a socio-economic analysis. A Level 3 has never been issued in the province.

Despite some improvements in rainfall amounts through September and a decrease in water demand, stream flows continue to range from very low to dry. It is anticipated that as autumn progresses, and with a return to wetter weather, a larger percentage of that rainfall should become available to area streams and the groundwater supply.

The combination of reduced crop cover and natural vegetation, that is typical of the autumn period, entering into a dormancy cycle of slow growth, results in more water infiltration and runoff to local streams. Infiltration is important for replenishing the shallow groundwater supplies that have declined steadily through the summer.  Groundwater levels typically increase through the autumn and into winter.

Mike Tam, who is chair of the water response team, said that stream flows are still very low despite some recent improvements in precipitation and “we are still asking water users to voluntarily reduce the amount of water they use by at least 20 per cent.”

Heinbuck said if conditions persist, the team may consider continuing the Level 2 or downgrading to a Level 1 low-water advisory through the winter to put the land in a better position in the spring. Conditions are reviewed monthly.

There are three levels of low-water advisories. Level 1, the least serious, asks water users to voluntarily reduce use by 10 per cent. Level 2 is more serious and asks for an additional 10 per cent voluntarily water use reduction for a total of 20 per cent. A Level 3 low-water advisory would be the most serious and could include mandatory water use restrictions for holders of permits-to-take-water.

The WRT was formed in 2001 in response to the low-water conditions that year and the team has been active ever since. The WRT includes representatives of major water users such as aggregate industries, agriculture and vegetable growers, and golf and recreation and includes local municipal representatives and staff of provincial departments such as Natural Resources, Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and Environment.

Visit online for further resources on the Ontario low water response program or ABCA website at abca.on.ca and view the dynamic low-water advisory tool that alerts people to low-water advisories in effect in the watershed.