History Abounds In Local Conservation Areas

HISTORY ABOUNDS IN LOCAL CONSERVATION AREAS
 November 08 & November 10

When Quinte Conservation began its program of outdoor interpretive events in 1996, it seemed important right from the start to offer a blend of both natural and human history. Without this peek into the past of some of the Quinte Conservation properties and other natural areas we visit, the story of their flora and fauna is incomplete. What can be found growing there, and the animals that occur there, are often tied in directly with the human history of the area, and what activities took place on the property in earlier years.

Originally set in place to draw attention to the magnificent diversity of flora and fauna and local human history throughout Quinte Conservation’s 6,200-square watershed area, a good share of these hikes showcase some of our conservation areas. For more than a half century conservation areas have been acquired across Ontario, all set aside because of their special attributes. Few, however, offer the diversity of habitat as those owned by Quinte Conservation. From sweeping lake vistas atop a 20-metre limestone cliff at Little Bluff Conservation Area in Prince Edward County to the rugged Precambrian rocks of the Canadian Shield, Quinte Conservation offers a potpourri of recreational opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts, in conservation areas that range from lookouts, parkettes, wetlands, to mill ponds, picnic areas and huge properties where hikers can enjoy many kilometres of nature trails.

Participants on our hikes often remark on how much they enjoy hearing the history of the areas we visit as it takes them back to a different time, and a different way of life. The Quinte Conservation Area, west of Belleville, a former working farm, produces vestiges of the past through its remnants of old snake rail fences, abandoned machinery, at the same time serving up an abundance of spring wildflowers and snatches of bird song. There is history too at Prince Edward County’s Harry Smith Conservation Area in Ameliasburgh. This is the former site of the historic Roblin’s Mill, removed in 1963 and reconstructed as a working mill in Toronto’s Black Creek Pioneer Village. Here the atmosphere of the 1800s suddenly comes alive again as hikes take visitors past foundation remnants of the old mill and other reminders of the past.

We will be visiting the above three areas, and many more, in our 2007 evening hike program, a series that will be entering its 12th year next spring. For 18 weeks, from May through August, these popular Monday evening hikes take place in a different area of the Quinte Conservation watershed each week as we try to showcase the wealth of flora and fauna and human history within its 6,200 square kilometres. At O’Hara Mill, north of Madoc, we will be exploring the history of the O’Hara family, the trails and the nine buildings that make up this popular conservation area, neatly tucked in among the white pines and maples, almost out of sight from a rural side road.

In fact, nearly every conservation area we visit on our interpretive hikes has some history in its background. Macaulay Mountain Conservation Area at Picton, for example, is named after the late Reverend Macaulay, son of a United Empire Loyalist who received a crown grant of 162 hectares in the Picton Bay area. Personal funds financed the construction of the first St. Mary Magdalene Church, circa 1825, and Macaulay also donated land for the District Courthouse. Some of this history has seeped into Birdhouse City, also located at Macaulay Mountain, where over 100 birdhouses, many of them replicas of historic buildings in the county, continue to draw visitors as it did when first opened to the public in 1984.

The H.R. Frink Centre, a perennial favourite in our program, is not without its story either. The popular conservation area and education centre was named after H.R. (Bert) Frink who was a prominent educator in Hastings County and a Chairman of the Moira River Conservation Authority. Mr. Frink always believed that the best way to learn natural science was through a hands on approach. It is a concept that continues to this day.

Another site for one of our hikes in 2007 will be Vanderwater Conservation Area, east of Thomasburg. This area’s namesake has strong ties with Quinte Conservation, as it was Colonel Roscoe Vanderwater who founded the Moira River Conservation Authority in 1947, and also served as its first Chairman. Vanderwater Conservation Area was purchased just 10 years later, and continues to be one of the most visited natural areas in the Quinte watershed.

There is the story of a famous hotel at Massassauga, the former hunting and fishing camp at Sheffield, the McMullen enterprises at Beaver Meadow, and the story of the Canadian National Railway as we walk a portion of the Cataraqui Trail at Yarker. When we add the human history to the natural history of these local natural areas, it is easy to see why these special places have been so popular over the years in Quinte Conservation’s interpretive program. There are some exciting stories in store for hikers on next year’s interpretive hiking series, and most of these will be thanks to the over 30 conservation areas in our region.