Outdoors TheReview Wednesday, February 19,1992 — AI7 Marmot armed with chisel-like incisors Land swap proposed at Port beftween company and Town Maury Turner, Ardmore, reports the return of numerous red-winged blackbirds, along with their first cedar waxwings. John Neville, Island View Rd., counted 55 trumpeter swans graz- ing in a field a couple of hundred yards east of the junction of Island View and the Pat Bay Highway. Goodly numbers of grey young were present. Mary spotted over a hundred brilliant American mergansers, “sawbills,” foraging for fish in Elk Lake this week. Robins have arrived in strength in many parts while house finches have begun courting in the shrub- bery in our front yard on Lochside. A stately bald eagle has again taken up his post atop our highest Douglas fir and scans the sea while song sparrows have hesit- antly begun their spring songs. The eagles should be courting in another week. A telephone call from the Prair- ies informs us that, probably because of the unseasonably warm GROUND HOG weather, groudhogs, or wood- chucks or common marmots, have begun to wander after a very short hibemation. These are the rodents which are reputed to rival Norm Grohman in their ability to forecast weather by scrutinizing their insubstantial shadows, rather than the satellite photos which so frequently lead us MARY HAMPSON photo Arcade wanied for Sidney A potential arcade operator wants council’s approval to set up a business in the Town. Arcades are prohibited in Sid- ney under the business licence bylaw, and it would have to be changed before David Ewing could open his proposed Sidney’s Family Fun Center. In a letter to council Feb. 10, Ewing, who did not supply an address, said a “coin-operated lei- sure equipment business” would “provide a valuable service’ for youths and adults. “The town of Sidney caters mainly to the elderly and very little to the younger generation,” he writes. “This will not be a hangout. It will operate like any other business and all rules and regulations will be strictly applied.” He proposes to open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. The arcade would consist of about 30 games, be non-smoking, have a dress code and allow no loitering outside of it. Ald. Bob Jones made a motion to reject changing the business licence, but he did not get a seconder. Statistics show that crime radi- ates from arcades, he said. However, Ald. Dave Goulet said there is a need for an arcade, and it should be considered. Council approved a motion to have staff report on it. OPENING: MEDICAL TREATMENT CENTRE down the garden path to need- lessly aborted fishing forays, Dang *em! Woodchucks are closely related to the rockchucks or yellow- bellied marmots of the Interior, to the whistlers or hoary marmots of our higher mountains, and to the rare Vancouver Island marmot. Woodchucks occur widely across Canada and the Eastern parts of the United States. Unlike the other species, they quite often come into conflict with the activi- ties of man. They are large stocky rodents with the flattened head, small ears, grizzled fur and black paws so well captured in Mary’s accompa- nying photo. The medium-length furred tail has been cast to one side. This fellow was caught enjoying a carrot which it had dug from our tural garden. Their habitat prefer- ences are open woodlands, thick- ets, fields and clearings. The adults excavate extensive burrow systems with several entrances and pitch woo in early spring after arousing from hiber- nation. The litter of three to five hair- less, blind young are born after about a month’s gestation and remain below ground for perhaps a month when nursing. The burrows are often taken over later by skunks and cottontails or enlarged by foxes. The deep bur- rows, on occasion, endanger lives- tock and machinery. Woodchucks subsist almost exclusively upon vegetation, often herbaceous, although they may forage upon such farm crops as alfalfa, clovers, peas, corm, grains and some vegetables. They have a piercing whistled note, a bark and, when fighting, a pronounced squeal. They become very corpulent come time to hiber- nate. Their chisel-like incisors are unbelievably well honed. I once snared a marmot with the only snare at hand, the leather belt to They have a piercing whistled nofe, a bark and, when fighting, a pronounced squeal’ my trousers. The rodent halved it with a single chomp. I must have been a sight walking home, both hands carrying fencing tools and my short retarded steps limited in length by the fact that half the time my trousers lay draped about my ankles. Speaking of donating hostages to fortune! A swap of land has been pro- posed at the Port Sidney Marina site between Sidney Pier Holdings and the Town. The Town would receive a 1,500- square-foot piece of land immediately south of the Third Building now under construction. This piece of land is leased from the Town by Sidney Pier Holdings. In return, Sidney Pier Holdings would lease the same amount of land in another spot on the site and use it for parking. The chunk wanted by Sidney Pier Holdings is not covered in the company’s lease. It is now used for parking. It consists of a corner of the parking lot next to the turning circle, plus a thin strip along the west edge of the lot. Town staff suggest a children’s “tot park’ could be created on the land that would revert to the municipality. Both sides have agreed to study the matter further, and Town coun- cil Feb. 10 authorized staff to report to council in more detail on a total package and precise loca- tions of the properties. a8 The Corporation of the 4 ‘District of Central Saanich Administrative Office Hours Effective Monday, March 2nd, 1992, the District’s administrative offices, located at 1903 Mt. Newton X Road, will be open to serve the public from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, both inclusive. George H. Sawada Clerk-Administrator RONS AU DISPOSAL WE RECYCLE Cardboard, Paper Plastic 652-6242 THE SAANICHTON TOWN RESTAURANT “Specializing in Chinese Cuisine” Daily Lunch Combination Special (For One Person) Dinner Combination Special (For One Person) FROM *41 5 ron Dad _ ¢@ EAT IN e TAKE OUT e DELIVERY e CHINESE e SZECHUAN © WESTERN 7784 East Saanich Road (across from Prairie Inn on Mt. Newton X Rd.) 652-1213 KAREN ROSS | We Do Windows Too! In fact, windows are a specialty of ours. 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