Report advises on beavers and geese

UW should institute a system of actively monitoring for signs of beaver activity in its waterway system in order to engage in early intervention and deter any attempt by the animals to establish colonies. That is one of the key recommendations by a Wildlife Management Task Force whose findings are being released today.

The task force, chaired by dean of environmental studies Deep Saini, recommended a number of deterrent measures for controlling and managing beavers on campus: persistently dismantling dams; using professional experts to install flow devices in dams; using paints or ammonia to coat trees that are preferred by beavers.

The Task Force report is the result of more than a year of consultation with wildlife experts with the aim of helping UW to establish more effective wildlife management practices on the campus, said Saini.

“We consulted widely, wanting to do a thorough and complete job,” said Saini. Among the sources of experts that were consulted were the Ontario ministry of natural resources, the local Humane Society, the Ontario Wildlife Coalition and the U.S. Humane Society via the OWC. “We believe we have arrived at a number of recommendations based on the input we received that should help the university in establishing a progressive and humane wildlife management program for our campus and the community.”

A key recommendation is the creation of a standing Wildlife Committee of experts that will address problems as they occur, and will engage in an ongoing educational effort about UW wildlife.

The Task Force was created in late 2006 after a controversy erupted when UW hired an expert trapper — on recommendation of the ministry and the K-W Humane Society — to trap four beavers that had established a colony in Laurel Creek, the stream that meanders through the Waterloo campus. The trapping, handled by one of the region’s leading experts, was conducted humanely and according to provincial standards, officials said, but there was a public outcry when the beavers were killed. The Task Force’s recommendations aim to ensure that UW does not find itself in the position of having to handle this type of beaver colony again.

The report also identifies the three main wildlife species that continue to pose varying amounts of difficulty for the campus community from a sanitation and health risk viewpoint. Aside from beavers, the main species to deal with are geese and groundhogs (pictured). The report offers recommendations on how to manage each animal group.

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Program aids entrepreneurial co-op

from the Inside Scoop newsletter for UW co-op students

UW’s Centre for Business, Entrepreneurship & Technology has launched an exciting new initiative called New Venture Pathways that can help interested students develop a practical understanding of business and the skills required to launch an entrepreneurial venture.

NVP is designed to inspire and support the entrepreneurial spirit that thrives on the UW campus. The program offers a completely customized “first stop” location to find the resources, training and support needed to turn their dreams into real business opportunities. The NVP initiative allows students to identify business skills that they want to explore, develop and improve. Students will then receive customized emails informing them of all the upcoming in-person discussions, practical online learning opportunities, networking sessions and student conferences that match their identified interests. Students decide for themselves how many of these activities to participate in, choosing only those that they feel they will directly benefit from.

For co-op students, NVP also offers the chance to pursue an entrepreneurial co-op experience. Since 2001, CBET’s Enterprise Co-op Business Advisory Process has supported truly enterprising students who have expressed persistent dedication to developing a new business venture. E Co-op provides the opportunity for students to participate in one or more entrepreneurial work terms. The E Co-op initiative allows students to develop, launch and run their ventures in a supportive yet not overly directive environment. Ultimately, E Co-op allows young entrepreneurs to learn by doing; although support is available if they require it, they alone make the decisions affecting their ventures.

E Co-op provides the opportunity for students to participate in a two-work-term entrepreneurial endeavour. The first approved work term is spent researching and planning an entrepreneurial venture. On the second E Co-op work term, the students’ businesses are actually launched.

Prior to participating in the E Co-op program, students spend at least one academic term building their team, creating a business planning tool and obtaining approvals. Once their first E Coop work term is complete, students have the chance to spend an academic term fine-tuning their plans and further building their business teams, incorporating the knowledge they’ve gained through their practical business research and experiential learning.

Admission to E Co-op is based upon students’ commitment to turn their ideas into a focussed, profitable and sustainable business opportunity, as well as their enthusiasm for rising to the challenges that this unique type of work term experience poses.

E Co-op offers students a variety of services to help their business ventures succeed:

⇒ An on-campus business advisor provides initial support and guidance. This advisor is also a channel through which young entrepreneurs at UW can access other entrepreneurs and potential mentors both in Waterloo Region and throughout Ontario.

⇒ In association with CBET and the various Small Business Enterprise Centres throughout the province, E Co-op can give students the opportunity to obtain first-hand, practical knowledge of market opportunities in Ontario and across Canada.

⇒ Through its partnership with the John Dobson Foundation, which has actively supported the E Co-op initiative since its launch, and with additional support from CBET, E Co-op may, at its discretion, provide limited funding to match students’ investments in their entrepreneurial ventures.

Since 2001, the E Co-op initiative has approved over 80 enterprising students who have launched 65 new ventures in a variety of areas, such as corporate video production, consulting, software, and retail services.

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Happening tonight, happening soon

Louise Fréchette (right) — former Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, currently a fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation and a member of UW's board of governors — will be speaking tonight at St. Jerome's University. Her talk on “Empowering Women: A Sound Investment” is the 2007-08 Teresa Dease Lecture, and starts at 7:30 in Siegfried Hall. "The role and place of women in societies around the world have evolved significantly in the last half-century or so," says an abstract of her talk. "As women and societies developed new norms to define the rights of women, new institutions and programs were put in place to support them in their economic, social and political aspirations. Based on her experiences in government, business, and as Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, Mme Fréchette will discuss why the advancement of women matters to the well being of societies as a whole. If societies fail to accord women their rights, these societies are effectively depriving themselves of the talent of half their population. What country can afford to waste so much of its human capital?"

Here's important word from the office of the registrar: "The last day to file an Intention to Graduate form is March 1, 2008 for students expecting to graduate at spring convocation. Forms are available online for undergraduate and graduate students. The home address will be used for mailing diplomas to students who do not attend the convocation ceremony. Spring 2008 Convocation is June 11-14. All you need to know about Convocation is available online. This web page has been designed as a reference to all matters concerning convocation activities. It should answer all convocation related questions or provide links to the proper source for specific inquiries.

FASS 2008 opened last night — this year's round of UW's oldest event, the jokes as bad as ever and the spirit just as strong. Performances continue tonight at 7:00 and 10:00 and Saturday at 8:00 in the Humanities Theatre. Writes producer Anita Kilgour: "This year's home-groan musical comedy from the folks at FASS (Faculty, Alumni, Staff and Students), "Global Warming: Kiss Your FASS Goodbye", takes a lighter look at a very serious subject. Pitting sincere environmental activists of every stripe against the powerful forces of Big Business, the show also manages to find a lighter heart and the humour involved in trying to do the right thing. FASS also involves cameos from UW and Waterloo life." Last night's show incorporated "The Don Cameo", with Alanna Borris and Matt Colautti of Mackenzie King Village. Tonight Deep Saini, dean of environmental studies, will take part in the early show, and the Federation of Students executive en masse will appear in the late performance. And Saturday night, local MP Andrew Telegdi, a former Federation president, plays a cameo role. Photo at left by Michael L. Davenport.

Therapeutic Recreation Awareness Week is winding up, and students in UW's TR program are scheduled to have an information booth in the Matthews Hall foyer again today. • Although the Warrior men's squash team didn't make it to the OUA finals, being held this weekend in St. Catharines, Eric Dingle of the Warriors is OUA Player of the Year (for the second year in a row) and Waterloo's Clive Porter is Coach of the Year. • Tours and workshops in UW's libraries continue, including a "Smart Searching" session to be held Monday afternoon.

Finally . . . Friday's issue of Imprint, which didn't get to most readers on campus until early this week thanks to the February 1 snowstorm, includes a full-page story about the opening of Federation Xpress, the new convenience store in the Student Life Centre, and its ripple effects. The turnkey desk has made some changes, SLC manager Ann Simpson told the newspaper: "Over a year ago, in anticipation of this move, we significantly reduced the food and confectionery items that we had been selling." Says writer Travis Myers: "The Turnkey was beginning to seem like a variety store instead of an information desk, and the availability of snack food so close eliminated the student demand for Turnkey to sell so much snack foods." However, some essentials will still be available there for the hungry: the turnkey desk is open 24 hours a day, while Fed Xpress closes at 11:00 (8:00 on Saturday, 4:00 on Sunday).

CAR

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