TABLE OF CONTENTS Smart Growth Conference Cruickston Organic Agricultural Project Carriage Tracks ... Cruickston Creatures Cruickston Bird Banding Nature Notes Interpretative Centre The View From Here Parallel Visions Historical Hi Lites What’s Happening at CCRR Friends of Cruickston

Smart Growth Conference

CCRR extends an invitation to its members, Friends of Cruickston, and to the community-at-large to attend and participate in a Smart Growth Conference on Thursday, 6 February, 2003. This conference will provide an opportunity to listen to and ask questions of experts in the principles of Smart Growth. As well, you will have an opportunity to meet with the project manager of Cruickston's initiatives and the Cruickston Environmental Action Team to discuss plans for 2003 and beyond. PLANT Architect Inc. will hi-lite the interpretive resources of the property. We know that you won't want to miss this opportunity. There will also be a panel discussion in the evening to discuss Cruickston's role in Cambridge and Waterloo Region. A hi-lite of this 2003 Cruickston Conference is its location: Riverside, University of Waterloo School of Architecture, Cambridge - an opportunity to visit one of the latest initiatives that will bring world-wide recognition to our city.

How to register? Friends of Cruickston members have received an invitation in the mail to this event. Please note that registration is required by 31 January, 2003. This invitation is extended to all interested people in Waterloo Region. Cost to register? There is no charge to attend the conference; however, you are invited to become a Friend of Cruickston and donations are welcome. Click here for enquiries.

Cruickston Organic Agricultural Project

The most recent development at CCRR is the approval by the Board for Gay Scroggins, a local landscape architect and organic farmer, to initiate the Organic Agricultural Project on CCRR lands. In fact, this initiative began as a pilot project in spring 2002, with financial support from a few individuals including Jan Chaplin and Mark Fretwurst, to investigate what would be required to begin a wider range organic farming project.

The work of the 2002 season proved a significant success. A variety of heirloom vegetables and perennial herbs were grown. Through Gay's efforts, a local nursery donated 500 apple and pear trees (an orchard is part of the future work plan). The garden was worked throughout the summer and harvested this fall by many volunteers from the Cambridge community including high school students fulfilling their Community Service Hours. Some garden produce was sold at the Galt Market where consumer reaction was very positive.

In receiving Board of Directors' approval to proceed with the Organic Agricultural Project, Gay Scroggins will initiate a three-year Work Plan that includes:

• growing organically a variety of vegetable crops on the initial ½ acre site,
• soil restoration of a five-acre site to prepare it for organic crop production, including vegetables, grains and fruit beginning in 2004,
• establishing an orchard that will be ready for harvest in 2006.
• beginning in 2003, educational programs - gardening workshops, illustrated talks and on-site demonstrations to complement the natural history and cultural heritage begun at CCRR in 2002.

Watch for Spring Events including: Heirloom Seeding Workshop and Spring Planting Festival

Carriage Tracks ...

• CCRR welcomes Kelly Rutherford as business manager. The Cruickston office is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
• Volunteer Alexandra Motts is developing a PowerPoint presentation for CCRR to be used for informative, educational and fund-raising presentations.
• The Board of Directors has approved a three-year Work Plan for the development of the Cruickston Organic Agriculture Project (COAP).
• The first illustrated talk sponsored by Friends of Cruickston, given by Dr. Doug Larson, Director of Cliff Ecology, University of Guelph, was attended by 98 Friends and guests.
• Fifty-three people attended the October guided walk led by Dr. Allan Morgan, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo. For further information about the geology of CCRR, go to www.cruickston.com - Downloads/Links.
• This fall, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources completed the evaluation of the Provincially Significant Wetland (PSW) within CCRR. Portions of the Hogsback and the upper reaches of Cruickston Creek were previously designated PSW, part of the Barrie's Lake Wetland Complex. The current evaluation includes all of Cruickston Creek extending from the Hogsback north beyond Blair Road to the Grand River and associated wetlands on the north side of Blair Road.

Cruickston Creatures

Common Goldeneye is a cold-hardy, diving duck that inhabits the reaches of the Grand River through CCRR each year between October and April. In flight, wing beats are rapid and they move through a relatively deep arc producing a loud whistling noise. Males appear black and white with a distinctive oval white cheek patch. In winter, Common Goldeneye swim in the riffles and ice-free sections of the river diving for aquatic invertebrates and small fish. The abundance of these organisms and the predominantly ice-free conditions about the confluence of the Speed and Grand rivers make this section of the river the premier wintering waterfowl site in Waterloo region. As soon as spring break-up begins, Common Goldeneye wing their way to the northern forests of the province where they nest in tree cavities. In nearby lakes they feed primarily on aquatic insects. Being sensitive to both the quality and abundance of these insects in both its breeding and winter habitats, the Common Goldeneye is a suitable species with which to monitor changes in water quality. It returns to our area each year reminding us that winter will soon arrive; by remaining during this season, the Common Goldeneye helps to reassure us about the health of our river.

Cruickston Bird Banding: Summary of Fall 2002 Activities

In the fall of 2002, the Cruickston Bird Banding Group (CBBG) began collecting baseline data for a long-term study of migrating and resident bird species. In less than 50 hours of net operation, over three hundred individuals of 23 species were captured using mist nets and subsequently banded. This is a high rate considering the inland location of the banding station and perhaps indicative of the importance of the Grand River corridor as a migration route. A summary of the banding data can be found in the table below:

Restoration and naturalization efforts at Cruickston over the coming years will result in significant changes to habitat structure. How these changes affect bird species diversity and demographics are unknowns that the CBBG is seeking to address. Though recently initiated, the CBBG is comprised of a number of licensed banders and volunteers that have extensive experience and who are collectively committed to the proposed long-term study. Opportunities for participation by interested members of the community will be detailed in the spring issue of The Cruickston Carriage.

Nature Notes

• In autumn, White-tailed Deer are often seen at twilight in the meadow along the Grand River north of the stone slit barn. The best viewing location is from the Linear Trail, Preston-Cambridge. As many as 25 deer were sighted in early-mid September although 6 -12 at a time is the norm.
• Marco Lebruin and Klaus Mohn spotted a Coyote on separate occasions along the river near the large island below the confluence in November.
• Klaus Mohn has sighted as many as 5 Muskrats along the Cruickston shoreline between the confluence and the limestone escarpment.
• On November 8, Larry Lamb and other naturalists spotted Little Brown Snake and Garter Snake "up-and-about”. These snakes should be hibernating deep within the fractured, solution-cavitied limestone plain in CCRR at this time of year.
• An immature Merlin was hunting along the 14-m section of the escarpment in December and early January.
• Bald Eagle sightings within the reaches of the Grand River of CCRR began in mid-November. During the snow squalls of 17 November, Mike McKeown spotted an adult eagle in Reach 2. Sightings were made during late November and throughout December by Klaus Mohn, Dave Stafford, Charlie Stager, Marilyn Armstrong and Bill Wilson. Two different individuals were observed in the crack willow above the confluence, a favoured location, on 12, 14 and 18 December, 2002.
• Ken and Janet Dance, Glenn Mockford, Vince Giuliani and Bill Wilson covered CCRR habitats for the Cambridge Christmas Bird Count on December 15. Hi-lite of the day was a Spotted Towhee, a western species that is considered a vagrant in Ontario. This represents only the fourth sighting of this species in the province. The bird was found along the hedgerows adjacent to the Cruickston Bird Banding Station.
• Portions of the CCRR property, notably the confluence of the Speed and Grand Rivers and reaches upstream along the Grand, lie within the Kitchener Christmas Bird Count. On 22 December, KWFN counters estimated 1990 Canada Geese and 1500 Mallards in this portion of the Kitchener count.
• On 24 December, Mat and Bill Wilson found a Yellow-rumped Warbler along the escarpment trail of CCRR.

Interpretative Centre

The Heritage Canada Foundation refers to old barns as the “castles of country Canada” - breath-taking, magnificent and irreplaceable. These descriptions certainly apply to CCRR's stone slit barn on Blair Road. During 2002, CCRR invited and received a number of recommendations concerning the valuable contribution that this barn could make to CCRR. In February, the Cruickston Ecological Advisory Team, authors of The Environmental Management Plan, identified as one of 6 priorities for CCRR the establishment of a nature interpretive centre. With the approval of the Board of Directors, the team recommended that the interpretive resource facilities include the stone slit barn because of its central location within the property and the historical significance of this structure (see Historical Hi Lites). Cambridge resident, professor Mike Elmitt, School of Architecture, University of Waterloo, recommended to graduate students, Dan Gallivan and Dan Vrabec, that they meet with Mark Fretwurst to propose a project concerning the stone slit barn. As a result of Mark's approval, Gallivan and Vrabec undertook a feasibility study. Recognizing the value of the barn and the scope of a project to develop facilities for CCRR's interpretive resources, these graduate students recommended that CCRR contact PLANT Architect Inc. of Toronto.

Meanwhile, students of Karen Hammond, School of Planning, University of Waterloo, were using CCRR as a resource base to develop models of interpretive resource facilities for their PLAN 420 course. In mid-July, they presented their models. The model prepared by student Scott Coe is presented on our website. Students presenting models included University of Waterloo students, Diane Witt, Joseph Pupolo, Scott Coe, Karen Li and Uton Samuels. Presentations were made to faculty advisor, Karen Hammond, and Danette Dalton-Boeckner, City of Cambridge Planning Department and guest evaluator. Attending the presentation on behalf of CCRR were Thelma Beaubien, Heather and Bill Wilson.

In August, 2002, the Board of Directors retained PLANT Architect Inc. to undertake a work plan for the interpretive resource facilities. The pre-design phase was undertaken by Lisa Rapoport and Chris Pommer of PLANT Architect Inc. during the fall and includes the detailing of the program requirements, the adjacent interpretive landscape (including building site analysis and the development of the buildings programs) and physical assessment of historical buildings.

CCRR Vision Statement: "To create a self-sustaining model of preservation, conservation and enhancement techniques which stimulates a general awareness of our natural heritage."

The View From Here

The first Europeans to arrive on this continent must have been awe-struck by the grandeur of the untouched forests that covered the landscape. A mostly deciduous forest spread over the Eastern seaboard from the Carolinas, north to the St. Lawrence River and west along a narrow band bordering the northern shores of Lakes Ontario and Erie to the southern tip of Lake Huron. It has been said that this forest was so dense, that a squirrel could travel from tree to tree, along the entire length, without ever having to touch the ground.

The southern portion of Waterloo Region lies at the interface between the Carolinian and Northern Hardwood forest zones of Canada. Along the upland slopes emerging from the flood plain and limestone escarpment of the Grand River in Cambridge, the 160+ year old trees of Cruickston (some are more than 230 years old) that form a canopy over these slopes are representative of these forest zones. There are many who share a favourite view of the Grand River Valley from just across the river along the Linear Park Trail in Preston-Cambridge.

The Linear Park Trail is an excellent all-purpose, wheel-chair accessible trail with western entry at Chopin Drive and Hamilton Street, and eastern entry at Rose and Bernhardt Streets. There is a low bluff overlooking the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers at Settlers' Fork Park, a small parkette with access from the intersection of Westminster Drive South and Riverside Drive. Here you will find a huge stump, measuring 4 metres around, where once stood a magnificent, 200-year-old White Elm tree. The stump now serves as a historical marker that records the contribution of the Mennonites who settled here in 1802. A few paces to the west, you will find a very informative map of the Cambridge Riverbank System, showing a detailed layout of the Linear Park and two smaller details, one of the Grand River Watershed, and the other of the Cambridge Riverbank Trail System.

Just a few steps from the Settlers' Fork Memorial are a number of park benches located on a bluff that overlooks the confluence of the Grand and Speed Rivers. The bench furthest to the east is special. Sit or stand at this bench and you will be treated to one of the most spectacular scenes you will see anywhere. The view from here, at any time of the year, can be breath-taking. Looking west, the eye follows the Grand through Cruickston Charitable Research Reserve as it wanders past a few baylets and finally disappears around a bend toward the Fountain Street bridge. The distant horizon is dominated by Pinnacle Hill atop of which is located a communication tower. The tower is a perfect sight-line to align one's position on the bluff with a grove of crack willows standing at that last bend in the river before the Fountain Street bridge. It is in these willows that the bald eagle has chosen one of its favourite perch sites. Two or more eagles have been regularly observed soaring, diving and fishing from this perch beginning in late December throughout the winter until late March or early April.

If ever there was a "four seasons" viewpoint to stir the soul or a place to enjoy truly stunning sunsets, this is it - especially at the winter and summer solstices - the view from here can rival any sunset in the world.

A short stroll to the east along the Linear Trail will take you down to the Riverbank Trail along the river's edge allowing a full panoramic view of the CCRR woods. They extend from the Village of Blair in the west, to the cliffs that rise out of the river opposite the Eastern entrance of the Riverbank Trail located in the Preston Arena parking lot. Look across the river at any stop along this trail and know that the view from here may well be the closest resemblance to a forest landscape first seen by the early explorers.

The peace and tranquility about this place is timeless. Can you ever begin to imagine how the view from here would be compromised if there were bridges carrying endless 18 wheelers, gravel trucks and tandem fuel carriers across our river?

The Cruickston Carriage is the seasonal newsletter of the Cruickston Charitable Research Reserve, a registered charity (#87761 5914 RR0001) established in February 2002. All donations are tax creditable. Newsletter Editor: Bill Wilson. Click here for contact information

Parallel Visions

In July 2002, while reviewing background materials concerning Environmentally Sensitive Policy Areas within CCRR, the Cruickston Ecological Advisory Team discovered an abstract in a 1968 volume of the Canadian Field-Naturalist that outlined the vision the Matthew Wilks Keefer had for his property, Cruickston Park Farm. Keefer's vision speaks to the very ecological and environmental concerns that remain with us today. His vision recognized the folly of fragmenting a "tract of land, forming a consolidated block... unique in size, location and significance." His vision speaks to a current concept promoted in Waterloo Region of a hard-edge countryside line where urban and rural life meet. Matthew Wilks Keefer spoke of "effective agriculture on the edge of urban development"; of "the ecological results of urbanization on adjacent agricultural and wooded areas"; and, of "research within a controlled environment, close to urbanization, into interrelated areas such as conservation... environmental design".

As CCRR enters the 21st Century, it does so with a vision that reflects the ecological and environmental concerns of this century and respects the vision of Matthew Wilks Keefer. Take a few minutes to read these visions, reflect on the opportunity initiated by Matthew Wilks Keefer and imagine the contributions that CCRR can offer to our city, our region... our world.

The Vision of Matthew Wilks Keefer

In 1968, a press release by the University of Guelph outlined the vision Matthew Wilks Keefer had for this property that he bequeathed to the university toward the end of his life. "[Cruickston Park Farm] lends itself to experimental projects in conservation, resources development, land planning and landscape architecture... What occurs to air, water, soil, vegetation, crop yields, and, indeed, the total ecology of the area as urban changes take place can be continuously observed. This tract of land, forming a consolidated block, is unique in size, location and significance. More specifically, kept as a single unit, it will provide a base for

• much needed research into the problems of maintaining and operating efficient and effective agriculture on the edge of urban development. There is an urgent need to find answers to pervasive problems of keeping the agricultural areas close to cities in an adaptable, viable condition.
• controlled observations on the ecological results of urbanization on adjacent agricultural and wooded areas.
• research within a controlled environment, close to urbanization, into interrelated areas such as conservation, land planning, resources development, landscape architecture and environmental design.
• national and international meetings and conferences involving applied study programs, environmental demonstrations, and research seminars on the impact of urban development on the total ecology of surrounding rural areas.

"Reference: The Canadian Field-Naturalist, Volume 82, page 156, 1968 (Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club), abstracted from a U. of G. News Release.

The Vision of CCRR

On 13 February 2002, 370 hectares (ha) of land, formerly Cruickston Park Farm, were transferred to the Cruickston Charitable Research Reserve (CCRR) to be preserved in perpetuity for:

• education (both within and outside of the publicly funded educational system, and continuing education for the public at large)
• public interpretive trails along the cliffs and portions of the floodplain explaining the geology, biology and cultural history of the property
• stewardship (by professional scientists, land managers, ecologists, foresters, naturalists and others)
• research that is conducted under peer support and review and adds to the knowledge base of conservation biology and restoration ecology
• conservation that includes activities to preserve natural features that are present and to restore natural features that have been lost.

Reference: Cruickston Park Into the Future - The Environmental Management Plan for Cruickston Charitable Research Reserve. Cruickston Park Ecological Advisory Team (CPEAT). February 2002

Historical Hi Lites

The stone slit barn of CCRR is one of its most recognizable landmarks for it has stood along Blair Road for almost 160 years. Constructed of local, highly-fossilized limestone, the barn is an excellent (and relatively rare) example of a transitional barn type which is essentially an English Barn but incorporating aspects of the 'German' Bank barn, common on the Mennonite farms of the area, in terms of its design and siting. The English Barn, as the name suggests, has its origins in 17th century Britain. This barn type is also known as a three bay barn due to its internal division into three functional areas, essentially two mows and a threshing floor, still readily discernible at the upper storey (and now only accessible storey). The massive front doors allow the entry of the hay wagon. The classic version of this type of barn never had a livestock function but was solely designed for the storage and processing of wheat. Hand threshing was undertaken in the central space. Unthreshed grain was stored in one side bay, and during the fall and winter threshed by hand using a flail on the central threshing floor. The threshed grain and straw were separately stored on the other side in the opposite bay, the grain in built-in bins. Prior to the construction of the rear addition the back doors could have been opened along with the front to winnow grain by the creation of natural drafts. Ventilation was key to the storage of grain due to the possibility of spontaneous combustion and thus the 'slits' in the stonework, configured to form a pattern and formed to splay out into the interior. The roof is a medium pitched gable and the walling is stone right to the gable peak.

A particularly interesting aspect of this barn is the incorporation of the change in grade into the design, allowing use of a lower level. This was a feature of the Bank Barn which came to the area from Germany via Pennsylvania. Usually this lower level was used for livestock. Whether that is the case here is difficult to ascertain definitively without further investigation.

Today the stone slit barn is, in the words of PLANT Architect Inc., Lisa Rapoport and Chris Pommer, a dramatic cavernous space with light streaming in through the slits. Friends of Cruickston look forward to hearing how PLANT Architect Inc. will incorporate this Blair Road landmark into their plans and proposals for the CCRR Interpretive facilities.

Information for this hi-lite was provided by PLANT Architect Inc. and Andre Scheinman, historic preservation consultant.

What’s Happening at CCRR

Guided Walks:
Meet at the parking lot of the Trans Canada Trail Pavilion, at the intersection of Fountain Street and Blair Road/ Morningside Drive. Rain or shine.

Sunday, 9 February 2003, 1:30 - 3:30 pm: Trees Without Leaves. Join Bill Wilson to view and learn about some of the largest deciduous trees in Waterloo Region - oaks, maples, hickories, ashes and many others. A number of the trees at Cruickston Charitable Research Reserve are on the Honour Roll of Trees of the Region. (Bring your camera and we'll take your picture hugging really big trees). Rumour has it that an Ent lives within Cruickston.

Saturday, 22 March 2003, 1:30 - 3:30 pm: Early Spring in the Hogsback. Bill Wilson will lead a walk in the Hogsback, a landscape of contrasts in all seasons; however, in Spring, the uplands may be snow-free with emerging vegetation while the lowlands may still be locked in ice.

Saturday, 12 April 2003: Waterfowl and early migrants. Join Jerry Guenther and Bill Wilson to view waterfowl and early spring migrants passing through CCRR. We will visit several locations both on and adjacent to the property. Telescopes will be available.

Larry Lamb will again lead an outing in May this spring so that Friends of Cruickston can enjoy the diversity of spring wildflowers that bloom here. Watch for announcement of date and time in the Spring Newsletter and on the web site.

Seasonal Workshops:
Registration forms available online at www.cruickston.com Go to “Friends of Cruickston”.

Saturday, 18 and Saturday, 25 January 2003. 6:30 am to 11:30 am: Bald Eagles on the Grand River. SORRY - THESE WORKSHOP ARE FULL.

Sunday, 30 March 2003. 9:00a.m. to 3:00p.m: Photography. Instructor: Thelma Beaubien. Sharpen your photography skills with this instructional workshop. Topics include aperture, shutter speed, depth of field, composition . . . plus more.

A separate date and time will be announced at the workshop for your opportunity to photograph at CCRR. This opportunity is included in your registration fee. The instructor will be available to provide guidance in the field. This course is for users of SLR cameras with manual capabilities. Lunch will be catered. Cost: Friends of Cruickston Members $75.00; Non-members: $95.00.

Friends of Cruickston

... are individuals and families who demonstrate a commitment to the Objects of Cruickston Charitable Research Reserve (CCRR) by actively supporting and promoting the vision of CCRR . The support by Friends helps ensure the protection, conservation, restoration of interpretive resources and the education and interpretive programs related to the natural, scientific, archaeological, historic and cultural resources of CCRR.

Members of the Friends of Cruickston enjoy the following privileges:

• receive quarterly newsletter, The Cruickston Carriage
• free-of-charge, guided walks scheduled along trails, lanes and hedgerows of CCRR
• free admission to illustrated talks on the property
• advance registration (and reduced fee) for seasonal workshops, annual Cruickston Conferences and special events
• use of Interpretive Centre library (coming soon)
• membership card
• participate in CCRR in a variety of ways as a volunteer

Become a member by calling CCRR at 519 650-9336 for more information and registration form or visit the website at www.cruickston.com. Printable forms are on website.

Join at any time during the year. Your membership will run from the end of the season in which you join to the end of the same season the next year or in three years depending on rate chosen.

Membership Fees:

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Newsletter Editor: Bill Wilson