TABLE OF CONTENTS Cruickston is History Historical Hi Lites A new name, a new look, a new …newsletter! From ESPAs to ESLs in Waterloo Region Bird Banding Summary Spring 2004 rare Reports Art of Cruickston More great news... rare Nature Notes rare Creatures rare Board of Directors

Cruickston is History

On October 20th a new name was given to a property that has played a significant role in the lives of many people in our community - for thousands of years! Formerly known as Cruickston Charitable Research Reserve, located at the confluence of the Grand and Speed Rivers, this property has been home to aboriginal peoples, to Victorian settlers and always to myriad species of plants and animals, many now rare to our Province.

The early archaeology discoveries tell us that this property has a history going back more than 9,000 years. Yet, the word Cruickston is reflective only of a particular period in time and of the property's connection with European History: the name was chosen by William Ashton who, in 1853, purchased about 230 acres of land along the Galt-Blair Road and named it after the ship, the Cruickston Castle, which brought him from England. Ashton misjudged the economy and, 5 years later, was forced to sell the property, including the brewery he had built on it. Matthew Wilks eventually completed the building of the mansion house and accumulated lands for farming totalling about a thousand acres on which he raised pure bred cattle.

Not only does "Cruickston" refer to a limited period of time in the property's history, but there is also some confusion within the community caused by a similar name - Cruickston Park - of the adjoining, privately held property: in the mid '90s, 53 of the nearly 1000 acres, along with the Manor House, were sold to private landowners who still own and reside at Cruickston Park. These landowners were part of the early group of founders of CCRR who, with the support of local community, business leaders, scientific and technical experts and those with a conservationist and environmentalist vision, embarked on the important task of protecting, in perpetuity the remaining 913 acres. Today the 913 acres are held in perpetuity by the same charitable organization that we all know, ready to embark on a new era. It remains a Charitable Research Reserve but it needs a new identity for this next phase of its eventful history. After a lengthy process, involving many opinions and the work of a qualified expert in this area, a new identity plan has been developed. Look for our new name - rare - throughout the community as we embark on a new effort to develop research and education programs and involve the public in every aspect of our work.

And, of course, we need your help. This change comes at a time when the property is moving to the next stage of its history, a stage that makes it truly charitable and deserving of broad public support, including the local community, the government and international organizations. The bold, new name - rare - signifies a new era within the charitable organization and at the property that the charity has been entrusted to protect, on behalf of you and every other citizen. The work of the early founders has given us all an opportunity to enjoy the property and, at the same time, to ensure that it can fulfill its role as a model for the protection of biodiversity.

The name rare expresses and reinforces the organization's vision: more than 900 acres of land set aside for passive leisure, environmental restoration and preservation - all undertaken in the context of pure, scientific research. Our aim is to assist researchers by making the property available in answering the next set of pressing questions. "What can we learn about our interaction with our environment that will help us enhance our lives and our planet, rather than destroy it? What answers do we need?" And perhaps more importantly, "What questions have we not even learned to ask?"

Now rare is ready to develop the educational programs and expand the partnerships that will ensure its role in a growing network of organizations and community efforts that are creating a new economy, a new way of life and a new way of thinking. As Dr. Val O'Donovan, founder of Com Dev, puts it: "Waterloo Region will be the envy of North America, combining fast-paced urban growth, healthy job climate and easy access to the unspoiled, natural environment. For many people, this is the combination that drew them to the area and will keep them here." We need you! With your continued support and help, rare, its educational programs and its role as a research facility known around the world, will be a tribute to our entire community, making it a more desirable place to live and work.

Historical Hi Lites

Working at Cruickston in 1947

The first summer job I can recall as a boy was working on the Wilks' farm (a.k.a. Cruickston Park Farm) that was located above the confluence of the Grand and Speed Rivers. All that remains of that barn and yellow brick farmhouse now is the stump of the huge tree which was at the side of the house, and sported a rubber tire swing back in the 40's. [editor's note: This white elm stump now exhibits an information plaque commemorating the arrival of Mennonite families from Pennsylvania in 1802.] The farm was operated by Cecil Robinson and his wife, and I often watched over their three boys, Wayne, Ron and Kerry Lee, since I lived at that end of Preston, and was always hiking the Blair flats. In 1946 Cecil had just come home from serving in WW2 and he still wore his army issue greatcoat and boots in cold weather. This was the old Gilles farm, which then included all the area now in new houses, plus the Preston High School and St. Joseph Catholic School.

I would have been going on fifteen in 1947 and was by then big enough to help with the haying and harvesting. These duties also took us across the river, driving a team of Belgians. There were two fords that we used to bring the straw back across the river to the barn. One was just downstream on the Grand and led over to the Lowlands that now are usually planted in corn or soybean. On the Preston side you can still observe the long ramp-like road we used, leading up from the river, to reach the barn. [editor's note: This ramp is located about 100 m downstream from the confluence and is now a walkway joining the upper and lower levels of Linear Trail.] In August the water would barely come up to the wheel hubs on the wagons, and we would drive across the river continuously until the mows were full.

The second ford was across the Speed, at a point about even with the end of Dover Street, and led to the Lowlands that parallel Fountain Street now. The grain was stooked and then threshed right on the Lowland fields and the grain was then hauled off up to the "Big House".

I can also recall working on the Hogsback fields and loading hay onto a wagon that was close to tipping over because of the steep slopes there. The Blair Road had little traffic in those days and we hauled pretty well all crops back to the "Big House" with teams of horses. All the hands were fed in a huge dining area in the basement, and I can recall Ms. Wilks coming down on her elevator to see us once in awhile.

George Bradford is a member and participates in ARCH, the Archaeological Research of Cruickston's Heritage. He is a life-long resident of Preston.

A new name, a new look, a new …newsletter!

This is the final issue of the format used in the The Cruickston Carriage (est. February 2002). While we will continue to communicate the happenings of the charity, the newsletter will contain new features and an improved look. But first, we need your help! It needs a new name that incorporates - rare. Who better to brainstorm with than our members and supporters! What do you think the newsletter should be called? Some suggestions received so far include "The rare Journal," "The rare Record," “medium rare,” and "rare Currents."

You may send in as many ideas as you wish! If your submission is chosen it will be launched in the winter issue, along with your name. You will also win a fabulous gift from rare.

Please send me your ideas by January 7, 2005 by mail, fax (519) 650-5923 or email krutherford@raresites.org

This article is the second of a series of articles examining the value of green spaces within the urban landscape that preserve… sustain life.

Recognition by regional planners of rare as an "environmentally sensitive landscape" (ESL) is noteworthy for two reasons. First, it helps confirm that it is possible to retain or restore high quality natural areas within an urban region when a "smart growth" policy is adopted to guide urban development. Second, it re-confirms that the Region of Waterloo continues to show leadership in environmental planning at municipal levels in Ontario.

The Region first gained recognition of its forward thinking about the environment some 30 years ago when it became the first to include "Environmentally Sensitive Policies Areas" (ESPAs) in its initial Regional Official Policies Plan in 1976. This offered a degree of protection for remnant woodlands and wetlands under the Planning Act. Prior to that time, the general practice was that everything depicted beyond the city limits in official plans was "coloured white" as agricultural or open space waiting for conversion into some "highest and best (urban) use".

Regional Council and planners drew upon the knowledge and enthusiasm of local naturalists, field biologists, and faculty and students in the area's universities to help identify candidates for ESPAs and appropriate policies for them, and eventually 69 were included in the first Official Plan. They also gave an Ecological and Environmental Advisory Committee (EEAC), set up to advise on this initiative at the planning stage, a permanent role. This arrangement, with periodic modifications, remains to this day and the current Regional Official Policies Plan recognizes 77 ESPAs; other candidate areas have been identified.

Private land stewardship has been the key to success in this. The ESPAs, many of them under multiple ownerships, had remained in their natural or somewhat modified conditions through some mix of practices ranging from benign neglect to active management. Regulations to restrict development only applied if the areas were located in floodplains, on steep slopes, or on organic soils which were considered to be "hazard lands". Three decades ago there was little to assist owners to care for these areas except for advice and tax incentives to promote commercial woodlot management. Today, more support is available, notably through land trusts and "ecogift" tax reductions for donations to trusts, a wider range of land tax incentives, more opportunities to obtain ecological restoration services, and greater public recognition of the role for private stewardship in maintaining quality environments.

ESLs are landscapes viewed at broader scales than the site level of most ESPAs. This perspective is informed by developments in landscape ecology and conservation biology over the last 20 years or so. It is especially relevant for a series of wetlands all supported by a common hydrogeological regime in moraines which also protect the Region's water supplies. In addition, it is now generally agreed that a landscape with a rich mix of interconnected habitat mosaics supports more kinds of plants and animals than a more homogenous one.

Corridors to link "islands of green" (as the first ESPAs were called) in order to help organisms disperse seem like a good idea, but this is scientifically contested. What appears as corridors to us may not meet the biological realities of the biota expected to use them. But population biology need not be the only reason for corridor connections. Green space corridors associated with trails and waterways have aesthetic and recreational values important to urban populations, and can be promoted for these reasons alone in the context of a greenlands strategy.

Given the added complications of scale, implementation of the ESL concept in urban and urbanizing regions will require patience and innovative thinking about stewardship. At this point, the power of example demonstrated by rare is a major contribution.

George Francis is Professor Emeritus, University of Waterloo. He was a member of Waterloo Region Ecological Environmental Advisory Committee (EEAC) from 1974 until 1983, and Chair of the committee from 1975 to 1978.

Bird Banding Summary Spring 2004

The number of birds banded this spring was found to be significantly lower (< 150) than the same period the previous year. This drop can largely be blamed on the inclement weather experienced as the number of banding hours was considerably reduced. Despite the reduction in birds banded, several species new to the station were added, including Wilson's warbler and black-billed cuckoo. Perhaps the most significant result was the recapture of yellow warblers banded the previous year, a first for our station for this particular species and an encouraging sign for our research.

The coming year will bring new challenges for our bird studies team as we prepare to move beyond our exploratory phase and begin implementing our longer-term projects. As a result, opportunities for volunteers will increase, so please keep watch for future notices in upcoming issues of the newsletter.

rare Reports

• The summer evenings' guided walks were well-attended - filled, in fact, with both members and several first-time visitors who have become members.

• On 20 and 21 July, four Waterloo Stewardship Rangers and their supervisor, Robin Boles, erected and posted perimeter and managerial signs throughout rare. Thanks to Waterloo Stewardship Council and especially, Al Murray, Stewardship Coordinator, Waterloo Stewardship Network, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) and Neil Taylor, stewardship committee, for recommending the Rangers to rare.

• On 24 July, more than 60 volunteers participated in the Shad Valley Sweat Equity Day at rare undertaking construction and maintenance of the nature trails within the Cliffs and Alvars sector of the property. This was the third year that Shads participated in trail development at rare. Forty-eight students from across Canada (and one from Bahamas) hauled woodchips, laying down almost 1800 fee of trial. Once again, thanks to Ed Jernigan, program director Shad Valley Waterloo, Kim Boucher, Program Manager and Stu Doherty who co-ordinated the day's activities. Thanks also to members, Frank Vriezen, Heather and Bill Wilson, Charly Mini, Brian Blackie, for their participation.

• On 27 July and 3 August, OMNR District Forester, Terry Schwan, summer student, Steve Roorda, and Environmental Steward, Bill Wilson, conducted a forest survey of Indian Woods. To read about Terry Schwan's findings, log on to Forest Survey at Indian Woods - rare at www.raresites.org, Links and Downloads.

• Artist Kelly Borger visited the property on 6 August to observe some of rare’s Core Areas of Conservation Concern. Kelly is currently creating paintings which depict the ancestral landscapes of this Region 200 years ago.

• Twenty-eight young people from Japan and their chaperones from PeopleLink accompanied Bill and Heather Wilson on a guided walk of rare. Thank you to PeopleLink and organizer, Marilyn Hepburn, for their visit and donation.

• Fifty-two families participated in the rare Organics Weekly Food Baskets Program this season.

• During July and August, rare hosted four Cambridge YMCA children's' camps providing nature hikes and activities and an archaeology simulation exercise. The programs were developed and provided by Bill Wilson, Environmental Steward, and rare volunteers: Ron Bauman, Marg Pare, Karen Medsger, Fraser Cooper and Heather Wilson. Thank you to the Cambridge YMCA for their interest and support.

• Bill Wilson, Environmental Steward, and several member volunteers took advantage of the weather this summer to plant several hundred trees and shrubs in some of the cultural landscapes of the property: Fraser Blythe, Jason Bracey, Inge Moore, Frank Vriezen and Heather Wilson. Thanks to all and to Larry Lamb for restoration advice.

Art of Cruickston

125 artists, Friends of Cruickston and special guests celebrated the opening of the Art of Cruickston's 1st juried exhibition located at the Homer Watson House & Gallery in Kitchener. During the award ceremony, Don Routly of Kitchener received The Cruickston Choice Award for "The Cruickston Guardian," Vicky Brophey of Guelph received the Juror's Choice for "The Competent Guide" and Norma MacDonald of Kitchener received Curator's Choice Award for "Sunset at Cruickston." Congratulations to all the artists who captured so beautifully the images of our unique property. The exhibition received such a positive response from the community, with high attendance at the gallery and several pieces sold! Plans are already in place to develop this into a bi-annual event incorporating additional mediums of art.

Special appreciation is extended to Phyllis Didur, Jane Bayne, Ardythe Campbell, Judi Motts Pedder, Don Routly, Brent Harding, Greg Burns, Shalagh Cassidy, Sherri Rice and David Crow who volunteered their time and expertise during the development and planning of this program. Also thank you to Tiffani Tyo and the staff and volunteers of the Homer Watson House and Gallery for hosting the first exhibition!

More great news...

By now you have read about our new name, changes to our Board of Directors, and new staffing plans - but the good news just keeps coming. Very shortly we will also have a new home.

Of course, as with most things at rare, what's new is actually very old. We are excited to be purchasing the historic building in which we have been renting offices for the past couple of years. Almost 170 years ago, Lamb's Inn was built in Blair, the oldest inland village in Upper Canada. It's hard to imagine what life in the building was like then. Matthew Wilks had not yet purchased the nearby lands, nor had his son built the eponymous Langdon Hall. There were few other Inns in the area; it would be almost 15 years before the stage coaches linked Lamb's Inn with the Farmer's Inn, built by Joseph Eby and now known as Benjamin's Restaurant & Inn in St. Jacobs.

More of us will remember the building in the lively years of the 1970s and '80s when it was Nicholson's Tavern. The rockin' Terraplane made their debut there and it was a favourite venue for The Onits. By 1993 it had become Garden Gate, one of the province's top retail outlets for ornamental concrete products. The building also houses Neco Blue, a quaint jazz bistro.

While Neco Blue continues on, Garden Gate will be moving out and rare will take over the entire space when it purchases the building. Over the next year, renovations will begin to turn the building into an interpretive facility for the organization. "The building's availability is a great opportunity for us," said Keith Ainsworth, chair of the Board of Directors, "because it allows us to provide further support to our research program and to get started on our education program, without the delay that a new building would entail. Not only will it save us money but it fits entirely with our conservation approach - we will be giving new life to an historic building and we won't be forced to build something new on the existing land."

The building figures prominently in the fundraising plans for rare, right along side the effort to pay for the original land purchase. The facilities provided by this building are central to public involvement and to supporting the pure research opportunities which, in turn, inform all the education programs. To recognize the importance of every donation, all donors will have their names displayed permanently inside the new facility. Visit the website at www.raresites.org to donate on-line, or send a cheque to the address listed on the contact page of this website). You may also call Patti Leather, Community Relations Manager at (519) 650-9336 or visit our offices anytime!

rare Nature Notes

• As many as two osprey have been observed at one time cruising and hunting along reaches of the Grand River through rare this summer. On 21 August, for example, osprey were observed plunging into the river below the confluence and surfacing with fish.
• Water levels on the Grand and Speed Rivers through rare have covered mud flats after exposed during the mid to late summer. Higher water levels have provided little habitat for migrating shorebirds this year.
• Areas closed for habitat regeneration have benefited from the increased moisture levels this summer. Some former roadbeds of closed lanes have been colonized by a variety of plants including native species, e.g. Desmodium or naked flowered tick trefoil.
• Greater lobelia was found blooming within the former impoundment along Bauman Creek.
• Members participated in the first annual Butterfly Count on 18 July. Covering only portions of three habitat types (rare has 25), counters tallied ten species. Let's hope for better weather and better coverage next year. August sightings include Tawny Emperor and Painted Lady.
• A family (4) of Orchard Orioles was observed feeding in the shrub thickets east of the slit-barn in mid-July.
• Seven members participated in the Water Quality Workshop on Saturday, 21 August. More than two dozen species of river organisms were observed. Ken Dance provided his much appreciated expertise on aquatic organisms and their ecology. As well, he provided an overview of monitoring techniques used to monitor water quality. Participants calculated the rivers' Pollution Tolerance Index; results indicated high biodiversity and good water quality.

rare Creatures

Who would describe the weather conditions during the summer of 2004 as ideal? Anyone with an enthusiasm for fungi may well do so, for cool nights and damp days more typical of autumn than summer produce the largest number and greatest variety of fungi of the entire year. In fact, the quick response of fungi to these conditions caused ancient Greeks to believe that fungi came from Zeus' lightning bolts because they appeared immediately after rains and grew inexplicably.

Fungi are non-photosynthesizing cellular organisms that absorb their food at the many growing points of their diffuse and indefinite "body" termed mycelium. The mycelium is the vegetative portion made up of finely branched tubes (hyphae) that grow and spread throughout the organic material upon which the fungi depend for their nutrition.

Fungi play vital roles in ecosystems as they decompose dead matter. Many plants could not survive without their fungi partner with which they exchange essential nutrients. To generalize, fungi in rare forests exhibit three lifestyles: (1) some derive their nourishment from dead wood, dead tissue of living trees, from dung and leaf litter; (2) some are parasites - some even on other fungi; (3) some have a symbiotic relationship with a tree or shrub by providing the plant with micronutrients from the soil and in return obtaining "photo food", i.e. carbohydrates, from the plant.

To see a fungus in the forest is to observe its fruiting body - the mushroom - for typically this appears above ground, or the surface of a tree trunk or any surface below which mycelia are actively "feeding." It is the fruiting body containing the reproduction units called spores that responds so quickly to weather conditions and appears virtually overnight. Autumn is the best season to observe the diversity of fungi in our region. No comprehensive list exists yet for rare but as you walk along its trails, watch for turkey tail, witch's butter, shaggy mane, dog stinkhorn, black jelly roll and many others. Remember - when it rains, it spores.

rare Board of Directors

Keith Ainsworth, Chair

Michael Barnstijn

Jim Chaplin

Paul Koch

Thiam Lim

Brian McGee

Louise MacCallum

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Newsletter Editors: Bill Wilson & Kelly Rutherford