WINNIPEG - August 28, 2008 – During the next six weeks, beginning September 2, 2008, crews will treat boulevard American elm trees on private and public property along the riverbank of the Red River in the following areas: Kildonan Park and Golf Course, Whittier Park, Maple Grove Park, St Vital Park and Cemetery, King’s Park, Crescent Drive Park and Golf Course, University of Manitoba riverbank as well as the East and West sides of the Seine River from the Red River to the South Perimeter.  In addition, the program will include Oakenwald School, Wildwood Park (West of Wildwood St) as well as the riverbank properties from Wildwood Golf Course to Crane Ave.

Spraying of trees will occur between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday, weather permitting.

The program is intended to control elm bark beetles, the carriers of Dutch Elm Disease, through the treatment of American elm trees.  Treatment will be conducted utilizing Dursban Turf®, a chemical product, which is sprayed from portable sprayers directly onto the lower 50cm of the tree trunk.   This product has been approved for use in Canada by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency, and will be used in accordance with federally-approved label directions by licensed pesticide applicators.

Information is also available by visiting the web site at Winnipeg.ca/bugline or by calling the Bugline at 311. 

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WINNIPEG - August 28, 2008 – Bruce McManus, an experienced writer whose work includes poetry, short fiction and scripts for radio and film, has been selected as Winnipeg Public Library’s Writer-in-Residence for 2008-2009. Starting October 14 and for the next 10 months, McManus will work with the public through individual consultations, workshops and seminars, in addition to allocating time to his own writing projects. As a result of the generous support of the Public Library Services Branch of Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport, the Writer-in-Residence program will be offered across the province for the first time this year.

The first playwright to serve as the Library’s Writer-in-Residence, McManus has written more than 20 plays, including Selkirk Avenue, which was nominated for a Governor General's Award for Drama in 1998. His most recent work, All Restaurant Fires Are Arson, was produced at Prairie Theatre Exchange in the 2007-2008 season.

McManus has taught playwriting at university, in high schools and through continuing education programs. He served as Artistic Director of Theatre Projects Manitoba, was a founding member of the Manitoba Association of Playwrights, and at various times has been Playwright-in-Residence at the Manitoba Theatre Centre, Prairie Theatre Exchange, the University of Winnipeg, and the Manitoba Association of Playwrights. His experience in preparing scripts for both novice and experienced playwrights will bring a unique perspective to his collaborative and critical examination of works in progress.

The Writer-in-Residence will be available to Manitoba writers of all ages for one-on-one consultations on poetry, fiction, non-fiction, personal essays and plays. Manuscripts (maximum of 25 pages) or poems (maximum of six) must be double-spaced. In Winnipeg, submissions can be dropped off at any branch of Winnipeg Public Library, c/o Bruce McManus, Writer-in-Residence; mailed to Writer-in-Residence, c/o Winnipeg Public Library Administration, 3rd floor, 251 Donald St., Winnipeg, MB R3C 3P5; or emailed to wpl.writerinres@gmail.com. Writers from outside Winnipeg can submit by mail or email; McManus will consult with them by phone or by email. All submissions should include a cover letter stating the author’s name, address and phone number, as well as the specific issues to be addressed by the Writer-in-Residence.

The Writer-in-Residence program is co-sponsored by the Winnipeg Public Library Board, the Manitoba Writers’ Guild, the Friends of the Winnipeg Public Library, and Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism, and Sport. For more information, call Tannis Gretzinger at 311.

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WINNIPEG - August 28, 2008 – The diminishing hours of daylight at this time of year has just triggered an ancient instinct of migration in the Assiniboine Park Zoo’s herd of 18 Reindeer. The bull, identified by larger size and a majestic set of antlers, leads his 10 cows and 7 young around the 3-acre field for hours at a time. One can hear the clicking sound of their foot tendons as the herd passes close to visitors.

In nature, the herds drift south from the tundra into the open-forest zones for the winter, where they find more-protected sites and better access to forage. The shorter days also mark the onset of the fall rut or breeding season, which is a period of high activity for these animals. Young are born in late April and May at the Zoo.

The Reindeer is a form of Caribou, the latter being native to the northern regions of both North America and Eurasia. The Reindeer was domesticated at least 5000 years ago by the Sami people of Scandinavia and Russia. A herd was transported to Alaska in 1935 and was driven overland to the Mackenzie River Delta area of the Northwest Territories – a trip that took five years to complete. These animals were to provide additional food and employment for the local people.

The Beverly-Qamanirjuaq herds of Barren-ground Caribou (numbering over 750,000 in the past) are also now migrating at this time of year from calving grounds in Nunavut to winter in northern Manitoba. The round trip covers an astonishing 2000 kilometres.

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