Grand Manan Trails
Annual Newsletter #15
October 2007
|
NOTE: According to J.A.
Lorimer,1876, "History of Islands and Islets in the Bay of Fundy,
Charloote County From Earliest Settlement to the Present Time:
Including Sketches of Shipwrecks and Other Events of Exciting
Interest", the buildings were part of a farm with pastures and sheep,
and a sawmill. Eel Brook gets its name from the American eels
that migrate into the brook and Eel Lake. Adult eels live in
freshwater but migrate to salt water to spawn. According to
Lorimer, the natives "set eel traps at the mouth, and catch sometimes
in one night a half barrel or more of large fat eels as they make from
the brook to the bay." This has been a busy season on the trails. In fact, if the sales of the Trails Guide are any indication, this has been the busiest summer in years for hikers. Because of the closing of the Business Centre, we took over not only producing the material for the booklet, but also the printing, promotion, and distribu-tion of it. We began with an initial run of 300 books and have since had 200 more printed. They have been sold at the two museums, local stores, and at some of the lodges; virtually all locations have ex-ceeded their initial orders. The additional good news for us is that the proceeds from the books return to the Trails Committee, for future trails’ maintenance. Jessie and Anne cleared the trails in June, with their usual competence. The main problem from the previous year was not being able to cross the beaver enhanced “brook” at Money Cove. We were able to find a spot just west of the beaver dam, where it was shallow enough that strategically placed rocks allowed hikers to cross. This has proven to have been effective. Unfortunately, because of clear-cut logging from last winter, we were forced to remove the “blue” inland trail from Tatton’s Corners to Money Cove from the active trails. It was impossible to follow the markers. Clear-cutting may become more and more of a problem. The inland trail from King Street in Seal Cove to Sloop Cove and Big Pond has been marked by rather unsightly brightly coloured markings, nothing to do with our trail markings. Hopefully, this has not caused confusion for hikers. Inland trails are very difficult for us to maintain, because of the heavy ATV traffic and use. I hope that you have been able to enjoy the beauty of the trails this year. It is a privilege for our trails volunteers to maintain them for the enjoyment of all. ALONG THE TRAILS WITH MACHETE - Jessie, Anne and Pinky James We look forward to our spring return to Grand Manan and our trail adventures. Jessie, Pinky, our faithful little dog from the Island of Nevis who takes great delight in a job that includes her, and I head out to clean up the harsh weather windfalls as soon as conditions permit. We begin with the shorter trails - Net Point, Hole-In-The-Wall, Flocks of Sheep - before tackling the western cliff-side routes. Covering all the trails with machete, clippers, chainsaw, markers, paint and a rather large lunch in our backpack, takes us approximately 60 hours. Eahc year we try to alternate direction to give us a fresh approach to each trail.  We feel very privileged to be a part of the Grand Manan Trails Association and hope we may continue our jobs, as long as we are able. ASHBURTON HEAD TRAIL - Jane and Laird Sloan All is well on the Ashburton Head Trail. After Anne and Jessie's initial coverage all that remained to do was keep the trail free of blackberry vines. These diabolical growths seem to grow to prodigious size alongside the trail and have predatory thorns to catch the unwary hiker. We have managed to cut them back. The new signs placed by the Stones seem to have done the trick since we found no evidence that any of the hikers have made an unscheduled trip to the bottom of the cliffs. One or more of our intrepid Island hunters has managed to riddle the sign indicating the gift of Jim Monroe in honour of his son with bullet holes but all else is well. We did notice that some of the hikers are starting up the trail from the Whistle lighthouse rather than the preferred starting point near Eel Brook. We suspect that most of these are just taking a brief hike after picnicking at the lighthouse and the trail doesn't need any additional marking to accommodate them. top Ineka &
Jan Devries, Eel Brook Beach to the Whistle Road and Eel Brook Falls
Trail Adopters
WHALE COVE TO EEL BROOK BEACH - Adele Peacock  My first hike took
place in early June, when I went from Eel Brook to the Falls at Eel
Brook. The trail wasn't in too bad condition - just a couple of
fallen trees. One on the Cronk Bench, which, luckily, hadn't done
any damage, and the other at Eel Brook Falls.In early June, Carmen Roberts and I went to tackle the dangerous zone at the falls and, at the same time, removed the fallen tree. We managed to create a barrier along the trail which made the path appear wider and safer. Let's hope that it survives the winter. Janice Naves and I spent a very hot afternoon in mid July "snipping & Clipping" our way, leaving behind less of those dreaded brambles. The remainder of the summer was spent making sure that those brambles were kept under control and taking time to admire the gorgeous views from this trail. *Fallen arches prevented John from assisteng Adele. *Copious amounts of herring prevented Allison from assisting Janice. Carmen
Roberts Painting Trail Sign
MY HIKING STICK - Linda Duchin Every year as I begin hiking my first Grand Manan trail (usually to Bradford Cove) I’m on the look-out for the perfect hiking stick. Not any old stick will do, I’m looking for the perfect stick— the one that will become an extension of my body as I climb over rocks, pull myself up hills, test the mud depth, and try to maintain balance going down steep paths. Walking the beautiful island trails gives me so much spiritual, psychological and physical pleasure that by the time my meagre two-week vacation is done, my hiking stick has become an old friend. We’ve shared deeply meaningful experiences to-gether and it’s made my journey more satisfying.  Finding the stick
is part of the process. No store-bought walking stick for me. Mine is
Grand Manan grown. I never know when it’s going to make its appearance.
In what wonderful part of which trail? Why this stick, in this place?
It’s as if it’s been waiting there just for me — the perfect width, the
perfect weight. Often I crack the branch across my leg and then, the
perfect length (some say shoulder height is best). After I’ve peeled
the bark away and as I walk, the oil from my hand makes the top of the
branch smooth to the touch. This year I found my stick covered in
peeling bark and lichen and left it that way. Yes, I love my walking
stick. I usually prefer to hike alone so that I’m not distracted from
what becomes almost a walking meditation. Some years the stick that I
select will have such an interesting shape and feel so good in my hand
as I walk that I will leave it at a friend’s house to be picked up the
following year along with my rubber boots. Using it again on my first
hike is like being reunited with an object that has stored up within it
the memories of all the trails it has passed through. One year when I
met my old stick again, it had sprouted a perfect tiny green leaf.
Usually a good stick will only last through that second vacation and
breaks some-where along the way. I feel a momentary sadness then and
return the stick to the ground—back into the wild from which it came. I was telling my friend Marie who is French about bonding with my hiking stick, and she told me about the very special (and expensive) makila walking sticks from the Basque county — the ultimate symbol of the Basque spirit. For the shepherd, his stick not only bears him in his walk but protects him from wolves and snakes, and helps him conduct his herd. From experience, he knows how to choose from a tree or hedge, the branch with the best twists, curves and turns. The chosen branch is marked on the tree in Spring and then in Autumn, cut, heated, debarked, coated with lime and rubbed with grease to have a knotty and polished look. These sticks are then elaborately carved and represent a true labor of love—albeit one that sells for hundreds of dollars. Many walking stick workshops have been in the same family for seven genera-tions. Traditionally, a weapon is inserted in the stick as a reminder of the Basque people’s historical need to defend themselves. My humble (in this company) walking sticks may have had a less glorious birth but they have been loved nonetheless. They have made my way safer and easier on beautiful hikes to Hay Point, Indian Beach and so many other glorious Grand Manan trail destinations…They have given me balance. Linda Duchin is a nature-starved New Yorker living in the heart of Manhattan who has been coming to Grand Manan every summer for 23 years. She first found out about the island in a book called “Secluded Islands of the Atlantic Coast” and continues to be amazed by the beauty accessible from the hiking trails. top THE TRAILS MEETING There was a trails meeting on September 12th, 2007 at the Museum; about twenty people were present. Bob Stone felt that there were more hikers visiting the Island this year, if the sale of the Trails booklet is any indication. So far it has brought in $1270, with more to come. From the sale of each booklet $2 goes toward trail mainte-nance. Donations brought in $1550, up from last year and sale of the pins $455. Our bank balance, as of September 7th this year is $2026.13. On the same date last year it was $1595.70. Expenses still to come are $800 for 1000 booklet covers, and the printing of the newsletter which may cost $300 or more. It is still undecided whether to get this newsletter printed profession-ally on the mainland, or whether Bob can do it more cheaply on his computer. The annual Trails dinner will be at Laura’s on Tuesday, October 9th—price $25. The question arose about whether we should join the official NB Trails Association. Bob pointed out that a great deal of work would have to be done to make our trails conform to their strict rules: widening, fencing, etc.—and that most people probably prefer them as they are. No one is looking after the White Head Trail and adopters are needed for some of the others. TRAILS
COMMITTEE  On September 3rd,
2007, Mike, Zoe, Olivia, Rudy (our dog) and I went to maintain our
trail from the Whistle to Indian Beach. As we were getting out of the Jeep, Olivia did something to her knee and was having difficulty walking, but it didn’t matter too much as we were taking our stroller. So with loppers in hand we started off. The blackberry bushes were filled with berries and we ate the whole afternoon. The trail really only needed to be trimmed at the beginning and Mike used the loppers handily. About halfway, the trail got quite rocky and we were having trouble pushing the stroller so we left it at the side of the trail and Olivia stood up in the backpack on Mike’s back. He and I took turns carrying her. We finally made it to the end of the trail and went down to the beach. That was my first time on this trail and I really appreciate the opportunity to maintain it. Joanne, Zoe and Olivia Ingalls and Fredonna Dean, Whistle to Indian Beach Trail Adopters top CHANGES IN GRAND MANAN’S BIRDS IN THE LAST FEW DECADES By ROGER BURROWS Roger Burrows is semi-retired and living by the St. John River in the North End of Saint John when he is not helping Liz Crompton and Jim Leslie run spring and fall Elderhostel programs at the Marathon Inn. Since his 1970 emi-gration from his native England, Roger has worked as a Parks Canada natural-ist and interpretive planner, avifaunal consultant and Elderhostel leader in At-lantic Canada and as an onboard natu-ralist on Alaska cruise-ships. He has also found the time to author and co-author nine bird books for Atlantic Canada and further afield in North America, as well as paint his favourite owls and other birds. A tenth book, an illustrated birding site guide for New Brunswick, is in the process of publication this fall and more may well follow if Roger can continue to enjoy boundless energy. His only regret is that he does not have wings to follow birds wher-ever they fly.  Because they have
wings and can take advantage of or escape any disadvantage caused by
changes in climate or habitat and because they are readily observed,
birds can indicate faster than almost any other form of life whether
even the most imperceptible shifts have taken place. Which makes it
even more surprising that the present Canadian government has chosen to
cut funding to Environment Canada and its agencies, and thus its bird
population monitoring programs, at a time when a rapid analysis of
global warming and its effects is required. The monitoring of bird
populations is more easily undertaken on archipelagos and islands,
especially those that are relatively small and have a wide range of
habitats and a small human population. Grand Manan is a prime example
of this and even a cursory study of its birdlife indicates that there
have been major changes over the last 30 years. Sketch of Castalia Marsh by John Belyea For at least two decades, starting in the mid-1970s, the warming climate encouraged southern species, such as Carolina Wren, Northern Mockingbird, Gray Catbird and Northern Cardinal, to establish a foothold on the main island, although they failed to populate the uninhabited outer islands where winter food and shelter were lacking. The rapid increase in winter bird feeders, especially in and around North Head, enabled these semi-hardy species to survive the worst of the weather by finding plentiful alternative food supplies and adequate shelter. Other people-friendly species, such as Eastern Phoebe, swallows, European Starling and Common Grackle, forsook their usual breeding sites to make use of man-made buildings with their better feeding and shelter facilities. Life looked good for a while but times have changed for some, as I will explain later. Then, starting in the early 2000s, something changed and bird populations began to indicate a declining trend in numbers. The greatest reduction has been among seabirds, especially alcids and terns, where a minor rise in sea temperatures can cause a startling decline in the range and biomass of fish populations and thus a precipitous drop in nesting populations of the birds that prey on them. Double-crested Cormorants have suffered less from these changes, largely because they have begun to rely on a supply of weir-captured herring and other small fish, but other oceanic birds, especially Common and Arctic Terns, have seen their regular food items largely disappear in inshore waters. Coupled with a contemporary increase in the summer populations of predatory Bald Eagles and Peregrine Falcons, these colonial nesters and, to a lesser extent, Atlantic Puffins, have either abandoned nesting strongholds or seen their breeding success drastically reduced. Even Machias Seal Island, previously considered largely immune from nearshore factors, has seen the loss of its nesting terns for the two most recent seasons and a reduced fledging rate among its nesting Razorbills and Atlantic Puffins. Human intolerance may well account for the reduction in the number of summering Black-crowned Night-Herons, although careful monitoring and protection of breeding Leach’s Storm-Petrels on Kent Island has certainly aided in their success. The same program may well encourage Manx Shearwaters to nest for the first time, as this European seabird is now seen in ever-increasing numbers close to shore, especially during herring runs off Seal Cove. We may even see the arrival of nesting Northern Fulmars on our columnar basalt cliffs, given this year’s surprising summer numbers. Another encouraging sign is the expansion of nesting Black Guillemots to a new breeding colony site on the dark side of Grand Manan. Long-Billed
Dowitcher
 On land, there has
been a notable reduction in the numbers of woodpeckers, flycatchers,
swallows and thrushes. These can be partly explained by the loss of
nesting cavities for woodpeckers as dead snags and stumps are removed,
the recent series of cold, wet springs with a consequent lack of
hatching insects available to early-arriving flycatchers and swallows,
and the removal of wintering habitats for South and Central American
wintering thrushes. In addition, there are fewer natural and man-made
nest sites for many cavity-nesting songbirds as urban-oriented
residents remove unwanted Barn Swallow and other nests in spring
house-cleaning. It is also apparent that many homeowners no longer
regularly stock their bird feeders with seed even in harsh winters. The
effect is obvious, fewer birds and less variety. The arrival of alien
plants, especially trees, has also contributed to the decline, largely
because it takes songbirds several generations to adapt to changing
wild food supplies. How many songbirds have you seen perched in
Japanese Knotweed tangles? All these factors have combined to reduce our summering bird population on Grand Manan. Surprisingly, even the House Sparrow, ubiquitous throughout mainland New Brunswick, is no longer found on Grand Manan and the House Finch, an aggressive newcomer on the mainland, has rarely ventured into what appears to be an ideal niche, perhaps because Common Grackles and European Starlings have occupied such territories. Why should we be concerned about these shifts in bird populations? I suggest that any changes are symptomatic of a decline in the quality of Planet Earth and its ability to sustain life as we know it, including our own existence. What is needed is a thorough examination of bird populations to establish what is happening on Grand Manan and in the Maritime Provinces in general. This is exactly the mandate of the Maritime Breeding Bird Atlas, which is in the second year of its five-year update of the original census carried out in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, Bird Studies Canada, which oversees the program, may well lose its core funding and have to rely entirely on volunteers. I have been undertaking the Atlas on Grand Manan for the last two years, following in the footsteps of Brian Dalzell who provided so much information for the first Atlas and for his “A Checklist of Grand Manan Birds” published in 2004. Hopefully, public pressure and a change of heart will persuade our federal government to change course and restore funding for such programs. Without it the prognosis for Grand Manan’s nesting birds is not good, as a lack of solid scientific evidence is often an excuse for non-action.  On a more specific
note, the degradation of Castalia Marsh by human waste disposal on the
beach and in the water system probably accounts for its diminished
importance as a shorebird site. This could easily be corrected by
enforcing existing laws and would ensure the return of rarer migrant
species, such as Stilt Sandpiper and Long-billed Dowitcher, which used
to be a major attraction to visiting birders in the fall. Now only
visiting egrets and nesting Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows provide an
incentive to stop at the site. Similarly, widespread timber cutting at
the south end of the island has severely reduced the habitat available
to nesting Black-backed Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee, Bicknell’s Thrush
and crossbill pairs, all of which once figured prominently on the
target checklists of visiting birders. The loss of these species
reduces the amount of time spent by birders on the archipelago. Double Crested Cormorant What does this mean to the Grand Manan economy? You have only to speak to tourism operators to learn how much these visitors put into the local economy and how important it is to Grand Mananers that they continue to visit. In my own case, I have found steady summer employment on the island catering to them and I am sure many others share this benefit. Grand Manan has been known for its birds since the days of John James Audubon and it would be a shame to see the work of Allan Moses and others becoming just a memory as its bird population declines. Without birds the quality of life would be greatly diminished, both here and in the world in general. Today I read on the Internet about the calamitous decline in the population of Chinese Crested Terns to a mere 50 nesting pairs, simply because their eggs are considered more nutritious than those of domestic poultry. Have we already reached the point of no return where we plunder nature’s wildlife resources as a means of satisfying our own unreasonable desires at the expense of ignoring the needs of our fellow inhabitants? If we continue along this path, we will suffer permanent extinction and Planet Earth will replenish itself at our expense. top TRAIL
ADOPTERS: 2007
top George & Ginny Riseborough, Whale Cove
to Hole-In-The-Wall Trail Adopters
FRIENDS
OF GRAND MANAN TRAILS. The following people have given a donation
to the Trails between Sept. 1/06 and Sept. 1/07 amounting to $1,300.00
FRIENDS OF GRAND
MANAN TRAILS
topc/o Bob Stone 51 Red Point Road, Grand Manan, NB E5G 4J1 rstone@nb.sympatico.ca or Grand Manan Tourism Association 1141 Route 776, Grand Manan, NB E5G 4E9 Phone: 506-662-3442 (1-888-525-1655) gmtouris@nbnet.nb.ca Web: www.grandmananNB.com THE GRAND MANAN TRAILS PIN  The idea that we
should identify ourselves with a distinctive logo originated with one
of the Island’s scout leaders in 1993. When contacted, long time
“Friend” O. K. Schenk promptly designed a sew-on crest which was later
transformed into a lapel pin. Mr. Schenk’s beautiful watercolors are
well known to Islanders and are included in some of our Island Museum’s
displays.The design depicts “a hard white shape symbolizing the Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) which is common during the summer, and always a source of pleasure”. The background colour is a dark forest green and the white flower-center (or berries) a bright red. First offered for sale in 1994 as a crest and now as a pin, they have become our principal fund raising activity. They are sold for $5.00 each, without profit to the sellers, by a number of GMTA members. They are available at the following places: Island Arts, Marathon Inn, Shorecrest Lodge, Whale Cove Cottages, Grand Manan Museum, Harrington Cove Cottages. Thanks to all of them. |
|
Introduction | -1993- | -1994- | -1995- | -1996- | -1997- | -1998- | -1999- | -2000- | -2001- | -2002- | | -2003- | -2004- | -2005- | -2006 - | -2007 - | Newsletter Archives (PDF): | 2003 PDF (321KB) | 2004 PDF (216KB)
Have a Question? E-Mail us at:info@grandmanannb.com| Main
Page
| Map of Grand Manan
| Calendar of
Events
| Ferry
Info.
| Site
Sponsors |
top |
