The newly-returned chair of Saugeen Conservation is taking complaints about planning approvals to heart.
Saugeen Conservation has been accused by some municipalities and landowners of slow response to planning approvals.
But Doug Freiburger, of Saugeen Shores, said the complaints – and proposed solutions – have to be considered in respect to the whole operation.
“Sometimes you’ll get a very small interest group that will push like crazy to have something done,” he said.
“And we have to entertain that but I’m not saying we have to jump just because something’s been brought forward, because quite often when you do those sorts of things, there’s a cost that goes with it.”
Hiring more staff to speed up planning, for example, could add to costs.
A better remedy could be to streamline communication and create more partnerships with municipalities, Freiburger said.
Freiburger was returned as chair by acclamation and will preside over Saugeen Conservation’s 60th anniversary and a move to a new headquarters.
He described the coming year as very exciting, but at the same time he’s keeping focus on day to day business.
“I think there’s a lot of things we do have to look at. We had a great year, we got a lot accomplished, we moved the bar and the sticks way ahead, but there’s still a lot more to do.”
All the executive positions for 2010 were filled by acclamation.
Returning as first vice-chair is Brockton Coun. Dan Gieruszak. Huron-Kinloss Coun. Anne Eadie is second vice-chair and West Grey Deputy-mayor Dan Sullivan will fill the role of past-chair.

60th anniversary

Saugeen Conservation turns 60 years old this year.
Plans for the anniversary are in early stages, but Freiburger said the celebration could be staged as a double one in combination with the move to new headquarters in Formosa.
“I have an idea they’re going to put (the anniversary) in conjunction with the grand opening of the new facility. That to me would make sense,” Freiburger said.
Other milestones that Saugeen Conservation is anticipating this year are the opening of a new Children’s Safety Village at the conservation area south of Hanover and the hosting of the first Forestry Festival at the Allan Park conservation area.

Trees

Bruce and Grey can claim top spot when it comes to tree planting.
Landowners in the Saugeen River watershed are doing their part in offsetting greenhouse gases through tree planting.
They signed on with the Saugeen Conservation forestry service to have 225,000 trees planted in the Saugeen River watershed last year.
Manager Jim Penner said that’s a record number.
“It is. It makes for a very busy spring for us. One of the biggest things is making sure we’ve got the nurseries growing the trees and having them available for us,” he said.
Saugeen Conservation in partnership with the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority accounted for one quarter of all the trees planted in Ontario last year.
Incentives and landowner programs added a huge number of trees to the landscape over a generation.
“If you add it up, 8 million trees since the 1950s – that is quite an amount of trees that has been planted,” Penner said.
“You drive around the countryside and you look at all the plantations now that are up and they’re actually forest – it’s quite an achievement.”
The plan is to keep up that pace and plant another 225,000 trees this year.