RIVERSONG - National Historic Site · 2016-02-16 · tish Tea on Sunday, December 14 at 2pm. They...

1www.ruthvenpark.ca Tel: 905.772.0560

RIVERSONGNEWSLETTER OF THE LOWER GRAND RIVER LAND TRUST INC.

Volume 14 Number 2 Summer – 2008Volume 20 Number 4 Winter 2014

Inside this issue

Presidents Report ..................................... 2A Busy Trip ............................................... 4-5Northern Saw-whet Owls......................... 9Mark on your calendars ..........................11

Each year a group of delightful volunteers spend a few days and decorate the various trees for the Christmas program. Here (l-r) Lois Glenney, Donna Tansley, Sheila Farraway and Pearl Buckle add the finishing touches to the early 20th century tree.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The

mansion interior has been transformed into vignettes representing different time periods spent by the Thompsons during the holiday season.

The program for the holiday this year will focus on the evening Candlelight Tours of the Thompson’s beloved home.

Christmas programs (see page 11) come to life as authentic family stories are presented through ani-mation by costumed interpreters and volunteers. Visitors of all ages can enjoy these performances. Afterwards socialize in the Coach House with some hot cider and cookies.

This year the Rosewood Recorders, under the Direction of Robert S. Rivers will be joining our Scot-tish Tea on Sunday, December 14 at 2pm. They are an early music chamber ensemble made up of tal-ented, amateur musicians, who play all varities of the recorder. The recorder was very popular in Europe from the 14th to 18th centuries and gained popular-ity again in the 20th century.

Also new this year is a exhibit titled ‘The Emi-grant’s Kist’, a touring exhibition from the National Museun of Scotland.

The Kist was a chest into which went all those possesions deemed essential to starting a new life overseas. Perhaps James Thompson brought one

The Season is Upon UsOR

Nancy Vanderburg decorating the 1950’s aluminum tree.

First snow fall of the season.

with him in 1785, when he came to Canada from Hawik Roxburghshire, Scotland.

International country artist, Tia McGraff is return-ing for our annual Christmas concert. Tia’s personable manner, stage presence and her voice ‘of an angel’ adds up to a show not to be missed (see ticket infor-mation on page 11).


President’s MessageBy Betsy Smith

President, The Lower Grand River Land Trust

The Lower Grand River Land Trust Inc. board of directors for 2014-2015 (from l-r) Richard Pardoe, Jim Walton, Robert Gerrie, Walter Peace, Eugene Tjepkema, Janet de Vos, (seated) James Potter, Paul Famula, Betsy Smith,

Philip Kuckyt, Nancy Furber and Michelle Amaral.

The Annual General Meeting of the Lower Grand River Land Trust Inc. was held on Octo-ber 8, 2014 at the Ruthven Park Coach House. An important action item was the membership’s approval of our new By-laws and Objectives. This was a requirement of the government for federally incorporated not-for-profit organizations and also a goal of our Strategic Plan. The approved Cana-dian Corportations Act Certificate of Continuance was received shortly thereafter.

Another event at the meeting was the nomina-tion of new board members. This year five posi-tions on the board were available (in accordance with the By-laws) We were required to replace outgoing members Ron Gowland, Karen Walton, Jim Smith and Gail Collins (the fifth position was a vacant one). These valued Directors collectively represented 47 years of service to the Land Trust. Ron served as secretary and was a member of the building conservation committee. Karen will con-tinue as a member of the membership committee while Jim Smith sits on the building conservation committee. Gail was the vice-president and is on

the membership committee. Both Gail and Karen are members of the ad hoc committee on market-ing. All these outgoing Directors have made sig-nificant contributions to Ruthven Park. Directors, staff and the general membership thank them for their past years of service and for continuing with committee work.

While five members have stepped away, I found it gratifying that we have five new willing members: Richard Pardoe, Paul Famula, Eugene Tjekema, Michelle Amaral and Jim Walton. We welcome them to the Board and look forward to working with them throughout the coming years.

Sadly I respectfully acknowledge the sudden death of Dan Armstrong. The Armstrong family have been associated with Ruthven Park and the Thompson family for over 100 years. Dan and his wife Karen have rented farm fields from us for many years and have always been helpful and gra-cious in our dealings with them. We extend our deepest condolences to Karen and children Christine and Carl.

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Bits & Pieces

By Marilynn Havelka, CAO

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Representing a total of 47 years of service, Thanks to Gail Collins, Karen Walton, and Ron Gowland, and Jim Smith (not in photo) for their time amd expertise given to the

Land Trust Board.

In March, Ruthven staff responded to an expression of interest sent out by the Ontario Land Trust Alliance (OLTA) of which we are members. The purpose of the intiative was to enable Natu-rally Accessible - Discovering Ontario’s Land Trusts, respective properties to become more accessible and inclusive to persons with disabilities. RARE Charitable Research Reserve in Cambridge and Ruthven were the two chosen recipients to partici-pate. Sterling Frazer Associates were selected as consultants with Brian Kon being our lead contact. Over a few meetings and site inspections, Brian presented his findings through a report A Roadmap to Accessibility in October.

Recommendations from the report were prior-tized and will be used as a tool to assist Ruthven to meet our obligations under the Accessibility for Ontarians and Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) and helps us to accomodate and be inclusive to persons with disabilities.

Walter Peace thanks Adam Shoalts for the fascinating account of his adventure while mapping northern rivers of Canada. Adam was the guest speaker at the Annual General Meeting.

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Good building maintenance practices are important to Ruthven Park as the mansion and nineteenth century out buildings contribute to our status as a s national historic site. By maintaining these structures it prevents the need for more radi-cal intervention and will extend their existence. Wood is one of the most common of exterior build-ing materials. However it is vulnerable to moisture - dampness is woods worst enemy! The pillars on the front portico of the mansion are exposed to south westerly winds and rain. Moisture collects

THE LOWER GRAND RIVER

LAND TRUST INC.

Wishes you a Merry Christmas

and a Happy New Year!

Betsy Smith, President accepts a cheque presented by Robin-Lee Norris, Vice Chair of the Grand River Conservation Authority for the 2014 Community Conservation Grants at the 2014 Watershed Awards,

Grants and Scholarships.

continued on page 11

We are grateful to the Ministry of Culture, Tour-ism and Sport for $29, 367 received through the Community Museum Operating Grant Program.

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By Marilynn Havelka, CAOA Busy Trip to the Nations Capital

Land Trust president Betsy and I travelled to Ottawa from November 5 – 7 for a busy few days on Ruthven business. It was a productive and inter-esting trip with the first stop made in Perth. Here we visited with Judy Burns. Her husband was the first cousin of our Violet Thompson (nee Burns), first wife of Andrew Thorburn Thompson and mother of Andrew, Walter and Margaret. I had vis-ited Judy approximately seven years ago and spent considerable time viewing family scrapbooks and hearing more about the Burns family. During this visit, the well organized scrapbooks came out again and Betsy and I had many questions for Judy. She was an absolute delight and we are so grateful for the information she so willingly shared and for her friendship and hospitality. Next stop was Ottawa

and on Thursday morning we were off to the Cana-dian Conservation Institute (CCI) to retrieve a Ruth-ven artifact which had been treated. CCI is a centre of excellence that supports heritage institutions and professionals across Canada by providing expertise, treatment and preventive conservation to selected objects of historical or cultural value. The Institute is not only recognized in Canada but is well respected internationally.

In the spring a call for “request of service” was made by CCI. From Ruthven’s collection we decided to apply for treatment for the red/burgundy sport-ing jersey which belonged to Andrew Thorburn Thompson and worn during World War One. Kept in a trunk with other uniforms on the third floor in the mansion for many years, the jersey had signifi-

President Betsy Smith with Judith Burns.

cant losses or holes in the wool and the black wool felt logo. The item was rare and an ideal candidate for conservation. It was accepted, shipped to CCI and over the summer months was worked on by textile conservator Janet Wagner. Upon arrival, we were met by Elisabeth Joy, Manager, Treatment and Collections: textiles, archaeology, objects and paper and Janet who was anxious to show us the “after treatment” of the sweater. The treatment included localized removal of stains on the sweater, surface cleaning with low level suction through a protective nylon screen, relaxing folds and wrinkles through careful humidification, stabilizing the edge of the collar, repairing small holes and backing losses in the sweater. We were extremely pleased with the treatment and the great care taken during the process. A padded form was designed and made to hold the shape of the sweater and to support it while in storage or on display.

This sweater is rare. It was worn during sporting events organized for soldiers while in training. Also in the collection is a sporting medal which would have been given out on sports days.

We gratefully thank CCI for their expertise in treating and stabilizing the sweater. It will be con-served for future generations.

Before treatment: The sweater was worn by Andrew Thompson during sporting events (hockey, lacrosse etc.) organized for soldiers for physical fitness and team build-ing exercises. The logo represents the 114th Battalion,

C.E.F. where Andrew served as Lieutenant Colonel.

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Betsy Smith (rt), President of the Land Trust and Ruthven Park’s Marilynn Havelka proudly stand on either side of the MacAdam Shield Shovel at the opening of the exhibit “Fighting in Flanders: Gas. Mud. Memory” currently on view at The Canadian War

Museum. The exhibit will be featured until March 15, 2015.

The photograph shows 114th Battalion soldiers in their uniforms and back two rows wearing their sporting jer-

seys. (Photo credit: Haldimand Museum and Archives)

...and after treatment: Janet Wagner, textile conservator from CCI and a sports enthusiast took a special interest

in the sweater.


The afternoon was spent at the Canadian Museum of History. Due to the size of the building and the number of exhibitions on view we decided to visit the temporary Canada’s Titanic- The Empress of Ireland exhibit developed in partnership with the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Halifax. The accident happened one hundred years ago on May 29, 2014 when the Empress of Ireland collided with the Norwegian coal ship, Storstad, in the St. Lawrence River. This disaster claimed 1,012 lives and to this day remains the greatest maritime disaster in the history of Canada. Today the ship lies in 42 meters of water on the bottom of the St. Lawrence River, six miles off shore from Sainte-Luce-Sur-Mer, Quebec. Betsy and I were surprised to learn that the Canadian ship which was used to bring hundreds of thousands of immigrants to Can-

ada was actually on a return voyage to Liverpool carrying Canadian and American passengers home for a visit or for good.

The exhibition was very well done, complete with personal stories representing the passengers and crew, sound effects, original artifacts from the sunken ship and it demonstrates what can be done when you have the resources! We managed to sneak a visit to the Children’s Museum where we visited the Bob the Builder Project: Build It, geared to 3 to 7 year olds!

At 5:30 pm, we attended the opening of the exhibit Fighting in Flanders: Gas. Mud. Memory at the Cana-dian War Museum. The exhibition was developed by the museum in partnership with the Memorial Museum Passchendaele in Belgium. We had been invited as the MacAdam shield shovel from the Ruthven collection was loaned to the museum for the display. The exhibition explores how Canadians in Belgium had to adapt to significant challenges – the poison gas in the second Battle of Ypres and the mud in Passchendaele. We can only imagine what Andrew Ruthven Thompson went through as he joined the 4th Battalion and was severely wounded at Passchendaele.

On our way home we stopped in Delta and vis-ited another of our sister national historic sites. The Old Stone Mill, built in 1810, is a fine example of early industrial architecture. Like Ruthven, it was saved by a group of local dedicated volunteers who still program the site to this day.


Hummingbird Banding

Every spring we anticipate the return of hum-mingbirds to our gardens! They find the food needed by drinking nectar provided by natu-ral (flowers), artificial (feeders) or by consuming insects and spiders from our gardens. We mar-vel at their flight behavior and bright plumage. A hummingbird’s normal wing beat is about 80 times per second; they can hover, or move forward and backward. Just imagine holding a humming-bird in your hand – seeing them up close, waiting and listening for them to take flight.

Having a Banding Sub-Permit and with my interest in birds, I wanted to pursue training with a licensed hummingbird bander in order to receive a Hummingbird Banding Permit.

The bands for hummingbirds are unique and are initially photoengraved on a flat, thin sheet of aluminum, 100 bands per sheet. Special tools are required to cut and form the bands. Just like pas-serine banding, once a hummingbird is banded, the birds’ age, sex, and plumage characteristics are identified and recorded. In addition, a num-ber of measurements are taken – wing length, bill length, and weight. The banding office protocol requires an individual to band a minimum of 100 birds, while demonstrating comfort and finesse in handling/banding them. This would require me to travel to the United States, spending one to three days at a site. Training in Ontario was an option but I wouldn’t reach the goal of 100 birds in one training visit and also, there are fewer licensed hummingbird banders in Ontario. So I waited and waited, until now. This past summer, I received an invitation from Bruce Murphy (“Murph”), a licensed hummingbird bander to receive train-ing from him and Joanne Goddard. All of the plans came together and I was in New Liskard from August 13th to the 18th. Murph is the master bander at the Hilliardton Marsh Bird & Wetland Research & Education Centre (BWREC). Earlier I had trained with him for owl banding (see the Blog Post: November 13th, 2011 – End of Owling).

Within an hour of arriving at Dawson Point, New Liskard, I caught and banded my first hum-mingbird. They were caught in large traps with

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By Nancy Furber, Bird Bander and Director The Lower Grand River Land Trust Inc.

a feeder inside which were near a garden. Using fishing line to operate a sliding door from a dis-tance, the birds were safely trapped. It was fantas-tic, a little daunting at first because of the challenge to handle a smaller bird and using a SMALL band but I had great teachers. With each subsequent bird handled I was developing a comfort in band-ing them, identifying the age and sex, and taking the measurements. My training took me to Haili-bury, the Marsh at Hilliardton, Montreal River, and Elk Lake. I was banding inside of homes, or outside on picnic table, in sunrooms, or the back trunk of a vehicle.

Even though I was shivering when the weather was cool and windy, or feeling anxious while I was waiting to catch a bird, it was a wonderful experience and I enjoyed every moment. In total, I banded 40 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and handled an additional 10 birds that had already been banded (called retraps). Thanks to Bruce Murphy and Joanne Goddard for their expertise and the time they gave to me for this opportunity to band hummingbirds!

As I did not reach the goal of a 100 birds, I am looking forward to finishing my training next sum-mer to receive my hummingbird banding permit. My goal is to establish an area at Ruthven to attract hummingbirds and band them so others can have the pleasure of holding them. Ruthven Park has two beautiful gardens that already attract hum-

Nancy Furber holding a Hummingbird that had just been caught in a trap.


Marie, Helena and Kerry were honoured with the Haldimand County Community Culture Award for their production and partnership with Ruth-ven Park - “This award aims to promote a positive image for arts, heritage and culture in Haldimand County.” If you have not seen the play, it definitely demonstrates all of those attributes. The focus is on the Thompson Family’s contribution to WWI. The puppets are expertly crafted; the performance is well written and uses a variety of puppetry, the-atrical and artistic techniques to bring the story to life. I had the pleasure of attending the (very posh) Haldimand County Awards night with Marie and Helena. The ladies said they felt like movie stars when they walked in; all of the Haldimand County employees (putting on the event) knew exactly who they were and directed them where to get their photo taken. There were so many qualified nominees; it was such an honour to just be nomi-nated, and it was fantastic to see Marie and Helena when the award was announced. They were shak-ing with excitement (and so was I)! They worked so hard on this production. I know how much of their own time and money went into the play and I am so glad they have been recognized, not only for their contribution to Ruthven, but for their con-tribution to Haldimand County.

We always love having Studio Babette at Ruthven, they bring energy to the Coach House. I always feel our programs with the puppets just wiz by and the Coach House feels empty when they are gone. This year we are lucky to have some of the puppets sticking around for a bit. If you visit the mansion over the Christmas season you will see The Lt. Colonel, Major Andrew, Walter and Margaret in one of our display cases in the orien-tation room. They will be with us for the next few months, until Studio Babette takes them for offsite productions.

In October, the play was taken offsite to the Dundas Museum and Archives for school vis-its and a public evening performance. Taking the show offsite is a way to promote Ruthven. The Mansion plays a prominent roll in the play as the back drop for all the Thompson children sequences and also as the place that Lydia is so eager to visit. The production promotes our site as well as the county. It is great to see the show on tour!

mingbirds – The Edwardian Garden at the back of the mansion and ‘Carol’s’ garden next to the bird banding lab (developed by Carol Jones). With an additional number of hummingbird feeders con-centrated near the lab, I’m hoping that’s where I’ll be able to trap and band them. It’ll be interesting to see how many hummingbirds we actually have around Ruthven. Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to visit your garden and band the hummingbirds you enjoy seeing.


A Hummingbird having its beak measured.

Prize Winning Puppet Production

By Natalie Campbell, Education Coordinator

We welcomed back Studio Babette Puppet The-atre and their production of From Ruthven to Pass-chendaele for their third November at Ruthven. We had just under 200 students (gr. 4-8) for the school performances this year; the schools were from Brantford, Haldimand and Hamilton. In addition, we had a great number of visitors for our public performance (on Sunday November 9th).

This year, the ladies from Studio Babette:

Marie, Natalie and Helena attended the Haldimand County Awards where Studio Babette Puppet Theatre and Ruthven

Park won the Community Culture Award.


Ruthven Park’s slough for-ests are unique. Not only is the site part of the third largest expanse of forest in the Hal-dimand clay plain, but natural area reports from the Minis-try of Natural Resources state that the “display of the slough pond and basin land is matched nowhere else”. Unfortunately, in the past much of the forest has been disturbed by cutting which has opened up the canopy, disrupting the community structure and composition. In combination with agricultural activities and drainage, these disturbances have cre-ated an opportunity for non-native species to become established.

Like many areas of southern Ontario, the compo-sition and ecological function of Ruthven`s forest is threatened by the gradual incursion of invasive non-native plants. These species compete for resources such as light, space, water, pollinators, and dispersers of seed. They also have a competitive advantage in terms of browsing pressure, as herbivores tend to prefer native species. Added to that, invasives are often very prolific, growing rapidly and producing large numbers of offspring.

Competing for resources in the understory of Ruthven`s forests are four significant woody invad-ers. These include common buckthorn, multiflora rose, exotic honeysuckles, and non-native barberries. Of these, the most numerous is common buckthorn.

Taking Back the UnderstoreyBy Sandra Turner, Stewardship Coordinator

Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)

Illustration by Andrea Kingsley

- Invader of open woods and woodland edges, prairies and open fields- Tolerant of many soil types- Shrub or tree form- Often two to three metres tall; can reach seven metres- Twigs end in sharp thorn

- Usually opposite leaves with finely toothed edges- Forms dense, even-aged thickets, crowding and shad-ing out native shrubs and herbs, often completely oblit-erating them- Dense buckthorn seedlings prevent native tree and shrub regeneration- Alters soil chemistry to the detriment of native plant biodiversity- Fruit is eaten by birds and mice- The fruit produces a severe laxative effect which con-tributes to the dispersal of seed - Introduced as an ornamental shrub and windbreakNative range is Eurasia For more information visit http://www.invadingspecies.com or ontario.ca/invasivespecies

Young forest understory at Ruthven.

Tackling invasives at Ruthven

Over the last several years efforts have been made to manage common buckthorn and other non-native shrubs at Ruthven. This work has been undertaken with the financial support of the Gov-ernment of Canada through the federal Depart-ment of the Environment. Survey and mapping has taken place along with removal of invasives using both physical methods, such as pulling and girdling, as well as chemical means. The following map indicates the areas covered in 2012-2013

This fall and winter Ruthven will continue to tackle invasive shrubs with funding again pro-vided by the Government of Canada through the

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This was our 4th fall season of Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) banding at the Ruthven Park Banding Station. Each season, there’s anticipation for the number of owls we’ll catch and, as project leader, I’m always anxious about whether we’ll catch any but that’s just me. There’s excitement for each owl that is caught, and this year was no exception – it was our 2nd best season! Even though we are an inland sta-tion, catching Norther Saw-whet Owls in habitat is non-conventional, however, a total of 64 owls were handled – 62 Northern Saw-whet Owls banded and 2 foreign retraps (a bird banded by someone else at another station).

Using the same study area and method (see RIVERSONG Fall 2012 – ‘Fall Migration of North-ern Saw-whet Owls’, pg 11/12) the nets were opened on 14 nights between October 8th and November 2nd. For the last six nights a second sound system was established inland near an area of clustered net lanes (a total of six additional nets were opened and the same male Saw-whet territo-rial vocalization on a continuous loop). The first night it was set-up, two owls were caught in the net adjacent to the sound system! Times of net opening and the sound system(s) being turned on were between 8 pm and 2 am. However, hours were adjusted based on weather conditions, and also, to maximize our time to take advantage of peak Saw-whet owl migration. Once the nets were opened, they were checked every hour.

Of the 62 Northern Saw-whet Owls banded, 60% were sexed as females, 11% were sexed as males, and 29% were unknown. For the age statis-tics, 79% were aged as hatch year (HY), 6% were aged as second year (SY), 13% were aged after sec-ond year (ASY), and 2% were aged as after hatch year (AHY). From the two foreign retraps, one was a young female and the second was an older female. The older female was initially banded at Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory in 2012. We are still waiting to see where the second owl was banded.

The Ruthven Park Banding Lab had a phenom-enal saw-whet owl banding season. Highlights included:

• the first joint program with the Fern Hill School, Burlington and the ‘Breakfast with the Birds Program’

• an increase in the number of visitors – over a period of 10 nights there were 108 visitors,

• two foreign retraps • a successful attempt at attracting owls with

the second sound system• a bander in Quebec, near Lac-Laperriere

(just south of Lake Temiskaming) caught one of our owls that was banded at the Ruthven Park Banding Station on October 07, 2012.

Northern Saw-whet Owl Banding 2014By Nancy Furber, Bird Bander and Director The Lower Grand River Land Trust Inc.

Saw-whet Owls - all four Photos by Bob Fotheringham

The owl banding team (l-r) Matt Timpf, James Furber, Nancy Furber and Rick Ludkin.

So, it’s time to celebrate and catch up on my sleep! Thanks to team members Rick Ludkin, my son James Furber, and Matt Timpf for their help with the program. A special thank you to Irene and Bob Fotheringham who were there night after night – to Irene for all of the delicious baking, car-ing for all of us and the visitors, scribing, and help-ing with the net checks and to Bob for the great photography, sharing the net checks and catch-ing lots of owls in ‘your net’. Thanks everyone for your support!

The starlit night at Ruthven is a sight to see and the net checks are made magical with the light of the stars to guide you, and you never know what you may hear or see when you visit this beautiful park at night. Hope to see everyone next year!


The infantry getting ready for Arms Drills: Loading and Firing (second from right) Ruthven volunteer Matt Furber joins the boys of the Canadian Great War Society.

Photo by John Rennison, Hamilton Spectator.

Two Events - Same Day!

The membership committee hosted Land Trust members for a breakfast of waffles, fruit and cof-fee. Members had a chance to rub shoulders with the WWI soldiers.

Members and soldiers enjoying breakfast in the Coach House.

Jim Walton gets his frilly apron tied by Betsy Smith. They both made awesome waffles!

MEMBERS BREAKFAST

Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of The Great War

If you looked around you might have felt you were in the midst of a training field for soldiers in the Great War. The cavalry were getting their horses warmed up for sword and lance training while the infantry were preparing for the Battle Drill Assault Training. Inside the Coach House was were dis-plays of guns, motorcycles, 114th Battalion and a uniform ‘dress up area’. In the East Service Wing four speakers held the audiences attention while they spoke on a variety of topics.

We would like to thank the following for mak-ing the day possible:

• The Canadian Great War Society including David Webb and Tim Gillies who helped to organize the event

• Haldimand Museum and Archives• Warmotion• Speakers: Marty Wood, Karen Richardson,

Sheridan Alder and Peter MonahanDespite the frigid temperatures, the event was

successful and will be scheduled for next year.

David Webb introducing the soldiers and their uniforms during the Great War Fashion Show.Photo by John Rennison, Hamilton Spectator.

Tim Gillies getting an infantry soldier ready for drill.Photo by John Rennison, Hamilton Spectator.


Mark These Events on Your Calendar

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DON’T MISS...CHRISTMAS WITH

TIA MCGRAFFDecember 7 ~ 2pm

Tickets $15. Enjoy an afternoon of seasonal music with international country artist Tia McGraff. Open seating. Enjoy a mansion tour at

1pm. Refreshments available.

CANDLELIGHT TOURSDecember 6, 10,11,12 & 16, 17, 18 ~ 7pm

Pre-payment/registration required.Adults $12, Seniors $10, Children $4

The Thompson family will share their Christmas expe-riences while you tour through the mansion. Refresh-ments and exhibit of a Scot’s Immigrant Kist included.

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SCOTTISH TEADecember 14 ~ 2pm

Pre-payment/registration required.Adults $12, Seniors $10, Children $4

Celebrate the season - enjoy tea & tasteful samples of sweets while listening to the music of Rosewood Consort, a group of 14 recorder players.

Mansion tour included.

Don’t miss our CHRISTMAS TOURSPre-booked groups welcome other then regular hours

Book your Christmas event in the Coach House.

on the stone portico floor and this the process of deterioration begins, especially in areas where the protective coating (paint) has failed.

The top photo (below) shows the base of the pillar after the wood rot was cleared out. A section with reclaimed white pine that had been traced and shaped to match the pattern of the ring on one of the columns was replaced. Other areas were stripped to the bare wood. A coat of ConServeEpoxy was brushed on to stabilize and consolidate exposed wood then ConServEpoxy filler was then applied to fill in gaps. All repaired areas were then sanded to match the original column profiles. Three coats of paint was applied to match the existing columns. The contractor hired to do the work was Art Dean. The Ontario Heritage Trust, through our ease-ment obligations approved the methodolgy for the repairs to the columns.

On September 30, British broadcaster , author, edu-cator and WWI re-enactor, Andrew Robertshaw (centre) returned to Ruthven. He participated along with David Webb, Tim Gillies, and Ruthven’s Nata-lie Campbell in our school program delivered to 230 kids. In the evening Andrew spoke to an intrigued

audience. His topic was The Great War in Colour.


Looking for a gift for someone who has everything...give the gift of a membership to

The Lower Grand River Land Trust Inc.


LOWER GRAND RIVERLAND TRUST INC.

Board of Directors2014 - 2015

Executive CommitteeBetsy Smith, President

Walter Peace, Vice PresidentPhilip Kuckyt, Secretary

Michelle Amaral, TreasurerRob Gerrie, Executive Director

Directors Janet de Vos Nancy Furber James Potter Paul Famula Richard Pardoe EugeneTjepkema Jim Walton

LOWER GRAND RIVER LAND TRUST STAFF

Marilynn Havelka, CAO, Ruthven ParkNatalie Campbell, Education Coordinator

Caitlin Cannon, Operations CoordinatorSandra Turner, Stewardship Coordinator

Bob Donald, MaintenanceThe Lower Grand River Land Trust Inc.c/o Ruthven Park National Historic Site

243 Haldimand Hwy #54, Box 610, Cayuga,Ontario N0A 1E0 • 905.772.0560

email: [email protected]: www.ruthvenpark.ca

Volunteer?We have several projects on hand!

If you are interested, please give us a call at the Gate House.

905 - 772- 0560

MISSIONRuthven Park is a National Historic Site owned and managed by the Lower Grand River Land Trust Inc. a not-for-profit, non-government, charitable organization which seeks to conserve, maintain and promote Ruthven Park’s rich cultural and natural heritage through research, stewardship, interpretation and education for the enjoyment

of present and future generations.

(Approved by the board on October 26 during the strategic planning process).

VISIONTo be an exemplary steward of the lands entrusted to our care...creating an awareness and understanding,

through the public education and involvement, of the past and future natural and cultural processes.

JOIN RUTHVEN’S FAN CLUB...

become a member!

Your support helps to conserve and present this

National Historic Site

federal Department of the Environment. Over the next three years, we will survey, map and remove non-native shrubs from approximately 33 acres (13 ha) per year. Over the long-term this work will help maintain the ecological integrity of Ruthven`s forest community.

These projects were undertaken with the financial support of:Ces projets ont été réalisé avec l`appui financier de:


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