30 May 2007

 

for the love of trees

...it is you who give the life,
Leaves are not more shed from the trees, or trees from the earth
than they are shed out of you.
--Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass

Gentle reader, are you aware that Algonquin Provincial Park continues to be logged? This, the third largest provincial park in Ontario @ 763,310 ha, has the following primary land uses: 56% managed forest 424,550 ha; 22% other recreation (lakes, wetlands, rock outcrops, areas of concern reserves) 170,310 ha; 11.9% wilderness 90,475 ha; and 5.1% has been set aside as a nature reserve 39,250 ha.

Ontario Parks Board has recommended to the Minister of Natural Resources (1) the following:
a. Increase from 22 to 54% the protected areas of the park (409,481ha ) to include
i. Representative ecosystems + 3,070 ha & old growth forest stands
ii. 200 m setbacks for key-self-sustaining brook trout lakes and primary canoe routes (including
lakes) + 67,430 ha
b. Decrease size of recreation/utilization zone where logging is allowed from 78% (594,860 ha) to 46%
(353,828 ha). The net impact of this change? 17% of managed forest will no longer be logged but wood supply shound not be negatively impacted.

Cost of logging to environment?
i. Footprint of roads and impact of road construction including mining of aggregate for road construction; hence, the Parks Board is calling for more rigorous standards for aggregate pits (reduced size & progressive active rehabilitation will be required
ii. Habitat fragmentation * cf. "Environmentalists say the logging roads--about 20 metres wide to accommodate heavy equipment--have a huge impact on the eco-system because of the habitat fragmentation they cause." (3)
iii. Creation of edge habitat
iv. Impairment of hydrological function and sedimentation of streams and lakes;

*Species at risk: wood turtle makes its home in Algonquin Park. " Historically, the Wood Turtle (Clemmys insculpta) was known as "old redleg" owing to the orange or brick-red colour of it legs. The Wood Turtle's aquatic habitat consists of clear rivers, streams or creeks with a moderate current and sandy or gravelly bottom. It spends proportionately more time on the banks of watercourses and in a variety of terrestrial or intermediate habitats than other native Ontario turtles. Although it uses wooded areas, it prefers more open habitats such as wet meadows, swamps and fields. Wood Turtles overwinter on stream bottoms. Status: Endangered (not regulated) Provincially, Special Concern Nationally (1)

Note: The concept of ecological footprints is relatively new, but it is rapidly gaining popularity as a way of both measuring human impacts on the environment and of drawing attention to the demands -- for energy, food, water and waste absorption -- that we place on the finite resources of this planet. The Ecological Footprint Quiz & rest of blog to be read at this link: http://grandriver.blogspot.com/search?q=ecological+footprint

Sources: (1)Ontario Parks Board, Ligthening the Ecological Footprint of Logging in Algonquin, Provincial
Park, * Dec 2006 available at this link: http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/mnr/Ebr/altf/document_en.pdf;
note the Ministry is still accepting public comments regarding this proposal;
(2)http://www.rom.on.ca/ontario/risk.php?doc_type=fact&lang
(3) Colin Perkel, "Logging Roads criss-cross Alqonquin," Canadian Press.

Photo copyright Sandamara Images 2002: logging truck on Renfrew County Road with the forested hills of Algonquin Park in the background.

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 8:10 PM 1 Comments Links to this post

27 May 2007

 

a day in the life of...



.. a City of Kitchener Councillor: Monday 28 June will require attendance at four scheduled meetings: a special Council meeting, and three regular standing (working) committee meetings: Community Services, Finance and Corporate Services, and Development & Technical Services. Agendas for each and all related reports to be found at City website using the calendar link. Ordinary folks like you and me can skip the mundane housekeeping reports and focus on these reports as a sneak preview into future developments around town. Herewith, Rambling Rose provides a sampling summary:

1. Air Quality Best Bet #4: to enhance green space management
a. protect and preserve natural features (hedgerows, wetlands, woodlots) prior to approval
of development projects:
b. incentives to plant trees particularly native species;
c. require minimum of one tree (native species) at front of lot in new residential
developments;
d. Incentives to naturalize front yards; (1)

2. Budget 2008 process
a. Staff to identify priority areas for service level or program reductions over the next three years;
b. Increase fees and charges revenue by 6.00% cf. “Staff propose to identify the public
appetite and areas of focus for service level or program reduction through the assembly
of focus groups over the coming months.”
c. “Substantial pressure will be placed on the budget over the next several years as the City realizes significant capital expansion as well as the impact of EDIF and other initiatives.
For 2008, the current projections shows a levy increase of 5.47% before EDIF ** and
 6.72% including EDIF. This is the highest increase projected over the next ten years.”
d. KPL new main library operating budget impact at $1,659,000 in year 2010 & new south
end library @ 990,000 in 2015

3. Council size and ward review (2) as required after three elections===> public consultation in
Aug/Sept 07
a. Per Supreme Court of Canada, “effective representation” not representation by
population is the common law standard for electoral boundaries in Canada; however,
population of wards should be as equitable as possible and ensure that each voter is
being fairly and equitably represented
b. Per 2005 OMB decision, “communities of interest” ...should not be fragmented or divided
c. One councillor per ward will determine the number of wards
cf. Per 2004 Council minutes, Councillor Gazzola had requested return to 10 ward system in
place prior to 2000 municipal elections in order to ensure greater debate and that varying
opinion* are heard on the issues. He was supported by one Councillor (Weylie) but his
motion to increase size of council was defeated.

4. Development 07-post 08 (5)
a. 8 subdivision plans approved for 07 for maximum total of 1,255 additional (residential)
units;
b. Constraints on future greenfield developments:
i. “Countryside Line” per Regional Official Planning Policy
ii. Reurbanization (re-development/infill/intensification) as increasing priority per
Provincial Planning guidelines
c. Hence, “balanced approach to greenfield and infill development; “City of Kitchener will
give high priority to the processing of any subdivision deemed “infill.”
d. Current lot supply of 10,178 lots/units is 2,000 units lower than last staging report 1.5
years ago = “a fairly significant decrease over last two years”. Building permit activity
for new residential in 2006 was lower than in 2005. A significant increase in apartments
permits +300 units from 05.

5. Doon Valley Golf Course expansion to seek Audubon International Sanctuary classification which
recognizes environmental stewards to the highest standards of golf course maintenance
practices. The natural and cultural assets of the Grand River Valley location (85 ha/210 acres
flood plain and approx 3.5 km of river edge) include :
a. wintering habitat of endangered Bald Eagle; hence, course will be closed from November
to March
b. Regionally rare bird and plant species
c. Important wildlife corridors and linkages
d. two historic railway rights-of-way
e. significant archaeological resources.

6. Queen Street South reconstruction (Courtland to Highland Rd W)
a. Region public information meeting on 19 June 07 to review four reconstruction options;
b. Kitchener request for pedestrian scale lighting @ cost of $800,000*** to City of
Kitchener; rationale: consistent historical streetscape and
c. Insufficient width to accommodate dedicated bike lanes along Queen Street; however,
Queen Street does provide major downtown connection to the Iron Horse Trail, the most
used trail in City.

7. Notes: * playing with words i.e. Gazzola wanted to ensure a diversity of opinions on issues;
Councillor Vrabanovic put different meaning on the same word cf. “ ”if diversity is an issue, it
should not simply mean an increase in the size of Council but rather an increase in cultural
representation.” (3) ** EDIF @ 1.25% of levy is on top of that increase; ***”excluding cost of
any metal-halide fixture costs” (6)


8. Sources: (1) CRPS -07-072 Environmental Committee/Air Quality Five Best Bets; (2) CRPS-07-
067 Council Composition and ward Review: (3) Council Minutes p. 108, 30 Sept. 05; (4) FIN-07-
058: Budget Process and 3-year Financial Plan; (5) City of Kitchener Staging of Development
Report et al. (6) DTS-07-082 Design Option for Pedestrian-Scale Lighting Queen Street South
Reconstruction Project.

Photos copyright Sandamara Images 2006 L to R: City of Waterloo crest and motto "stability" to recognize our sister city's 150th anniversary and selection as most intelligent city this past month; City of Kitchener and motto "industry" to recognize the role its various manufacturing industries have played in its growth and development. In spite of significant factory shutdowns, manufacturing accounts for 25% of all Kitchener employment.

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 9:27 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

23 May 2007

 

sticky details


Gentle reader, a miscellany noted while perusing the daily rag & various e-mails:


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# posted by ramblingrose @ 4:42 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

22 May 2007

 

the verdant heart

















"If you wish to make anything grow, you must understand it,
and understand it in a very real sense. '
Green fingers' are a fact,
and a mystery only to the unpractised.
Green fingers are the extension of the verdant heart."
-- Russell Page, The Education of a Gardener

Photos copyright Sandamara Images 2002-03 L to R: poppy buds and poppy in full bloom.

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 4:47 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

16 May 2007

 

the ties that bind












If you miss the train I'm on, You will know that I am gone,
 You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles.

As a nation, we were wedded together by ribbons of steel stretching from sea to shining sea. However, for the better part of the last century we have been faithless to that first bond and replaced railway ties with much wider ribbons of asphalt -- prone now to gridlock and harmful emissions! Region of Waterloo is dreaming rail again as part of its longterm transportation strategy-- but can we afford the cost?
Lord, I'm one, Lord, I'm two, Lord, I'm three, Lord, I'm four, Lord, I'm five hundred miles a way from home.
Not a shirt on my back, Not a penny to my name. Lord, I can't go back home this-a way.
Today's photos and blogs focus on romancing the rails-- urban bike trails and historical railways. Photos copyright Sandamara Images 1998-2001 L to R: ONR engine 2002 shifting train cars in Moosonee; the mixed freight-passenger affectionately called the "Little Bear" hauling passengers (cars immediately behind engine) and cars and trucks across the Great Muskeg from Cochrane into Moosonee; truck cab waiting to haul trailer off the auto-transporter rail car at the car ramp in Moosonee; and the last mile of steel ribbon where all roads end. To get farther north, one must take a plane or a boat along the James and Hudson Bay coastlines.

If you miss the train I'm on, You will know that I am gone, You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles. A hundred miles, a hundred miles, A hundred miles, a hundred miles, You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles.
--music and lyrics by Hedy West
http://ingeb.org/songs/ifyoumis.html

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 6:24 PM 0 Comments Links to this post
 

now.....



Over the past month, RR conversed with two men who regularly use the Iron Horse Trail to travel to/from their respective workplaces. The first man begins his daily commute at Fischer-Hallman/Erb Street in Waterloo and bikes the trail to where it ends at Ottawa Street in Kitchener. Apparently, he can cycle the entire route in 20 minutes-- the exact amount of time it takes a colleague to travel the same distance by car. The second man begins his jaunt to work at the Ottawa Street trail terminus, travels the Iron Horse Trail to Victoria Street, and then uses Victoria Street to Westmount Road to get to his workplace. As he said, " Taking the car would only get me there in three minutes less time. Biking is environmentally friendly." Although RR has walked stretches of the trail, she was anxious to locate a trail map and more background on the trail itself. Thus, this weekend's etc. feature on the Iron Horse Trail proved serendipiditious indeed!

Summarized for herself and you, gentle reader, the following key points from last week's Record articles(1) and (2):

"In 1995, a partnership between Kitchener (4km) and Waterloo (1km) was formed to convert the abandoned Grand River Railway (CP) rail line into the Iron Horse Trail --5.5 km @ cost of $720,000 to purchase the land from the railway, $100,000 for the environmental study. The Iron Horse Trail is supposed to be Kitchener's contribution to the Trans-Canada Trail. But from Ottawa Street to where a pedestrian bridge will soon cross over Highway 401, the Trans-Canada Trail doesn't exist for the most part, and cyclists are forced to ride on busy roads. However, as of the 10th anniversary of the trail, Kitchener has plans to add better signage, including kilometre markers and indicators of trail direction as well as nearby highlights, such as pointers to the downtown core. As of the 2007 budget, Kitchener city council has doubled the 10-year budget for trails to about $2.8 million. However, the day when the Iron Horse Trail is extended to link up with the pedestrian bridge over the 401 is a long, long way off. There is just too much private property in the way. The city either has to buy the land, or secure permission to construct a trail through it. But note this: "Bicycle trails... are relatively inexpensive to build. The City of Kitchener builds a kilometre of bike trail for about $30,000. That's a stone-dust trail with a gravel base."

What's missing here? "No one on Kitchener city council champions this cause, and there is no cycling advisory committee or trails advisory committee."

Compare elsewhere:
Sources: (1) Valerie Hill, Tales from the trail, the Record 12 May 07; (2) Terry Pender, Cyclists hopeful as gaps in trail system slowly fill, The Record 5 May 07. Photos copyright Sandamara Images 2006 L to R: Iron Horse Trail history plaques at Queen Street intersection; Iron Horse Trail and marker adjacent to Victoria Park, Kitchener.

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 9:08 AM 0 Comments Links to this post
 

then.... perhaps tomorrow again?






















In researching this post, Rambling Rose discovered that there were actually two Preston and Berlin Railway Companies: the first dates back to the great period of black coal/steam locomotives; the second took advantage of what was called "white coal," i.e. electric power used to provide inter-urban transportation.

The story of the first Preston and Berlin Railway is told on Walter Bean Grand River Trail marker headlined, "Preston and Berlin Railway: A Short-Lived Line,":


In the mid-nineteenth century, two competing railway lines, the Grand Trunk and the Great Western, crisscrossed Ontario. The Grand Trunk, representing Montreal and Toronto business interests, reached Berlin (Kitchener) in 1856; three years earlier the Great Western had brought its rail line to Galt ***with connections to Hamilton, Brantford, Niagara and Windsor. In 1855, a branch of the Great Western linked Galt and Guelph.

Not to be left behind, the citizens of Preston and interested investors from Berlin, aided by the City of Hamilton, pushed for a rail link between Preston (now Cambridge) and Berlin( now Kitchener)and then to Hamilton along the Great Western. The Preston and Berlin Railway was incorporated on June 10, 1857, and in November the company began operations from Berlin. The line ran along the western and southern outskirts of the village, through the settlement of German Mills (on Manitou Drive near Bleams Road) and Doon,**** crossing the Grand River near Blair. Serious financial and management problems gave way to a major natural disaster after less than three months of operation, on January 17, 1858, when floodwaters and ice flows damaged and undermined two of the bridge piers on the Grand River. Rail traffic was halted and the line never re-opened. (1)

The second Preston and Berlin Berlin Street Railway Company (21 August 1903 - 01 January 1908) was incorporated in 1894 and a charter to build an electric rail line between Preston and Berlin (Kitchener) was granted to Thomas Todd of Galt (President of the G & P), Fred Clare of Preston and J.A. Fennel of Kitchener. (5) During the interval between 1894 and 1902, little if anything was actually accomplished towards the construction of the proposed railway. At a meeting in Preston on July 12th 1900, the rights of the Preston & Berlin Street Railway Company were transferred to the Hamilton Radial Electric Railway Company.

On June 3, 1902, the Preston & Berlin Railway awarded a contract to A.A. McDonald & Co. for grading, ditching, culverts, fencing, track laying and ballasting. The work began immediately at the northwesterly end of the line on King Street at Albert Street, Berlin, proceeding easterly to the crossing point of the Grand River at Freeport. The work of construction then transferred to Preston and proceeded westerly to the Grand River crossing. With the arrival of rails, track laying commenced at the Preston end and continued to the bridge location at the Grand River and then from the westerly side of the Grand River on into Berlin. The bridge crossing the Grand River was constructed during the winter of 1903 and 1904. Following its completion the line was lightly ballasted.** On March 17, 1903, an agreement was reached whereby the Hamilton Radial Electric Railway Company transferred its franchise and other rights to the Preston & Berlin Railway Company.

The electrification of the line was carried out by the Company during the summer of 1904. The Preston and Berlin line was placed in operation, for passenger service only, on October 6th, 1904.* The P&B had its trackage on a marginal right-of-way along the south side of King Street to a point just east of Stirling Avenue where the freight line split off in a south-west direction on a private right-of-way. The passenger line swung to the centre of King Street and continued west to Albert Street (now Madison Street), Berlin, and over Berlin & Waterloo Street Railway*****trackage from there through downtown to Water Street.

Freight service was not established until 1905, following the completion of what is now known as the freight line around Preston as well as the completion of the freight terminal at Linden Ave. and Joseph Street, Berlin. Then followed the completion of the line, Berlin to Waterloo. The track for a time terminated at the westerly end of Caroline Street near Erb Street, Waterloo, due to difficulty in getting around the corner from Caroline Street to and across Erb Street; a corner of a warehouse of Seagram Distillers**, a three story building having to be removed, to provide sufficient space between the warehouse and the Grand Trunk track. ***

The Preston & Berlin Street Railway and the Galt, Preston & Hespeler Street Railway were amalgamated, effective January 1, 1908, under the name Berlin, Waterloo, Wellesley & Lake Huron Railway Company and leased to the Canadian Pacific Railway for 99 years. In 1914, the name was changed to the Grand River Railway Company Limited. (3) By 1938, the train was restricted to freight service; (6)in the late 1930's Kitchener's Public Utilities Commission (PUC) took over a cross-town bus-line and by 1946 all street railway services were ended. (8) In 1993, the rail tracks from Kitchener to Waterloo were abandoned (4)


Notes: * another source indicates "began offering passenger services under steam power 05 February 1903." (2); **Approximate Mileage: From Galt through Preston to Kitchener, the route was just under eleven miles;
*** Stories about Joseph Emm Seagram abound: "When the rebuilding of the wall was completed and the scaffolding removed, the Grand Trunk lined their track over, occupying the land from which the corner of the building had been cleared, blocking the way. The late Joseph Seagram was not to be outdone in that regard and
immediately ordered the tearing down of a further portion, and when that was completed he arranged for
the Municipal Fire Department with two lines of hose to prevent further occupation on the part of the
Grand Trunk. The hose was used freely on the Grand Trunk force, until the Electric Line track was laid in
place, a matter of a few hours. This permitted the railway to reach their proposed freight terminal on Erb
Street, Waterloo and really completed the construction work on the line for the time being." (3) and (7)
**** editor's note: the longstanding rivalries between Kitchener and Cambridge date back 150 years to 1853 when Berlin (now Kitchener) was named County Seat over the presumed favourite the town of Galt.
**** land speculators in Berlin and Doon had lots surveyed in anticipation of the railway boom; during the 1860's a branch of the Grand Trunk Railway connected Galt to Berlin via Doon: this daily combined passenger and freight service was called the Dutch Mail. (8)
*****Berlin and Waterloo Street Railway began operations in 1888 of horse-car railway systems connecting the downtowns; by 1895 the horse-drawn cars were retrofitted for use in an electric system. (9)

Photos and graphics top L to R clockwise: 1) King Street looking westward to Waterloo in 1890; 2) Iron Horse trial plaque at Queen Street South providing overview of Grand River Railway; 3) Seagram building at intersection Erb St W and Caroline St marks terminus of the Grand River Railway and note the portion of building demolished to make room for train tracks; 4) portrait of Joseph Emm Seagram, the distiller and avid horseman; 5) rail car of the Berlin-Waterloo Railway; 6) remnant pier in the Grand River at Blair bears mute testimony to the rail bridge that once crossed the Grand at this point; can be viewed from the trailhead just east of Blair; 7) Freeport bridges with the CP rail bridge acquired from the Grand River Railway on left and piers of the bowstring arch bridge on the right. Historical black and white photos in public domain; coloured images copyright Sandamara Images 2001-07.

Sources: (1)Walter Bean trail website: http://www.sju.ca/grt/prestonberlin.htm
(2)http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wyatt/alltime/kitchener-on.html
(3)http://www.trainweb.org/elso/pb.htm
(4)http://home.primus.ca/~robkath/railelec.htm
(5)http://www.cambridgeweb.net/historical/electricrail.html
(6) Valerie Hill, Tales from the Trail," The Record 12 May 07;
(7) City of Waterloo 150th anniversary webpages: http://www.wpl.ca/site/waterloo_150/waterloo_150_seagram_joseph.asp
(8) "History of Doon," www. region.waterloo.on.ca under living cf. "Historic Place Names of Waterloo County--Doon"
(9) WJH Andrews, "Transit Potential of Waterloo Region's Central Transit Corridor," undergrad thesis, University of Calgary 2003.

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 8:58 AM 0 Comments Links to this post

10 May 2007

 

clay works




For most of the past week, Rambling Rose has been busy playing with clay-- that yellow clay that was fashioned into the yellow bricks to be found adorning so many older homes in Kitchener. Thus far, she has located references to four historical brick yards --the starting point for a future winter research project. Not now, as warm spring sunshine invites outdoors into the garden and its tasks. The first always is to dig in all of those bags of leaves collected last autumn and to sheet compost them as the most effective strategy to build fertile loam from rock hard clay that forms the base of her various flower beds. All of the remaining yellow lumps of clay are then carted to the compost bin as well as the many rocks and pebbles that surface as part of the digging process.

Thus far, RR has managed to build approximately eight inches of top soil over the years. By August, this year's dug-in leaves will have composted and produced approximately 1" of brown loam. To break up the clay lumps and to balance the soil's acidity, RR works in agricultural lime from the Baden co-op. This annual exercise in humility never fails to remind RR of the origins of the Waterloo Moraine's clays, gravels, and sands deposited here by glacial action some 12,000 years ago. This year's realization was that it is this stubborn yellow clay that renders portions of the Moraine's groundwaters safe from contamination as the clay becomes an impermeable barrier against infiltration by water and its associated contaminants aka as an aquitard.

Noted in RR's gardening scrapbook:

To determine soil type, apply the squeeze test (above graphic):
a) sandy soil feels gritty and doesn't stick together; sandy soil drains well but does not hold moisture and nutrients;
b) clay soil feels smooth and sticks together to form a ball; really heavy clay soil is almost like Plasticine; clay soil holds moisture and nutrients well but compacts easily and drains poorly;
c) loam, the ideal soil, feels moist and spongy; it holds together when squeezed but then crumbles quite easily*: loam incoporates the best features of both sandy and clay soils and harbours the most soil life from micro-organisms to earthworms.

What is good soil (loam) made of? 45% mineral particles (clay, sand, silt) + 5% organic matter and living organisms + 25% air + 25% water = 100%

Soil pH refers to degree of acidity** or alkinity on scale of 0 (most acid) to 14 (most alkaline); the ideal for plants is 6.5 to 6.8. Soil can be tested at the Agri-Food Laboratories in Guelph ON; information at this website www.agtest.com


Notes: * to check for soil friability, dig in one spade, lift up and turn over; if the soil crumbles as it is turned over, your soil has passed the visual test for good gardening loam; ** the two 50 year-old maples( silver and Norway) in RR's garden further exacerbate the acidity of the clay soil and require annual applications of agricultural lime to balance the soil; symptoms of acidity: moss and thistle growth; the Norway maple that constitutes approximately 50% of Kitchener's boulevard tree stock provided a quick-growing dense shade canopy to city streets and backyards but is now considered an invasive species that will eventually choke out all native species.

Photos above copyright to Sandamara Images 2004-07 L to R: 1) spring bulbs growing in a predominantly clay soil border; 2) 2007 early spring yellow winter aconite (eranthis hyemalis) emerging from the leaf mulch; 3) graphic illustrating the squeeze test to determine soil type (source unknown-- a gardening magazine, long since recycled?

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# posted by ramblingrose @ 12:01 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

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