TABLE OF CONTENTS Ontario Trillium Foundation Invests in Cruickston Nature Notes 2nd Annual Friends of Cruickston Soiree Cruickston Organic Agriculture Project (COAP) National Volunteer Week - April 18-24, 2004 Carriage Tracks ... Historical Hi Lites Cruickston Creatures: Butternut 2004-2005 Board of Directors, Staff & Volunteers What's Happening at CCRR?

Ontario Trillium Foundation Invests in Cruickston

Cruickston Charitable Research Reserve is in the final planning, "quiet" phase, of a major campaign to raise the funds needed to build interpretive facilities, to restore and reconcile the land, and to pay off the mortgage. Among the early donors is the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) which has made a critical grant of $168 300 over 3 years to fund the infrastructure needed to ensure a successful campaign and a robust plan for public awareness and volunteer involvement. Cruickston is completely dependent on charitable donations and relies heavily on its force of over 100 volunteers.

In particular, the OTF funding allowed Cruickston to hire me as a Fundraising & Volunteer Manager. My early impressions of Cruickston were that I was excited to be working for a cause that is so important both to our local community and on a world scale. Cruickston Charitable Research Reserve has the potential to become a model for protecting biodiversity which could be applied anywhere. I'm also very impressed with the astounding early support from a diverse group of local individuals, business leaders and foundations. It's been a delight to meet them and experience their dedication.

Over the next few months you will be hearing more about Cruickston Charitable Research Reserve: A Natural Investment. In the meantime, should you have any questions or interest in supporting the organization through volunteering or a gift, I would be happy to hear from you at (519) 650-9336 or click here for contact information.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, receives annually $100 million of government funding generated through Ontario's charity casino initiative.

Nature Notes

• As many as seven bald eagles - 4 adults and 3 immatures - overwintered along the Grand River between Kitchener-Doon and Glen Morris, including the reaches of the river through CCRR.
• University of Waterloo student, Nicole Weaver, began a lichen study following EMAN protocols in January. This study is part of a long-term monitoring effort across the country to study air quality.
• Several observers reported hearing great horned owl on the property in February
• On February 22, 2004, a first sighting in the crack willow - the well-known hunting perch upstream of the confluence - was a male and female bald eagle, both in adult plumage, sharing the same perch.
• Male red-winged blackbirds - an early sign of spring - arrived 28 February 2004; American robins - acknowledged as a sign of spring - were observed throughout the winter.
• Larry Lamb located several more butternut trees on the property during February and March outings. Recently designated as an Endangered Species in Canada, CCRR butternut trees were featured in The Record and on Rogers First Local News.
• Tracks in the snow revealed numbers of wild turkey, cottontail rabbit, grey squirrel, red squirrel, white-tailed deer and coyote in CCRR throughout the winter.
• Marco and Donna DeBruin heard an eastern screech-owl at CCRR on 20 March 2004.
• A mink was observed on the rim of the river escarpment during an Art of Cruickston tour, 20 March 2004.
• Twelve species of waterfowl gathered in the baylet of the Grand along the north shoreline of CCRR on 5 March 2004.
• On March 5, 2004, several observers saw as many as four eagles tail-chasing high above Blair Flats. Paul Drummond observed talon touching between two of them.
• Dave Stafford and Marilyn Armstrong reported seven tundra swans above the confluence in mid-March. Ruth Kroft confirmed that they spent the night along the Cruickston shoreline.
• Ten Friends of Cruickston enjoyed the evening outings in late March to observe courtship displays of American woodcock.

2nd Annual Friends of Cruickston Soiree

Thank you to all Friends of Cruickston members who joined us at the 2nd Annual Soiree to help celebrate Cruickston's 2nd Anniversary! The evening setting was perfect with the warm glow of hanging lanterns to compliment the cooperative weather conditions. Mark Fretwurst provided an update of our activities over the last year with an impressive PowerPoint presentation projected onto the exterior of the barn, then followed with a walk to the river. With the moonlight and star-filled sky above, the surroundings were particularly pleasant to view in the evening! The children enjoyed roasting marshmallows around the bonfire and sipping apple cider when they weren't playing in the snow! We would especially like to thank the team members of Archaeological Research of Cruickston's Heritage (ARCH) Peter Brennan, Chris Dalton and John MacDonald for sharing their fascinating display of artifacts and offering their expertise to identify and date pieces brought in.

….until next year!

Ten Reasons to Join our Food Basket Program You are supporting locally grown food, so less energy is used and less pollution is created in shipment. Preserving nature and wildlife: Organic farming recycles organic matter. Good for your health: Organic food is rich in nutrients. Synthetic pesticides not used: Pests are managed by biological and physical means. Tastes great! Organic farming starts with the nourishment of the soil leading to a healthy plant and ultimately to our palates. Protect future generations: "We have not inherited the earth from our fathers; we are borrowing it from our children." ~Lester Brown. The food choices you make now will impact your children's health in the future. Prevent soil erosion: Soil is the foundation of the food chain in organic farming - good topsoil must be preserved and nourished. Protect water quality: Keep the water in streams and rivers clean for wildlife and ourselves. Promote biodiversity: COAP grows a wide variety of produce, herbs and flowers as well as heirloom varieties. We are working hard to promote good food: COAP wants to educate the community about organics. As well, COAP wants its shareholders to be satisfied and to discover all the goodness of the produce that COAP grows locally - fresh and direct to your plate.

Cruickston Organics begins its second season of producing organic vegetables, fruits and herbs for the Cruickston Organic Agricultural Project (COAP). As project manager, I am currently involved in hiring an assistant and two farm helpers, as well as recruiting volunteers. Together, we will build on last year's successful efforts. We are grateful for the continued support of Jan Chaplin and Mark Fretwurst.

Here are our objectives for the upcoming season:

• Obtain 50 members for our food basket program (see below for more information)
• Increase our customer base at the Cambridge Farmers' Market (we will be at the Market every Saturday from June to October)
• Start supplying restaurants with special orders
• Grow additional produce to meet the demands of our market and restaurant clientele
• Increase our garden from one and half acre to five and-a-half acres, based on last year's plan.

The season is well under way. Seedlings have been planted and are growing under lights in the Cruickston Resource House. Last year's food basket program was a success, with over 50 types of produce being enjoyed by 20 members. Our food basket program gives people in the area the opportunity to receive fresh, local, organic produce throughout the growing season (June to October). Members will pick up their basket once a week at the Cruickston Resource House (768 Blair Road). We are committed to providing a wide selection of produce, including heirloom varieties, at an affordable price. This year, members will receive a minimum of 16 baskets for $400. As a bonus, members will receive a Cruickston Organics cookbook. The recipes and tips are practical and are designed especially for taking full advantage of the seasonal produce found in COAP's weekly baskets. For even more incentive to join our food basket program, read in the box beside about our top ten reasons to buy local organic food!

For more details about COAP's food basket program, please check our brochure or see Special Events and come to an information session on June 2, 2004 at the Cruickston Resource House, 768 Blair Road. If you register by May 15th, you will receive a 5% discount, so call 650-9336 today to join! For the garden project, we are looking for garden tools, rain water containers and hoses for irrigation. We look forward to the exciting season ahead and a bountiful harvest!

COAP: This year CCRR has hired Charly Mini, who will manage the technical aspect of Cruickston Organics. Charly grew up on his family's farm in France and he has extensive experience in organic farming. You might know him from the Kitchener Farmers' Market, where for five years he sold his own organic produce and ran a C.S.A. (food basket) program. Charly is passionate about promoting COAP and he can't wait to share with you some of Cruickston Organics’ treasures from its upcoming season's harvest.

National Volunteer Week - April 18-24, 2004

Volunteers are one of Cruickston's greatest natural resources! They are involved in the environmental management of the property; they examine the cultural heritage of Cruickston's existence through archaeology; volunteers help ease the workloads in the administration office; they fundraise and chair a campaign. Fiscally responsible and appointed volunteers govern the agency as members of the Board of Directors, while others help sow and reap the crops of our Organic Agriculture Project. Some volunteers operate a bird banding station while still others assist with trail building and trail maintenance, nature projects and bio-inventory and restoration efforts. Guided walks, illustrated talks and workshops are lead by volunteers while others help with special events. Cruickston recognizes the essential human resource and expertise that our volunteers bring to their work. Cruickston thanks them for their dedication. While protecting and preserving these 913 acres, volunteers at Cruickston are protecting the environment and the quality of life in Waterloo Region - and beyond. Future generations will have them to thank! For information about volunteer opportunities at Cruickston, please call Patti at the CCRR office, (519) 650-9336 or click here for contact information.

Carriage Tracks ...

• Cruickston Charitable Research Reserve is the proud recipient of the 2003-2004 Urban Stewardship Award of Excellence in the Living with Wildlife category presented by Wildlife Habitat Canada. The Urban Stewardship Awards of Excellence promote the conservation, restoration and enhancement of our towns and cities by recognizing outstanding stewardship and community naturalization activities in the urban landscape.
• Welcome to Cruickston, Therese Kerr. As a 2nd year Recreation and Leisure Services student from Conestoga College, Therese is completing a 6 week field placement. Therese is assisting in the areas of volunteer program development, fundraising and researching a future children's membership initiative. Therese has assisted CCRR with fundraising efforts in the past.
• Bill Wilson spoke to members of the K-40 Kiwanis Club, 6 January 2004, about the future of CCRR.
• Susan Howard, Science Liaison & Operations Manager at the Biological Station for Research in Bermuda, toured CCRR in January. First impression: wonderful but significantly colder!
• On behalf of CCRR, Brian Domm, Gay Scroggins and Bill Wilson attended the Environmental Farm Management Plan Workshops in late January offered by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food and delivered locally by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association.
• In mid-February, Bill Wilson represented CCRR at the Waterloo Stewardship Network (WSN) planning meeting in St. Jacobs, hosted by the Stewardship co-ordinator, Al Murray.
• Members of Friends of Cruickston, along with Kitchener-Waterloo Field Naturalists and Ontario Field Ornithologists, participated in Winter 2004 Bald Eagle Monitoring over six Saturdays in co-operation with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and University of Guelph students in the 4th year course, Colloquium /Project in Environmental Science, Dr. J. Ackerman, co-ordinator, Faculty of Environmental Science.
• All participants in each of the CCRR Bald Eagle Workshops offered this winter observed bald eagles.
• More than 30 artists attended the three winter tours for the Art of Cruickston.
• Dr. Doug Clarke and his students in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University toured Cruickston with Environmental Steward, Bill Wilson in late February.
• Biologist and bald eagle specialist, Pud Hunter, OMNR, Aylmer District, presented an illustrated talk on Bald Eagles and Our Environmental Health to more than 90 Friends of Cruickston and the general public on 30 March at the Toyota Room, Cambridge Centre for the Arts. Thank you to Friends of Cruickston, Graham and Marg McDonald, for their assistance at the talk, just one of the many ways they support Cruickston.

Historical Hi Lites

The beginning of the 20th Century was a time of considerable change at Cruickston. Matthew Wilks had died in 1899 leaving the property to his youngest daughter, Katherine Langdon Wilks. Miss Wilks inherited an estate that included 1000 acres, a herd of purebred cattle and a well-run farm but her interest was horse breeding and racing, not cattle farming. Prior to World War I, Cruickston became well-known in the racing circuits and, in time, Katherine Wilks was acknowledged as one of "the outstanding horsewomen on the continent". Her horses won more than 1000 ribbons and 50 cups including the Kentucky Futurity.

After the war, she elected to breed and raise black Percherons, a draft horse breed, to work her farm operations. Her enthusiasm and love of horses continued throughout her life. The Percheron breed originated in France in the province of Le Perche. Originally bred to serve as war horses for Crusade knights, the Percheron in time became a working horse, bred for size, weight and strength. They were first imported into North America in 1839. Thousands were imported during the last half of the ii19th century and were favoured by farmers and teamsters. The invention of the modern farm tractor reduced both interest and need for Percherons. At Cruickston Park Farm, Percherons were in use until the 1940s.

References: Dunham, Mabel. 1945. Grand River. McClelland and Stewart, Ltd., Toronto, ON.;Quantrell, Jim. 2000. A Part of our Past: Essays on Cambridge's History. City of Cambridge Archives, Cambridge, ON; Percheron Horse Association of America.

Cruickston Creatures: Butternut

Nut trees abound in Cruickston forests: walnut, hickory, oak and beech. The least noticed one is likely butternut (Juglans cinerea). Butternut trees grow in mixed forests in Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick and throughout much of the eastern U.S. They are usually found in small groups or as scattered individuals in hardwood forests. Furthermore they grow on shallow, rocky sites, especially limestone. Recently, Larry Lamb and Bill Wilson located and documented over a dozen specimens on a portion of the limestone plain in Cruickston. Surveys and documentation will continue this spring.

Why the interest? For one, butternut was recently declared an Endangered Species in Canada. It had been declared Endangered in the U.S. in 1993. Always a minor component of the deciduous forests of eastern North America, this species is severely affected by a widespread and virulent fungal disease, butternut canker. In spring, an inky-black fluid exudes from the cankers that have formed at wounds in the bark or at buds or leaf scars. Cankers appear as sooty black patches in summer. In severely diseased trees, the bark readily peels away revealing black areas of dead cambium tissue, the living layer of a tree's trunk, branches and twigs. Old cankers will provide entry points for other harmful fungi. Unfortunately, control of infected trees is not possible; there are no known cures. Although butternut canker kills most trees, some may withstand infection and survive (just as some elm trees have survived Dutch elm disease). Such individual butternut trees may provide hope for the future if their nuts (i.e. seeds) yield disease-resistant offspring. Recent studies by Ricardo Morin and his associates with the Canadian Forest Service indicate that butternut populations in Canada appear to have a low level of genetic diversity and hence the ability to cope with drastic environmental change such as massive infection may not be possible. At Cruickston, both diseased and healthy specimens have been identified. Given the butternut's new designated status - Endangered - we will continue to monitor Cruickston's butternut trees and contact the Forest Gene Conservation Association in Peterborough when the survey is complete.

What’s Happening at CCRR?

Meeting Place for Guided Walks will be at the Cruickston Resource House and Slit Barn, 768 Blair Road. Guided walks are offered rain or shine. Please dress appropriately - hat, long sleeve shirts, full-length pants and sturdy walking shoes or hiking boots are recommended for all event activities. Guided walks and workshops are designed and conducted for adults. In future, programs will be developed and offered for children. To register, call Kelly at the CCRR office, (519) 650-9336.

Guided Walks:

• Wednesday, 12 May, 2004, 9:30 am to 11:30 am. ...showers bring May flowers. A leisurely-paced mid-week outing to enjoy the spring flower bloom in Cruickston woodlands. This outing is available only to Friends of Cruickston members. No registration necessary; memberships available by telephoning the Cruickston office, (519) 650-9336.
• Sunday, 16 May 2004, 7:00 am to 11:00 am. Early Morning Bird Walk. During mid-May, the bird migration reaches peak numbers in Waterloo Region. Join Bill Wilson for a morning of birding along Cruickston's trails. Free to Friends of Cruickston. Non-members = $10.00. Please register by noon, Thursday, 13 May. Maximum number of participants = 12
• Wednesday, 28 April 2004, 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm. Early Spring Walk at Cruickston. Join Bill and Heather Wilson for a mid-April walk along the trails of Cruickston in search of signs of spring. This guided walk is free to members of Friends of Cruickston. Non-members = $5.00. Please register by noon Monday, 26 April. Maximum number of participants = 12
• Wednesdays, 23 June, 30 June and 7 July, 2004, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Summer Evening Walks at Cruickston. Join Bill Wilson for leisurely evening hikes along Cruickston's trails and laneways. These guided walks are free to members of Friends of Cruickston. Non-members = $5.00. Please register by noon on the Monday before the Wednesday walk, i.e. 21, 28 June or 5 July. Maximum number of participants = 12/walk.

Seasonal Workshops:

• Banding Opportunities: The Cruickston Bird Banding Group (CBBG) is in the midst of preparations for this coming spring banding season. As part of our environmental education initiative, we invite interested members of the community to participate in banding activities. This is a unique opportunity to learn about the birds of Cruickston and also about the science behind bird banding. The following times and dates are available for public participation: 9 am - 12 noon each day, Saturday, 1 May and Saturday, 22 May. This workshop is free to Friends of Cruickston; non-members = $10.00. There are strict limits on the number of individuals who may attend any one banding session, so please contact Cruickston at (519) 650-9336 to register. Please note: Registrants should meet at the parking lot of the Cruickston Resource House, 768 Blair Road at 8:45 am. Bird banding is weather dependent. Please leave a telephone number at which Dallas Johnson may contact you if necessary to re-schedule.
• Sunday, 6 June 2004, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm. Moss Ecology and Identification. Join Professor Emeritus Dr. Wynn Watson for a day observing mosses in their natural habitats and identifying selected species in a laboratory setting with microscope and identification aids. Dr. Watson studied the mosses of Cruickston for two field seasons and has extensive knowledge of their ecology and taxonomy. Dress for hiking on and off trail as well as for indoor session. Bring a lunch; muffins, hot and cold drinks will be available. Microscope and hand lenses will be provided. Please register for this workshop by Tuesday, 1 June 2004. Maximum number of participants = 10. Cost to members = $15:00 per person, $25.00 per couple; non-members = $25.00 each.

Special Events:

• Monday, 19 April 2004, 7:00 to 9:00 pm. National Volunteer Week Reception! All 2003 volunteers of CCRR are invited to join us for a casual reception, in the Garden Gate - 1679 Blair Road, thanking you for the efforts and commitment you share with Cruickston. If you have not yet received your personal invitation by mail or email, we invite you to RSVP to the Cruickston office (519) 650-9336 by 4:00 pm, Thursday, April 15.
• Saturday, 24 April 2004, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Join Cruickston Organic Agriculture Project (COAP) to celebrate Earth Day. We invite you to a spring planting and clean-up day at the Cruickston Resource House & Slit Barn, 768 Blair Road. Bring your garden tools and good humour! Please bring a lunch; refreshments will be provided. To register, please call the Cruickston Office, (519) 650-9336 by noon, Wednesday, April 21.
• September 2003 to October 2004: The Art of Cruickston. CCRR proudly announces a unique opportunity for artists. Tours of the reserve will be available to artists for the purpose of sketching and photographing, to create paintings and sketches which will be shown and sold in a juried show. The show will be presented at Homer Watson House and Gallery (Kitchener, ON) from September 12 to October 31, 2004. The spring tour will take place from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm on Saturday, May 15. Artists should register for the tour by phoning the CCRR Office, (519) 650-9336, by Wednesday, 12 May. For more details, visit The Art of Cruickston at www.cruickston.com. Click on Links & Downloads.
• Wednesday, 2 June 2004, 7:00 pm: Cruickston Organics Information Session at Cruickston Resource House, 768 Blair Road. Details about COAP's food basket program will be available.

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Newsletter Editor: Bill Wilson