Talk the Walk and Walk the Walk

Yesterday, I started my collection of recyclables and garbage for The 2nd Annual Mayors'  "Keep the County Clean" Challenge.

This was not my intent when Bo and I left the house, but it was the  broken up computer keyboard glaring at me from the ditch that made me realize that just because I don't have my 'kit' from the County should not stop me from starting to Clean Up. I must have anticipated my intentions as I was wearing my stretch gardening gloves instead of my usual driving gloves.  I decided that since we were only 5 minutes into our walk I would just start piles to be picked up and get them with the car later. Really, last year I was dragging home bags of garbage and recyclables. I do not want to do that again, it was too heavy.
So Bo and continued down the Old Danforth, here is Bo on the summer road that starts just after Purdy Road. He is off leash at this point and revels in the ditches and scents that he can check out on his own.

That is Bo on the right side of the road, barely visible, nose down doing what he loves to do, check out the stink in front of him!!
 This road is part of the original Danforth Road that ran from York (Toronto) to Kingston, Surveyed by Asa Danforth who was hired by The Crown in 1797. What I like about this particular section of the Old Danforth is that if I let my imagination run wild, I can place myself into another time. Although, I am sure that the flora was much different in and around 1797, no European Buckthorn, no dog strangling vine and the trees would have been all native and much larger. Too bad the Crown insisted that the landscape be raped of trees as a prerequisite to settling on the land. Along here, you can see huge erractics that have been rolled down the side of a drumlin that allows the farmer to create a field. The course of the road has not changed, but the sides of the road has, with invasives' and  total disregard by those who seem to think this road is a dump site.

Northumberland County 2nd Annual Mayors' KEEP THE COUNTY CLEAN CHALLENGE

This is about the clean up of litter that gathers in ditches, roadsides, nature trails, any park or public space in Northumberland County. Last spring was my first spring in Grafton and I go out walking every day here, not by choice. I have a dog and I have to walk him everyday at least twice a day otherwise he is out of balance!!
Last spring was my first spring here in Grafton (I was born in Haldimand and happy to come back) and what amazed me on these walks was the amount of litter that is tossed on the ground.

Northumberland Land Trust

The motto of Northumberland Land Trust states "Preserving Northumberland County - One Acre at a Time".  Their mandate is to 'establish, maintain and manage protected areas' and their Mission is to 'Preserve the natural, historical and cultural heritage of Northumberland County'. It was founded in 2004  and their press release at the time states 'The Northumberland Land Trust, a new community based organization has been established to work for the conservation of the natural areas, watersheds, forests and wildlife of Northumberland County.  The Land Trust is a non-government, charitable organization and it plans to partner with other agencies, community groups and landowners with similar aims.
It was the Willow Beach Field Naturalists who in 2001 began to understand that we need an organization such as a Trust to protect these important areas in Northumberland and the Northumberland Land Trust was created. 

Ontario Headwaters Institute - Preserving Ontario's Headwaters

The OHI is a registered charity 'working to preserve the province's headwaters through education & community engagement'. This is a subject near and dear to me, you can read my post on 'Water - it's future & our Future' from my February 19th post on the subject.
The OHI is hosting seven Community Workshops on Preserving Ontario's Headwaters, it's free but registration is required in advance, just so they have enough chairs & coffee!
The seminar location that is closest to us here in Northumberland is taking place on Thursday March 25 at the Peterborough Public Library from 1 to 3 pm. It is being sponsored by Peterborough Green-up and the Otonabee Conservation Area.
This is important to us here in Northumberland because we do have so many aquifers, streams and wetlands flowing here in Northumberland. We are south of Peterborough and the water does flow south to our Great Lake Ontario from the north. If you drink water, cook with water or give water to your children, livestock, pets or friends you may be interested in this seminar.
Click Preserving Ontario's Headwaters to go to time and dates of the seminar.
Click Ontario Headwaters Institute to go to the home page of the OHI website.
The photo below is of the Ganaraska River at Sylvan Glen just north of Port Hope.
Cheers!

WATER and it's future & our future

This is about WATER. I wish to not be an alarmist but I am concerned about the body of water to the south of me called Lake Ontario & it's siblings, which collectively are named THE GREAT LAKES and the filtering system that feeds into it. This basin of water & it's huge filtering system is the place in which I live. I am concerned because it is how careless we are with the water that we have. I live in a small village and my house sits on a very moist filtering system. This is clearly event first by the creek that flows at the very back of the property.