#2716 "Singleton Sanctuary Shagbark Monarch"

#2716 "Singleton Sanctuary Shagbark Monarch"
14x11 oils on canvas

Shagbark Hickory 2006

This majestic shagbark tree and I are friends. I loved that tree from the first day we parked under it in the autumn of 2006. 

The twin stems are a concern for its health. There is rot around the roots of the tree and in between the stems. We have had a professional tree service company out to the Singleton Sanctuary twice. 

The cost of doing so and looking after the Singleton Forest was money well spent for nature. The squirrels and birds spend all of autumn harvesting the nuts. One year volunteers from the Leeds and Grenville Land Stewardship Council came and rubbed shoulders with the squirrels and collected thousands of hickory nuts as well. I also plant lots of these hickory nuts on our property and expect a bountiful forest in the decades to come. This tree on the northern fringe of the Carolinian deciduous forest is the parent to countless other trees and the next generation. 

The November sun was in the southwestern sky so I set my easel up on the porch and enjoyed the warmth on my back. The sounds of the squirrels and the birds filled the air. Nuthatches make a very peculiar and distinctive chatter that I really enjoy. 

Sadly, the Ontario  Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) ceased supporting the Land Stewardship Programs in April 2013. It was one of the few government programs that really provided hands-on projects and positive results. The local Leeds-Grenville Stewardship Council (LGSC) has made a commitment to continue this important work. 

Sadly, governments are generally unsupportive of the efforts of Land Stewardship Programs and Conservation Authorities but politicians still show up whenever there might be a photo opportunity. 

We had won a national Land Stewardship Award in 2005 for our work on the Oak Ridges Moraine and were simply repeating our efforts at Singleton. It is the right thing to do, with or without government assistance. It does hurt though when the actions of the politicians are quite in the opposite direction as is currently the case - shame. 

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Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick