Greetings,
It is October and wow has it been a busy summer at the Conservancy.
The barn was re-roofed last winter and was re-painted this summer after 15 plus years. Now that’s a good coat of paint! It was completed in July and, thanks to Golden Brush Painting and our local Sherwin Williams store, we got a good deal and hopefully another 12- 15 years of our barn looking great. In addition the barn had its electrical system upgraded to new codes, several circuits added and lights replaced.
Now for the big news: for years, members and volunteers have been making donations in memory of loved ones and in honor of children and other family members. The real tipping point came when the family of Mickey Kazmierski, a long time volunteer, made a significant donation for a memorial in her name. That triggered a discussion by the board about what to do with all the memorials acquired over the past 20 plus years. It was decided to use those funds to construct a permanent shelter on the site of the Maurin house to use as an outdoor classroom for programs and school groups. The shelter materials were purchased from Western Wood Structures and built by Gibraltar Landscape and Construction. The same company (Higher Ground Roofing) that did our barn roof will install the roof on the shelter. Today, the shelter is almost complete (see the photos) and will be usable shortly thanks to our great Park crew’s restoration efforts. (However, we might have to wait until the mosquito population diminishes a bit!)
As for getting around the conservancy, the word is water, water everywhere!
The water level in Lac Lawrann itself is as high as it can get and the trails are rather squishy at this time. However, as hard as our stewards work every week to keep the outlets open from Lac Lawrann to the turtle pond, our resident beaver population works to plug those openings with mud and sticks to keep the water level higher. Right now with the weather as it is, the beavers are out in front a bit.
Our next big event is the Fall Luminary Walk on Saturday October 13 from 6 to 9 PM. So bring your family and friends to enjoy a night on the trails.
Paul
