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Fun and business at the Wood Fair STÉPHANE LAJOIE stephane.lajoie@eap.on.ca
Wood Fair and Wood Auction showcases all aspects of forestry and the crafting of wood products, then and now.“ For the families, the fair is an opportunity to discover theMuseum’s vast collection of woodworking tools and wood buildings. Fun games and entertainment are also on the program with wood art exhibitions and creative woodworking activities for children. For the technical minds, timber framing, chainsaw maneuvering and wood turning demonstrations will be a must. The Vankleek Hill Old Time Fiddlers, accordionist Jean-Yves Otis, keyboardist Aaron Pritchard and singer Kathleen Sauvé will also lighten the mood during the day with music and dancing. On the business side of things, wood entrepreneurs and woodlot owners will participate in the public auction at 3 p.m.. Up to 100 lots will be up for bid. Participants will also be able to gather information and tips on forest and tree management. FINCH | Slow and steady wins the race. That’s what Aesop had to say about that legendary race between the tortoise and the hare, and it may also prove true for a regional turtle conservation project. Sta! at the South Nation Conservation Authority o"ce (SNC) have reason for a little early end-of-summer celebration this month. The SNC has learned that its Totally Turtles program is one of six selected as the award-winning #nalists in Shell Oil’s $2 mil- lion national Fuelling Change grants pro- gram. “It’s a prestigious sort of double win,” sta- ted Karen Paquette, SNC project leader, “the icing on the cake of the $50,000 Shell award that our Totally Turtles program won last year.” Paquette and other SNC sta! credit local support in the South Nation River Wa- tershed region and from other parts of the country for the number of online votes that pushed Totally Turtles to the top of the list out of more than 250 entries in this year’s Fuelling Change competition. Each of the six winners of Shell Fuelling Change grants were invited to provide a short essay descri- bing their projects with the prize as natio- nal exposure. SNC’s turtle project crept ahead of its rivals again, into the national promotion spotlight, to help the regional conservation agency with its e!orts to “protect, promote, and enhance turtles at risk” in the South Nation River watershed. “It certainly doesn’t hurt to have the turtles project, once of SNC’s showcase pro- grams, receive such great promotion,” said Paquette. “Who knows what it might lead to! It would be great to see other conser- vation agencies use our approach as a tem- plate.” The South Nation watershed is home to eight species of turtles within its 4200-square-kilometre area. Seven of these species are on the Ontario Species At Risk
August 23, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Glengarry Pioneer Museum in Dunvegan. “Wood and the forest are very much part of our lives, even when we live in the city”, said the organizers. “They have been a major factor in the lives of pioneers and the shaping of this country. The Glengarry
DUNVEGAN | The annual Glengarry Wood Fair and Wood Auction will be held on
Totally Turtles project crawls into national spotlight
list. Native turtles in the region include the spotted, snapping, stinkpot, spiny soft shell, wood, painted, Northern map, and the Blanding’s turtles. SNC’s work, both on its own and in partnership with others, on turtle pro- tection and conservation work has been ongoing since 2007. The current Totally Turtles project is a bilingual, curricu- lum-linked, education program aimed at
Photo Chasse Québec.
students, which teachers can use as part of their classroom studies course. It is also available for use by other groups as part of special events. The project goals are to raise public awareness about the habi- tats for these turtles, encourage support with creating safe and suitable nesting habitats, and setting up roadway crossing signs and protective fencing where exis- ting nesting sites are located in high road- way traffic areas. The Fuelling Change grant will help SNC with all of these goals. SNC sta! have noted a“marked reduction”in the number of road- kill incidents involving turtles where cros- sing warning signs and fencing is set up. “As we have from the beginning,” said Paquette, “we ask members of the public to alert us when they #nd a turtle dead or alive, a vulnerable nest, or a dangerous crossing. The program strives to engage the public on best practices to ensure the safety and preservation of these old and myste- rious creatures.”
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