Walking the Rocky Places

WALKING THE ROCKY PLACES September 20 & September 22 Walking sticks are always handy when hiking trails in the Canadian Shield. They provide that critical “third point” useful in guiding hikers over difficult terrain. At Depot Lakes Conservation Area, there are several such challenging spots as…

Hugging Big Trees

HUGGING BIG TREES September 13 & September 15 There is a lone white pine at the O’Hara Mill Conservation Area near Madoc that stands proud and tall along the edge of Deer Creek. It even rivals most of those to be found along the Big Pines…

Watching the Foul and the Loathsome

WATCHING THE FOUL AND THE LOATHSOME September 06 & September 08 About this time some years ago, a Belleville resident dropped by at the Quinte Conservation office with an object that he had found in the Moira River, right within the city. His curiosity was…

Etiquette Essential on Millennium Trail

ETIQUETTE ESSENTIAL ON MILLENIUM TRAIL August 30 & September 01 About three weeks ago, I found myself on the back of a big red Honda ATV, as we travelled from the start of the Millennium Trail at Highway 49 at Picton, to its far end, at…

Thinking About Water Safety

THINKING ABOUT WATER SAFETY August 23 & August 25 We have to wonder how many more boaters’ lives we have to lose before the Canadian Coast Guard finally recognizes the need to upgrade its current regulations on wearing life jackets? As we read of yet another…

Rise and Fall of the Napanee River

RISE AND FALL OF THE NAPANEE RIVER August 16 & August 18 It was in 2003 when I first met the late Dr. Mac Smith of Napanee. I cannot recall why he wanted to see me, but during the course of our conversation, he mentioned his…

Making Funny Noises

MAKING FUNNY NOISES August 09 & August 11 We would seldom see them, but they always called during hot August days when we were drawing in the last of the hay from those back fields next to the woods where cooling breezes never blew. My…

Harry Smith Given Facelift

HARRY SMITH GIVEN FACELIFT August 02 & 04  Visitors to the Harry Smith Conservation Area can now walk the hiking trail around the mill pond without tripping over grape vines, ground junipers and prickly ash, thanks to a partnering between Quinte Conservation and the Hastings…

Summer Hops Of Another Kind

SUMMER HOPS OF ANOTHER KIND July 26 & July 228 If you drive past our home, you will see a hophouse, although it has been at least 100 years since the building was last used for drying this important ingredient used in the brewing of beer….

Roadside Flowers Spectacular

ROADSIDE WILDFLOWERS SPECTACULAR July 19 & July 21 Sometimes it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature, but doing so can provide us with unique opportunities to catch her unawares. Wetland species are known for their secret lives, and many have a limited interest in making our…