Environment

A Chilling Prophecy

Today, people have good reason to be concerned about the quality of the land they are living on and the quality of the water they are drinking, not only for health reasons, but financial ones as well.  Governments are continually appearing to reassure us that everything is under control and that environmental protection is being managed as astutely as you would care for your own child. Yet again, as has happened so many times in the past, contaminated water and soil was discovered this past week at two separate residences near Guelph, in Puslinch and Flamborough townships.

Logging pushes Canada's old growth forests to extinction

Old GrowthOver the last few years I have had the pleasure to meet and discuss wildlife and habitat concerns with some of Canada's most admired and respected leaders in the environmental field.  Two such individuals, one is Monte Hummel, President of World Wildlife Fund Canada and the other is R.D. Lawrence, well-known author and biologist.

Early last November, I invited Monte and R.D. Lawrence, to speak about endangered species in Canada. But, with both of them having such tight schedules I wasn't sure if they could accept my invitation. Fortunately, it turned out that they could, and a date was set.

The Right Channel "The Natural Thing" - Past Article

With all the sports dominating TV lately and the near hysteria (and revenue) it creates, I've often wondered what kind of world this could be if we found it within ourselves to channel some of this energy and money towards the environment.  This was not some fleeting thought which suddenly popped into my head while sipping morning coffee. I've given it much attention and on numerous occasions pondered the possibilities of what might happen if we endeared such problems as pollution, endangered species, depleted forests, world population and a host of other concerns with as much fervour, affection and concern as we do professional sports.

Dealing with the Environmental Hypocrite

If there's one thing that drives me absolutely crazy, it's an environmental hypocrite.  You know someone who preaches awareness of the environment but proceeds to act exactly the opposite.  I encounter this on occasion, and it makes me mad as hell.

Allow me to give you two examples:

A Christmas Walk "The Natural Thing" - Past Article

A favourite pastime of my wife and I during the Christmas holidays, provided there is snow on the ground, is to take a quiet walk down the forest road at our cottage located in Georgian Bay Township, and look at the myriad animal tracks various creatures have left behind in their travels. I can recall from some of these winter walk adventures the following story...

On several occasions, I had taken my four younger nephews (ages 6 to 11) on these adventure walks and although these forays hadn't exactly been peaceful and serene, a fantastic time was always had by all.

When a set of tracks were found they huddled around them, chatting excitedly and discussing the possibilities as to what mysterious animal might have made them

Camping in Rugged Northern Ontario isn’t a Cup of Tea

Now that the warm weather is upon us, large numbers of people will again take to hiking and camping in the forests across Ontario. Many will choose Provincial Parks which offer everything from rugged wilderness to neatly kept camping lots equipped with running water and electricity.

However some years ago I was enthused by a bit of a different idea.

The idea of really getting away from it all in Ontario's far north. I had already done a great deal of camping in some relatively remote locations but had never considered anything like what I was proposing for this upcoming adventure. This, I was confident, would be the camping trip of a lifetime, (so far) and so I started preparing...

 

© Copyright 2010 Bill Leeming - All Rights Reserved