On Sunday, May 21, 2006, the Ottawa Forests and Greenspace Advisory Committee organized the first of a series of walks in Ottawa’s natural areas. The walk took place in McCarthy Woods and its Meadow to the west and was under the guidance of Erwin Dreessen and Seaton Findlay. Here is Erwin’s report.
There was an excellent turnout — I estimate about 50 people, and this on a rainy day! Actually, the rain was not bad, and no bother at all within the woods. Quite muddy in some spots, but we all came prepared. Participants included Councillor Maria McRae and John Sankey.
We started out behind the Hunt Club/Riverside Community Centre where the Poets’ Pathway Committee has proposed that an inaugural site of the Pathway be created. Councillor McRae gave introductory remarks, emphasizing the disputed status of these lands and what the city is doing (a birding study that is now under way). I then described the Poets’ Pathway project as a fitting match of commemoration of Canada’s/Ottawa’s literary history with preservation of natural areas. I handed around James Ryan’s design for the inaugural site, first submitted to the City in December 2003,
and recited Archibald Lampman’s poem, “On the Companionship with Nature,” that would be featured there (in English and French).
As we headed into the woods co-host Seaton Findlay pointed out the edge nature of the vegetation, and the tangle of buckthorn everywhere. We later walked into various sections of these magnificent woods, past what sometimes were fields of fading Trillium, and we also learned what little is known about the history of this site.
When we reached the western edge, I cited the last two lines of Lampman’s “Winter Uplands” and told the story of Bill Royds’ epiphany, talked about the birding field trip we held last April (I read the six lines from “Solitude” I used then & passed around the report), and conveyed generally the idea of dedicating this land as a Canadian Poets’ Park. I passed around James’ preliminary sketch of park features.
At that point the group split up, some to explore the meadow further (I encouraged them to go find the cherished spot from which a view of the Rideau River can be had), others returning to the HC/RCC. The audience was quite appreciative of all the information they had received. There was a good turnout by people living close by, but a show of hands requested by Maria at the start had indicated that perhaps 40% were from further away.