MUSKOKA CONSERVANCY Wood ducks successfully nested in the Upjohn Nature Re- serve, just north of Bracebridge, in 2013. With a large wet- land complex on the property, Upjohn NR is the ideal habitat for the ducks. With their iridescent green and chestnut feathers, each one ornately patterned, the wood duck is oſten referred to as the most beautiful of all the waterfowl. Local resident and Muskoka Conservancy volunteer Allen Flye assembled and monitors the duck nesting boxes with Bill Dickinson, Muskoka Conservancy director. e two were very proud papas when discovering that the nesting boxes had been used last year. Wood ducks were numerous in North America at one time; however hunting by early European settlers reduced their numbers to such a state that a complete ban on hunting wood ducks was in place from 1918 to 1941. By the early 1980s the population had stabilized and the ducks had made a strong recovery. However, ideal nesting sites for the species, the cavities of dead trees near waterways, are scarce, so nesting boxes have been developed to provide safe nesting sites. Having monitored the nesting boxes for several winters now, Bill and Allen have reported that this is the best response they have had to the nesting boxes yet. Our two intrepid volunteers cleaned out the boxes, replacing the bedding ma- terial, so that they can be used again this year. e nesting boxes are part of the ongoing management of the property. Each one of our 21 nature reserves has a manage- ment plan that outlines different stewardship practices that protect the flora and fauna found on the site. ese plans are important because many of our properties are home to Spe- cies at Risk that require some support to ensure their popula- tions are protected. If you are interested in building a duck nesting box on your property, please contact Muskoka Conservancy at 705-645- 7393 for more information. VOLUME 23 NUMBER 2 SPRING 2014 Allen Flye heads out on snowshoes in late March to check the duck nesting boxes on Upjohn NR. Photo by Bill Dickinson Upjohn Nature Reserve is home for wood ducks NOTICE TO MEMBERS Annual General Meeting Saturday, May 31st Muskoka Bay Club - Gravenhurst Keynote Speaker: Bob Bowles (12pm) Business meeting begins at 10am, to be followed by presentation of Heritage Awards and keynote address.
The Muskoka Steward newsletter is published by the Muskoka ConservancyMUSKOKA
CONSERVANCY
MUSKOKACONSERVANCYM U S K O K A C O N S E R V A N C Y
Wood ducks successfully nested in the Upjohn Nature Re-serve, just north of Bracebridge, in 2013. With a large wet-land complex on the property, Upjohn NR is the ideal habitat for the ducks.
With their iridescent green and chestnut feathers, each one ornately patterned, the wood duck is often referred to as the most beautiful of all the waterfowl.
Local resident and Muskoka Conservancy volunteer Allen Flye assembled and monitors the duck nesting boxes with Bill Dickinson, Muskoka Conservancy director. The two were very proud papas when discovering that the nesting boxes had been used last year.
Wood ducks were numerous in North America at one time; however hunting by early European settlers reduced their numbers to such a state that a complete ban on hunting wood ducks was in place from 1918 to 1941. By the early 1980s the population had stabilized and the ducks had made a strong recovery. However, ideal nesting sites for the species, the cavities of dead trees near waterways, are scarce, so nesting boxes have been developed to provide safe nesting sites.
Having monitored the nesting boxes for several winters now, Bill and Allen have reported that this is the best response they have had to the nesting boxes yet. Our two intrepid volunteers cleaned out the boxes, replacing the bedding ma-terial, so that they can be used again this year.
The nesting boxes are part of the ongoing management of the property. Each one of our 21 nature reserves has a manage-
ment plan that outlines different stewardship practices that protect the flora and fauna found on the site. These plans are important because many of our properties are home to Spe-cies at Risk that require some support to ensure their popula-tions are protected.
If you are interested in building a duck nesting box on your property, please contact Muskoka Conservancy at 705-645-7393 for more information.
VOLUME 23 NUMBER 2
SPRING 2014
Allen Flye heads out on snowshoes in late March to check the duck nesting boxes on Upjohn NR. Photo by Bill Dickinson
Upjohn Nature Reserve is home for wood ducks
NOTICE TO MEMBERS
Annual General MeetingSaturday, May 31st
Muskoka Bay Club - Gravenhurst
Keynote Speaker: Bob Bowles (12pm)
Business meeting begins at 10am, to be followed by presentation of Heritage Awards
and keynote address.
M U S K O K A C O N S E R V A N C YM U S K O K A S T E W A R D
Meet a Supporter:
Carol Boaks
MUSKOKA CONSERVANCY OFFICERS
PRESIDENT ALLYN ABBOTTPAST PRESIDENT JOHN FINLEYVICE PRESIDENT ISOBEL HEATHCOTETREASURER KATHY RISTIC
DIRECTORS CHRIS BLAYMIRES TOM CLARKCARL CORBETT BILL DICKINSONKIM HORRIGAN MARIE JANISSEMARGARET MCLAREN NORM MOFFATROB PURVES LORI SILDCYNTHIA SMITH
HONOURARY DIRECTORSRUSS BLACK WILLIAM CLARKPETER GOERING ELIZA NEVINGEORGE SNIDER
MUSKOKA CONSERVANCY STAFFEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR KRISTIE VIRGOEPROPERTY & VOLUNTEER COORDINATORKRISTEN CALLOWSTEWARDSHIP COORDINATORJENN HEADCOMMUNICATIONS & EVENTS TECHNICIANCLAIRE DANES
Spring is finally making her grand entrance in Muskoka, and we couldn’t be happier. The birds are returning, the sun is shining, and there is a promise of warmth in the air. We’ve had a long tough winter and the Muskoka Conservancy team is ready to get outside and monitor our 32 properties, take on some shoreline consultations, and guide some hikes! We’ve got some great projects planned this year. I hope you’ll get a chance to participate in some of them.
I’ve started my pledge to run 104km to raise money for Muskoka Conservancy’s Legacy Fund to support our many programs and projects including property protection, stewardship and outreach. This past Saturday was my first race. It went quite well, even though old man winter took one more punch at us with -2 temperatures (windchill of -10) and a little snow for good measure. By the time I got home I was ready for a piping hot shower and a hot cup of coffee to warm me up. What I got was even better. It came in the form of a question:
“What is a Legacy?”
That’s the question my 7 year old son asked me last weekend when he overheard me talking about my Legacy Run. It caught me a little off guard at first, because I had never been asked to explain it, and certainly not to someone so young.
“A legacy is something you leave behind.” I started to explain. We talked about acts of kindness, donating to charity, and volunteering time. I told him about the amazing people I work with who volunteer their time and support for Muskoka Conservancy. “All of that is building a legacy! My running for a legacy is to help make sure that we can care for our natural spaces forever!”
When I finished, my son seemed markedly disinterested in my explanation. It seemed his interest faded the moment the question was asked. Such is the way with 7 year old boys!
But as I walked through the door after my race was done my son handed me a toonie from his tooth-fairy money. “Here mommy. This is so you and your friends can go save nature.”
Armed with his generous gift, and the wonderful support of others, we are making a great difference in Muskoka! I hope you get a chance to take in a bit of this wonderful spring weather! If you get tired of the yard work, give us a call and find out about our guided nature hikes, our volunteer opportunities, and our wonderful stewardship programs.
Happy Spring
Kristie
Kristie’s Run Report
Q: How did you discover Muskoka Conservancy?I first heard about the Muskoka Heritage Foundation from my neighbour, Bert Sugg, when we moved to Bracebridge. Every year, he always let me know about the native species plant sale. Then in the past few years I had the opportunity to hear Judi Brouse from Muskoka Watershed and Kristie Virgoe (MC) speak. Both speakers piqued my curiosity to find out more about these organizations when I had time to volunteer. Q: What is your favourite part of volunteering at MC?Each organization one volunteers for allows the opportunity
Carol Boaks is one of the newer volunteers to Muskoka Conservancy, but we can’t imagine what we would do without her. As the volunteer coordinator for the Summer Cottage Tour she is helping to recruit and organize the nearly 80 volunteers who are required to make the July event a suc-cess. Carol brings a wealth of event management experi-ence, as well as willingness to work hard. We are proud to count Carol among our volunteers.
to learn and meet new and inspiring people and have varied learning experiences. That is what I have enjoyed with my time so far volunteering with MC - meeting new people and learning more about what Muskoka Conservancy does. Q: Why do you support Muskoka Conservancy?Having first cottaged in Muskoka for over 30 years and then living here full time for the past 11 years, I love and enjoy the beauty and lifestyle this region has to offer my family. As cottagers, we respected and tried at every turn to work with nature to ensure our footprint and impact on our surround-ings was small. Once I learned about the mission of the MC, I felt I wanted to get involved to help protect what our family appreciates so much.
M U S K O K A C O N S E R V A N C YM U S K O K A S T E W A R D
As the snow begins to melt and we feel a warmer breeze in the air, we start to think about our garden projects for the spring season. Wondering what to plant along your shoreline property? When is best to plant? These and other things to consider – let us help!
Many of us are working to revitalize our shoreline, restore it to a natural environment, or simply enhance our property’s natural “look”. There are numerous benefits to shoreline naturalization and taking on a project of this nature can be simple with the right tools and knowledge in mind! These projects will generally cost you less to undertake, and they will be much easier to maintain because they are a sustainable solution.
Shoreline naturalization can help to decrease erosion along your shoreline property. Many native plants in Muskoka have deep root structures that will allow for shoreline soil to be held in place; you can create a natural shoreline that will better withstand ice damage, extreme weather events (flooding), currents, and wave action. Native shoreline plants are much more tolerant of variable conditions, they are able to outcompete most annual weeds, they are resistant to pests and disease, they provide food and habitat for wildlife, they blend in with the natural environment and they are beautiful and unique! If we work as a collective to naturalize our shorelines, we can certainly improve water quality in our lakes, rivers, and streams.
What to plant? There are many options and each property can be different – native tree and shrub species include: Sweet Gale, Red Osier Dogwood, Red Maple, Serviceberry, and Eastern White Cedar. Other herbaceous plants could include: Blue Flag Iris, Milkweed, Joe Pye Weed, Cardinal Flower, and Fringed Sedge. Muskoka Lakes Association has a great brochure with a more exhaustive list, available at their website, www.mla.on.ca.
When to plant? It is often best to take on planting projects in the spring season, or early fall. This is when plants are first becoming active, or just about to go into their dormant stage. The soil is moist at this time of year and once the frost is out of the ground it is safe to begin planting. Larger species (trees and shrubs) can be planted in the fall season with enough time to establish their root system before winter.
Muskoka Conservancy is hosting a Native Plant Sale where many of these native species can be ordered prior to May 6th for pick up on May 10th. If you would like to order, information is available at www.muskokaconservancy.org/events/plantsale. There are also a number of local nurseries that also carry native plant species.
If you are unsure what to do, where to start, or what plants would work for your property, why not give us a call for a free personalized shoreline visit!
-Jenn Head, Stewardship Coordinator
Go native for a naturalized shorelineMuskoka Conservancy has the plants and advice you need to improve your shoreline
Milkweed Red Osier Dogwood Cardinal Flower
M U S K O K A C O N S E R V A N C YM U S K O K A S T E W A R D
