Autumn, 2020

Dear Bow Open Spaces current, past or potential member!

2020 has been a challenging year for many of us with everything that has happened in the United States.  One positive effect has been interest in Bow Open Spaces and our trails.  During our year ended June 30, 2020 we had a record total of members.  Also, hiking trail use was at an all-time high.  The most active period of hiking our trails was this past spring.  It does appear that many individuals found our trails during the height of the pandemic.  These hikers are using the trails again this fall.  It is rewarding to see families and others hiking in our forests.  Our efforts of constructing and maintaining the trails has been worth all the work!

Bow Open Spaces continued our work on hiking/mountain biking trail improvements in the Knox Forest, Walker Forest, Hammond Preserve, and Nottingcook Forest. Our president, Harry Hadaway, has agreed to stay on again for another year! Harry continues to do an excellent job as president. Harry’s contact info is president@bowopenspaces.com. 

During 2019 we lost our trail director due to retirement.  If you or anyone you know might be interested in the trails director position, please let Harry know so we can fill this important position.  We would be interested in discussing this position with anyone on the trails committee that would like to serve on the board.  Also, please let us know if you are interested in assisting with trail maintenance or trail improvement projects. Any assistance is appreciated. Please contact Harry if you are interested at president@bowopenspaces.com. There is plenty to do!

We have just about completed the conservation easement agreement with the Town of Bow for the new conservation easement on Crescent Drive. This property abuts Nottingcook Forest and provides access from Crescent Drive. Please let us know if there is anyone out there looking to protect their property from development! We can help!

The board is still looking for someone to fill the vice president’s position and for additional board members, especially individuals who have related legal and environmental experience. Please let us know if you are aware of any good candidates who might enjoy serving as vice president or on the board. This is an ongoing issue and we need to fill this position. Please help!

Martin Murray continues to assist with our website. Please check out our website at BowOpenSpaces.com. The functionality of the website has been greatly improved. Martin also continues to distribute our electronic newsletter. Look for our quarterly newsletter to keep you up to date about Bow Open Spaces’ activities. Please let Martin know what you think of the newsletter by contacting him at publicrelations@bowopenspaces.com.

Our stewardship committee, has been led by Ken Demain for many years.  Ken has retired from this position.  Thank you Ken for your many years of service!  Eric Thum has agreed to be the new stewardship director.  As in past years we have been very active monitoring our conservation easements with Eric’s leadership.  Participating in the monitoring walks is a great way to explore the various properties in Bow and see areas that you would not otherwise see. Eric really needs some new volunteers to assist with easement monitoring. Please contact Eric at stewardship@bowopenspaces.com.

Fall and winter are always great times to get out and enjoy the trails. Please contact us if you need information about the trails. We sponsor winter snowshoe trips through the Bow Recreation Department. Watch the Recreation Department website for information about these events. You can download hiking/biking trail maps of our various properties at: https://bowopenspaces.com/our-propertiestrails/overview-of-bos-properties/.

We have a great board of directors and trails committee. Our board and hopefully our membership are excited about the future of Bow Open Spaces, our conservation lands, and recreational trails. Our membership base has grown as noted above. We still need everyone’s help to bring in new members and insure the long-term health of our organization! Please help support our president, the board of directors, the committees and the mission of Bow Open Spaces! Your continued support will help protect and promote open space in Bow! You can contact me regarding any membership questions at membership@bowopenspaces.com. 

We appreciate you completing and returning the attached dues form with your payment. You can also pay for your membership through our website at:

https://bowopenspaces.com/membershipsupport/join-or-renew-membership/.

Thank you for your new or continuing membership. We hope you and your family get out and enjoy the open spaces and trails in Bow!

We count on you and others to let us know if something on our trails requires attention. And now, there is a Trail Catalog tool which allows you to easily and quickly report on any issues you find.

An image from the Trail Catalog

Whether its a downed tree or consideration of a bridge, it’s important to hear from you. We will catalog all observations and comments and utilize them as we plan our Trail Care days, which occur several times each year.

We are grateful to Bow Open Spaces member Jim Jensen for producing the trail catalog tool. Please feel free to put it to good use!

On July 2, Doug Merriman and I reached Peawanuck Village-the final stop of our 500-mile canoe expedition down the Pipestone and Winisk Rivers to Hudson Bay. It took us 23 days to paddle the remote rivers of this extensive boreal forest. Other than the First Nations bands in Wunnummin, Summer Beaver and Webequie we didn’t see anyone the entire trip.

Eric Thum, during his epic canoe trip.

Numerous sets of violent rapids and falls tested our river running expertise. If the rapids were too dangerous to attempt in the canoe, we portaged on trails which were mostly overgrown. Many times, we had to cut a trail using a Garmin InReach GPS. We would first tag the best route with surveyor tape, then hack a rough path with machetes to clear the trail. Then we made another two trips to carry the canoe and packs. Hard work indeed! We saw moose, wolverine, wolves, caribou, beaver, otter and even a polar bear. Other than one subspecies of grizzly bear, polar bears are the only animal that will stalk and eat a human. One single swipe of the claw can be enough to kill you.

Loons, geese, bufflehead, eagles, cranes, sandpipers, terns, jays (whiskey jack), and thrush were spotted on and off the Shield. The white-throated sparrow was ubiquitous-in the early morning, at lunch stops or late evening we heard its clear high whistle: Old Sam Peabody Peabody Peabody. Terns would hover over our canoe, emit a loud harsh kraa, and then dive in the water to catch fish. From my stern seat I marveled at the incredible flight patterns of this slender bird.

Perhaps the most memorable moment of our trip was the landscape transition from the rocky shores of the Shield to the Hudson Bay Lowlands near the end of our trip. The Lowlands is a vast, flat, sodden plain abutting Hudson and James Bays. Glacial and marine deposits left by the glaciers and ancient seas change the landscape to marshy and gravel banks. The pervasive black spruce, balsam and aspen give way to low-lying alder and willow thickets. The rapids were very choppy and extensive gravel bars made us zigzag endlessly to find the best way through the rough water. Right before our finish point at Peawanuck Village we stopped to take pictures of immense limestone cliffs towering over the Winisk. The skies opened up to reveal a magnificent yellow sun between enormous cumulus clouds.

It was a fitting end to a successful adventure in the great north woods of Canada.

A proposed project called Ring of Fire may drastically change this landscape forever. It is a proposed 5,120 square kilometer chromite ore mining development worth an estimated 6.2 billion.  New roads and towns, transmission lines, and noise and air pollution will affect the peace and solitude of this vast area just southeast of where we paddled in the Winisk Wild River Provincial Park. Perhaps Doug and I will be some of the last canoeists to enjoy the unspoiled beauty of northern Ontario.

(Eric Thum, September, 2019)