Barrett Xplore & Bell Aliant to build broadband networks in Lennox and Addington

February 18, 2010

Today the County of Lennox and Addington announced that both Barrett Xplore Inc. (BXI) and Bell Aliant have been selected to provide Broadband Services as part of the County’s Rural Connections Broadband project.    Bell Aliant will be deploying wired broadband service and Barrett Xplore Inc. will be providing fixed wireless service through its Xplornet brand. The choice of two Service Providers allows for the most appropriate and cost effective service to be available for the varied population density within the County.

“Broadband service is critical to the economic development of our communities, and a requirement to provide health care and educational services across the County. Today’s announcement is an important step towards ensuring that more of our residents have access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet services,” stated Henry Hogg, Warden of Lennox and Addington. 

Over 2,200 additional residences and businesses within Lennox and Addington will be able to receive broadband services with the County Broadband project. Expanded service will be available in and around the communities of Adolphustown, Napanee, Strathcona, Camden East, Newburgh, Roblin, Erinsville, Enterprise, Tamworth and Flinton. These services are expected to be available starting in early summer in some areas, with the project completed by year end.

“The work we will do in the County of Lennox and Addington is characteristic of Bell’s vigilance in our quest to offer our valued customers the products and services they desire,” explains Diane Winters, Regional Manager Business Development, Bell Aliant. “Our commitment to rural broadband expansion is unwavering and we look forward with great anticipation to this prolific partnership opportunity.”
“Barrett Xplore is proud to be a part of this important project that will help support the long-term sustainability of Lennox and Addington,” said Bob Davie, BXI Vice President.  “We are committed to offering fast, reliable and affordable high-speed Internet solutions to help local businesses and residents access enhanced online services and opportunities.”

This is the first of two broadband programs within the County. The second program is the Eastern Ontario Regional Broadband Network (EORN). This key project of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus includes the establishment of a Transport/Backbone Fibre Ring and subsequently additional Broadband Access. This multi-year program is expected to begin implementation in 2011, and will allow more affordable broadband deployment throughout Eastern Ontario. More information on this project can be found at www.eowc.org.

Funding in part for the Expanding L&A’s Broadband Network project was provided by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Rural Connections Broadband Program. The Government of Ontario’s $30‐million Rural Connections Broadband Program was designed to reduce broadband infrastructure gaps in underserved rural regions in southern Ontario. Funding of up to $621,800 was obtained through the Rural Connections Broadband Program.  The remaining two-thirds of the construction budget is being contributed by the project’s private sector partners, Barrett Xplore Inc. and Bell Aliant.

Detailed service coverage information will only be provided through Bell Aliant and Xplornet closer to the launch dates. At that time, information will be available on the County’s website.

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For more information please contact:

Tracey McKenzie 
Deputy Clerk  
County of Lennox and Addington
Phone:  613-354-4883 
e-mail: broadband@lennox-addington.on.ca 

2009 L&A Economic Development Award Winners Announced

(Napanee, Ontario, November 27, 2009)  The 2009 Lennox & Addington Economic Development awards took place at the Strathcona Paper Centre on Thursday, November 26th.  Awards were given to honour L&A County’s finest businesses & entrepreneurs in 5 categories. Results were as follows:

Manufacturer of the Year:

WINNER: RC Industrial Services Inc.
RC Industrial Services Inc. in Napanee manufactures custom products for local manufacturing and solar power industries.  They also provide Computer Aided Design (CAD), custom machining & fabricating, and installation of products and equipment. In addition, they offer industrial millwright services for the repair and installation of existing and new industrial manufacturing equipment. Since starting the business 2003 with 3 employees, they have achieved steady growth.  In order to handle the growing demand for their products, they moved from their 7,000 square foot location in 2006 to a 22,000 square foot facility.  RC Industrial currently employs 28 people.

FINALISTS: 
Continental Conveyor (Ontario) Ltd.
Kingston CoGen LP

Small Firm of the Year:

WINNER: Petro-Canada / A&W Napanee
Although in operation for less than two years, Petro-Canada / A&W Napanee has already had a positive impact in L&A County.  The retail operation has created 40 jobs, and has given both local residents and visitors another dining option in the county, not to mention a service station and 2,500 square foot convenience store.  The property has been drastically re-developed into a beautiful addition to the business area north of Highway 401.  The business is involved in many community functions and supports various charities throughout the year.  As well, this business has become the local bus stop for the local bus company that offers service to Toronto Airport.

FINALISTS: 
Coco Asphalt Engineering
Willis Manufacturing

Tourism Operation of the Year:

WINNER: Bath Canada Day
Bath Canada Day is considered by many to be the premier July 1st celebration in the region.  The event includes a lengthy parade, children's activities, a vendors market, an antique car show, live entertainment, and is highlighted by a spectacular fireworks display. The hard work of a long-standing and dedicated volunteer committee ensures that thousands of spectators take in the festivities on an annual basis.  Not only do local charities benefit through a variety of fundraisers, but virtually every business in the community benefits through increased traffic and exposure from the occasion.  This past July 1st was Bath's 50th Canada Day celebration.

FINALISTS: 
The Bookstore Café
Pine Grove Motel

Agricultural Operation of the Year:

WINNER: Brownland Farms
Brownland Farms is a 3rd generation family operated dairy farm located in Stone Mills Township near Enterprise.  Their herd consists of approximately 180 head of registered Holsteins.  Their land base is made up of 700 acres with 400 being tillable.  Crops grown include alfalfa, mixed hay, barley, corn for silage and corn for grain. Milk is their main product and is marketed through the Ontario Milk Marketing Board.  A recent focus of their operation is embryo transfer for herd improvement and marketing sales. In recent years Brownland Farms have had animals nominated for All-Canadian recognition and have received several top ten placings at the Royal Agriculture Winter Fair.  Quality milk certificates from the Ontario Milk Marketing Board are received on an annual basis. 

FINALISTS:
Flintshire Farms
Miller Seed Farm

Lifetime Achievement Award:

WINNER: Paul Burns
Paul Burns owns and operates a beef farm just east of Tamworth in Stone Mills Township. Below are some details regarding some of his accomplishments:

• Mr. Burns purchased the family farm from his parents in 1965. That transaction included land, cattle, and machinery. Another farm was added in 1966 and a third in 1970.
• The Burns family presently owns the 6 original farms and rent from 5 local landowners farming a total of 950 acres, all within 3.5 kilometers of the home farm.
• Mr. Burns was also very involved with organizing the Beef Cattle Shows and Sales at both Napanee and Centreville Fairs to help educate county producers and also the general public that would attend the shows.
• Mr. Burns was a member of Sheffield Township Council from 1965 to 1972 and, following his father Vincent’s  footsteps, who was Reeve in Sheffield Township from 1957-1958, Paul was elected Reeve from 1973 to 1982 . He was also County Warden in 1975.
• Mr. Burns was the Township representative to the Napanee Conservation Authority which included both Napanee and Salmon River watersheds. As an executive member of that group he was very involved in the acquiring of land for the dam and water reservoir at 3rd and 4th Depot lakes to improve the flow of water down the Napanee River.
• As Reeve, Mr. Burns and his fellow councillors persuaded the Provincial Government to upgrade the road from Tamworth to Parham, which has been a real benefit to the economy of that area. They also worked together with Camden Township in upgrading the arena to a busy, viable structure.
• In 1967  as a Centennial project, Mr. Burns wrote a book entitled “History of the Township of Sheffield 1821-1967, which sold 300 copies and he continues to give local history talks to interested groups and, most recently, to the students of Tamworth Elementary School as part of  their Heritage program.
• Currently, Mr. Burns is a director for the L&A Mutual Insurance Company, which is a community-minded business.

   

Tom Clark was the keynote speaker for the evening.  Clark is host of CTV Newsnet's daily marquee political program, Power Play with Tom Clark, which offers a fresh look at politics, politicians and plays for power.  Clark cuts through the rhetoric and highlights the people and players that dominate Canada's political scene.

Clark has a long history of covering politics in Canada. He has covered every federal election campaign since 1974, as well as numerous provincial campaigns. He has interviewed nearly every Prime Minister since Pierre Trudeau, and in his most recent post as CTV's Washington Bureau Chief, he secured Canada's first televised interview with a sitting U.S. President in over 30 years.

Previously, Clark was the Host and Senior Correspondent of North America's longest-running current affairs program, W-FIVE. His hard-hitting investigations were recognized and honoured internationally as well as domestically.

The 2009 Lennox and Addington Economic Development Awards were presented by the County of Lennox and Addington and were sponsored by TD Bank Financial Group, Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium, East Central Ontario Training Board, the Eastern Lake Ontario Training Board and the Prince Edward/Lennox & Addington Community Futures Development Corporation

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For further information, please contact:

Stephen Paul
Manager, Economic Development
County of Lennox and Addington
613-354-4883 ext. 234
spaul@lennox-addington.on.ca
www.LennoxAndAddington.com
 

SkyPower and SunEdison Welcome Ontario's Energy Minister and other Dignitaries to Official Opening of Canada's First Fully Operational Solar PV Energy Park at First Light in Stone Mills, Ontario

First Light Will Generate Enough Energy to Power About 1,000 Canadian Homes per Year

STONE MILLS, ON, Oct. 14, 2009 - Ontario's Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy & Infrastructure, the Honourable George Smitherman, municipal dignitaries and senior energy representatives, gathered today to officially open First Light, the first and largest fully operational solar energy park in Canada.

The 9.1-megawatt (MW) project, located in Stone Mills, Ontario, was developed under a joint venture between SunEdison and SkyPower Corp. and financed by Nord/LB. The system, covering 90 acres of land, approximately the size of 50 Canadian football fields, began transmitting energy to Hydro One Networks, the largest electricity transmission and distribution company in Ontario, on September 30. SunEdison and SkyPower expect First Light to generate more than 10 million kilowatt hours (kWhs), enough electricity to power approximately 1,000 homes in its first year of operation, the equivalent of taking almost 1,800 cars off the road and removing 8,000 metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere.

"The opening of this solar farm is part of the growing momentum for green energy as we work together to eliminate coal fired electricity generation in Ontario," said George Smitherman, Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy and Infrastructure.

"We are extremely happy that Sky Power-SunEdison chose Stone Mills to construct First Light," said the Reeve of the Township of Stone Mills, Debbie Thompson. "We are proud to say that Stone Mills Township is now home to one of North America's largest solar energy parks."

"This is a great example of how our community is contributing to the generation of clean, green energy for Ontarians," said the Warden of Lennox and Addington, Gord Schermerhorn. "This project is a welcome addition to our county's industrial base and we look forward to welcoming similar type projects in the future."

Kerry Adler, CEO of SkyPower, said, "We are grateful for the support of the Government of Ontario, the local community, the Ontario Power Authority and Hydro One, which have all helped make First Light a reality. Working together, we have developed a progressive model for the delivery of clean, renewable energy in Ontario and look forward to many more exciting projects like this."

SunEdison COO Carlos Domenech commented, "Ontario provides a good example of how governments can foster responsible growth and development. We owe thanks to the Province for their support in making First Light the first fully operational utility scale solar deployment in Canada, and for making Ontario an attractive venue for large-scale PV solar. With the strong partnerships developed here, SunEdison looks forward to developing future rooftop and ground mount solar systems throughout the Province."

"We are extraordinarily gratified to see this project come on stream," said Colin Andersen, President and CEO, Ontario Power Authority. "It is a significant milestone to helping us build a better future and achieve our renewable energy targets. We expect First Light will provide a showcase to other communities and developers interested in joining the clean energy revolution as we roll out the Green Energy Act."

"Hydro One is entirely focused on providing enabling infrastructure that will help this province realize its green energy potential, said Laura Formusa, President and CEO, Hydro One Inc. "We are proud to have played a role in connecting this important project to the grid."

Vinod Mukani Senior Director for NORD/LB Americas said, "SunEdison, SkyPower and the people of Ontario have achieved a significant milestone with this first active solar park in Canada. NORD/LB financed First Light as part of our commitment to renewables and the dynamic market for solar development. We believe that First Light, and similar projects that will follow, will deliver returns to investors and citizens alike."

During construction of First Light, SunEdison and SkyPower worked closely with Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources to successfully preserve habitat for the endangered Eastern Loggerhead Shrike.

About SunEdison

SunEdison is North America's largest solar energy services provider. The company finances, installs and operates distributed power plants using proven photovoltaic technologies, delivering fully managed solar energy services to its commercial, government and utility hosts. In 2008, SunEdison delivered more kilowatt hours (kWh) of energy than any other solar services provider in North America. For more information about SunEdison, please visit www.sunedison.com.

About SkyPower Corp.

SkyPower is the leading independence renewable energy developer in Canada, and possesses proven expertise in developing, building and managing both large-scale and micro-generation wind and solar power projects. SkyPower has developed a national footprint, with a substantial number of projects at various stages of development across Canada, in select U.S. States, India and Panama representing thousands of mega watts (MW) of potential nameplate capacity. SkyPower continues to help many different jurisdictions meet their increasing demand for cleaner, non-emitting renewable energy solutions. For more information, visit www.skypower.com.

Around L&A on two wheels

By Robin Harvey
For the Whig Standard
October 3, 2009

How can you tell if your motorcycle partner is a Newfie?

She puts her goggles on upside down and takes 10 minutes to put on her black leather riding chaps -- backwards.

Now, before I offend any fellow Newfoundlanders, you must understand I made a promise to create this joke to a very large, strong man before a tag-along ride on the back of his Harley-Davidson Street Glide FLHX.

I was suiting up in order to experience one of Lennox & Addington's five new themed driving routes, which can be best experienced, many say, riding out in the open air.

Napanee's Bob Brockmeyer was my lead driver, and his wife Wendy was kind enough to lend me her gear to avoid "frozen buns." Wendy is one of the 2009 officers with the "Ladies of Harley" of the Kingston Harley Owners Group (H. O. G.), the group that helped put together and designed the routes.

Since both were such good-hearted souls about my antics before for the ride, I promised them would make up at least one Newfie joke.

And though the joke may be bad, the ride was fantastic.

Bob and I pulled out of their driveway on Highway 2 and he opened up the throttle, starting us along what has been named "the farming ride."

It runs "through farmland and quaint towns over a mix of rolling hills and long, flat stretches of road," the county's official description said. So besides being nearby and, at just more than two hours long, it sounded well, the safest bet to me.

But as I grasped the back grip bars on the bike and we roared past some of the more unique establishments in Deseronto, I realized this was fun. I was a fool to have worried.

The Brockmeyers say the routes were chosen to avoid major traffic for safety and to offer maximum scenic value and interest.
 
They were right. Heading up to Highway 11, it was easy to imagine what it would have been like to step back in time when the railway was the major means of transportation.

We went up and over the 401 and turned right on to a quiet country road with farmland on either side. The trees were dancing in the wind, and it was remarkable how many more oak and birch trees had changed to fiery red and yellow after just a slight jog north.

Brockmeyer pointed out a popular beefalo farm. But by this point on the trip, the wind and the colors combined with the smell of burning wood stoves had lifted my normally yappy brain up into an unfamiliar but very relaxed place. I had to force my mind back to earth to make better mental notes.

When you hit Camden East don't forget to stop at the bookstore and the giant general store with the most scrumptious looking collection of pumpkins, squash and apples out front in bins.

At the corner of Highway 6 and 20, there is one spectacular grove of trees in autumn bloom -- and to my best guess, they have another 10 to 14 days for viewing, if that.

Up toward Yarker on the left is a remarkable vista of trees and farm fields that inexplicably changes abruptly into clumps of evergreens and rougher terrain.

The entire ride is dotted with stone houses, red barns and gingerbread farmhouses. And the variety of scarecrows on display will give anybody a good chuckle.

But most charming is the stretch of Fisk Road heading into Wilton, a beautiful town with a splendid stone church, old-time general store, and the colourful bright blue painting indicating you have hit Wilton Tack.

Wendy Brockmeyer says the thrill of riding her Harley is "the whole sensory experience, the smells of the trees, the sights," she said. "It is so much better than being in the car. And the sense of freedom."

"What better way to enjoy the fall colours but to hop on your motorcycle or in your car and discover Lennox & Addington," said Stephen Paul, the county's economic development manager.

"We can take you through unique towns and villages and wonderful scenery."

Kingston Harley Owners Group is a local non-profit charitable fundraising group of 134 members, of which about 60 are women, most of whom ride as passengers behind their mates on their Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

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Lennox & Addington Country driving routes

The Rural Ride

Starting Point -- Smiling Wilderness restaurant, 824 County Rd 9, Napanee.

The Rural Ride takes you through the Lennox & Addington communities of Newburgh, Camden East, Yarker, Colebrook, Moscow, Enterprise, Tamworth, Erinsville, Roblin, Selby and Napanee. Riders will view picturesque rural landscapes dotted with century old homes, barns and actively- farmed land.

The Shoreline Ride

Starting Point -- Smiling Wilderness, 824 County Rd 9, Napanee.

The Shoreline Ride begins along the shore of Hay Bay and the Bay of Quinte. Travel past cottages and campgrounds and along the shore of some of the best walleye fishing in North America. Continue south to the Loyalist Parkway to the uniquely historic village of Bath before heading back to Napanee.

The Empire Loyalist Ride

Starting Point -- Smiling Wilderness, 824 County Rd 9, Napanee.

Farmland, apple orchards, and vineyards now dominate this route as you glimpse a number of historic sights. Pass through the communities of Adolphustown, Conway, Sandhurst, Bath, Amherstview, Odessa and Napanee.

The Farming Ride

Starting Point -- Smiling Wilderness, 824 County Rd 9, Napanee.

The Farming Ride takes riders through the Lennox & Addington communities of Newburgh, Camden East, Yarker, Wilton and Napanee. Picturesque farmland, quaint towns, villages and natural beauty with rolling hills and long, flat stretches appeal to almost all motorcycle enthusiasts.

The Shield Ride

Starting Point -- This Ride starts at the Kaladar Shell at the corner of Highway 7 and Highway 41.

The Shield Ride covers the rugged beauty of the Canadian Shield in Addington Highlands. Go through and past Bon Echo Provincial Park. There are stops at Denbigh, Vennachar, Cloyne, Northbrook and Flinton. Travel past wetlands, lakes and wilderness.

-- Route information is available on-line at: www.LennoxAndAddington.com/Rides

Taste tour has enough to please plenty a palate

By Robin Harvey
For the Whig Standard
September 19, 2009

They're predicting buckets of sunshine, funky jazz and the "delicate bouquet of apple, lime with rainfall on misty rocks" for Lennox and Addington's first vineyard taste tour this weekend.

"That's our Reisling 2007," Ben Minaker, sommelier and son of Thirty Three Vines' winery owner Paul Minaker, said explaining his reference to the fruit and the rainfall.

"If you roll it around in the glass and inhale it deeply before you taste, you'll see what I mean. It is refreshing."

This week, customers Sheri Wenz and her husband Berno, both in their 50s and from Bath, agreed.

"We just love this place and this Reisling," Sheri Wenz said.

They were the winery's first customers when it opened and they keep coming back for more.

"We take all our friends out to see it," she added. "The setting is lovely. You can sit and listen to music and, down here by the lake, the breeze is beautiful."

All weekend visitors are invited to free vineyard tours as well as wine-tasting, food and entertainment at what county officials say will be just the first of what will become an annual event.

Stephen Paul, Lennox and Addington's economic development manager, says besides the county's two existing wineries, there are plans for five more that will make "boutique wines" near Conway and Adolphustown, extending the stretch known as vinery row that starts farther west in Prince Edward County.

"It's good for long-term growth because the soil and climate are excellent for this type of product," he said. "The fact that we have the lovely scenery and people can get out and taste some fine award-winning wines is one important added bonus for the county."

Paul Minaker says his family has deep roots in the county and sees the business as a family affair. He still works as a network design engineer saying "you go into the wine business for the long haul."

But he is delighted that just six years after he purchased his dream property, they have produced award-winning crops, winning last fall's Arte Vino event in Belleville for its Carbernet Franc.

"Our wines are served in local restaurants from Kingston to Belleville, so this is a great get-to-know-your-neighbours event," he said.

Some local restaurants that serve the local boutique wines are: Aroma, Aquaterra, Chez Piggy and Sizzle.

Minaker learned the love of wine-making in the 1990s while working in the Napa Valley in California. He's proud to return to his roots and be able to bring those skills home.

"Canadians have become great wine-makers and now have an international reputation," he said. "It started in Niagara and now we are doing it here."

His oldest son Ben, 22, is becoming "more knowledgeable than his parents, even," when it comes to wines, his father said proudly.

The younger Minaker says the art of wine tasting should not be rushed. First you swirl the wine around in the glass several times so its bouquet can be released before you hold it under your nose and inhale its fragrance.

Each year and each batch comes from a unique grape crop and will have different notes, overtones and undertones, almost like music.

After inhaling the scent you then sip it and roll it around your mouth, teasing your tongue to get the full body of the wine. Some can be tart, some airy and refreshing. Others are fruity and musky, fuller and heavier.

Then you swallow and savor the aftertaste -- which can have elements of oak or woodiness, bitterness or hints of chocolate.

Minaker describes the winery's award-winning Cabernet Franc as "fruit flavored with cherry and cranberry tones and a refining touch of chocolate."

The best thing, he said, is the wines do not give people hangovers.

"That's because we do not need to use sulphites for preservatives, because we make the wines here and the grapes are right next door."

Farther west, at Bergeron Estate Winery, tasters can sample numerous award-winning vintages including Best Light Red, which the winery won for its Gamay Noir at last year's Taste the County Event.

David Bergeron, head wine-maker, co-owns the venture with his wife Mary, brother Ted and his wife, Heidi.

"We have excellent soil in our area that is able to produce some remarkably fine wines," he said.

The L&A Wine and Cheese Weekend runs today and tomorrow from 11 a. m. to 6 p. m. Visitors can meet the wine-makers as well as enjoy a free tour of the vineyards and taste the local wines -from Chardonnay to Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir, Cabernet Franc, Riesling, Merlot, a Merlot/Cabernet Franc blend, to a Vidal/Riesling blend.

Local jazz band La Roque & White will play at Bergeron Estate today. Tomorrow at Thirty Three Vines John McKinney and Friends will be performing.

Both wineries are located on the Loyalist Parkway (Highway 33) just west of Conway and east of Adolphustown over-looking Adolphus Reach.

A tiny bit of heaven for a stargazer

By Robin Harvey
For the Whig Standard
August 12, 2009

Late tonight, many of us will look up and make a wish on a dazzling far-off shooting star.

The best place to catch the full glory of the annual Perseids meteor show is located less than an hour's drive northwest of Kingston, according to world-renowned astronomer Terence Dickinson.

Some call it stargazers' heaven, this astronomer's paradise is a section of pristine darkness spread over the northern half of Lennox and Addington County that runs through Tamworth, toward Parham and stretches toward Yarker and Sharbot Lake.

This niche -- which shows up dark black on a satellite light pollution map -- is the farthest area south in central Canada that remains unsullied by modern-day light pollution.

"Today most of us no longer have the majesty of the night sky," said Dickinson, who was made a member of the Order of Canada for his work in astronomy and has published 14 books on the subject. "It has been taken away from us by civilization.

"It is a gift to be able to live in place where the majesty of the universe can still be appreciated."

Andy Brown, who lives in Centreville and works in Tamworth at O'Neill's Farm Supply Ltd., says the night sky out his way is "just beautiful."

"It's just like covered with speckles of jewelly (sic) light, everywhere you can see."

Joanne DuCharme, who has lived in Sharbot Lake for 10 years now, says all of the area is lovely looking but the night sky is exceptional.

"That's what I do at night," she said. "I just stretch out and look up at those amazing amazing stars at night. The sky is just filled with them. Everywhere. All over."

Stephen Paul, Lennox and Addington's manager of economic development, says the county is encouraging tourists and local residents alike to take advantage of this wonderful local resource.

"You can get out and give it a try and it is less than a day away," he said. "We're really fortunate in L&A County where we naturally have what astronomers call one of the best locations for exploring the stars."

Dickinson worries how long the unblemished beauty will last. With dismay, he pulls out a satellite map of southeastern Ontario, showing light pollution's impact.

The white areas indicate that on a clear night with no interference from moonlight, the sky is so light polluted you cannot see the Milky Way. The gray areas mean under similar conditions you may be able to see the glow from the Milky Way, but only far off on the horizon. The black areas are areas where night sky visibility is as it was 100 years ago -- "jaw-droppingly beautiful," Dickinson said.

"The night sky is nature's cathedral, inspirational and magnificent. Yet most of the population in Canada lives in -- or close to -- urban areas whose lights have beaten back our natural heritage of the starry night."

Dickinson says if from the suburbs in Kingston on a clear moonless night you can see perhaps 50 to 100 stars. In Harrowsmith, you would see 500 stars. In areas that are black on the map, such as Tamworth and Parham, you would see as many as 3,000.

"In Toronto once recently I went out and counted -- what, 12?" he said, with sad resignation. "People don't know what they have lost. Here (in L&A) we don't have to go to Algonquin Park."

If you truly fall in love with astronomy, there is no way you will not become concerned with light pollution, Dickinson said. The causes of light pollution are simple, largely the glow of outdoor lighting-- porch lights, security lights, parking lot lights, street lights, signs -- anything that eventually leads to the ever present yellow glow that is seen around cities, he said.

Dickinson hopes the green movement will tackle light pollution seriously. One way to stop it is to design outdoor lighting that always casts its light downward and does not spill light upward. This has been done in other parts of the world, he said, such as Arizona, quite successfully.

He said some experts have estimated such lighting systems are more efficient and could save money.

The other would be to expand dark sky preserves, where outdoor lighting is banned or seriously limited.

Dickinson, who has lived in the county since 1976, works in his observatory outside Yarker. He is the editor of SkyNews, Canada's national astronomy magazine, and the author of NightWatch, an international stargazing guide.

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Under the night sky

For those who are keen to take advantage of the Lennox and Addington County's astronomical bounty, Terence Dickinson has a few tips:

* Get a good guide book to the stars and constellations so you'll know what you're looking for. Start by trying to identify formations first with the naked eye; after that you can use a good pair of binoculars.

* Make sure you do not go out five days on either side of the full moon or its light will interfere with what you can see.

* Only then, if you really feel the experience is one to which you wish to commit, research in great detail the different types of telescopes available. Look first in the $300 to $400 range. Some telescopes are computerized but weigh the pros and cons of both types, as each has different advantages.

* Don't forget to dress for the weather and bring bug repellent; you are out at night, remember.