Earlier this month the Stewardship Program held its' annual Master Steward Training in preparation for property visits this field season. The Master Stewards visit with landowners to tour their property and speak with them about good stewardship practices for their property. Everything from healthy forest management to shoreline re-naturalization to creating habitat for wildlife and trail building.

We had a fastastic weekend of learning! The following is a photo journal of our weekend spent talking, learning and experiencing stewardship in Muskoka.

This is most of the group at the end of the weekend. Thanks for a great weekend and for being super volunteers!

Master Steward Paula led us in a creative icebreaker that involved gathering from the forest to make a food or drink to share!

Matt and Chad explain their concoction.

The group listens to Master Steward Chris Near as he speaks about trail building.

The Master Steward volunteers listen intently.

The Master Stewards gaze up at the canopy as we listen to our guest speaker, Forester Scott Reid.

Scott speaks with the group about common tree diseases in Muskoka.

The Master Stewards identify trees and note their defect in a field exercise with Scott.

Master Stewards cross the stream on a bridge built by a landowner during a property visit at the Master Steward training.

Master Steward Chris Near speaks about trails in the field as a follow-up to his morning presentation.

The Master Stewards hike up a path using a railing along one of the trails at the property visit.

Master Steward Chris Gilmour gives a talk about wild edibles of Muskoka.

Some of the wild edibles Master Steward Chris Gilmour brought with him to share with the group- at our own risk!

Master Steward Chad give a talk on the importance of downed woody material in the forest and the art he creates from it.

Master Steward Ariel Zwicker speaks about her family maple syrup operation in Muskoka.

Thanks to the Master Stewards for their participation and passion for conservation through private stewardship in Muskoka!

Are you a landowner who would like a property visit from a Master Steward? Your property must be at least 5 acres. For more information click on the "About Us" tab or the "Contact Us" tab at the top of the page.

Inspiration: 3 Generations of Stewardship

Good land stewardship runs deep in the Dutton family- and that of his wife, Barbara Dutton (née Longhurst). Her family was among the first settlers in the Windermere area, circa 1865, where they established a farm. A drive through the Windermere area tells stories of long established farmed meadowlands mixed in with the typical Muskoka lakes, pines, and granite.

The Longhurst family continues to farm in the Windermere area, but the Duttons took a different approach to land stewardship. “Each generation has their own part to play in the stewardship of our land. But the underlying set of values stays the same and is transferred from one generation on to the next” says John Dutton.

Ready to retire, the Duttons moved to Barbara’s grandmothers’ house near Windermere that was built in 1932. They eventually ran a Bed & Breakfast for eleven years. For their part, they envisioned continuing with Barbara’s family’s vision to steward the land. While not farmers, the values that were passed on through her family gave them a keen interest in private land stewardship.

The Duttons first became involved in the Stewardship Program in 1994. “It was important to us to be participants in the Muskoka Stewardship Program so we could preserve our property for our children. Handing the property down through each generation establishes a sense of inherent value in our family” says John Dutton.

Running the Bed & Breakfast allowed guests to experience the diverse habitat types, flora and fauna found on the Dutton’s 31 acre parcel of land. It also motivated the Duttons to focus on the stewardship of their land to enhance and preserve the natural systems that exist there.

During the first visit from the Muskoka Stewardship Program in 1994, the Duttons identified several initiatives that were important to them in their stewardship plan. These included maintaining existing and creating new trails, trail interpretive signs, learning more about the natural features of their property, continuing to extract small amounts of timber, and haying a small field.

Chris Near, a volunteer Master Steward, visited the Dutton property this summer as part of the new Stewardship Program: “When I met with the Duttons and walked their property I quickly became aware of their past efforts and future potential as stewards of their land.” Since the 1990s, John Dutton has expanded the trail system in order to gain better accessibility of the property and to appreciate the birds, wildlife, and unique land formations of the property.

One of the trails leads to a 3-acre portion of the property that is harvested for grain every couple of years. The trail system and this field are recognitions of Barbara’s family farming roots in the area and a way for John’s son and grandson to become involved in the stewardship of the property. Passing the land down to his son and grandson “creates a Trust for the family. They help with maintaining the property and learn about it and it becomes important to them” says John Dutton. Master Steward, Chris Near agrees and adds that “the Dutton’s land will also benefit from the knowledge that one generation is passing on to the next.”

The values of conservation and preservation are echoed by Jonathan (son) and Michael (grandson); the generations who are growing up on the land and envisioning their own ideas for stewardship. Michael is interested in maintaining the trail system and planting some trees. Although he admits it is hard to articulate, he values the strong family connection that he feels when visiting his grandparent’s property: “It is calming and peaceful to visit there, and I feel at home there.”

Jonathan notes that his parents have “passed on an active interest in the property. They have researched and learned so much about wildlife, for example, and shared that information and those stories with their kids.”

There is a long history of stewardship being passed on on this land. For John, Barbara and their family, the stewardship of their land has changed “how we value Muskoka as a whole. One leads into the other; the more we appreciate our 31 acres, the more we appreciate Muskoka” says John Dutton. For them, the family connection has given them a sense of how wonderful it is to have natural places that they can enjoy and steward.

Many landowners who participate in the Muskoka Stewardship program reflect on the importance of conservation on private land. John Dutton thinks “it is symbolic of our values. We want to preserve our property in a natural setting for generations to come.” Certainly, these are sentiments are representative of how many landowners in Muskoka feel about the region and their special piece of it.

The Dutton family has made a voluntary commitment to protect the rich and valuable natural heritage of their land by becoming part of the Muskoka Heritage Foundation’s Stewardship Program. The Foundation is helping them and many others to be better caretakers of the natural features that make Muskoka so special. If you and your family are interested in stewardship of your special piece of Muskoka, contact me.

The Muskoka Stewardship program is supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Government of Ontario.

Stewards of the land

Did you catch this article in the August 12th edition of the Muskokan?

I will update this post with a link to the article when it becomes available.

Interested in having a Master Steward out to your property?

Send me an email!

Find out how in the 'Contact Us' section.

Look what we did this weekend!

This past weekend, the Master Stewards got together as a group for the first time to attend the training workshop for the program. We had a great weekend full of guest speakers, walks in the forest, through a wetland, and along the shoreline. There was a lot of information to digest, but it is all part of the learning process. I am really happy with the way the group created an atmosphere of collaboration and learning not only from the guest speakers, but also from the wealth of knowledge that exists within the group. It was a fantastic weekend- thanks to the Master Stewards for attending and to the guest speakers for sharing their expertise with us!

Check out the photos below for a glimpse into what we did this past weekend:

{the gatepost sign, rack cards & Ontario Trillium Foundation plaque}

{here I am introducing the workshop to the Master Stewards}

{here we are chatting with Paula about connection to place}

{the group examines the tree over the path}

{Tony Armstrong, our guest speaker about Forestry, helps us with our tree identification}

{the Master Stewards chat over lunch}

{Jan McDonnell speaks to the group about forest habitat}

{Jan presents to the group about forest habitat}

{Judi Brouse presents on Water Quality}

{Dirk Janas presents on Wetlands}

{Peter Seybold welcomes us to his property for the practice visit}

{Chris Gilmour shows Peter Seybold a sarsaparilla plant}

{The Master Stewards contemplate the shoreline}

{Allan Guthrie talks tree cavities with Peter Seybold}

{here I am presenting Katherine and Peter Seybold with the very first gatepost sign of the 2010 Muskoka Stewardship Program}

{All the Master Stewards gather with the Seybolds at the end of the practice visit}

The Master Stewards are now ready to conduct property visits. Contact me if you are a landowner interested in a visit this summer.

Master Steward Workshop

I have been busy this week getting ready for the Master Steward Training Workshop that will take place this weekend. It is an exciting time for the Muskoka Stewardship Program!

The Master Stewards are Muskokans who have volunteered to conduct site visits where they will work with landowners to protect the natural values of their properties. This could mean advising them about topics such as building a trail through your forest, attracting wildlife to your forest or garden, discouraging other wildlife from visiting, caring for your wetland ecosystem, harvesting wood from your woodlot in sustainable ways, and much more.

This weekend, the Master Stewards will be participating in 2 days of training so they are better prepared to help you with the projects you are interested in on your property. At these site visits they will have knowledge, information, and resources to share.

{let's keep Muskoka looking natural}

From the property visit, we will write a summary report of your property and give it to you so you are better equipped to begin and continue with stewardship activities. We will also give you resources that will help you with your projects. Lots of those resources can be found on this blog in the 'Stewardship Resources' section.

The Muskoka Stewardship Program aims to improve the ecological integrity of Muskoka's private lands. If your property is in Muskoka, rural, and larger than 5 acres, you qualify to have a Master Steward come out and visit your property. This visit is voluntary, non-regulatory and free.

The Stewardship Program is unique in that it encourages neighbours to help neighbours and empowers local volunteers to engage in their community. The Muskoka Stewardship program exists to encourage private land stewardship. We want to help you get to know your land better! Contact us to become a participant in the program.

Check back next week for highlights from the workshop!