FortWhyte Alive

Anouncing: Spears and 'Shoes 2011!

2011-01-20T14:20:00.001-06:00

It began as a crazy idea...

It became a challenge between friends...

It grew into a world-unique event, thrilling racers and participants alike.

It's back!

I am pleased to announce the second annual Spears and 'Shoes Biathlon at FortWhyte Alive, coming up on February 19th, 1-3 pm. The team that brought you the first Spears and 'Shoes, and TIMBERRR!!! Lumberjack Challenge back in November, have been hard at work and Spears and 'Shoes 2011 promises to be a blast!

Snowshoes take the place of skis and atlatls (spear-throwers) take the place of rifles in this FortWhyte twist on biathlon. This fun event is about embracing your inner paleolithic hunter, and competing for your chance to be world champion! In addition to bragging rights, a handmade atlatl set are up for grabs.

Call (204) 989-8355 or email camp@fortwhyte.org for more information or to register

Stay tuned to the FortWhyte Alive blog, our website, and Facebook page for updates.

Ice Fishing: Patience Pays Off

2011-01-11T10:43:00.002-06:00

He sat, face to the wind. Alternating shadows of low-flying cloud and patches of brilliant winter sun danced around him. If he noticed the interplay of light and dark, or the swirl of cold air around him, he made no motion to indicate either comfort or discomfort.

He sat, intent on the hole in the ice in front of him. If I payed close enough attention, I could see the slightest of movements from his hands, as he led his ice-fishing lure in a jig across the bottom. He was a puppet-master with his marionette performing a pantomime in the icy, shadowy depths of Lake 3.

So he sat, for fifteen minutes. So he sat for half an hour. The young boy, maybe 9 or 10, was far more patient than I would have been when I wore boots that size.

I was out on the ice facilitating a family ice fishing event - part of Manitoba's "On the Same Page" celebration. The book every Manitoban is encouraged to read this year is Juliana and the Medicine Fish, by Jake McDonald. Jake's an outdoorsy author, and Medicine Fish involves a fair bit of fishing - if a book-signing-and-ice-fishing event ever made sense, it made sense at FortWhyte last Sunday.

So, there I was, with my reflective vest and insulated rubber boots, opening the door (or, more accurately perhaps, aaugering holes in the ice) for people to wet a line and try ice fishing. I met experienced ice fishers, more than willing to share their stories - spinning stories seems to be what fishers do, while we wait for the big one to bite. I was honoured to introduce families to ice-fishing, families new to Manitoba, for whom winter and all it's attendant activities were novel.

There were hooks to be baited, stories to be swapped, lines to untangle. I relished every moment of it - especially the stories - of whiteouts on Lake Winnipeg, successes at Selkirk, the one that got away on Lac du Bonnet, the little catfish that made a little fisherman's day at the Forks. Two hours passed like the flash from a minnow's tail.

I did not get much chance to talk with the patient boy. Frankly, he was so focused, I didn't really want to interrupt his fishing.

As I stowed away supplies at the end of the program, it was he and I alone on the lake. We did talk a little, then - he told me his name was Jonathan, and of his close encounter with Largemouth Bass on Lake of the Woods. I told him about an adventure I'd had two winters ago, trying in vain to pull pickerel from the Bloodvein River. He told me he loved fishing; I'd guessed that, but he confirmed my assumption.

The conversation wound down. I had to head in and help pack up the indoor bit of the event.

Five minutes later, as I came out of the office, I was met by the boy and his family. Jonathan had a large, slimy streak across his mid-section, and a smile that threatened to push his ears backwards.

"I caught a fish! A big jack! This big!" he said, indicated the wet, dripping, smelly spot on his parka. His grandfather leaned in to show me a cel phone photo of the boy and a healthy-looking northern pike. The grandfather was smiling almost as widely as the grandson.

The young fisherman looked at me, and adopting the matter-of-fact tone fishers always use when telling a fish story, said,

"My first one ice fishing, you know. Not going to be my last." Jonathan sniffled. I thought he was perhaps on the verge of tears, overcome by the moment - he sniffed again. "All I had to do was wait and be patient, " he said, with another strong sniffle.

Maybe I was the one overcome by the moment. Maybe I was transferring my memories of ice fishing past, and my hopes for adventures future, into this moment, because the young, patient lad sniffed again and said, "My coat smells like fish. I think my Mom will have to wash it before school tomorrow."

-Barret

Getting to know our owls

2010-12-10T15:06:00.000-06:00

Two months ago, out team met some new additions to the FortWhyte fold.

In late September, our new Prairie Partners exhibit opened. After many months of renovation, our old waterfowl room had been converted into a facility for black-tailed prairie dogs and burrowing owls. The prairie dogs have settled in to their winter pattern - mostly staying below ground during our short, cold days, but the owls have shown us a different approach to life.

I've not blogged about the owls so far - yet every day, I go home with new owl stories for friends and family. It is fascinating to watch the social interactions of the eight owls, and observe new facets of their individual behaviour.

These little birds, almost extirpated from their native range in Manitoba, continue to fascinate me day after day. This morning, they reacted vocally to my beaver-fur winter hat - I think they thought it might actually have been a critter on my head. Yesterday, at the end of the day, I woke up a little female from a nap...again, I'm no owl mind-reader, but her narrowed eyes and drooping lids said "Go away and let me sleep!" loud and clear!

Last month, I was away at a conference in Edmonton for a week. This was during the run-up to TIMBERR!!!!, so I had registration details to manage from two provinces away. With a hundred questions and details on my mind, my first question when I called in was consistantly "What're the owls doing today? Anything new?"

Check out the Prairie Partners exhibit - but be cautious. I'm finding burrowing owls can be habit-forming!

-Barret

PS: I promise to share more owl stories on the blog in the near future - the owls certainly do provide stories!

Outdoor Skills For Everyone - Another Perspective

2010-11-30T09:49:00.000-06:00

It's a gusty, snowy morning here at FortWhyte Alive.

The conditions are very similar to those last Wednesday evening, when we ran an Outdoor Skills For Everyone session on essential gear, outdoor trip planning, and general, all-season outdoor safety.

With an eager group who braved wintery roads, I demonstrated a basic all-weather survival kit, discussed minimizing risks in outdoor activity, and then put some of our theory into practice - the group moved outside of the Interpretive Centre, and we built a quick "unplanned-overnight" shelter in the snow.

One of my guests was Jacquie Crone, a writer for Unexpected Manitoba, a Manitoba tourism and travel blog. Check out her latest post for a participant's perspective on the session! Jacquie was also kind enough to let me use the photo attached to this post.

FortWhyte Alive is offering more Outdoor Skills For Everyone on Thursday evenings in January, February, and March. A big thanks to those who've come out for the sessions already - and a big "come on down!" invite to everyone out there who'd like to build their skills for playing or working outside!

Bundle up and have fun, everyone!

-Barret

TIMBERRRRRRR!!!!

2010-11-29T14:48:00.000-06:00

SATURDAY, NOV. 27th - Sawdust flew, snowdrifts shattered, and 9 participants got their chop on as the first ever TIMBERRR! Lumberjack Challenge at FortWhyte Alive went into the books.

The nine hardy racers ran a 2 mile course, laden with logs. Along the way, they identified trees, worked the saw, chopped kindling, living the adventurous life an early-20th century lumberjack - if only for 45 minutes.

Weather conditions were perfect for the event. The course volunteers (Thank-you Axeman Jack and Sawmill Gord!) were as excited as the racers.

TIMBERRR!!! was the first in a series of similar events happening at FortWhyte Alive before next summer. the next event - the Second Annual Spears and 'Shoes Atlatl/Snowshoe Biathlon, set for 1pm on February 19th, 2011.

Thank-you to all the participants and spectators who came out on Saturday - and keep looking here for more details on Spears and 'Shoes 2011!

-Barret

Awesome Program!

2010-11-24T14:50:00.000-06:00

Yesterday evening, I had my first outdoor program since the snow fell on FortWhyte Alive. A combination of vacation and a conference had kept me off the trail since the beginning of November...I was starting to get antsy!

The program: an outdoor skills session with staff and interns at FortWhyte Farms. For readers who don't know, FortWhyte Farm interns are youth at risk, from inner-city Winnipeg, who come and learn agriculture, business, and life skills while working on the farm.

I ran through a basic outdoor equipment kit, and after an explanation of how fires work, and campfire safety, we went outside. The group was able to get a beautifully small but warm fire going with only one match. I was incredibly proud...the youth built a skill, I was able to work alongside my Farm colleagues to deliver a good evening, and seeing it come together left me glowing almost as much as the little campfire!

Notes from Norway House

2010-10-27T16:12:00.001-05:00

Hi!

It was a packed few days, but my last week's trip to Norway House, MB, was a success!

Welcome to the North! Norway House Community Airport

Over last Thursday and Friday, I was able to share a bit of the FortWhyte experience with 50+ students, 60 Educational Assistants, and 25 teachers.

I learned as much as I taught - from traditional Cree plant use to local nicknames, I had to work hard to take in all the information flying around!

Balsam Poplar or Aspen? Answering an EA's inquiry using some twigs. On the right:, Balsam Poplar; left, aspen.

Thursday morning, I worked with students and teachers to do an ecological inventory of the boreal forest near their school. In the afternoon, I went out to the same forest with the EA's, and gave them a taste of what the students had done. The next day was spent with teachers, working on using the newly-inventoried plots as teaching tools, and looking at the local wetlands, jackpine ridges, and spruce hollows not just as landscape, but as teaching resources.


A student field tests a soil sample.

A big thanks to Laurie-Ann, the biology teacher who set up the professional development day for her colleagues, and to Frontier School Division for inviting FortWhyte Alive to look north!

More pictures tomorrow!

-Barret

An Expedition to the Frontier

2010-10-20T10:40:00.000-05:00

I am having trouble sitting still at my desk this morning.

It might be my wake-up coffee, or, more likely, it is my barely contained excitement and enthusiasm. I fly to Norway House, MB (part of the Frontier School Division) this afternoon, to deliver two days of custom interpretive programming!

-Anything. Anywhere. Anytime.: Not actually Perimeter Air's slogan, but it could be.

Tomorrow, 70 students from the Helen Betty Osborne Inniniw Education Centre will be conducting a "Forest Inventory" - counting and classifying the life in the forest around their school. This is the beginning of an outdoor "lab" space, where students can encounter their local landscape on many levels. My plan is for it to be a load of fun, too!

I'm spending Friday with teachers from the school, dreaming and planning on how to best use this new resource. The hope is students have more class time outdoors, engage more with their local landscape, and see a direct application for their science classes.

Two days of increasing outdoor education time. Two days of helping students learn and grow as citizens of their local environment. Two days of playing in the bush...with a purpose.

No wonder I can't sit still!

I'll let you know how it goes...until then, have a good one!

-Barret

Chicken Wrap-up

2010-10-20T10:23:00.000-05:00

Hello, Blog Readers!

I must apologize for the chicken story - long story short, with enough duct-tape and willpower, we saved the chickens. To protect the chickens, the weasel (who is innocent until proven a chicken-eater), etc. I was not able to finish the story with the level of detail contained in the first two installments.

I hear that the weasel, and at least one of the chickens, have a book deal and have sold the film rights to their story...perhaps the full tale will be yet spun, but not by me.

-Barret

Feathered Follies Episode Two

2010-09-07T10:57:00.000-05:00

Chickens are highly exciteable birds. As I stepped into the midst of the escaped flock at FortWhyte Farms, I think I must have spooked them - the chickens scattered in front of me.

I walked over to the chicken tractors, the mobile pens designed to keep the chickens safe and contained, but with room to move, scratch the ground, and peck - in essence, the devices making "pastured poultry" a reality. Two were completely bereft of chickens; bird-size holes had been made in the wire on the front of the tractors. In addition to two empty small tractors, several laying hens were moving in and out of their tractor, about ten yards south of where the meat chickens were pastured. The hole on the laying hens tractor was larger then in the other tractors. This hole would be my first priority - the laying hen's tractor housed more chickens than the smaller tractors.

I walked over to the laying hen tractor. I got down on one knee, and began twisting bits of chicken wire together, attempting to repair the breached tractor, or at least make the hole smaller than a chicken.

Eyes forward, intent on my task, I ignored the unhappy clucks around me.

I felt I was making progress. It was not a perfect repair, but it was working. Small successes fed my eagerness to get the job done.

I was so eager, I did not notice the large rooster, who had been guarding the hens, had disappeared from my field of vision.

In fact, I wouldn't notice him again until he jumped on the back of legs. Clearly, he was not happy with my work, and chose to express this with his talons and beak.

Not being a chicken, I was able to express my thoughts and feelings using words. Not necessarily printable, repeatable words, mind you - but, in all fairness, I did have an angry animal attacking my leg.

I jumped sideways. The rooster jumped back. We stared at each other. He broke off the stare, and but watched me closely.

My loud shouts had scared most of the white meat chickens back inside their tractors - an unintended, temporary benefit, but appreciated, because the commotion had actually scared two laying hens so much they'd hopped the electric safety fence, and were running towards a nearby treeline.

The very same treeline where I'd last seen the weasel.

Weasel+Chickens+dense vegetation=trouble.

I jumped the fence and ran toward the trees, determined to be the variable that would make this equation turn out more positively for the escaped hens.

Do the tractors get repaired? Is the weasel faster than Barret or the chickens? Tune in tomorrow for the third installment of Feathered Follies!

Feathered Follies: Episode One

2010-09-06T12:45:00.000-05:00

The best adventures for staff here at FortWhyte Alive always seem to happen right at the end of the work day.

I was due for an adventure. My days had been ending far too normally of late - I was getting used to shutting down and heading home.

Yesterday, my number came up!

As I drove down Sam Fabro Way to lock our front gate, I passed FortWhyte Farms chicken pasture. The pastured poultry live in large, moveable pens, called chicken tractors. However, the poultry were not so much pastured as...everywhere...including outside the knee-high electric fence in place to keep out animals like weasels.

I pulled my vehicle over, and quickly took stock of the situation.

(One could even say I took "chicken stock" of the situation, if one was fond of puns.. Not being that person, I won't...but one could say it if one was so inclined.)

White meat birds mingled with golden laying hens. A rooster was chasing hens, panicking them, and often as not causing the hens to take a short-hop flight, and land outside of their safety fence.

Stepping out of my vehicle and hopping the ditch, I realized that though I'm not a worker on the farm, this was my problem. Everyone else was home for the day - judging by the food and water supply, the farm had set the chickens up to be self-sufficient for the long weekend. I had to at least find some way of getting the chickens back inside their safety fence for the night. After all, what if a mink, skunk or a...

WEASEL!!!*

There it was! Fifteen yards from where I'd crossed the ditch, a long-tailed weasel popped up! It crawled to the edge of the safety fence, and stood on it's hing legs to get a better view of its prospective dinner.

I ran towards the weasel. It dropped to all fours, and slithered back into the well-vegetated ditch. The instant I turned my back, it poked its head out of cover, scanning for an errant chicken close enough to catch. I yelled, it hid. We played this game for a few minutes. More and more chickens hopped the fence into the danger zone.

I had a multi-tool. I had a first-aid kit; I wasn't sure how it might help, but there it was, on my belt. I had tried calling farm staff as soon as I saw what was going on, and received no answer, so my phone was not very much help. I had my trusty FortWhyte Alive ball cap.

I had escaped chickens. I had a hungry weasel watching the escaped chickens.

It's been said that heroes are not born, they're made. I tend to think they're not made, they're called.

An agricultural adventure was calling. Collect. I accepted the charges, and waded into the clucking, feather-flying, dropping-slicked whirlwind. Where was this going to end up? The only thing I knew for sure: I was not going to lose a chicken to the weasel.

Does Barret slip on chicken poop? Does the hungry weasel have a chicken dinner? Is the first aid kit actually useful?

Tune in tomorrow for the next episode of Feathered Follies.

* This weasel image is courtesy of the US National Park Service, and is in the public domain. The author acknowledges that though this is a fine-lookin' weasel, it is not the actual weasel from the story. This image was used without the weasel's permission.

Smoking Frame/Drying Rack Complete!

2010-08-17T17:03:00.000-05:00

Did the tipi encampment project work out? Were Chantale and Barret able to make the wood and ropes dance together? Are they still out on the prairie, tied in knots?

Yes, Yes, and No. The FortWhyte Alive tipi encampment is home to a new smoking frame/drying rack. We completed work on the new frame in about an hour - and the strong winds gave it a good test, even before work was done! Chantale had learned to use the knots I taught her - which probably says more about her learning skills than my teaching skills, but hey, I'm not going to over-analyze. I'm too proud of the resulting camp improvement to overthink the process.

We even started drying some crab-apples in the...sun? (It was sunny and windy when the apples were tied on yesterday - but today's rain was not great for drying anything). We're supposed to be back into sunshine tomorrow.

Which is good, because a hearth and other improvements to the encampment are waiting.

The tipi encampment is looking good, and will be looking even better soon.

-Barret

PS: Tomorrow's Outdoor Skills For Everyone is "Keeping Critters out of Camp - or, how to make every wildlife encounter a positive encounter." Learn to tree your food pack, what to do when confronted by an angry goose, and many other hands-on, useful tips for maximizing your outdoor experiences. 6 PM, free with admission to FW @ the Interpretive Centre. Call 989-8358 for details!

Tipi Encampment Enhancement

2010-08-16T10:31:00.000-05:00

Super exciting morning here at FW!

My colleague Chantale and I are packing up to go and do some improvements around our tipi encampment.

Specifically, we're building a drying rack, meat smoker, and, if time and supplies allow, a hearth. We cut some poles on Friday, have a bunch of cordage at the ready, and are going to lash up some furnishings for the encampment.

This is a test of my skills as an outdoor skills instructor, as well as a living history project. On one level, as the guy here at FortWhyte who taught the knot-tying session of Outdoor Skills For Everyone last Wednesday, I had better be able to lash a basic structure together. On the next level, this is Chantale's first lashing project...ever. I started teaching her late last week.

Will the student surpass the teacher? Have the skills of ropework been successfully transmitted? We shall see in the next hour or so.

-Barret

Snapshots of the last week

2010-07-29T15:37:00.000-05:00

It's been a warm week here at FortWhyte Alive. Good weather means more visitors - and more visitors means more adventures happen!

Last week, during a "Rent-a-Naturalist" program, I did an edible wilds walk. The idea behind Rent-a-Naturalist: for $15, a group of up to six visitors can hire one of our interpretive staff to do the program (hike, talk, tour, paddle, etc.) the group has always dreamed of! One gentleman in my group had a keen interest in wild edible plants - so we did a customized walkabout, nibbling as we went. Though no wild fruit is ripe yet, we found no less than ten tasty wild edibles within twenty metres of the Interpretive Centre.

Loyal followers of the blog know that though I appreciate the aspirin content of willow-bark tea, I'm not a fan of the crushed-aspirin-in-brine flavour...my guest's suggestion: mix the tea with tomato juice to hide the taste. I've not yet tried the idea, but it seems like a good one!

This was all happening at the same time my colleagues Dana and Melanie were busy leading a fishing experience for Grandparents and Grandkids. The fishing line might have only been five-pound-test line, but the memories the participants walked away with are strong enough to last forever...it was great fun to watch that group as we foraged through the forest.

- A fisher, not unlike FortWhyte's!

Just in case you think the action ends with the Education Team, our accountant saw our resident fisher later in the day as she biked home. We normally see fisher tracks in the winter, but this summer, we've had reports from all over the property, about one a week. You can go for a lifetime in the forests of Manitoba and rarely, if ever, see a fisher...understandably, we're thrilled to have people seeing them!

We had Bison Safaris on Sunday, I had the thrill of making botany come alive to a group of older adults yesterday, and summer camp is in full swing....whew!

FortWhyte really has been alive these past few days. Sometimes, I wonder if it sleeps!

-Barret

Go Fish - Jacks are Wild!

2010-07-21T16:26:00.001-05:00

The fishing on Lake 3 (south of the Interpretive Centre) seems to be getting hotter faster than a July morning!

We've had AT LEAST six northern pike (aka, Jackfish, hence the snappy title of this post!) caught in the past 18 hours.

The fishing at FortWhyte can be hit and miss - this is true of fishing anywhere - but six jack in less than two days has not happened in a few years.

The best part: one angler caught three of the fish. It works out to one fish for every thirty years of life experience for this fellow, who was nearly 90 years old!

Also of note today...wild mint is EVERYWHERE! We had an afternoon tea in the Biodiversity Garden on Monday afternoon; I must have made at least six litres of wild mint tea. I followed up my tea-making on Tuesday, when a fellow stopped by for a "Rent-a-Naturalist" wild edibles walk...

...but that's a story for tomorrow!

Outdoor Skills For Everyone

2010-07-12T13:58:00.000-05:00

Hello!

We at FortWhyte Alive are pleased to announce a new program: Outdoor Skills For Everyone!

Every Wednesday evening, from now until August 25th, we are offering sessions on how to maximize your enjoyment of any outdoor activity, through sharpening the basics of living alongside nature.

These sessions are geared for anyone with an interest in outdoor activities: paddlers, campers, cyclists, cottagers, fishers...the list goes on! My colleague Dana and I are running the program in alternating weeks. The sessions are designed to meet people at whatever skill and experience level they are at, from just discovering outdoor skills to seasoned outdoorspeople. They are hands-on, and full of fun things to try! Each session is free with admission - you'll get to practice the skills being taught, and get a nifty newsletter with more information on that evening's topic.

The sessions run from 6-7:30pm on Wednesdays. Just like the title says, these sessions are for everyone! Bring yourself, your family, your friends and neighbours - the more the merrier.

Please see the list of topics below. The sessions are designed so you can come for as many, or few, as you would like - each week is self-contained.

See you Wednesday!

Outdoor Skills For Everyone 2010

July 14 Safe Drinking Water Anywhere - keep you and your friends and family healthy and hydrated!

July 21 An Ounce of Prevention - believe it or not, the same basic gear will help in any outdoor adventure. Find out how to be prepared for anything, anywhere, anytime!

July 28 Beyond the Hot Dog: Cooking Outdoors - fancy salad, gourmet soup, stir-fry over rice pilaf, with banana-toffee pie for dessert...anywhere your adventures take you! Find out how during this session.

August 4 How to Poop in the Woods: Responsible Waste Management - keep yourself and your favourite wilderness places as healthy as can be! A vital, yet often overlooked, outdoor skill.

August 11 Don't Tie Lots - Learn Some Knots - with a few simple twists of a rope, you can build shelters, repair gear, maybe even save a life. Knots can be tricky; our instructor will make them easy to understand.

August 18 Keeping Critters Out Of Camp - many people go into the wilderness to see wildlife; most people do not appreciate it when the wildlife comes to them, and eats their food. Learn how to make every wildlife encounter a positive one for you and our furry, finned, and feathers friends!

August 25 Land Navigation - you are already a navigator, whether you know it or not. Come out and tap in to your natural skills - always know where you are and where you're going!

-Barret

Welcome to the World, Baby Bison!

2010-05-17T16:11:00.000-05:00

FRIDAY EVENING, FORTWHYTE ALIVE - about ten minutes after uploading my previous post, I was by the front desk here at FW. One of the front desk staff had contacted Ken, our Site Manager, about our close encounter with the bison in labour. Ken's advice: get back out to the paddock, because the mom would have the baby soon!

We did, and though we did not see the actual birth, we got to see a brand-new baby bison licked clean by it's mom, stand on its wobbly legs, fall down when it tried to lift three legs off the ground at once, and finally, gain the footing and confidence to follow its mother (and her milk!) across the pasture to join the herd.

This baby is number seven of the year. It's six "classmates" were playing with it (or, at least running and jumping with it) within about an hour of it's arrival.

I shouldn't need a big event like a bison birth to remind me that this thing we call Life on Earth is wonderful and exciting.

Just because I shouldn't need a reminder does not mean big, wonderful events shouldn't be appreciated!

I don't think those of us who saw the little animal stand, walk, or nurse for the first time will soon forget last Friday. That an animal so tiny and fragile could...work...and have the potential to grow into a creature as awe-inspiring as a bison...awesome.

Welcome, little bison.Continue to remind us of the wonder of Life, and our responsibility to you and the rest of the thing we call Life of Earth.

-Barret

Birthing Bison!!!

2010-05-14T16:49:00.000-05:00

It's been an exciting couple hours here at FortWhyte this afternoon!

The Bison Prairie is remarkably dry after our recent rains - dry enough to conduct a staff bison safari. Between camp, staff events, and public bison safaris, we only have about one hundred visitors see the herd up close and personal. Each tour, each viewing, is therefore special, unique, and exhilarating!

I had the honour of driving my colleagues into the paddock, and getting as close as was respectful, safe, and comfortable for the herd. Two jackrabbits bounced improbably spring-like away from the truck as we neared the bison. A red-tailed hawk swooped low overhead. Geese and goslings ran around the paddock, first investigating, then retreating from the truck. Life was buzzing around us.

Little did we realize we would see a new life enter the world!

As we approached the herd, one of our pregnant bison had her water break, and we could see she was having contractions. We watched as her belly changed shape, and she got ready to bring a new calf into the world!

We sat in awe and watched as the magnificent animal jumped, kicked, and squatted her way towards having the baby. We did decide to leave the new mother and calf alone for the final stages of birth (after all, the tour was about respect for the bison), but to see the preamble - and the exciting prospect of a new calf, gamboling about the pasture tomorrow - left everyone smiling. We go home tonight with a new experience, one not to be soon forgotten.

"Our" calf will be our herd's eighth of the season. By my estimation, we have another two or three on the way before calving is over.

It's supposed to be a beautiful, sunny weekend - perfect for looking for bison calves!

See you on the trail!

-Barret

Snow Goose and the Seven Eagles

2010-03-25T13:55:00.001-05:00

I'll start with the Seven Eagles!

Right now, there are seven Bald eagles sitting on trees around our Lake Devonian, watching the hundreds of geese settled on the ice. The seven birds reflect various stages of eagle maturity - some are brown-and-white adults, with at least one mottled-brown immature eagle.

The immature eagle flew about ten feet over my head just before I came into the office to write this post - it may be immature but it is BIG!!!!! (Note: Each exclamation point represents one foot, or 30.5 cm, of estimated wingspan. Thank-you.)

The eagles are likely following the geese northward migration of the geese - sort of a gastronomic North American Tour for the eagles. Not a bad life, really - see the countryside, eat some goose, get some sun in a tree...

Speaking of geese, we have not seen any at FortWhyte yet this year, but we've had reports from a few places around Winnipeg of snow geese associated with flocks of Canada geese - hence, the clever pun in today's post title!

Incidentally, when my supervisor returned to her desk after checking out the eagles, an email had come to her inbox...offering here a ticket pre-sale for none other than The Eagles (with special guests, the Dixie Chicks), live at Canad Inns Stadium.

Here at FortWhyte, I'm not expecting to hear a "Hotel California" encore - but admission to see these eagles (with special guests, The Canada Geese) is definitely cheaper!

-BM

Of owls and online registration....

2010-03-18T15:56:00.000-05:00

The Monday morning sun streamed through the windows of the FortWhyte Alive Education office. The light was warm, refreshing - it woke me up enough to allow my body to forget I was at work a whole hour earlier than the Monday before. Daylight savings time is great...but for the first week, my brain has a tough time selling my system on the idea.

I was in to get our online camp registration system ready for its noon launch. I knew we'd be busy, come noon, and I wanted to get as many pieces in place as possible prior to going live. Not my favourite activity in the world, computer work...but, just like daylight savings time, I might not enjoy it, but it sure can be practical.

The one-after-the-other arrival of other Ed Team members broke the monotony of database maintenance. Stories of the weekend happily punctuated my early-morning uploading.

Katrina had a cool story to share. A saw whet owl had moved in to her parent's neck of the woods.

"Sounds just like a truck backing up...and it goes on, and on, and on!"

I've since learned this is true of saw whet owls. Nomadic in nature, and not mating for life as do other owls, each spring new pair bonds are formed. For saw whets, finding a mate involves incessant singing to attract a compatible saw whet- and the song never changes.

My office-mates left as quickly as they arrived, to prepare for various programs, leaving me to website work, alone.

Then the phone rang.

I was expecting to answer a camp query. There's a lot of those to answer a few hours before registration begins - which was exactly the reason I was scheduled to stay in the office Monday morning.

The call had nothing to do with camp.

It was a woman, living near Bird's Hill Provincial Park. She and her family had been hearing a new sound, around dawn and dusk.

"It sounds just like a busy phone signal," she said.

I'm not sure what part of my brain suggested this, but "A busy signal? Or like a backing truck?" came out of my mouth, before I had fully processed the thought.

"Exactly!" she exclaimed. What a coincidence - I have never before gone through a day when saw whet owls came up in conversation twice...let alone within the same hour!

I suggested the sound might be a saw whet owl. I got her email address, and promised to find saw whet owl sound clips and email them to her, so she could compare the recordings with what her family was hearing

The busiest day of camp registration we've ever seen at FortWhyte Alive ensued. Online owl calls had to wait until Tuesday morning.

I sent the clips first thing Tuesday. Ten minutes later, I had a reply.

"...upon listening to the audio clips, it certainly must be the saw-whet owl..." - using the phone, email, and the internet, we'd ID'd the bird. 21st century style birding, this one - without ever being near the owl, or hearing it myself, I was able to assist in identification.

Camp registration continued to roll out with hardly a hitch - but the owl ID made my day in the office just a little sweeter!

-BM

Photo of the week:
Stuart O. submitted this shot of a pileated woodpecker, working on a trembling aspen here at FW.

Beautiful! Stay tuned to the blog - with the sap starting to flow, woodpeckers won't be the only ones tapping trees!

Full of Frost and Fog (or, why this winter has been abundant in beautiful, white mornings)

2010-03-08T15:23:00.001-06:00

Hello, readers!

The past month has been one of the foggiest I can remember here at FortWhyte. A side effect of milder-than-average overnight temperatures and daytime sun, we have experienced many nights with ground-level fog.

We've always been lucky enough to experience a fairly large number of mornings when the world has been coated with white hoar frost.

Hoar frost at FortWhyte Farms

(photo by J. Mulaire)

We've been especially lucky because every morning we've had hoar frost, we seem to have light south winds, as well. The relatively slow wind speed has not broken the crystals of frost off trees, buildings, and plants, allowing us more brilliant white-frost-against-blue-sky mornings.

(Photo by I. Carter)

Hoar frost occurs when the air temperature drops. Cold air can hold less water than warm air - as the air cools, water no longer bound up as water vapour condenses. In the summer, we call this dew, and we see it on grass, trees, tents, etc. In the winter, the grass, trees, tents, etc. are at a temperature colder than freezing. As the water condenses, it freezes into thin, long crystals, "frosting" the landscape like a cake.

(Photo by I. Carter)

We've had a number of days in the last few weeks where the air has warmed up, snow has melted, and started to evaporate. At nightfall, the air is warm and full of water. After sunset, the air cools, and fog forms. On some nights, objects cool faster than the air, creating ideal conditions for hoar frost.

Hoar frost is one of the perks of living in a winter climate. I think knowing the natural principles at work make the phenomenon just a little bit more breathtaking.

(Photo by I. Carter)

FortWhyte's Cross-Country Ski Trails - winter wonderful!

2010-03-05T14:04:00.000-06:00

I like to think I have a good handle on what goes on around FortWhyte Alive. These 640 acres are where I spend a good chunk of my waking hours, and I've done so for the better part of three years.

Though each day brings something new and exciting (640 acres of urban wilderness can do no other), I do not start each day expecting something wonderful and awe-inspiring. Perhaps the setting we enjoy here has somewhat affected me=y sense of aesthetics...surrounded by beauty, one's standards for beautiful are raised. A new bird sighting, a spring gift of morel mushrooms, or a baby bison - these are all special and unique, but not world-shaking experiences.

Last Thursday, my world shook.

I went skiing for the first time on our new trails.

FortWhyte has developed a series of trails on the northeast part of the site for cross-country skiing. The trails start near the sod house, and go north.

A quick, straight run past Mount Maple Leaf (one of our two hills) leads into a twisting passage navigating a willow swamp. The willows grow up around the trail, sheltering skiiers from the wind. With late-winter sunshine, and the embrace of the willows, this section of trail feels like a hug from Nature.

The hug ends with a straight-away run into the forest on the north part of the property. Twice, I thought I saw great grey owls - twice, I laughed at myself as I correctly identified last summer's wasp nests!

A turn left, and I was on the "red loop" of the trail. Brilliant white aspen trunks blend in with the white snow, creating a zebra-like streaked field of vision. The aspen A quick corner, and the view changes: the angle of the sun now illustrates every little track and trace left by animals in the snow around the trail. I stop for a drink of water, and to speculate on the interactions between weasel and vole tracks.

A few minutes later, on the "green loop", I am skiing underneath old oak trees. If the willow swamp was a hug from an affectionate Nature, these austere oak overhead feel like a firm handshake from the forest. Welcoming, yes; respectable, of course - but also, like a good, firm handshake, a sign of strength, and fair dealings. Look after nature, and it will look after you - and we'll shake on it!

On my return south towards the sod house (and the end of my lunchtime ski), I disturb a jackrabbit. It takes off at high speed. I am humbled - I had been exceptionally happy with how quickly I had been skiing - but the rabbit puts my time to shame.

Reminded by the rabbit I am not the fastest in the forest, I pick up my pace. The straight-away allows for skate-skiing, and I switch to the faster technique.

I arrive back at the sod-house. I pop my skis off, and head back to work.

I went for a ski looking for a work-out.

I found my sense of wonder and awe.

I still have time for a sandwich (it is my lunch break, after all) - but it is only my stomach that is hungry. My mind and soul have been fed already.

There's skiing this weekend at FortWhyte Alive. Intro workshops ($5) will help you explore the sport. Families, there are children's lessons and adult lessons side-by-side...the perfect intro for everyone! Want to try skiing, but do not have a pair of skis? We've got rental skis.

Physical activity in an outdoor setting? The ski trails are perfect for that.

Looking to re-discover the child-like sense of excitement around every corner? I cannot promise you will, but I would be very surprised if you don't.

The Inaugural Spears and 'Shoes Biathlon - A huge success!

2010-02-23T14:52:00.001-06:00

"Ready....five seconds...set....GO!!!!!!!"

I've been told Vancouver is hosting some sort of major sporting event right now...all I know for sure, is this past Sunday afternoon, I had the privilege of shaking hands with a world champion!

The Inaugural Spears and 'Shoes Biathlon - a multi-sport event featuring atlatl accuracy competition (spears) combined with a 2.4km snowshoe race ('shoes) - saw 14 hearty racers have a blast, test out some traditional technologies, and compete in a fun new race.

The winner of the event was Lane Coulter, of Virden, MB, who posted a score of 9 minutes, 21 seconds, to claim first place. Scoring was simple: each racer's snowshoe race time had 90 seconds shaved off for each successful atlatl hit on the range - four shots each, for a combined possible bonus of 6 minutes.

Lane, a young man who came to the race with his Cadet group, ran a solid snowshoe race, and was the most successful atlathlete (officially a word now!) of all the racers. Lane was quite a bit younger than most racers, and had never seen an atlatl before the race.

Pre-race practice throw by J. Harms, currently ranked 3rd in the world with a personal best score of 12:09.

When asked about his performance, the world's first champion said, "I mess around with a bow and arrow a little bit, but this is new...I guess I'm good!" the young Mr. Coulter will have a good chance to get even better, as his prize is a hand-made atlatl set!

Another racer came up to me after the race, smiling. "I thought I was the only one who would be interested in this type of event - now, I see there are more like me!" She added, "When's the next one?"

The next one is in the works! No date, or details...yet...but the next, similarly-inspired race/challenge is in the first stages of planning. It's still a long way off, but early indications are Spears and 'Shoes will happen again next winter, as well - 9:21 is the score to beat!

As with all FortWhyte Alive programs, a big thank-you goes to the volunteers who helped with this race. Another HUGE thank-you goes to all participants, spectators, and well-wishers. A few months ago, this race was an off-beat idea. Now, it is in the history books as an awesome event - mixing fun, fitness, cultural education, and...FUN.

No big TV contracts. No performance-enhancers. No multi-million sponsorship deals. Just good, old-fashioned (like paleolithic-fashioned!) fun. This event, for me, reflected human spirit at its best!

The final racers coming toward the finish line

(A big thank-you to all who contributed photos to this post!)

FortWhyte Owlive?

2010-02-02T13:34:00.001-06:00

Quick - what bird do you think of when you think of FortWhyte Alive?

If you would answer, "Canada Goose", you would be in good company. We had our start when our founders released some geese back in the 1950's, back in the days when the bird's numbers were in serious decline. One of the first logos for Fort Whyte Centre featured stylized geese.

This winter, a different type of bird is giving the geese some serious competition for becoming FortWhyte Alive's avian mascot. These days, it seems one cannot turn around without encountering owls!

The Northern Hawk Owl, last seen around of the New Year, popped up again last Saturday in the extreme northeast corner of FortWhyte's property. Though I've been advised the Northern Hawk Owl (or, NHO, if your into brevity) is not a capital-letter-worthy Rare Bird, it is unusual, and certainly beautiful.

The NHO isn't our only beautiful owl.

This Great Horned Owl (GHO) pic was snapped by Stuart O. about two weeks ago, near our Tree House. In the winter of 2007-2008, we had a pair of GHO's choose this forest neighbourhood for a nest, and we got to see their family grow from egg to owlet to owl.

Just in case you're not feeling owl overload yet, I'd like to mention a Great Gray Owl (GGO?) and a Snowy Owl have also been seen at FortWhyte Alive since January 10, 2010.

Simple ecological principles tell us we'll never see as many owls as geese - owls need larger habitats, because they eat higher on the food pyramid. However, I would suggest owls as a fitting icon for FortWhyte's urban forest - certainly this winter, at least.

Speaking of iconic - what has four legs, claws, teeth, and is coming to the touch museum? It's going to create quite a stir...not a roar, cuz this animal cannot technically roar...but it's going to be BIG!!!

Tomorrow: Weather Maps - which are best for your purposes?

'Til then, all the best.

-Barret

It's in my nature - to say thanks!

2010-02-01T15:47:00.000-06:00

Hello, everyone!

An article profiling some of my work at FortWhyte Alive, and some of my side interests, ran in the Winnipeg Free Press this past Saturday. A series of web videos accompany the article; if you've been on a tour of FortWhyte with me, you'll likely see something familiar in them, and if you've never been, I encourage you to watch them, and let me show you around!

The title is, "It's in His Nature", and the jist is my love of the outdoors and our Manitoba culture is reflected in my work and personal life. Which, I hope, is true. I try.

The article also got me thinking about the people who've helped ensure outdoor life, an appreciation for this province and its peoples, and the willingness to learn and share new ideas and facts are part of my nature. So, I'd like to take a time-out from my usual blog fair of coyote tracks, owls, and wild-fungus-foraging to say some thank-yous.

First, a big thanks to Alison Mayes of the Free Press...for thinking up the story idea, and for doing a great job turning a series of random Barret-facts into a readable piece.

Another big thanks is due to Ruth and the folks in the photo department of the Free Press. The videos are great...I never get to see myself on a program, so I appreciated the chance to say, "gee, that's what I look like at work!", and the opportunity you've given me to share what I do with friends and family far away.

The article also mentions some of the people who helped shape my nature into what it is today. My parents and Grandparents played a big role in making me into the "Nature-nut" I am today - and taught me a lot of other good things along the way. My extended family have always encouraged my outdoor pursuits - a big thanks to my family, those close, and farther away.

The only reason I get to have any sort of adventure in my everyday work is the great team I work with. My colleagues on the Education Team here at FortWhyte - current and past - I've been so lucky to work with you...I mean it. Ed Team forever! Another big thanks is due to all the other staff at FortWhyte Alive... administration, development, site crews, my camp colleagues - we're a jigsaw puzzle, and aren't complete without all the pieces. Also, without the dedicated efforts of a huge volunteer base, FortWhyte Alive would be very much alive at all. Your time, talents, and teaching is something I value deeply. Thank-you.

To those who taught me at Pinawa Secondary or U of W...thanks!

The Free Press article references my Scouting experience. My Scout leaders - from Beavers on through those at the Manitoba office, and everyone in between...thank-you. Some of my proudest moments have come through Scouts Canada - and my experience in the program has given me skills and abilities to create more proud moments.

To the people who I've worked with at summer camps, or worked with me when I was a camper (LV and Amisk - you rock!!!), through youth work, and to the RP detachment at Kildonan...wouldn't be doing what I do if I hadn't learned something from you along the way.

To my friends - you encourage me, you laugh with me, you humour me when Interpreter Barret decides to show up at inopportune times, you challenge me and support me...and I thank-you for it all.

Finally - blog readers, a great big thank-you. Knowing people read the posts help me keep them coming!

I've left no one off the list by intent...if I missed someone, it's an oversight.

Stay tuned. Tomorrow, I've got owl news, fun with weather maps, another teaser on our new museum resident, and much more!

-Barret

FortWhyte Niversity...what's missing?

2010-01-14T17:30:00.002-06:00

"U" are!!!

In September 2009, FortWhyte Alive launched a new idea in volunteer and staff development. We found experts from various fields, and brought them to FortWhyte to share thier knowledge. The idea was to develop a better background understanding of the environmental and cultural issues we work with here, and for people's general interest. The program was called FortWhyte University.

The program worked well. It worked really, REALLY well. We started another session in December - and realized, "hey, this is working REALLY well...if our staff and volunteers like this stuff, other people will too!"

I am pleased to be one of the first to announce that we have an upcoming series of FortWhyte University programs open to everyone!

Saturday, January 23rd, we have two dynamic presenters back-to-back....

10-11:30am: Dr. Gordon Goldsborough - "Lakes as Ecosystems": Gord is an expert on Manitoba's "other lake"...we all know about Lake Winnipeg, but what about Lake Manitoba? Come out and learn more about how the living community in this magnificent lake interact to form something grander than its parts.

Incidentally, Gord (who also teaches at that "other" university, the U of M) knows a lot about our lakes here at FortWhyte Alive. One of the tasks I have the honour of performing is ongoing water quality assessment during the winter. How does a camp director- turned interpreter learn to do water quality sampling and analysis? Gordon Goldsborough teaches him, and in the process, becomes one of this interpreter's heroes.

Like lakes? Like stories about people working in the wilds of Manitoba? Want to see science in action, exciting and accessible? Three words..."Come See Gord!!!!!"

1:30-3:00 – Most people know that getting outside is good for them but not many people are fully aware of the many health benefits from stress reduction to enhanced spirituality. Come learn the secrets from Laurie McPherson, of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority - you’ll be inspired to get outside and get healthy, even in winter!

For more info on either of these presentations, call us at (204) 989-8355.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24TH

FortWhyte University continues the next day, with Roadside Ready at 1:30pm. I'll be sharing tips and tricks for keeping yourself comfortable should you become stuck in your vehicle away from the comforts of home. We'll be making car kits, full of essentials to keep you, friends, and family safe and happy if you find yourself in a spot. I'm excited about the presentation - making it doubly interesting is the fact I'll have run the Ice Donkey adventure race that morning. Come, learn to survive, and see if I survived the race!

(Please note: I'm buying supplies for the car kits. Thus, there is both a small fee, and the need to pre-register - either check our website, or email me for details!)

Be an Eco-Driver follows at 2:30pm. For most of us, motor vehicles are a necessity. We've all heard that when it comes to carbon emissions, vehicles = bad. The picture is not entirely grim, though- this workshop will present ideas to help lighten the impact of driving a car. Oh, and you'll learn to save money. That's always a good thing.

See "U" all very soon!

-Barret

Biathlon Postponed - and a Touch Museum Teaser Trailer

2010-01-08T11:36:00.000-06:00

Hello, all!

It is my regretful duty to announce the postponement of the Inaugural FortWhyte Alive Snowshoe Biathlon. With the holidays having just passed, and the cold temperatures this week, interest has been tepid...so, we're going to try again on February 20th, at 1pm.

If the idea of a snowshoe race with some atlatl throwing interests you, let me know!

ALSO:

There's a new resident moving in to the Kiwanis Touch Museum in the next few weeks. It's going to be a big, hairy deal...keep watching for info!!!!

CTV News at 6 and 11 - and another picture of the Northern Hawk Owl

2010-01-03T15:13:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year!!!

CTV News Winnipeg just left FortWhyte Alive. A crew was out to capture some of the fun and excitement that is the last day of the school holiday here at FortWhyte. Maple Taffy, Sod House Pioneers, Toboganning, and a quick mention of the Hawk Owl might make the newscast at 6pm and 11pm tonight. So, if you are near a TV during those times, check it out!

I also was the fortunate recipient of a beautiful picture of the Northern Hawk Owl taken by a visitor to FortWhyte Alive. I've been given permission to share it - so, behold in all of its mid-winter splendor, the Northern Hawk Owl!

isn't it a beaut?

-Barret

UFO Pictures from FortWhyte Alive

2009-12-31T09:57:00.002-06:00

Yup, you read the title right: I am posting pictures from yesterday's Unidentified Fluffy Owl encounter at the Bird Feeding Station South of the Interpretive Centre.

After ruling out species I'm familiar with, I consulted field guides to try and classify the owl. I think it is a Northern Hawk Owl - but as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words...please, birders, give me your thousand words of confirmation, disagreement, etc. so I can correctly ID the owl!

(A HUGE thanks to Tara for the use of the photo!)

The owl seemed fairly unconcerned with the human attention it drew, but was distinctly uncomfortable when a flock of chickadees surrounded it. The chickadees did not actually "mob" the owl, as I've seen crows do, but surrounded it and started "looking at it funny"...after about a minute of being surrounded by chickadees, the owl flew to a different perch, where there were no chickadees to hassle it.

After about 45 minutes of being admired, the owl flew away into some dense forest.

The Manitoba Rare Bird Alert system states the Northern Hawk Owl is a rare (about one sighting per year) bird in the Southern Manitoba Prairie region. I count myself very fortunate to have been in the right place, at the right time, to see the owl.

If you have seen this owl - or if you'd like to confirm or dispute my ID- please do so!

A very Happy New Year to everyone. Keep it fun, keep it safe, and get outside today or tonight...it's cold, but it's beautiful!

City TV spot - and a Northern Hawk Owl?

2009-12-30T16:30:00.000-06:00

Hello, everyone out there in Blogland!

Two quick updates from today:

1. City TV Winnipeg will be airing an interview (or parts thereof) with yours truly tomorrow morning (Dec. 31st) at 6 am, 7 am, and 8 am, on the hour, as part of there news programming. The interview looks back at the environmental year that was in Winnipeg, and what we can do to make 2010 greener and cleaner!

2. During out public snowshoe orienteering program this afternoon, two of our volunteers saw an unusual bird. We watched the bird for the better part of an hour. The bird was an owl of some sort - but every time we thought we had an ID, some characteristic ruled the ID out. Back at my desk, I consulted a field guide, and am 99.9% sure we saw a Northern Hawk Owl. Pictures will be posted ASAP - if you are a birder, an owl fan, or a FortWhyte Alive fan, please check them out to confirm my ID, dispute my ID, or just for the fun of seeing an owl!

Happy New Year! I'll be writing again next year!

-Barret

PS: Don't forget the snowshoe biathlon - see yesterday's post for more details!

The Inaugural FortWhyte Alive Biathlon

2009-12-29T12:11:00.001-06:00

January 9th, 2010 - Registration Noon, event starts 1 pm

I am proud to officially announce an unofficial FortWhyte Alive event!

Join us on January 9th, 2010, for the first-ever FortWhyte Alive Biathlon - an event combining the disciplines of snowshoeing and atlatl!

The snowshoe course is approximately 3.5 km long. We will use a standard archery target for the atlatl throwing, from a distance of 10 metres. Every "hit" of the target shaves two full minutes off a participants' time in the race. Each partipant will throw four darts.

This is a "just-for-fun" event, but...the participant with the best time will win the Grand Prize for the day - a handmade atlatl set!

The event is open to anyone who feels they would like to spend some time on a Saturday afternoon snowshoeing and throwing atlatl darts. As the organizer, I ask you email me (click here to do so!) and let me know you are interested - I may have to limit numbers to fifteen racers, to ensure atlatl availability for all.

Though this is an inaugural, "just-for-fun" event, there is a Grand Prize: the participant with the best time, and most accurate atlatl performance

There is no cost to particpate - standard admission to FortWhyte Alive is required, though.

To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time atlatl and snowshoeing have been combined into a modern sport - though, given the ancient heritage of both technologies, it's likely the two were used in combination sometime in the past. This event will be a fun way to honour human history, get some outdoor winter exercise, and meet others with similar interests.

The challenge is open - see you at FortWhyte Alive on January 9th!

-Barret

Saving Space For Making Tracks

2009-12-07T19:31:00.002-06:00

10 am, Friday, December 4th: Having just met a school group and introduced their volunteer leaders, I sat down at my desk to check my morning crop of emails.

Then, the phone rang.

Somehow, when I started at FortWhyte, I chose the desk next to the Education Team's communanal telephone. Perhaps it was a natural penchant for answering inquiries...perhaps it was an expression of my need to be connected to people...perhaps it was the proximity to the coffee station...whatever the reason, I usually answer the phone.

So, I did, as is my custom.

It was my colleague Melanie, calling from her cel. I immediately thought some problem had befallen her school tour.

Melanie did not have an emergency. She had tracks in the freshly-fallen snow.

She wasn't quite sure what kind of animal had left the tracks - and had to lead a program. She could not investigate the tracks.

I was more than happy to do some follow up!

The tracks at first appeared to be in a parallel line. My first thought was mustelid...some member of the weasel family.

As I got closer, and could see the track pattern and size, I knew my inital guess was wrong. Way wrong. These were canid tracks - dog family.

I followed the tracks down a hill behind our Interpretive Centre. The wind was starting to feel a little cold through my toque (this fall has been too warm, I'm still not acclimatised to cold!) but the quality of the tracks, and the story they told, were worth the chill.

Very little to no sign of coyotes had been seen at FortWhyte Alive for some time. The official line in the fall had been we had no resident coyotes on site. I still cannot say if we have resident coyotes, but sometime early in the morning of December 4th, we had two coyotes pass through FortWhyte Alive, very near the Interpretive Centre.

Coyotes have been on the receiving end of some negative attention lately, with a suspicious attack in Cape Breton this fall. Some people may feel uncomfortable knowing coyotes are in Winnipeg.

I think it's kind of cool. Coyotes are predators - we must always respect that fact. They are wild members of the dog family - we need to give them space, and, in a chance encounter, remind them we are the bigger, stronger animal by standing our ground, and not harassing the animals in any way. They are not cute and cuddly - they are wild.

It is this wildness I find enchanting. I think it is absolutely amazing that we humans can share Winnipeg with wild animals the size of coyotes. To me, these tracks are also a reminder of the fragile nature of wild habitat in the City...if we want to continue to have wild species within Winnipeg, we must keep wild spaces healthy.

Wild Spaces = Wild Species.

No Wild Spaces= (I'm a writer, not a mathematician. I'm sure you readers, many times more brilliant than I, can figure out the equation.)

Forage Day - the Results!

2009-11-27T16:23:00.000-06:00

Was my foraging successful? Did I end up buying lunch? Did I go hungry?

Yes, no, and no.

My foraging started at 1:30pm - late for lunch, yes, but my work schedule got in the way of my foraging schedule.

Lesson One: A modern work day interferes with a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

I thought some acorns might be a nice, nutty nosh - but raccoons and squirrels had beaten me to the best oak trees. My efforts in acorn hunting were rewarded not by oak mast, but raccoon poop.

Lesson Two: Raccoons are better wild omnivores than I am. I was outforaged by red squirrels...

My hunger growing, I started to look harder. I found some mountain ash berries - unpalatable during the summer, but after a frost, only slightly bitter and sour. Score: One handful of slightly unpleasant berries.

I remembered we had some cloves of garlic and onions from FortWhyte Farms kicking around. They belong to everyone, and no one...a tragedy of the commons, really, as no one would likely use them. Except me.

Score: Two cloves of garlic, one onion, and some berries.

I remembered some past foraging I'd done, during mushroom season. I had some lovely dried morels, and a few oyster mushrooms. Add these to the score.

Looking around the FortWhyte landscape, I saw the one plant we can count on to feed us in any season- the cattail. Fall and winter, cattail roots provide a potato-like, if somewhat fibrous, starch food. My colleague Minna and I grabbed a spade, and five minutes later, could add one cup of cattail root to the score.

I will post the recipe below, but cooked together into a hearty soup, my foraged ingredients made a nice, late afternoon soup lunch. Vegetable, starch, a tiny bit of butter for fat and dairy, and a reasonably balanced lunch results.

The initial review of the soup was very positive. The mountain ash berries, which are pretty poor snacking on their own, lent a tang to the soup. The onion, garlic, mushrooms and cattail came together to make a whole greater than the sum of its parts.

Lesson Three: Sometimes, with a little ingenuity, the most unlikely things just come together and become good!

Lesson Four: A return to only hunting and gathering is not likely the answer to our current problem of over-consumption and consumerism. But it was a fun way to mark Buy Nothing Day. It was an experience that reminded me of the value of food, how easy it can be for us to get food, and how we still have a long way to go to make sure scrounging and foraging is a choice, not a necessity, for people, here and elsewhere.

For anyone who is interested, I'm posting the recipe below.

Foraged Soup with Cattail Root and Wild Mushroom

1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper optional
10 frozen mountain ash berries
1 cup dried mushrooms (morels and oysters?)
1 cup cattail roots, freshly dug
l litre of fresh water.

Saute onion, garlic in butter. Add salt and pepper, and mountain ash berries. Wash and peel cattail roots, saute for two minute. Add half the water. Bring to boil for five minutes. Add mushrooms and remaining water. Bring back to boil, and simmer for ten minutes, until mushrooms are tender and rehydrated.

Serves two hungry people, allows for four light tastings.

Forage Day!!!

2009-11-27T10:05:00.001-06:00

Hello, Readers!

Today, I will be going for a walk in the woods, and foraging for my lunch. It's Manitoba, in November. Even with our warm fall, there is not a whole lot growing anymore...it's going to be a challenge!

I can hear the question forming in your heads..."WHY!?!?!?! Why not enjoy something nice from the cafe? Why not bring lunch from home?"

Today is "Buy Nothing Day", an annual protest against the rampant consumerism of the developed world. The observance, founded by the folks at Adbusters Magazine in the 1980's, encourages people to take a day, and opt out of our consumer society by attempting to do exactly what the name implies, and buy nothing.

For me, Buy Nothing Day is an annual reminder of how our consumer society touches everything we do. If you are reading my blog, you've bought power to run a computer, for example. Also, I find it somewhat ironic that Buy Nothing Day was founded and is promoted by a magazine...granted, a magazine that stands against advertising and wanton consumerism, but still a somewhat commercial concern.

I'm not writing today to start a debate about Buy Nothing Day. Again, the fact that I'm writing means I've already "bought in" and purchased power (I realize that hardcore Buy Nothing observers could point out that this is not a conscious act of consumerism, and so does not technically violate the spirit of Buy Nothing Day). I'm a big believer in honouring an observance in a way that is personally meaningful - hence, Foraging For Lunch Day.

So, I will be foraging - I cannot get much more into the "Buy Nothing Day" spirit than by channeling
our collective hunter-gatherer past.. I will post later to let everyone out in Blogland know how my foraging excursion goes.

A Warm November to Remember

2009-11-26T13:12:00.000-06:00

With the skiff of snow, and lower temperatures yesterday and today, it seems winter may finally have arrived at FortWhyte Alive.

Until now, I (and my colleagues) have been wondering when the inevitable cool-down would occur. We've been enjoying above average temperatures this month - some days, as high as ten degrees above normal!

Our non-human FortWhyte neighbours have been affected by the warm weather, as well. Though the ground in the forest is starting to freeze, some of our bedding plants seem a bit confused about the season, and have held on to flowers longer than normal. Certainly, the trees were late in dropping their leaves.

Our song bird migration seemd late. Having only been here at FortWhyte Alive for two previous autumns, I must admit I lack a deep frame of reference, but warblers, vireos, towhees, and all their feathered friendsmoved through a few weeks later than I expected. Until our lakes starting freezing over at night (which only began a few days ago) none of the geese staging here showed any urgency in continuing migration. With the arrival of ice, their behaviour has changed, with fewer flocks returning to roost here at night, presumably having left for fresher, frost-free fields and liquid lakes.

The deer have not been moving around as they have the past few falls, either. The herd seems to be most active in the middle of the night - two or three in the morning - instead of the dawn-and-dusk pattern we would expect from deer in November. This seems to be the case right across Southern Manitoba, resulting in many a frustrated hunter (and, I would imagine, happy deer!). I've heard many theories as to why this might be, but I subscribe to the "with a winter coat and stored fat...it's just to warm to move in the daytime" theory. As we've seen temperatures drop a little bit, we've seen the deer become a little more active in the morning and evening.

If you're seeing anything unusual, and suspect the warmer temperatures we've seen this fall may be the cause, let me know!

CBC Radio One Interview - Nov. 24

2009-11-23T14:29:00.001-06:00

Hello, Everyone!

I will be on CBC Radio One (89.9 FM, 990 AM) tomorrow morning between 7:45 and 8:00 am. The CBC folks want a naturalist's perspective on our unusually warm fall weather - they've lined up little ol' me to represent FortWhyte Alive and the Winnipeg region, and have a guest from Churchill speaking about the effect in our province's north.

It should be an interesting radio spot....hope you can tune in!

-Barret

PS: if any readers have noticed anything unusual of note - budding trees, flowers that shouldn't be, strange animal behaviour, etc. - tips are appreciated! Leave me a comment! Thanks!

Atl Whatl? The fine art of throwing board repair.

2009-11-17T16:22:00.000-06:00

When people ask what I do all day at FortWhyte Alive, there is no easy answer.

What makes the answer comlicated is the "Special Programs" part of my title. What's a special program? It can be just about anything.

Today, for example, I repaired the throwing board of an atlatl.

For those of you out there who think I also spend my time making up words with too many consonants and too few vowels, rest assured: atlatls are real. Atlatl is a Nahautl (Aztec) word referring to a device consisting of a throwing board and spear. Most every culture on earth has used the device at one time or another. The throwing board is used to propel the spear at a target, faster and more accurately than unaided arm strength can manage.

We use the atlatl to help students connect with the challenges faced by people living on the Prairies in the past. At some point, everyone (regardless of geographic or cultural heritage) has had an ancestor who held a throwing board and a dart, and knew that this simple tool was all that stood between their current situation and starvation...all of a sudden, the little things that divide us pale, and the common human needs for food, shelter, and the drive to care for family come to the forefront. Standing in front of grade five class and saying this all would get an interpreter laughed at. Standing in front of a grade five class just finishing THROWING SPEARS!!!!, the interpreter has the class' full attention.

A full summer and fall of atlatl use left one of our throwing boards worse for wear. The leather finger straps had torn away from the throwing board, the result of too much enthusiastic use. This was not a worn out, damaged good, to be disposed of or junked, as we are so prone to do these days. This was a colleague in need of help and rest - granted, I don't feel the same bond with the non-living chunk of wood and leather as with my living, breathing, teammates...however, I can't fix my living, breathing teammates when they need help and rest. I can only listen. I can fix an atlatl board!

I cannot disclose all the details involved in repairing an throwing board - any organization needs a few secrets! I will let you know that the process involves milkweed stems, general-purpose epxoy, and time.

The repair part of the job was a challenge. I love trying to get the look of the repair right, while at the same time ensuring it is structurally capable of handling pretty heavy use. However, the really fun part of this task comes tomorrow...when I field test the repair!

Watch for pictures. Talk to you then!

...sometimes, you'll find, you get what you need! (Like a Muskrat!)

2009-11-09T14:56:00.000-06:00

It was late afternoon last Friday when we decided to take a walk as an education staff team.

Ostensibly, we needed to ensure all of our geochaches were well-hidden and stocked with papers, pencils, and were securely waterproofed. The caches are part of the "Blazing Your Trail" program (see my last post). Fortunately for nature, but unfortunately for our team, concerned visitors had been removing the caches and throwing them away as someone else's litter, keeping FortWhyte Alive clean and pristine - but making geocaching slightly difficult.

(We've now switched to a less-litter-looking format for our caches. If you are a visitor, and find a coffee can in the woods, with a notepad inside, its supposed to be there. I thank you in advance!)

We walked through the beautiful south wind and growing shadows of the November afternoon. If we encountered visitors on the trail, we had a chance to chat, find out what our visitors had seen during the afternoon, and generally enjoy the walk.

One couple shared the location of a freshly-killed muskrat. We decided to investigate.

Lying on the trail, right where we'd been told we'd find the recently-deceased muskrat, was...a recently-deceased muskrat!

I know this find is likely not exciting to most people. In fact, some might feel a little revulsion upon finding a fresh ex-muskrat. Reacting in quite the other direction, I was thrilled! I've been waiting a LONG time to find a muskrat!

Though muskrats are a common FortWhyte Alive animal, we have not had a mounted muskrat in our Touch Museum for about 18 months. Our old muskrat had seen long service, and over time, had simply been touched to the point of no longer being a fur-bearing animal. The old mount was retired, with full honours, but no new muskrat had "stepped up" to the roel.

Our policy is to never kill, trap, or otherwise harm an animal to add a specimen to our collection. We depend on good fortune, natural cycles, and motor-vehicle/animal interactions to fill our Museum.

The muskrat in question seemed to have been caught by a bird of prey, and dropped. (Perhaps the bird's eyes and stomach were bigger than it's wings...the muskrat is a fairly hefty fellow!) In a few months, we will have another mount on display, allowing for visitors to explore the adaptations of the species without ever having to harass a living muskrat.

Mick Jagger summed up Mother Nature quite well. You can't always get what you want (or, when you want it)...but if you try sometimes, you get what you need!

Instant Karma - Blazing Your Trail

2009-10-26T15:19:00.000-05:00

It's sometimes hard to judge whether an interpretive program has any impact on the intended audience. In fact, as interpreters, we're trained to deal with the concept of really not knowing if our programs, our work, has any impact whatsoever.

Our newest school program at FortWhyte, "Blazing Your Trail- an Introduction to Land Navigation", is the exception.

I realized why this afternoon. My very-cautious group of Grade Seven students tentatively, and with excessive coaching, started to twist and turn their orienteering map as they made their way across FortWhyte.

As the group gained comfort with the map, and the woods, caution turned to enthusiasm. Tentative steps turned to running, and I found myself chasing a high-energy group rather than coaching from the front.

I had seen my group learn! In the space of fifty metres, I had seen my group gain comfort, confidence, and competency with a new skill. Instant gratification...instant feedback...the program (and the I, as the interpreter) had made a difference! The volunteer interpreters working on this program have similar stories.

There was no question, hesitation, or uncertainty about impact today - each student had learned at least a little bit. We gave information, it was accepted, processed, and acted upon. We saw it happen, right in front of us

I LOVE THIS PROGRAM!

Barret's Top 10 Reasons To Love FortWhyte Alive

2009-10-15T10:36:00.007-05:00

#10. World's Biggest Urban Bison Herd - 27 of the world's ninth-largest land animal...right in Winnipeg's backyard!

#9. Indoor Nature - Our Interpretive Centre houses permanent displays such as the Kiwanis Touch Museum, Aquarium of the Prairies, Climate Change and Greenhouse exhibits, Sustainable Agriculture dioramas, and live salamanders and snakes...plus the occasional ground squirrel, mink, or raccoon who decides to come in for a tour!

#8. Open 364 Days a Year - Neither snow, nor sleet, nor heat of July, nor gloom of fourteen-hour December night ends the fun here. Each season brings new outdoor activities to try...and love!

#7. Food!!! - It may be marshmallows or bannock on the campfire, and elegant, locally-sourced banquet meal, a quick bison burger at the Buffalo Stone Café, or fresh Saskatoons from the forest, but there's always a tasty nibble nearby!

#6. Architecture - Each of our buildings strive to be green, and each is extremely unique in terms of design.

#5. We Are Who We Are - We are a non-profit environmental and cultural education centre based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. We have a large, supportive volunteer corps. We do not pretend to be anything else. It's honest, it's refreshing, it's who we are!

#4. All Trails Lead to FortWhyte Alive - Hiking? Yes. Snowshoeing? Yup, we've got it. Biking? Horse-drawn wagon rides? Deer paths in the forest? Recovered rail beds? Canoe routes? FortWhyte Alive has it.

#3. Goose Flights - Our largest lakes host up to 20,000 geese. I do not believe it possible to watch 20,000 migrating geese settling on the water back lit by a blazing prairie sunset and not have one's soul stirred.

#2. World Class Programs - FortWhyte Alive's programming always attempts to show the connection between culture and nature in a very personal way. I used to take this thinking for granted - everyone must do things this way, right? I was wrong. For most people, tying culture, heritage, and environment together in a fun way is simply outside of their experience. I have had people from Australia and Malaysia, from Austria and Tanzania, tell me what we are doing at FortWhyte is important work, and that more similar work needs to be done. That they wish someone was doing something like it in their city, or country. I've seen people moved to tears as they realize they have more in common than not, just by spending some time together sitting in a tipi and talking...

Sometimes, you need to go halfway around the world to realize what's in your backyard, and how special it is.

#1. The People - I get to spend everyday with my friends. These could be my staff friends, volunteer friends, family friends, or FortWhyte Alive visitors, who are friends I just have not yet met! FortWhyte Alive is about connection - to the land, to our history...to each other. I love that sense of connection.

There's my top ten. I'd love to hear your favourite things about FortWhyte!

See you on the trail,

Barret