May 2006

Tip Sheet

Spring cleaning, fuel saving and vehicle maintenance

May is a great month to think about vehicle maintenance. While you give your vehicle's interior a spring cleaning and replace your winter tires with summer ones, give your vehicle the once-over. Keeping it in top operating condition will save fuel and money, reduce long-term maintenance costs and minimize harmful exhaust emissions. On the other hand, a poorly maintained vehicle can boost fuel consumption by up to 15 percent. NRCan offers more simple tips that can help you.

Mining makes a difference

This year, NRCan marks the 10^th anniversary of National Mining Week, from May 8 to 14. The theme for 2006, "Canada's Mining Industry: Contributing to Economic Development at Home and Abroad,” reminds Canadians that the mining industry makes a difference to the economies of developing nations as well as our own. By providing expertise, training, technology, employment and income opportunities, Canada's mining and exploration industry plays an important role in communities, both urban and remote, across Canada and abroad.

A virtual trip through the forest

If you're in Sault Ste. Marie on May 12 and 13, you can see staff from the Great Lakes Forestry Centre of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) hosting interactive exhibits during the CAN-USA Forest and Industrial Expo. In addition to listening to bird sounds and watching a DVD on wildfire in Canada, visitors can examine live insects and take home kits for observing the life cycle of the spruce budworm. Staff will also provide updates on the emerald ash borer and the Asian long-horned beetle infestations that have been threatening Ontario's forests.

Earthquakes Canada shakes up its Web site

The new Earthquakes Canada Web site of NRCan is now up and running. Whether you want to confirm that an earthquake has occurred, get details on the most recent earthquakes, or look for maps or historical information, this site covers everything seismic. You can even select the seismic station closest to your community to see the ground shaking as it happens. The Web site combines information previously available on separate NRCan sites.

Visit a "rock star" museum

May 18 is International Museum Day and NRCan is ready to celebrate at Logan Hall. This museum is named after Sir William Logan, the founder of the Geological Survey of Canada and Canada's original "rock star." Many of the exhibits in Logan Hall draw on vast national collections of rocks, minerals, fossils and meteorites. There are also historical displays on geology and a "Wall of Fame" of people who changed the way we understand the world. Logan Hall, located at 601 Booth Street in Ottawa, is open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

For more information on Tipsheet articles or for an interview with subject matter experts, media can call (613) 992-4447, or e-mail media@nrcan.gc.ca.