By Kristen Derbyshire
By the close of the year, the club will have hosted a total of 54 events! That’s more than one event per week of the year. We’re really keeping you guys busy! Of that total number of events, 41 will have been Pop-ups – smaller scale gatherings which are organized by the Membership Committee to bring us all together for a moment and immerse ourselves in the abundant nature of Windsor-Essex County.
A good chunk of those Pop-ups can be attributed to the Bi-Weekly Walks which are held at Black Oak Heritage Park in Windsor. This idea to host a regular rendezvous at Black Oak to observe the natural surroundings as the seasons change was initially thought up early this year by Howard Williams. Before leaving us a few months ago to move with his wife to the east coast, his contributions to the club were invaluable. The club is happy to continue the bi-weekly Black Oak walks in his absence, turning them into a custom of sorts – in honour of Howard.
As for the remainder of the Pop-up Events the club hosted this year.. Well, the Membership Committee really put some heart & soul into them! The crisp January air could not hinder our zest for the outdoors, and the club began the year of Pop-ups by touring LaSalle Conservation Lands, and the “Grand Canyon of Essex County” – a section of the Greenway. The pop-ups persisted through the brisk Winter months and then finally, we saw the light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel that is Spring. Late March saw us trekking trails at Malden Park and questing for waterfowl at Essex Sewage Lagoons. April and May afforded us endless possibilities, such as watching the sunset on the property of Dave Kraus, being enchanted by the Jane’s Walks guided by our friends Grant Munroe and Mike Evans, celebrating Mother’s Day at Kopegaren Conservation Area, and kicking off our Bi-Weekly Black Oak walks. The Springtime birding bliss and greenery glee carried into Summer, with a Pride Month Birding Walk in partnership with OFO at Ojibway. We continued our affair with the trails of the Greenway, and basked in the balmy Summer air at Big Creek Conservation Area and John R. Park Homestead. We got our first look at Nature Conservancy of Canada’s newly acquired Upper Cedar Creek, which we then toured again in the Fall – upon exclusive invitation from NCC. We watched the autumn leaves fall as we enjoyed the Annual Member BBQ & Matchet Rd Cleanup at Ojibway, and cozied up while we spotted autumn birds at the Big Sit at Point Pelee hosted by Jeremy Hatt and Windsor Feminist Bird Club. With the Winter chill returning, things start to slow down a little bit again – but not by much! We look forward to participating in the Annual Christmas Bird Counts, and the Show & Tell Monthly Member Meeting at Ojibway Nature Centre – both taking place in December, and bringing the year to a comfortable close.
It’s getting chilly out, but we’re not hibernating! The Membership Committee is keeping busy and we already have some exciting ideas we hope to see come to fruition in the New Year. We wish to keep things fresh and sprinkle in some new approaches to Pop-ups. Stay tuned, keep your eyes peeled, to be continued, etc! Special thank you to our members who join us at our Pop-ups. We look forward to having the pleasure of seeing more of you in the New Year!
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and have a Happy & Healthy New Year!
Kristen Derbyshire
Membership Secretary”