by Peter Middleton and Norah Toth
Habitat, we all have a different interpretation of what it means. When we look at houses, we usually relate to the inside - comfortable rooms, windows and pleasant furnishings. The chimney is really only to let out noxious gasses in the winter and perhaps for Santa Claus to climb down at Christmas. In fact, today, chimneys are often considered redundant. They are either not required on new construction or are capped so that "critters" can't use that space. Chimneys are valuable critical habitat for a threatened species of bird called a Chimney Swift, beautifully illustrated in this painting by Barry K. Mackay.
The Chimney Swift is a small cigar-shaped bird. It is an adept flyer and spends much of its life airborne. When it does land, it does not have the ability to perch and therefore uses the vertical surfaces of chimneys and hollow trees as nesting and roosting sites. When it flies overhead it is often catching a variety of insects. Its erratic flight resembles the flight patterns of bats. If you listen closely, its high chattering call can be heard above you.
In Owen Sound, the Old Courthouse chimney has been used by Chimney Swifts as an important community roost following nesting dispersal. Records show that in 2008 up to 160 birds were counted dropping into the chimney in early August. Since then...
Thursday, June 18th, 7:00PM, at the Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library, Electoral Reform: Why Should It Matter To You.
Have you been wondering what Proportional Representation means? On June 18th, representatives from Fair Vote Canada will explain how it works. Liberal Candidate Kimberley Love, NDP Candidate David McLaren NDP and a Green Party Representative will also present their parties' positions. This will be followed up by round table discussion.
Thursday, June 18th, at 7:00PM in the Roxy Theatre Lobby, three awesome people will pitch their ideas to the Awesome Owen Sound Trustees for a chance to win $1,000 and do something awesome for our community, no strings attached.
The three people chosen and the ideas they represent are: Caroline Menzies - Women's Healing Through the Arts, Kelly Babcock - Little Libraries, and Nicole Gienow - Feral Cat Rescue. Doors open at 6pm. Admission is free but space is limited.
-by Linda Stinson
Tucked away on a quiet street in the former Brooke part of Owen Sound, is the city's only lawn bowling green still in use. Several evenings a week, members of Roselawn Bowling Club gather to play a game or two of bowls. Neighbours and passers-by can hear the shouts, laughter, or groans as a great shot is made, or missed.
The game has similarities to curling, bocce ball, and alley bowling. The bowls used are not completely round but elliptical, and are weighted to give them a bias or a curving path. The object of the game is to roll the bowl as close as possible to a smaller white ball called the "jack". One bowler can play individually against another player or in teams of 2, 3 or 4. The game is played outdoors on short grass (similar grass to a putting green), with the lawn or green being divided into several rinks.
Many Owen Sounders will remember...
By Cathy Hird
Last week, the Violence Prevention Grey Bruce Committee hosted a round table discussion on preventing sexual violence in our community. This gathering of community people and professionals talked openly about a subject that we often find hard to bring to the surface.
In the gathering, I was reminded that the church has been complicit in this violence. Church leaders have been the perpetrators of sexual violence. Churches have not been good at listening to the disclosure of what men and women lived through as children and youth. Some church doctrine has effectively endorsed violence against women.
This past week, the Chesley Restorative Care Unit got the go ahead to keep its doors open for another six months. This stems from a meeting earlier this month among Ministry staff and MPP Lisa Thompson (Huron-Bruce), MPP Bill Walker (Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound), CEO and President of South Bruce Grey Health Services (SBGHS) Paul Rosebush, where the three fought to continue to deliver this vital program to the community.
"SBGHC is delighted to receive the support of so many people to give the RCU additional time to develop a sustainability plan. The Minister deserves recognition for his support as do MPPs Lisa Thompson and Bill Walker who early on became champions for the program and who kept this issue at the forefront of the healthcare agenda. SBGHC is committed to working with our regional health stakeholders to develop a regional plan that will meet the interests and healthcare needs of so many people in Grey and Bruce Counties," said Rosebush.
"First of all I would like to thank the people who chose to make ..."
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