PAGE A12 • MOOSEJAWEXPRESS.COM • Wednesday,May 22, 2019
Pheasants hatching in schools across the city Larissa Kurz
The Moose Jaw Wildlife Federation has brought the miracle of life to a number of Moose Jaw schools this spring: they’re hatching ring-necked pheasant eggs as part of their annual Pheasants in the Classroom program. Ten schools are taking part this year, ranging from daycares up to high schools, and they were each given 30 eggs to incubate. The fluffy chicks are hatching at a healthy rate, according to MJWF president Todd Smith, and it usually takes about a week to hatch all of them. The eggs come from a partnership with the Wildlife Federation in Swift Current, and Smith estimated the fertility rate to be around 90 per cent for this year’s batch — hopefully, good news for how many eggs will successfully hatch. “(The hatch ratio) really depends on the year and our eggs are only as good as the pheasants that laid them,” said Smith. “Depending on the fertility rate of the eggs and the care that’s given to them in the incubators, we will average about a 70 to 75 per cent hatch rate.”
École Ducharme is one of the schools participating, and is home to lots of baby birds right now. With 300 eggs in play, that’s a lot of newborn pheasants. After hatching, the day-old chicks are collected from across the city to one brood box, where they then travel out to one of two farms outside the city raising them
into full-grown birds. Once they’re big enough, the pheasants are released in the late summer or fall, in the Moose Jaw area: around Hamilton Flats, 4th Avenue SW, and on Sask Wildlife habitat lands.
The pheasant hatching program has been running for around 20 years, said Smith. It is an important learning experience for the students — not only do they learn about the birds, but they also get handson experience with wildlife conservation. “There’s a lot of theory that we teach in schools and we teach how they can get involved, but then to actually let them participate in a project where they give back to the resource is a pretty huge deal for a lot of them,” said Smith. Although the chicks are extremely cute, Smith finds that students are more excited than sad to see them go; they learn about the natural life-cycle of pheasants and want to see them thrive in the wild. Because pheasants aren’t native to Canada, their population struggles to survive the winters, making this program important for their continued success. Smith usually has a lot of interest from schools each year, and starts taking volunteers around Christmas. Classrooms interested for next year can contact the MJWF through their website’s contact form to get on the list.
TRADING THOUGHTS
Alberta premier playing dangerous game with separatist threat card
by Ron Walter
“How much is your sales tax?” the middle-aged man at the fast food counter asked the girl at the till. She didn’t know but a bystander chipped in: “six per cent,” then asked the man where he was from. “Alberta.” “I figured. You don’t have a sales tax there.” “We don’t. If we did it would solve a lot of problems,” he said. “It’s all a matter of pride. Montana doesn’t have a sales tax. Alberta doesn’t have a sales tax. Alberta has no sales tax but it has deficits.” “I totally agree,” said the Albertan. There is no intent by the new Alberta premier Jason Kenney
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2014 NH TV6070 Bi-Dir. Tractor, 3 pt. ht. w/NH 84LB FEL, bucket, manure tines, grapple fork, 1056 hrs. showing *NH 2300 Adapter for Bi-Dir. Tractor converted to a NH 2330 *Roto Screen for TV140 Bi-Dir. *2015 NH T6.180 MFWA diesel Tractor, 3 pt. ht. w/NH 845TL FEL, QD bucket, grapple fork, manure tines, 671 hrs. showing *1981 IH Hydro 186 diesel Tractor w/IH 2350 FEL, bucket, grapple fork, 6381 hrs. showing *1981 Case 2290 diesel Tractor *McCormick Deering W4 Gas Tractor *1985 GMC Brigadier Hay Hauling diesel Truck *1988 Ford L9000 Hwy. diesel Tractor *1974 GMC 6000 3-ton Grain Truck *1964 GMC 960 3-ton Grain Truck *1966 Chev Viking 60 3-ton Cab Over Grain Truck *2007 Dodge Ram 3500 SLT 1-ton Dually 4x4 Truck w/Dew-Eze 285 Bale Deck *2006 Dodge Ram 2500 Mega Cab 3/4 ton Truck *1999 Dodge Laramie SLT 2500 Quad Cab 3/4 ton Truck *1987 10’ x 48’ Homebuilt Hay Hauling Trailer *7’ x 28’ Norbert 5thW Stocktrailer *6’ x 20’ Univision 5thW Stocktrailer *Dumonceau 8 1/2’ x 24’ 5thW Flatdeck Trailer, beaver tails w/loading ramps *6’ x 16’ Bumper Pull Stocktrailer *1978 Pontiac Catalina 4-dr Car *1979 Ford Thunderbird Car *35’ JD 1600 Cult., 3 plex *39’ CCIL 204 Cult. *24’ Melcam Cult., breaking spikes *50’ Flexicoil System 82 Harrow Drawbar *24’ IH 620 Disc Drill w/Valmar *36’ Morris B3 Rodweeder converted to level Mole hills *Melcam & Rockomatic Rotary Rockpickers *12’ Cult. *30’ Morris B3 Rodweeder *33’ MF 36 Discers *2016 NH Roll-Belt 560 Specialty Crop Rd. Baler, 2719 bales *18’ NH 1475 Hydroswing Haybine *Vermeer BPX9000 Bale Processor *NH 791 Manure Spreader *14 Wheel Sovena V-Rake *Linden Post Pounder *52’ x 8” Super Charged Brandt pto Auger *MF 852 pto Combine *25’ Case IH 725 pto Swather *25’ Pickup Reel *Kawasaki 740 Brute ATV *1997 Kawasaki Prairie 400 ATV *Shop & Yard Items. For further info call Dave at (306) 631-1939. FRED SHOPA (306) 395-2635 - 1992 JD 4455 MFWA diesel Tractor, 4722 hrs. showing *1969 JD 4020 diesel Tractor w/JD148 FEL, 6’ bucket, manure tines, grapple fork *1976 JD 4230 diesel Tractor *NH TR98 Twin Rotor SP diesel Combine, Redekop chaff spreader, 3357 hrs. showing. For further info call Fred (306) 395-2635. Note: All machinery will be started and demonstrated 1 hour before machinery sale time. Terms: Cash or Cheque w/Letter of Guarantee. Machinery & Vehicles Sell at: 1:00 p.m. This is a partial listing.
to remedy the lack of a sales tax. His policy is pinned on the hopes of a better oil price and more royalties flowing into the government treasury. The pride in not having a sales tax may determine his policy. Any government that introduces a sales tax in Alberta seeks massive protests and retribution. Instead of tackling budget issues like the sales tax, Kenney has chosen to fight with Ottawa, and more specifically with Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. That fight plays well with angry voters back home, voters blaming Trudeau for everything from lack of a pipeline to low oil prices. Trudeau is still trying to deal with the fallout from former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s law that watered down environmental approval process. Ironically, while the three Western premiers challenge legality of carbon tax in the constitution, they somehow expect the federal government to ignore the court order and speed up the process of consultation with Indigenous people. This kind of attack politics shows disrespect for the law and childish response to national issues. We need pipelines desperately but they need to be built using the right process and respecting law. In his angry attacks, attacks with the intent of toppling Trudeau, Kenney raises the promise of separatism if he doesn’t get his way. The threat of separatism plays well down on the farms in Alberta and stokes the fire of the few who really believe in separation, but does nothing to improve relations in the family of provinces that is Canada. Kenney is still playing federal politics and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is in the ring with him. If their attacks fail to unseat Trudeau they will have to work with him. Work with the feds will involve a range of issues from the carbon tax mess to finances, social matters, education, health issues and Indigenous matters. Would it not be better to phrase opposition in a more civil tone? A tone should allow for disagreements but draws no lines in the sand. These premiers have drawn on the Trump attacks toward institutions to get their way in the short term. In the long-term attacks on institutions invariably undermine the entire process and the trust it is built upon. If the violent-like tone of political debate goes unchecked the Canadian federation will become so dysfunctional that separatism will be seen as the way out of the mess. Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net
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