Dear members and friends,
We are Camping out again in May 2018!
The Friends of Redtail Society would like to welcome its members and the public to it’s third annual May Days event held on the top of Porter Road, Pictou West, on the public lands bordering FRS land and the MacKay Brook Nature Reserve. We will be setting up camp beginning at noon on Friday, May 11th and finishing at noon on Sunday, May 13th. As in past years, we will be holding a night sit beginning just before dark on Friday evening at 8:00PM. A tree planting demonstration by Tom Miller will be held on Saturday at 10AM. This year we will also partake in a 24 hour fast to bring good energy and intention to the environmental and social struggles we are currently facing in Pictou County. The intent is unity,not division, and we encourage anyone to participate whether it is at the gathering site or in the comfort of their own surroundings. The fast will begin at 6:00 AM on Saturday morning and end at 6:00 AM on Sunday morning. Everyone is welcome to drop by for a visit if you are not able to fast or camp. Please bring a folding chair if you are attending the night sit. Full details can be found at www.friendsofredtail.ca and our Facebook page.
Last Years May Days 2017
As you may recall, in May 2016 FRS board member Billy MacDonald camped out for all of May on the Porter Road Public (Crown) land that borders and is the upland watershed to FRS land. He was frequently joined by others to walk the land, document flora, fauna, cultural and other land features, to pick up garbage or just sit and enjoy the view.
As part of the Society’s Talking Forests educational series, the following events are planned on site, weather permitting:
- Friday – Night Walk starting at dusk
- Saturday – Tree Planting Demonstration with Tom Miller,
The demonstration will include, but not be limited to, hardwood and softwood species, commercial and “homemade” transplants and tips on digging up and transplanting native trees from the woods, fields or roadsides. Discussion will revolve around proper care before, during and after planting as well as micro-site selection. Tom has been involved in the Forest Industry for 42 years, 15 of them as a tree planting contractor.
Saturday Night- – Open-air screening of Call of the Forest: The Forgotten Wisdom of Trees, featuring Diana Beresford-Kroeger.
This film will be preceded by a slide show of images taken by Joella Arsenault last year on the Porter Road Public Land before and after the Port Hawkesbury Paper (PHP) cut.
(campers are asked to bring their own gear, food and water). During the weekend there are plans as well for picking up garbage along the Porter Road and walking the areas cut by PHP last fall. Also last fall the clear tracks of an endangered mainland moose were found very close to where camp had been set up last May; so although some events are planned there may be the unexpected encounters too. Please join us!
For further information e-mail info@friendsofredtail.ca. Visit us on Facebook for any updates (some events are weather dependent) and share your Crown land experiences in an ongoing conversation