Page 20, -Whlty Free Press, Wednosday. Soptember 28. 1994 DR. MARGARET BAIN Whîtby's environmental crusader By John Diay, Many people are concerned about the environnent, but don't do much more than coniplain about global warming, acid ramn and ozone layer depletion. Dr. Margaret Bain is not like most people. The Whitby resident, a gynecologiet, who shares an, Oshawa practice .with ber, husband, an ear, nSe and throat surgeon, is involved in nunierous committees dedicated te saving the environnient. In 1984, she was part of a group horrifled when they learned of a developer's plans for Thickson's Woods, an old-growth p ine forest located at the foot of Thckson Road. "When we saw the pink lashes on the pines and we'discovered the developer had plans to, cut down the pines, we decided we didn't want this te happen," says Bain who lives in a historic Whiitby.home. So they approached the developer in an attempt to work eut a deal that would save the foreet. No solution was reached, but the developer assured' the group that he would wait until next spring te harvest the timb er and build homes on the site. "The weekend after, we founa aIl the bulldozers and the tree-cutters wvere right in there," saysS Bain. Befitting her chýaracter, she decided te prevent it. 'We did a mini-Clayoquot Sound," she says, referring te the British Columbia old-growth forest that bas roused international voices protesting MacMillan Bloedel's attempts te clear-cut. 'We stood in front of the bulldozers." Eventually a settlement was reached and Thickson's Woods was saved. Bain. and* her group purhased the land for $90,000 through vanious fundraising efforts. Today it is a birdwatcher's paradise, she says. Bain, 57, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. She attended the University of Edinburgh, and lived in India for a few years. She came te Canada in 1968, and moved inte the Lewis Houck (1859) house C'Homewood') in Whitby in 1970. Birdwatching bas always been close te, Bain's heart. In fact, she credits it for the reason she became an environmental crusader, "Once you get inte something like that, you realize that you want te continue doing it and that there's a lot of threats te the birds that you're watching." she explains. "You gradually corne te the realization that unless you do something about it, nobody else Will."1 One of her favourite places te birdwatch is Thickson's Woods. "Ites a really busy place in the spring because people corne froni ail over Ontario because the birdwatching is so great." Another group in whicb she is involved is the Oak Ridges Moraine Citizen's Advisory Conmmittee. The moraine is a DR. MARGARET. BAIN of Whitby says birdwatching, her group that, stood in front of bulldozers to prevent work, favourite pastime, led to her involvement with many commît- including tree-cutting, at Thickson's Woods in the mid- tees dedicated t0 saving the environment. She Wkas part of a eighties. Photo by Mark Reesor, Whltby Free Press government things, you neyer quite know whether you're actually doing any geod or whether somebody looks at your report and says, 'Oh that's very nice' and pute it off te, one side." Bain is aise, the current chair of the Long Point Bird Observatory located on Lake Erie. It is the "major bird observatory in the whole of Canada, "she says. Birdwatching bas been ber passion since 1975. She says that amateurs can play a big role in studying- the healtb of an ecosystem. For exanple, by counting the number of Ioons in a northern Ontario lake, a scientist can determine whether the acid rain levels have increased or decreased. Wihile it is sometimes physically impossible for scientists te, spond aIl of their time in the wilderness counting birds, Bain says that amateur groups can compile the lists for them. Its like astronemy, where amateurs can really make a contribution," she says. Recently, Bain was. the only Canadian dcklegate te an international conférence in Berlin, Germany. Varieus enviroament ministers froin such countries as Germany and Japan attended. Discussed at the 10-day convention were tepics that niirror wbat «is going on in Clayoquot Sound. "Huge Malaysian timber companies are clear-cutting Pacific island after Pacifie island," she says, with a wistful look in hier eyes. Althougb most of hier time is booked (she' spends about 20 heurs each week in the-varieu's comniittees in addition te her fulI-time practice in Oshawa), Bain bas future plans. "My next step is to learn Spanish,"! she says*, explaining that during the recent conference she was put in a group made up of representa- tives of South Arnerican countries whose primary language is Spanish. In October she will get plenty of practice when she travels te Argentina for a birdwatching expedition. She is currently learning how te communicate electronically with E-mail. She says she enjoys it, but it's hard te, squeeze in the time *equred te, fully study the field. r" just have ti 'mete learn what I use." Tu~~liptt today On Se pt. 28, at 9:30 a.m., Durhanm Rgien and the Dutch Club of Durhamn Region will join Canadians across the country in 'T7he Tulip Tribute: Shoro te Shore." The national prograin of comniemoration honours Canadians, and the friendship between Canada and the Netherlands since World War II. As a special tribute, the club bas asked for Durham Region's assstance in the laying out of a tulip tribute garden located at regionai headquarters, 605 Rossland Rd. E. in Witby. The commenioratien tulip garden, which will bloom in the spring of 1995 as a 24-by-12 foot Canadian flag, will consist of red and white tulips. The garden, prepared by Durham Region, will have 2,000 tulips which will be planted by volunteers frein the Dutch Club of Durhami Region. Each flower in the garden will be dedicated te, the memory of someone who served, either overseas or at home, in the war effort. Collectively, the ,gardon wil represent Canada's efforts for the restoration of world peace. In 1945 the Dutch royal family sent 10,000 tulips te Canada as a thank you for Canada's role in the liberation of the Netherlands, and for their assistance in the safe refuge of niembers of the Dutch royal family. Each year since then another gift of tulip bulbs bas arrived, and each year the tulips have. been planted in Ottawa, representative of spring, peace and international fiondship. by .a.r.ie u eto *LOGO CONTEST There's a new p an of action for restoring and protecting water quality. 'Clean Wkatrs, Clear Choices,' developed by the Metro Toronto and Region Remedial Action Plan (WA), summed up its recommendations in its summer 1994 newsletter. Recommendations included reducing pollution froin urban* and rural runoif, sanitary sewage, overflows of 'combined sewage,' stormwater, research and monitoring, education and aware ness,, laws and policies, and land use planning. Now, RAP invites you to join- its logo contest. The winning design,' which demonstrates a 'Clean Waters, Clear Choicé'.ý themne, will win $2,000. The logo should eznbody the concept of dlean waters for both humans and wildlife as well as celebrate 'the protection of our streains and waterfront. This logo will be used te promote water quality projects such as water conservation programs, forums on the watersheds and headwaters, streamnbank and shoreline cleanups, the création of fish habitat, tree plantings and environmental education. CONDITONS 0F ENTRY 1. Enter as often as you like. 2. Designs must be ori»ginal, rendered in black and white and of camera-ready quality. Colour drawings can also be included. 3. Ail work must be submitted on a 8 1/2 inch x il inch white paper.and labelled with naine, address and telephone number on the back of the work. 4. RAP reserves the right te suggest changes or modifications to submissions before decl aring a winner. 5. RAP will retain the copyright for other promotional purposes. 6. RAP will return submissions is accompanied with a self- addressed aiid stamped envelope. 7. Deadline is the end of Octeber. Send logo designs to: Metro'Toronto & Region RAP Logo Contest, c/o Ministry of the Environinent and Energy, 7 Overlea Blvd., 4th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, M4H 1A8. The Metro RAP is one of 43 areas around the Great Lakes where the International Joint Commission calîs for Remedial Action Plans. The 17 Canadian RAPs are supported by -the Ministry of Environnient and Energy and Environment Canada., 1For more information, or te reoeive a free copy of the 'Clean Waters, Clear Choices'newsletter, caîl 416-467-3066. Tis on how you cýan help protect our water: *Using up or giving away paints and oils rather than pouring theni into storm sewers. *Reducing pesticide and fertilizer use. *Cleaning uýp after your pet. *Using.a ramn barre] te store ramn water for your yard. COMNffG EVENT: Oct. 5-7, Hamilton. Recycling Council Of Ontario's l5th Annual Conférence 'Making [t Happen: Partnerships for the Environnient and Economy.' Details, cal Nicole at 1-800-263-2849.