HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1995-08-30, Page 12Page 12
Times -Advocate, August 30, 1995
Nature walk fun and informative
A group explores the dam as part of a series of tours
Brenda Burke T -A staff
EXETER - After Patti Donnelly,
an education technician with the
Ausauble Bayfield Conservation
Authority, took a group of 50 peo-
ple on a tour along Morrison Dam,
they left for home a little wiser
about nature.
"When I think of Morrison Dam
it's a community," she said to the
group before guiding them on a
habitat trek Tuesday.
Then she lead them to the wheel-
chair accessible dock she described
as a popular place for fishermen,
adding the reservoir is stocked each
spring with trout for the fishing
derby.
"Hopefully no one gets motion
sickness," she teased. "It's a float-
ing dock."
Next she delivered a little history
about Jim Morrison, a chairman for
the conservation authority years
ago. She explained how the initial
purpose of the dam was to provide
the cannery with water. She also
mentioned the existence of snap-
ping turtles.
Before heading into the forest,
Donnelly turned and said, "Please
try not to harm or injure any plant
or animal."
Then a garbage bag keeper was
appointed and they were on their
way, with the guide telling the
group it would take about two
hours to complete the hike.
The first stop was in the pine for -
6t where Donnelly helped the hik-
ers search for rabbit evidence, oth-
erwise know to her as bunny
berries. After informing the group
rabbits consume their own feces
when their food supply is limited,
she dug into her knapsack and
pulled out some small, brown
items and offered them as snacks
saying they really were quite tasty.
Amid wide-eyed stares and chuck-
les, she explained the chocolate
covered raisons in her hand dem-
onstrated the size and color of rab-
bit droppings.
"Did anyone hear that noise?"
asked Donnelly suddenly at the
On tiie hike went, past the shady
trees, .vith the air getting cooler
and the sun bcginning to set. One
woman described the forest air as
"fresher" and containing "more ox-
ygen."
"I have hidden among this forest
some animals," said Donnelly
who's next forest game consisted
of a starch for hidden paper an -
loud, chattering sound of a king
fisher. "Try to tune out human nois-
es," she added.
The hikers soon turned to face a
mass of climbing bittersweet vines
covering a tree.
"They don't actually kill the tree
directly," said the guide, explaining
the vines shade out the vegetation
they are clinging to and as a result,
it can't get sunlight and eventually
dies.
A little further along the pine trail
everyone stopped to examine the
whorls of branches on pine tree
trunks in an effort to guess the ages
of the trees.
As the hikers walked along at a
steady pace into the thicker natural
forest community with trees ran-
domly spaced out as opposed to the
neat planted rows of pines they left
behind, someone commented, "Oh,
we're in Hansel and Gretel ter-
ritory. I hope we keep our bread
crumbs."
"I think a blue heron just took off
ahead of us," someone else mused.
As the guide lead the group fur-
ther into the bush, and sunshine
streaked through the trees, she said
"Often when we're hiking along w
use our sense of sight...We miss a
lot."
In a demonstration displaying
how important sense of touch was,
Donnelly blindfolded a few vol-
unteers and sent them, with helpers,
to feel and smell the trees.
"It's really dense : nd thick," said
one volunteer after t iving one tree
a hug.
Donnelly told the group she re-
membered species of trees by word
association.
"This tree reminds me of burnt
cornflakes," she said, 'pointing to a
black cherry tree.
The she made the group aware of
storm damage.
"There are some huge maples !t
the back that have been completely
snapped off as well," she said
while people gazed upward at bent
branches and flattened, leafy sec-
tions of trees.
Approximately 50 hikers
take part in Tuesday's nature
walk.
Blue Water residents
visit apple orchard
They travelled to the orchard
in their new wheelchair bus
ZURICH - Monday afternoon Gladys VanEgmond and her "Merry Mak-
ers" visited Blue Water Rest Home to entertain the residents. Mozart Gcli-
nas Sr. on banjo and guitar with Elgin Nott and Harvey McDowell on vio-
lin kept the residents swaying in their chairs to the modern country music.
Tuesday was "Angel Day" at the Home as each staff member and resi-
dent did that little extra something for someone else. Each dining room ta-
ble had flowers with a little angel to look out for them. The residents each
wore a white paper angel for the day as a reminder to care for someone
other than themselves.
Wednesday afternoon the wheelchair bus carried Rose Merner, Hilda
Rader, Catherine Riehl, Margaret MoussedU, Theodore (Ted) Steinbach,
Harold (Tiny) Thiel Kurt Gebel, Nelson Howe, Marcella Dietrich and
Pearl Miller off to Arkona to visit Marshall's apple orchard. Ted Steinbach
always enjoys fresh apples and purchased two bags of Macintosh to
munch on during the Blue Jay games: The residents enjoyed the scenery
on route - flowers, green fields and the harvesting of the grain crops.
Pastor Ross Thompson, St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Zurich conducted
Thursday afternoon Chapel Service. Fr. Matthias Wronski, St. Boniface
Church, Zurich celebrated Mass. Last week Rev. Paul Gilroy, Brucefield/
Kippen United Church conducted the Chapel Service in the absence of
Rev. Jack Patterson of Bayfield United Church.
Friday morning models Ruby Fulcher, Clara Hamilton, Dorothy Bapty,
Vivian Fremlin and Ruby,Bell climbed aboard the van with Cathy Shantz
for their first fitting at Brigitte's Fashions, Exeter. The above five women
will model at the August 31 fashion show sponsored by Brigitte's at the
Home.
Saturday many residents and their families ventured off to Zurich for the
Bean Festival. Della Gratton of Grand Bend, a sister to resident Beatrice
McNab, was the lucky winner of the Star Quilt draw made by the Blue
Water Rest Home Auxiliary. All 800 tickets were sold. The Auxiliary
members also sold 35 dozen hot dogs with a drink for $ 1.00 which the
youngsters enjoyed in lieu of brown beans. The Auxiliary estimate the
profits of the two items to be over $1,O(X) which will be contributed to the
Home.
On the afternoon or August 29 the resident will enjoy "Under the Board
Walk".
Condolences to the family and friends of Elizabeth (Bessie) Johnson
who passed away at Blue Water Rest Horne on August 16. Bessie was in
her 88th year, a resident of the home the past four years and a former resi-
dent of the Grand Bend community.
A warm welcome to Charles Harvey Ilayter of Grand Bend who has
joined us here at the home. Already, he has charmed the nurses with his
witty one liners.
imals as such a large group was
unlikely to see any actual wildlife.
Pictures of a rabbit, toad, turtle,
spider. ladybug and others were
quickly discovered.
Then on to Bird Avenue, an edge
habitat, as Donnelly called it, with
thick plant variety including wild
grapes, dogwood and goldenrod
where she demonstrated `pishing'
birds, which means to make pish
noises to attract song birds.
"They're very inquisitive about
that noise they heard," said Donnel-
ly. "If you're not too good at pish-
ing you can kiss the back of your
hand." Then she tried an audubon
bird call.
The group lingered in this cool,
damp area bordered by a wetland.
"A lot of people unfortunately
put blame on this plant for hay fe-
ver," said Donnelly, pointing to a
patch of goldenrod. She explained
it's an insect pollinated plant rather
than a wind pollinated one, like
ragweed, and therefore is not as re-
sponsible for triggering allergic re-
actions.
The highlight of the trip occurred
when an ambush bug was dis-
covered, a tiny black and yellow
bug with huge legs that cam-
ouflages itself with the goldenrod
so it can grab bees and other insects
and suck out their internal organs.
When the tour ended at a bridge,
the sun had already set.
"This bridge covers the habitat of
the Ausauble River," concluded the
hike guide, clasping her hands to-
gether to demonstrate a watershed
system.
Two other trail walks are planned
for Aug. 31 at the Clinton and Rock
Glen Conservation Areas.
Patti Donnelly discovers an ambush bug
during a nature tour of Morrison Dam.
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