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economist suntribune thursday nov 25 1999 economist sun stouffville tribune etcetera 11 rf wagi gree war staff photomike barrett gloria marsh member of a group called the kettle lakes coalition is fighting to save the oak ridges moraine from development what approach are environmentalists taking in their green battle bvmikeadler staff writer on an old farm field in richmond hill are the begin nings of a new forest first came the aspen and sumac then the beeches a few white pine the odd maple but this rolling country side on the oak ridges moraine while appreciat ed by hikers cyclists and the- thieves who dump an occasional stolen car here is on private land glenn de baeremaeker speaks its obituary v your typical subdivi sion street he says as we stairf moving uphill oh each side of us will be man icured front lawns later de baeremaeker gloria marsh and ramona wall members of a group called the kettle lakes coalition reach a sunshadowed valley of mature hemlock and white pine deep forested back yards of big estates you can just hear traffic on stouffville road where york region is preparing to link bayview avenue through the forest nearby to its northern half the stands of hemlock oudast- ed the old lumber barons but can they remain if the moraine turns urban this is prime real estate de baeremaeker says there is a conflictpar- ticularly on the moraine between planning for growth and protecting the environment richmond hill mayor bill bell said last month theyre kind of like two trains coming down the track he said heading toward each other ah abandoned car along the oak ridges moraine a sad statement of the type of action that prompts envi ronmentalists to launch their battles but with politicians like bell riding both trains saying they can build more houses and still protect the environment the real battle is over what approach to take the regions municipal councils play ball with the developers towns like richmond hill knowing they might get almost no environmental protection from ontario municipal board rulings ask develop ers to set aside a bit more green space a woodlot or a buffer zone here or there and if a development proposal doesnt jive with the towns plan we sit down and have a heart-to- heart with the applicant bell explained recently more and more though groups of citizens in the region are unwilling to accept these compro mises they want to see forests rivers farms or wildlife habitat protected period and suddenly thanks mainly to growing concern for the moraine they have a chance to be see moraines page 15 lake simcoes future is also in jeopardy the oak ridges moraine is the major battleground for environ mentalists in york region but lake simcoe where some of its rivers flow could be next the lake which adds an esti mated 160 million to the local economy has been sick for decades the problem is an excess nutri ent called phosphorus a byproduct of local agriculture and urban growth it causes algae blooms and weed growth that threaten the lake the lake simcoe region conservation authority reduces phosphorus by helping farmers and landowners make improve ments but since the provincial gov ernment slashed its funds its abili ty to undertake such projects has diminished dramatically gayie wood the authoritys chief admin istrative officer said this summer meanwhile she said new devel opment is sending more phospho- rus into the lake lake trout no longer breed in lake simcoe and other fish must be stocked or they would disappear lacks a champion simcoe at least on the york region side of its watershed seems not to have any organized body of volunteers who could fight to restore its health the holland river of the rivers flowing through the north of the region from the moraine to the lake the holland is the worst off the east holland watershed flowing through aurora and newmarket is under pressure from their growing populations while the lower part of the river in bradford is in severely see restoration page 15 christmas gift delivers saturday december 4th ery mark ham m n n r n n ra jm economist sun 46375 copies to households unique tall format fw glossy stock all ads process colour ad design arid photography 29422001