A WALK IN THE WOODS
“Scientific abstraction and fancy technologies are no substitutes
for the wisdom that springs from knowing the
world and its creatures in intimate, loving detail.”
Reed F. Noss (1996, Conservation Biology 10:1-3)
Since the conclusion of my role as the Coordinator of
the Lower Grand River Land Trust’s Watershed
Stewardship Program, I have taken the plunge into
the world of academia, enrolled in the Faculty of
Science at McMaster University. Throughout the fall
semester, my Biodiversity Inquiry class had a series of
superb guest speakers talking about their area of
expertise varying from hydrological regimes, to wetland
rehabilitation to the anthropological theories of
cave dwellings. One of the highlights was Rick
Ludkin, who delivered a lecture on the monitoring
program at Ruthven Park and his experience of banding
with a very committed group of local volunteers.
These testimonies reinforced the idea of sharing the
accomplishments of the Watershed Stewardship
Program with my colleagues and visiting some of the
sites at the Ruthven Park Demonstration Project.
Sami Rehman, former Watershed Stewardship Program Co-ordinator for the Land Trust,
sharing his experience at Ruthven with his collegues from McMaster University. |
As the end of the first semester was drawing nearer, a
field trip (i.e. walk in the woods at Ruthven Park) was
a healthy way for my fellow students to conclude their
course. Our class could not have picked a better day to
leave the classroom in pursuit of an outdoor experience.
Dr. Chow-Fraser and my colleagues piled into a large
van and made our way to Ruthven Park National
Historic Site. The goal of the field trip was partly to
share my unique experiences of restoration work but
to also review important concepts behind the restoration
activities. The intent was to visit various sites to inspect
the results and progress of different restoration techniques.
Firstly, we were quickly introduced to Haldimand
clay – simply by walking through it - and its large
influence on the hydrology and the landscape ecology
of the area. We visited restoration sites along a creek
(near Indiana Road) where young seedlings were
planted through the Watershed Stewardship Program.
The evidence of deer browsing was abundant.
The goal of minimizing the perimeter-to-interior area
ratio, as well as, the benefits of creating corridors
between core natural areas, were just some of the theoretical
topics discussed. At the same time, practical
issues of restoration such as cultivating new volunteers,
restoration logistics and encouraging volunteers to
return were also discussed during the visit.
Shortly after our visits to Ruthven Park restoration sites,
we visited a direct seeding project undertaken across
the Grand River at Mr. Van Osch’s property. This was
a great opportunity for my colleagues to get a first hand
look at a wonderful farm with fencing to keep livestock
out of the pond and wide fencerow corridors. At this
time of year (end of November), the young seedlings
that sprouted from seeds, had dropped their leaves
making them slightly more difficult to locate, but were
found after some searching. The entire process involved
in the direst seeding project was explained. It began
from noting good seed sources (i.e. trees with lots of
seeds), collecting seeds after the first heavy frost, sorting
the viable seeds, storing them for the winter, planting
them in the spring with volunteers, to returning
months later to see and share the fruits of our labour.
My fellow classmates and I found the field trip a very
rewarding and educational experience. While many
of us have our noses buried in journal articles and
textbooks studying to understand and protect nature,
this field trip gave the Biodiversity Inquiry class
another first-hand experience to engage in the natural
environment. It is opportunities like these that will
help nurture our emotional ties to the land and develop
our skills as ambassadors (or advocates) for nature.
Sami Rehman,
Member, Watershed Stewardship Program, Land Trust
