Late Fall 2021 News Blast |
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McKellar's Reed Weir by Mary Jane Gnomes |
Internationally acclaimed sculptor Reed Weir, born in McKellar, returns establishing a painter’s studio. Pursuing painting through practise in sculpture, Reed Weir's mastery of space, materials, textures and reflection map the dilemmas we face and our passage through them. She depicts us as integral to the echo-system and it is the human interaction therein that jettisons Weir into motion. |
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Whether wavering birdlike hands or inquisitive and arrested childlike beings, her images affront, the impish child intertwines with nature, hands flying through space occupied by imagination that sees us as part of the multi-dimensional. Weir playfully weds us to the ethereal reality of our existence. She insists the deliberately impish child of her art disarms viewers. Crafting at least four conversations in every piece, Weir denies enforced narrative. Yet evolving landscape and characters around her manifest, alive, specific. Mastering technique, Weir renders surfaces transparent allowing meaning and feeling to come through her very fingertips, exuding deep caring about the world and “we” in it.
The stance of Weir’s characters is evocative, deeply of the earth. Her imagination is rife with a wild humour. Her work is engaging, will depict life here and offer reflexive insight. It deserves to be contemplated and enjoyed reedweirartist.com
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Accomplished Landscape Architect's advice welcome for MLCA’s Native Plant Sale 2022
For the MLCA’s third annual native plant sale, retired landscape architect Christopher Clayton has volunteered to help the MLCA with plant selection, landscape coaching and pointers on how certain plants can benefit local pollinators and wildlife.
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https://mlca.ca/sys/website/?pageId=18454After his 45 year career specializing in residential properties, many with pools that he showcased through venues like Canada Blooms, Chris and his wife Helen Cole decided to seek out a cottage property near Georgian Bay, where the two have enjoyed 20 years of kayaking adventures.
They settled on a property in McKellar five years ago and switched up their kayaking adventures to that of exploring the 93 km of shoreline, that Manitouwabing Lake has to offer. They go out as early as May with wetsuits and average 3 to 4 outings a week continuing until autumn rolls in. A few years ago they became full time residents and joined the MLCA to become more acquainted with the Township. Chris is eager to help promote Native Species planting. “The latest research on pollinators”, he said during our interview. “is that up to 30% of the plants can be non-native. While natives nurture wildlife, ornamental plants nurture the human soul.”
Visit MLCA's Seed & Tree Store |
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All summer long, trees have been absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, that’s just what they do. They also shade us, provide habitat for wildlife and make our properties look spectacular. As the fair season ends, the carbon sequestering process slows down with the exception of evergreens because their needles can continue to photosynthesize until the ground freezes.
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In the Autumn, trees stop sequestering carbon but fallen leaves, continue the process. Decomposing leaf litter stores carbon and transforms our yards and forests into carbon sinks. The less you rake, the more you help fight climate change and save biodiversity. Creatures big and small are dependent on the regenerating process for next spring, in fact trapped below winter’s snow, soil full of roots and fungi are processing carbon and encouraging the production of a magical oil like chemical for the tree to release called phytoncide. Basically this compound is antimicrobial, known to ward off infections like antibiotics do. The chemical, transferred by scent is inhaled into our bodies and encourages our brains to release endorphins that trigger positive feelings that are similar to morphine. It’s that forest fragrance you smell after the rain and your nose detects on a sunny autumn day. Trees are delightfully healing. Trees make us feel good.
Native trees already have a natural place in our ecosystem. Introduced species compete and that's why there is a great movement towards going all native, simply to return to naturalization. The dark side of trees is that, they too, emit carbon when they die, decompose or burn. Forest management is a fine balancing act so it's imperative that forests and rural properties are in a continual state of new growth.
Plant trees often, keep their cycle of life going and fill your world with beauty and life sustaining power.
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Georgian Bay Biosphere Turtle Hatch & Release by Susan Adamson disclaimer |
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Did you know that the most significant threats to Blandings and Snapping turtles are motor vehicles, raccoons, foxes, and loss of habitat? And that many turtles do not even lay eggs until after their 25th birthday? And that staff think only 1% of eggs hatched in the wild survive?
These were some of the things I learned when I attended the hatchery in August. A week later I was honoured to be part of a team returning the hatchlings to the wetlands In Carling Township.
Georgian Bay Biosphere staff, with government funding under a special grant, harvested 1115 turtle eggs from the shoulders of roads under construction in Carling Township in June, hatched them in an undisclosed location (to discourage poachers), and in August, four days after hatching, returned the hatchlings to the wetlands. Community members were invited to the hatchery, and a week later allowed to return these hatchlings to the wetlands.
The complete article can be found at gbbr.ca A Tale of a Thousand Turtles/ Georgian Bay
Biosphere.
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