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Friends of the Cawthra Bush & Greater Mississauga Area
• where my videos are posted Pages of Special Interest; • • Other Table of Contents; |
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Scanned
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comments are at the end, click on the highlighted text to go to specific
comments, which will have numbers in brackets e.g.. {1}
POINTS OF INTEREST: This is only part of this meetings minutes, the rest later. Dena Lewis, a verbal report on the presentation by Dr. James Bogart on Amphibians in Urban Woodlands or does it only have a passing acquaintance with the truth? Read how her comments under cut all our efforts. URBAN FOREST MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF MISSISSAUGA MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1998 - 7:00 p.m. COMMITTEE ROOM 'E'
Page - 5 - 6. Report of the Presentation on Amphibians an Urban Woodlands Verbal report on the presentation by Dr. James Bogart on Amphibians in Urban Woodlands. RECOMMENDATION: That the verbal report [1] on the presentation by Dr. James Bogart on Amphibians in Urban Woodlands be received for information. Dena Lewis provided the committee with an update of the presentation on Amphibians by Dr. James Bogart of the University of Guelph. Ms. Lewis stated that there was a very good turnout of approximately 40 people despite the inclimate weather. {2} Dr. Bogart's talk intimated {3} that salamanders are the "genetic strongmen" {4} of the amphibian world who will adapt to a variety of habitats despite human interference. Professor Bogart brought two graduate students with him. Mr. Barber displayed the salamanders from the Cawthra Woods. {5} There was a great deal of public interest regarding the salamanders in Cawthra. Ms. Lewis noted that Dr. Bogart and his students may be willing to visit Cawthra in the spring to make recommendations regarding pond edge production and succession, She further suggested that Dr. Bogart be requested to make recommendations for restoration of the edge of the pond in Cawthra, or whether or not it should be restored, adding that it is reassuring that the conditions within Cawthra are good enough to enable this species to persist within the woodland without being in any imminent danger. {6} Ms. Lewis suggested that Dr. Bogart and the students be invited to visit again in the spring to visit Cawthra and other City woodlands which he expressed an interest in, to which the Committee was in full agreement. Ms. Piette added that a number of people expressed interest in the salamanders, and that a very favourable response was received to the questionnaire distributed by the City. She further noted that some good suggestions were received for presentation topics that might be covered in future. {7} Ms. Piette suggested that committee members compile a list of suggested topics for future presentations and submit them to the Committee Coordinator, along with revisions to the Terms of Reference, by Friday, March 6, 1998 for inclusion on the next agenda. - 6 - Louise Aubin moved receipt of the Bogart presentation information. The motion was voted on and carried. Received for Information (L. Aubin) MG.11.Urban PLEEASSE SIGN OUR PETITION It will make a difference! Home Page - Main Table of Contents - Back up a page - Back to Top [ Comments by Don B. - first of all the City failed to provide Dr. Bogart with a copy of these minutes to see if he found them to be accurate. The FCB insisted he be provided with a copy. He then made changes, which the City has not entered into the official record. Peter Lyons of the City of Mississauga and who is listed as an author of the Cawthra Bush Management Plan was present at Dr. Bogart's talk, made notes but they are not presented. Only a member of UFMAC goes on the official record, a person unaccountable through normal channels at City hall, why is this? Dena Lewis was asked to make changes to her verbal report so it would line up what was actually said, she has refused and starts to talk about lawyers. Says a lot about how she sees her role in all this, doesn't it? {1} - Why is there no written report? This is the most important discussion about the Cawthra Bush yet, hundreds of residents petitions are on the line and all the work to date on the City's forest management plans. And what do we get, a verbal report that is interpreted again by City staff taking the notes. Not the formula for the accuracy called for in this issue. Back {2} - Too often the meetings that decide the fate of the Cawthra Bush are held on winter storm nights. Back {3} - "intimated"??? State what he said why don't you??? Back {4} - The "genetic strongmen" of the amphibian word, a statement that Dr. Bogart disagrees with. A request has been made to make the Jefferson salamander federally recognized as an endangered species and once that happens the money starts to flow for its research. Is D. Lewis saying Dr. Bogart slipped up and spilled the beans on a huge case of academic fraud? The rest of this sentence goes even further, in fact it run exactly the opposite to what all the books say. Jefferson salamander found in old-growth, mature forests, wet forests and undisturbed hardwood forests. Back {5} - I was never invited to bring the salamanders by the City and Dr. Bogart was very impressed with how big they had grown in my care. Back {6} - This one statement by D. Lewis is the real killer. Yes this is the one the City wants in order to disregard our whole save the salamanders campaign. It is total wrong, false and misleading! Dr. Bogart made it clear a number of times that he had not visited the Cawthra Bush yet, and would not comment on it but that is not what D. Lewis is saying. Does this not sound like the putting of words into the mouth of a respectable person to suite anothers agenda? To say "conditions within Cawthra are good enough to enable this species to persist within the woodland without being in any imminent danger" is in my opinion, shamelessly supporting the City in avoiding its environmental and democratic responsibility. While undertaking a course of action that will see the salamanders die out, the environmental significance features at Cawthra eliminated, to open the Cawthra Bush to further development. Which the City tried to do with its official land use policies, again the FCB was there to stop the City. What is going on here is not new, it is traditional politics and it works, unless people get upset. The above quote can also be used to say the City's forest management in the past has had no negative effect on the forest ecosystem or its moisture regime. A big stamp of approval for the City for its past logging and tree farming and similar future plans. I doubt Dr. Bogart likes being sucked into this. Back {7} - Laural Piette, a manager with the City reported "very favourable response was received to the questionnaire distributed by the City." In fact a number of people wrote they rejected the City management plans for the Cawthra Bush on the questionnaire and she just didn't report it, odd yes? Guess this is one way to create a record with no opposition and every one supports the City. Back ] |
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