I’m trying to reorganize my office, and while sorting through materials, I came across a document that I want to keep and that should be better known by the public and journalists in particular.
     This document is the finding of an Ontario judge about a defamation suit by a municipal government against a local Internet news provider. The details of this 2006 case are not important. The judge’s findings are.
     J. Corbett of the Superior Court of Justice for Ontario wrote that “no government may bring an action in defamation…Everyone should be free to criticize democratically elected governments, be they federal, provincial or local, without risking a defamation action…
     “Without free speech, there is no free press. Without a free press, there is no free political debate. Without free political debate, there cannot be true democracy. Freedom, writ large, is a pillar of democracy… A law that restricts free speech, even slightly and for noble purposes, has some chilling effect… 
     “In a democracy, it is essential that the government be in the public domain, and be available for criticism of all kinds.
     “…everyone has a right to voice her [sic] opinion, whether orally or in writing…
     “It is in the very nature of a democratic government itself that precludes government from responding to criticism by means of defamation actions…
     “The government may not imprison, or fine, or sue, those who criticize it…Litigation is a form of force, and the government must not silence its critics by force.
     “…any legal restriction on freedom of expression about public affairs has a chilling effect on freedom of expression generally…”
     These are comforting words of wisdom for everyone in democracies. If you want more details about this document, email me.

Artist John Haines & Suzanne Purdy of Craigleith Heritage Depot

This is a particularly interesting story, sent to us by The Blue Mountains…

     Local artist, John Haines, recently donated a painting to the Craigleith Heritage Depot. The painting was done in collaboration with local archaeologists and illustrates what The Blue Mountains would have looked like circa 1635.
     John’s unique perspective of painting gives this piece a very interesting vantage point. Instead of looking down at ski runs, the viewer looks down on two active Petun villages. Archaeologists today refer to these two village sites as the Plater-Martin and Plater-Fleming archaeological sites, located at the foot of Blue Mountain. It is estimated that nearly 5,000 people lived here during this time. The painting also illustrates the gardens that once surrounded the villages, the remains of which can still found today.
     To view this painting and learn more about the Petun, visit the Craigleith Heritage Depot located at 113 Lakeshore Rd. E., at the Corner of Hwy 26 East and Grey Road 19.  The Depot is open Wednesday to Saturday, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Eastern Loggerhead Shrike at Mountsberg Conservation Area. Photo courtesy Conservation Halton.

Mike & I recently had special access to an important new initiative by Conservation Halton. We were allowed inside the newly built breeding facility for Eastern Loggerhead Shrikes, at Mountsberg Conservation Area, for Mike to take photographs. Except for the one above, these photos are all by (and copyright of) Mike Davis.
     The Eastern Loggerhead Shrike is an endangered species of bird, and with only 21 wild pairs seen by last year, it is on the edge of extinction. As part of a large Shrike recovery program, this facility is sheltering paired Shrikes in order to breed and release hatchlings into the wild.

Amy Fennell entering Mountsberg's Shrike facility, which has indoor/outdoor pens.

     This is the good news. The bad news for the public is that visitors won’t be able to get close to see these birds in the facility. The breeding program is so critical and so new, that nothing and no one should disturb or frighten the Shrikes from their important job of surviving and restoring their species.
     So let us give you a behind-the-scenes look at the facility. First, some details: “Eastern Loggerhead Shrikes are a predatory, robin-sized songbird that prefers short grasslands or grazed pastures,” notes Conservation Halton. “They hunt small animals, such as rodents, insects, other small birds, and amphibians.” Shrikes have strong hooked beaks that can quickly kill prey, but they don’t have strong legs or talons to hold onto it while feeding. They developed a technique of impaling their dead prey on a thorn to hold it while they tear it apart, or store it for later. This unique behaviour has caused them to be known as the “butcher bird.” At Mountsberg, the Shrikes’ diet consists of dead mice, live crickets and two kinds of live worms.

Shrikes' dinner: from left, mealworms, superworms and dead mice.

Live crickets are another delicacy for Shrikes.

Live superworms destined for Shrike food.

Live mealworms are a Shrike favourite.

      Inside the Mountsberg facility, one Shrike has become used to its feeders, especially Amy Fennell, and has been named Jack the Ripper. Jack moves about very quickly, and lighting was a problem, so Mike didn’t get a great shot. Here’s one of his that shows Jack’s hooked beak, if you can see it. 

Jack inside his breeding pen. He has a sharp curve at the end of his beak.

     Mike noticed something unusual at the inside top of Jack’s pen. When he asked Amy, she said she hadn’t seen them before, and they were pellets, or waste material that birds regurgitate. She was very interested to see them and said they were another good sign of Jack’s acceptance of his new surroundings.

Jack's pellets, inside at the top of the pen. Is he trying to keep his home clean by leaving them where staff can get them?

     For more information on the Shrike recovery program, see Wildlife Preservation Canada and Conservation Halton Foundation (Click on “Shrike Recovery Project” on the left menu.). Canadian Wildlife Service is also involved, but their website is being reorganized and I couldn’t find a useful link.
     Do you have anything to add about this project?
Important addition: here’s a great video of Amy giving a tour of the new facility. So interesting, it’s almost like being there!

Mike recently picked up a brochure from the Town of Caledon, called Explore Caledon’s Trails and Bikeways. It has a useful map of Caledon, showing the locations of trails and features of interest. It includes this description of the Niagara Escarpment:
            “Where visible, the Escarpment is a massive forested ridge that extends 1,100 km from western New York to Niagara Falls, across southern Ontario, up the Bruce Peninsula, under the waters of Georgian Bay to Manitoulin Island, and down the western shore of Lake Michigan. The process that created the Escarpment began more than 400 million years ago when the limestone and sandstone formed. These geological events are responsible for a myriad of specialized habitats where diverse plants and animals thrive. Recognized as one of Canada’s more significant land formations, the Escarpment was designated as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 1990.”
     Well done, Caledon, for this complete information!
     The brochure also promotes Caledon’s portions of the Trans Canada Trail, Caledon Trailway, The Bruce Trail and Humber Valley Heritage Trail. All these trails make sense of the brochure’s title. There’s plenty to explore in Caledon.

The wonderful Bruce Trail has helped make the Niagara Escarpment famous. Its free footpath follows the Niagara Escarpment from Queenston, Ont. north to Tobermory, and is about 885 km long. But the Niagara Escarpment covers much more territory than this!
      The Niagara Escarpment is actually an international landform that starts in western New York State, goes from the Niagara Falls area up to the northernmost tip of the Bruce Peninsula, continues underwater, perhaps underground, and surfaces at Manitoulin Island. The curving south shore of the island is part of the Niagara Escarpment, as are smaller islands west of Manitoulin.
            It’s not finished yet! The Niagara Escarpment passes through the edge of Michigan, then curves south into Wisconsin, where it stops, or starts, depending on your perspective. I’ve seen it referred to as The Great Arc, which is what it really looks like, according to this map on Wikipedia.
            This aspect of the Niagara Escarpment is why our friends at the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy are working at preserving land on Manitoulin Island. And why we’ve met some of the people behind the Wisconsin-based Niagara Escarpment Resource Network. And why Meldrum Bay Inn has their ad on our website, in the upper right corner. Meldrum Bay is on the western tip of Manitoulin Island, very much in the Niagara Escarpment. The Bruce Trail covers less than half of the whole Niagara Escarpment, meaning that there is much more to explore than their trail alone, as fantastic as that is.
            From time to time we’ll post more interesting info about the Niagara Escarpment here. Do you have any knowledge to share? Or a question you’d like us to look into? Let us know. Leave a comment here.

We’re pleased to share the news that George Down of Hamilton is the Tower Poetry Society’s Featured Poet for 2011-2012. George and his wife Trudi are great friends of Escarpment Views. They own and operate The Book Band, which promotes Canadian small press publishers and writers. You may have seen them representing their authors at Eden Mills Writers Festival or the Locke Street Festival. To read some of George’s fine poetry and learn about his background, go to his Tower Poetry Society’s feature page. Congratulations, George!

Believe this…or not! We’re just passing on the news…

     Something unbelievable and exciting has happened at Westfield…a repeat of an event from the past! A fairy has been captured on film at Westfield Heritage Village. Is it real? Is it a hoax? The only way to truly know is to see the photograph with your own eyes. The photo will be on display at Westfield’s Haunted Halloween this Friday and Saturday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
     Westfield Heritage Village has a photograph of a beautiful young fairy sitting on the bed upstairs in their historic Gillen house. Photographer David White, a volunteer at Westfield, uses a working antique box camera to take sepia photographs of images at Westfield. [Ed. note: He is the photographer in the photo in the blog post below.] When David went upstairs recently to photograph the bedrooms at the Gillen house he was surprised to see a young girl with fairy wings sitting quietly on the bed. Without disturbing her he was able to capture the image on film.
     This unlikely event is strikingly similar to the Cottingley Fairies story from 1917 when two young cousins in England captured photographs of themselves with fairies beside the beck (stream) in the village of Cottingley where one of the girls lived. The pictures came to the attention of writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who used them to illustrate an article on fairies he had been commissioned to write for a Christmas 1920 edition magazine. 
     Efforts were made to validate the Cottingley photos but none of the experts could prove or disprove whether they were of real fairies or not. By sheer coincidence, Westfield now also has a photograph of a lovely young fairy.
     Has history repeated itself? What other mysteries may be uncovered in the Village during Westfield’s Haunted Halloween? Visitors to Westfield’s Halloween programme will have the opportunity to view the photograph, decide for themselves if it is real or a hoax and discover many of the past traditions and mysteries of Halloweens gone by.

Have you ever seen a fairy?

Hallowe'en from the past

 

Things are looking pretty spooky in Rockton! See what’s brewing…

 Haunted Halloween allows visitors to explore All Hallow’s Eve history and folklore in the unique setting of one of Ontario’s best living history museums, Westfield Heritage Village, Friday, October 28th and Saturday, October 29th, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Time after time, Westfield takes you back to our past with historical buildings, costumed interpreters, live demonstrations and presentations that entertain and educate like no other.
     In the setting of more than 30 historical buildings lit by lantern-light, learn the story of Stingy Jack or join the roaring ‘20s costume party. Enjoy presentations of our ancestor’s phobias, superstitions and history including puppet shows, ghost stories, and relive the traditions of Halloweens past! Younger children can try their hands at Halloween crafts and even try on a pair of feathered fairy wings. For the more adventurous visitor, take a stroll through the haunted train station or do the Walk of Doom… if you dare! Enjoy some free hot popcorn (while quantities last) and remember your trip with a one-of-a-kind souvenir from the gift shop.
     So bone up on your history at Westfield Heritage Village located on 1049 Kirkwall Road (also known as Regional Road 552) in Rockton, just off Highway 8 between Hamilton and Cambridge. For more information, call 1-800-883-0104. For all Westfield event information and directions, visit www.westfieldheritage.ca.
     Admission is only $11 for adults, $10 for seniors and $6.50 for children 6-12 yrs of age. Kids 5 years and under are free and parking is free. Buy your tickets online at www.westfieldheritage.ca and save $1 per ticket.

Miltongreen Environmental Association sent us this news about an event this week:

See the motivating presentation by Rod Muir of the Sierra Club Canada about Waste Diversion – the quick, cheap, and yes easy-means to achieving Sustainability! Then, join workshops on smart and practical approaches to events, celebrations and gift giving!This ecofriendly event is held at the Milton District High School Theatre on Thursday, October 20^th, 6:30-9:00 pm. Refreshments will be served. 
     Hear-about and participate-in workshops on family, cultural and public celebrations and household or other waste issues to reduce your “footprint” and sustain the earth’s resources. You will take away from this event, lots of fun and hands-on ideas to making sustainable choices and activities a part of everyday life. This family friendly event is held with regard for all cultures.
     Presented by Miltongreen Environmental Assoc. and MDHS Ecoclub in partnership with the Halton Environment Network and sponsored by an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant of Miltongreen. Please bring clean gently-used (or new) PYJAMAS to donate to the Halton Women’s Place – all sizes are needed.
     Sign-in at 6:30 pm when you arrive to receive your “door prize” tickets for cool items donated by the handful of this event’s theme-based vendors. For more information or to let us know you are coming email miltongreen.ontario@gmail.com; call 905-878-0995. 

Here’s what’s happening at Conservation Halton this weekend:

Conservation Halton’s Fall into Nature offers activities at six different Halton Parks. The festival celebrates the spectacular landscapes and fall colours of the Niagara Escarpment.
     Fall into Nature is on the weekend of October 15 and 16, at Mountsberg, Crawford Lake, Kelso, Rattlesnake Point, Hilton Falls and Mount Nemo Conservation Areas.
See what our parks have to offer:
     Fall into Nature is a wonderful opportunity to see all of the parks in their fall splendour. A detailed schedule of events is available online at www.fallintonature.ca. Visitors will enjoy a variety of unique outdoor experiences including:
*Chairlift rides to the top of the escarpment with spectacular views
*Self-guided and interpreter led tours through our many trails and landscapes
*Tractor-drawn wagon rides through the parks
*Educational and interactive programs (visit an Iroquoian Village, learn about the science of nature)
*Live performances (music, First Nations dancers)
*Demonstrations (Bird of Prey shows, reptile shows, mountain biking)*Various other activities (children’s activities, BBQs, family campfires, and more)
     On Saturday, October 15, Conservation Halton will hold its inaugural Forest Festival at Rattlesnake Point. Come out and celebrate the International Year of Forests and learn about the importance of trees and forests in our region. Enjoy interactive displays on the use of forest products, logging demonstrations and more fun activities.
     During Fall into Nature visitors will also be able to enjoy the regular activities and programs available at Conservation Halton parks. Be sure to check out the amazing Birds of Prey demonstrations at Mountsberg or travel back in time to the Iroquoian Village at Crawford Lake.
     Conservation Halton parks have some of the best places in our area to enjoy the amazing fall colours, the vistas from Mount Nemo and Rattlesnake Point are particularly incredible.
     Park visitors who purchase a one-day park entry during the festival will receive a Fall into Nature passport valid for one full day’s admission to all six parks. Show your passport on subsequent days and receive a discount on your entry.
     Take a ride on the Fall Bus Tour and lunch is on us! You can sit back and enjoy the ride as we take you on a guided tour of Fall into Nature on October 15 and 16. The tour will take you to three distinctive parks, Kelso, Crawford Lake and Mountsberg where you will learn about the areas natural and cultural history, while enjoying a variety of special events. 
     Your full-day bus tour includes:
*Chairlift ride at Kelso to enjoy autumn views along the escarpment, with a guided walk to learn about the landscape from spectacular vantage points
*BBQ lunch
*Stop at Crawford Lake for a feature presentation with Iroquoian Dancers and an opportunity to tour the village
*Birds of Prey Demonstration and Wildlife Walkway at Mountsberg
     The Fall Bus Tour is $30.00 per person (including taxes) and will be from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., departing from Kelso. Book online through the Fall into Nature website (www.fallintonature.ca) or call 905-854-2276.
     The fall colours in Halton Region are accentuated with our region’s many country roads, rolling terrain, and of course the Niagara Escarpment. As you travel through Escarpment Country during Fall into Nature, there are many other great attractions in our area, such as shops, local artisans, and numerous farms with fresh produce.
     You can find everything you need to know at www.fallintonature.ca or www.conservationhalton.ca. Residents and visitors alike are invited to join us in celebrating autumn at this fun filled festival, great for people of all ages!
     Fall into Nature is made possible in part through the generous support of the Government of Ontario Celebrate Ontario Program. Conservation Halton launched its first Fall into Nature festival in 2009 and over 28,000 people attended, last year over 45,000 people attended.