shaman in spirit boat carving at Callaghan's Rapids Conservation Area

 

 

photo Bobbi Fulthorpe  Oct. 31/20

This is the rock carving I showed our tour a couple of weeks ago. I found it about a decade ago, and have only shown it to a handful of people. I don't know if it's a genuine Indigenous carving of a shaman in a spirit boat, like the extremely similar carvings at nearby Petroglyphs Prov. Park.  As you say, it sure doesn't look like a natural formation.

Re the 'young' look of the carving, that could be explained that it was likely covered by moss/lichen/mud/grass for centuries (like the Petroglyph carvings). Its discovery may ironically be 'credited' to the horribly destructive ATVs who've ripped off the surface coverings of the old footpath in the past few years to expose this possible piece of local Indigenous culture. Be interesting to poke around the general area to see if there are more carvings.

My friend Katherine and I found a stone axe head on a trail on the east bank of CRCA about a decade ago. Kathy took it home and put it on a window ledge. She and her sister sold the house soon after, and she forgot about our finding and left it. I haven't had the nerve to approach the new owners to ask if they have kept an unusually shaped rock left by previous owners.
 

Callaghan's Rapids preservation group achieving needed commitments

Callaghan's Rapids Conservation Area newsletter

received Oct. 15/20

 Hello All!
We hope everyone had a good thanksgiving weekend. We have some uplifting news about Callaghan’s - things seem to heading in the right direction on a few fronts!
 Tim Pidduck got a verbal agreement from Cindy Cassidy, GM of EOTA that they agree to install barriers on the sides of the trail that allow motorized vehicles to access Callaghan’s. They will also be installing more signage along their trail. This won’t happen this year but will be budgeted for the spring 2021.
 

This means we only need to be concerned with the trails off the parking lot and perhaps the far south and east access. Good things are unfolding here as well. Tim has had discussions with a large mining company that may be able to provide LARGE rocks. Trail Stewards are still a necessity and perhaps we can update our leaflet to let people that there will be barriers put in place soon.
 

New signage will be installed by CVCA staff and volunteers. The signs will include a statement regarding ‘Community Watch’ or ‘Trail Stewardship Program’ in place and a warning that OPP will be alerted of illegal activity. There has also been discussion about the need or efficacy of a camera monitoring system but hopefully this will not be necessary.
 

The OPP have been to Callaghan’s on at least a couple of occasions recently. Continued enforcement will obviously be necessary now and in the future but hopefully once barriers and signage is in place, we can minimize OPP resources.  
 

Cathie and I spoke to Bob Mullin, Mayor of Stirling and he offered (pending approval of council) use of their equipment to place material. Perhaps we can get more ‘in kind’ donations from other municipalities such as Marmora and Lake. We could approach local excavating companies to drop material off as well. They can promote their ‘donation’ on their website and we can respond/promote/thank them with a social media campaign that can be shared near and far. There is still the fund from a donor that can be used to cover necessary expenses.
 

Mayor Mullin also suggested we make a delegation to the next meeting of the CVCA board on November 19, 10:00 a.m. to state our concerns over sustainability in person, and receive confirmation on completion of at least the barriers around the parking lot. It would be great to see work done this fall right after hunting season. I will be part of delegation and will let you know location of the meeting and how many people can join me.
 

There are some areas in Callaghan’s that are in dire need of some TLC and rehab. We are asking for people with knowledge of rehabilitation and a team of caring volunteers to put their assessment and planning expertise and passion into spearheading a restoration project. If you are interested, let Cathie or Beverly know.
 

It’s always good to let our local politicians know of our concerns.  Here is Daryl Kramp’s contact info: (daryl.kramp@pc.ola.org 343-600-3310 ). Let him know what is going on at Callaghan’s and state your concerns. I am sure he would appreciate hearing from you.

Feedback welcome, in the spirit of community,
Matt
 

 

pic from tripadviser UK

my 50+ year history in haiku published on Indian site "Cafe Haiku"

 New post on Cafe Haiku


Haiku Journeys – Riffs and Ripples
by Cafe Haiku
With this post we begin our series on Haiku Journeys. We have already received several entries - do send yours.

We begin with diary entries from Canadian poet, Chris Faiers. Its always interesting to hear different voices, from countries all over the world, each with their unique perspectives. Thank you for sharing your journey, Chris.

Coming next - our 100th post, a celebration in verse.

my thread in Haiku Canada (and in English language haiku)

Former President of Haiku Canada Terry Ann Carter is in the process of writing and publishing a history of Haiku Canada. Over the years I've sent her a number of chapbooks from the early days, and also replied to her questions as best I can. Following is a recent email I sent her to try to clarify my role in and perspective on some history of Haiku Canada (as well as on English language haiku in general).
 
I'll take a few mins now to try to fill in a few gaps in my background and role in haiku for you, as you sound confused about Unfinished Monument Press and other activities about where and when I was active in the haiku community, and especially how my history may fit in with the greater picture you're trying to uncover. Of course what I'm writing will be a bit solipsistic, but that's the best I can do, and I have been active in writing and publishing haiku from 1967 onward (now over half a century!)

You've also given me a great excuse NOT to go on the planned bitterly cold evening walk on the towpath by the Crowe, and I've poured a glass of chiraz to keep me inspired.

I was born in Hamilton (1948), but only lived there for a few months when I first returned to Canada in 1972 after living in a commune in London, UK and traveling around Europe. This story is told in my memoir "Eel Pie Dharma", first self-published with my Unfinished Monument Press in 1990 (one of the earliest English language book length haibun), and then republished with Tai Grove's Hidden Brook Press in a professional edition in 2012.

I didn't meet the Hamilton haijin, or any other haiku poets in person, until that first founding gathering of what became Haiku Canada at Eric Amann's apartment in the late 1970s. This is where I connected with Margaret Saunders, and it was probably through her that I also connected with Herb and then Jeff.

college days,  anti-draft activism and intro to haiku and Eric:

My intro to haiku happened while sitting in the library at Miami-Dade Junior College in 1967 (now Miami-Dade College) and I found an ad in the Village Voice classifieds for "Haiku" magazine. I'd been writing short poems, and the editor of the M-D lit mag, "Southwind", told me they resembled haiku. So I wrote off for a copy of "Haiku", and this is how I connected with Eric. Eric was a med student or doing his early hospital residencies in NYC, and had discovered haiku as a lonely expat Canadian. (Have you read Eric's autobiography, "The House on Fountain Street" - Can't find my signed copy right now in the dark of my study)

"Haiku" duly arrived and I immediately identified with the haiku form. My family had moved back to Key Biscayne (island off Miami) after living in a suburb of Atlanta during my high school years. I'd mistakenly registered with the draft board in Atlanta, which cost me dearly when I became very active in opposing the Vietnam War. I organized a campus group to counsel against the draft, and also began applying for conscientious objector status. Jim Christy has a parallel background with opposing the war. As one of the highest profile anti-war activists in Miami, the draft board, way off in Atlanta, soon went after me.

I was extremely stressed in this period (circa 1967-69), and I began writing haiku as an outlet for the stress and began sending haiku to Eric. Eric rejected my first attempts, but soon started accepting them for publication in his influential mag. I also began practicing yoga and meditation at this time.

Eric's "Haiku" was a leader in the very small field of haiku practitioners and small mags and broadsheets. There were a handful of these, but Eric's mag was acknowledged to be at the forefront in developing a modern, English language version of haiku. In the 1960s almost all haiku were written in the rigid 5-7-5 form, but Eric bravely promoted a shorter, looser form. He was my mentor, and I did my best to write haiku which fit into his forward thinking views. My haiku were published in all the small North American mags and broadsheets. But . . . in June 1969 the draft board caught  up with me and sent 3 induction notices in one week. It was time for me to leave the U.S. I was a permanent resident (green card holder) from age 7 or 8 until I left just weeks before my 21st birthday. As a foreign national they would have deported me rather than jailed me anyway I assume  : )

hippie street life in a commune and first 2 haiku collections in 1969:

Rather than return to Canada, my father thought I should go to England, which was a horrible idea. I stayed with my snotty older cousin and his doctor wife for a month or so, and then they unceremoniously threw me out into the street. I ended up living in the nearby Eel Pie Island Hotel hippie squat for the next 1 1/2 years. With the last of my small savings I self-published two chapbooks of haiku (I sent you one of these, "Cricket Formations") in the summer of 1969. The haiku in CF were all non-standard haiku, and most of them have stood the test of time and half a century later they are as publishable now as they were then considered cutting-edge in the small haiku community of the late 1960s. Michael McClintock, who remains a staunch haijin, published a selection of my haiku in one of the Amerikan haiku mags, with a very nice bio note and intro. This would have been circa 1970, and "Southwind", the Miami-Dade lit mag, also did a full page feature of my haiku. All of this didn't mean as much to me as it might have, as I was literally scrambling to find enough food to eat and a blanket to keep me warm in small room in the abandoned Eel Pie Island Hotel.

Return to Canada and poetry:

After 3 years of hippie street life and wandering about Europe (all detailed in "Eel Pie Island Dharma: a memoir/haibun) I desperately needed to  change my life at age 24. I decided to visit Canada. After all, Canada couldn't be any less impoverishing or squalid than my young life had become in England. I enrolled at university, but after years of smoking hash and dropping acid, the academic life didn't suit me. I ended up joining The Canadian Liberation Movement, a Maoist/Stalinist sect that was anti-imperialist as well as staunchly pro-Canadian culture. Too much happened to write about here, but in CLM I met one of Canada's leading poets, GG winner Milton Acorn. Friendship with Milton encouraged me to return to writing poetry, which I've continued to do ever since.

I did a variety of jobs to survive, including working as a steelworker/union organizer in Guelph and then a cook at the Univ. of Toronto. I even got chef's papers through George Brown College, but my calling continued to be poetry, including haiku.

I managed to get a few of my politikal poems published in leftwing papers and mags like "Alive" in Guelph and "the Red Menace" in Toronto. Around this time, 1976-77, I met Toronto poet Ted Plantos through a mutual friend, Tom Clement. Tom was working as manager with the remains of the publishing arm of the CLM after it disbanded circa 1975, and it was through Steel Rail Press publishing and meetingTed that I realized I could start my own small press, as Ted had done with his Old Nun Press.

Unfinished Monument Press and The Main Street Library Poetry Series:
Following Ted's example, I self-published a collection of my poetry, "Dominion Day in Jail", by founding Unfinished Monument Press in 1978. The monument referred to is a memorial to two of the martyrs in the 1838 Rebellion, a holdover from CLM days.

There was a burgeoning poetry scene in Toronto and other poets asked to share my Unfinished Monument imprint. Sometimes the poets did all the work themselves, and sometimes I did most of it. UMP published first collections by such prestigious poets as Robert Priest ("The Visible Man"), my friend Tom Clement ("Superman"), Jim Deahl's first work ("Real Poetry"), Margaret Saunder's first ((haiku "A Flock of Blackbirds"), Lynne Kositsky's first ("PCB Jam"), Bruce Hunter's first ("Selected Canadian Rifles") etc. etc. . UMP published quite a Who's Who of the Toronto poetry scene from its founding until I gave it to poet Jim Deahl in the early 1990s.

Ted Plantos had also coordinated a poetry series at a Cabbagetown branch of Toronto Libraries. He had recently folded the series, and as there was only one other ongoing poetry venue in Toronto at the time, The Axle-Tree Readings, I decided to again follow Ted's example and in 1979 I started the monthly Main Street Library Poetry Series at my local branch of Toronto Public Library (TPL).

By accident I had become a bit of an amateur impresario on the Toronto poetry scene, and I was able to first publish poets, or discover unpublished poets through the readings, and then feature them. I was also able to wrangle a job as a low paid desk clerk at the library through my volunteer work as the poetry series organizer. As the series was successful, I was further able to encourage many of my house poets by getting them onto the Canada Council list of sponsored readings (e.g. they could get paid to travel and do a few readings a year).

back to haiku:

So it was during this creative period of publishing poetry with UMP and featuring poets at the readings that Dr. Eric Amann and George Swede decided to hold an informal meeting of other haiku writers. As the founder of both UMP and the reading series, I was able to give various haiku poets the ability to publish and to perform their work.

On Oct. 21, 1981 I featured George Swede and the Haiku Workshop. Reading the signed guest book under flashlight, I can find George's name, Keith Southward (he was the original editor of HC's mag/newsletter "Inkstone), Denise Coney (she and Keith were a 'power haiku' couple for a while), Irene Mcguire, Jan Dawson, Nancy Prasad, Shaunt Basmajian, and myself of course. Probably others whose names I can't read or remember.

Many other major and minor poets read at the series, and there would have been features of other haiku poets. The series ran for 6 years and 62 readings. The readings played an important role in introducing poets to each other, and among the featured poets at a glance I see Milton Acorn, jones, Herb Barrett, Jeff Seffinga, Margaret Saunders. In total over 100 poets, and much of the creativity, the plotting, building and destruction of poetic empires, occurred at various pubs after the readings.

Phewww

Terry, I don't know if the above babble is going to help or confuse you!  Writing a history, even my own perhaps, will always have an element of revisionism. The complex intertwining of personal stories, serendipitous meetings, and a pint or two of lubrication makes the task of accurately documenting history, even as ephemeral a one as Haiku Canada's, an almost impossible task.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Chris/cricket

shrooms, toadstools, no ATVs and peace and quiet at Callaghan's Rapids

I visited Callaghan's last Saturday morning from 10 AM to a bit after noon. I hadn't planned to visit, as I'm concerned about confrontations, esp. as I've had one or two in the past, but then curiosity got the better of me : ) First I picked up what little garbage remains in the parking lot - only some cigarette packages and a couple of crushed cans. I was the only person or vehicle inn the lot. Then I walked the path to the bridges, and again there was basically no trash, just lots of mushrooms and toadstools on full display. One ATV passed me when I climbed the bank from the 'illegal' EOTA parking lot, and they stayed on the trail as we casually waved to each other.

The bridges were completely uninhabited. It was a beautiful early fall morning, so I'd expected at least some visitors, but word of mouth must have spread quickly about the OPP ticketing campaign last weekend! I sat on the east end of the bridges for 10 or 15 minutes, enjoying nature as I used to be able to do in the distant past without the buzz of annoying ATVs. 

After the break I walked down the bank to the river, and again almost no trash anywhere. There was the deserted cowling of an ATV, but that was beyond my means of carrying out. The river is really low now, and I walked the bank to the second beach or trail area where there's an old campsite. Again no trash! I walked further downstream to the middle trail back to the parking lot, when I heard a couple of ATVs zipping through the woods on the trail to the rapids. Fortunately I didn't encounter them.

When I got to the parking lot after my hour plus ramble collecting a small plastic bag of garbage, a guy was reading the covid signs by the entrance. I said hello and we chatted for some time. He's a local landowner, Jeff B, who owns property adjacent to Lorrie and Callaghan's. He noticed I had my bag of garbage, and said he'd recently brought his sons to the parking lot and collected many bags of garbage. He didn't know about our Friends group, so I gave him my card with my email address. While we were chatting the other Erin arrived on bikes with her fiance and a friend (best man for their wedding next week?). I introduced Jeff to them, so perhaps they have established further contact with Jeff.

One thing I felt was missing on my visit was some kind of identifying marker, perhaps a large brightly coloured tee shirt or vest with "Friends of Callaghan's" or somesuch on it. I suspect there's at least one very capable artist in our group or larger circle who could design this. Wearing an identifying shirt or vest would inform the public that our group exists, and would also establish a conversational opening for questions about Callaghan's and our Friends group.

Let's keep up the good work, as it was so pleasant for a change visiting Callaghan's and feeling comfortable even in the bridges area.

 peace, Chris

 p.s. Jeff said there's an EXTREMELY rare fern which only grows in one place in the depths of Callaghan's forests - he's also a nature photog who was there to photo the puffballs and any of the rare orchids if they've survived the ATV onslaught

The Retaking of Callaghan's Rapids Conservation Area

In August three years ago I had the following letter-to-the-editor published about the ongoing habitat destruction in Callaghan's Rapids Conservation Area. None of the parties responsible for the maintenance of this gorgeous natural resource took sufficient action, although large boulders were ringed around the parking lot and in the area where the trans-Canada trail bridges crosses over The Crowe River. Unfortunately many of the ATV vandals have winches on their vehicles, and many of the rocks were pulled aside and even more illegal trails were created and the river banks and even the river bed were further damaged.

Upset neighbouring cottagers and farmers and other concerned locals have finally reached the tipping point about this vandalism, habitat destruction, and garbage accumulation. Action had to be taken to save Callaghan's from complete ruin. A local group of concerned residents has formed in the past month and begun holding meetings.

We collected enough money, $750, at our second meeting on Sept. 1 in the Callaghan's parking lot to offer to pay the OPP overtime to enforce the area's regulations. The OPP was sufficiently embarrassed by this request into finally organizing patrols on the Labour Day weekend, and some 15 tickets were issued to the ATV trespassers and a couple of illegal campers. Of course it remains to be seen if enough ATVers, trash scatterers, and illegal campers were permanently scared off by the blitz, and if the OPP will continue to maintain patrols of the conservation area.


from my blog
Sunday, 20 August 2017

 Conservation Area surrendered to ATV vandals 

Published as a letter-to-the-editor in the Central Hastings/Trent Hills News (metrolandmedia) Thursday, Aug. 24/17 page B4, titled Callahan's Rapids under serious threat Aug. 20/17

 Dear Editors: I've been enjoying the 800 hectares of natural beauty at Callahan's Rapids Conservation Area for 28 years. The peace of mind this sanctuary always provides has given me an affordable summer vacation spot as well as a place to recover in solitude from various personal tragedies. But over the 28 years I've watched a gradual decline in its care and maintenance. When I first visited there were change and toilet facilities and waste receptacles were available. The toilets and waste bins disappeared decades ago, sadly replaced by illegal campsite fire pits filled with garbage. The three main footpaths have been 'supplemented' by a maze of rutted trails torn through the thick bush, courtesy of illegal ATV trespassers. 

Seemingly Crowe Valley staff are content to sit in their air conditioned offices and surrender our once pristine conservation area to the vandals. I've never once seen a uniformed conservation officer during my dozens of visits to Callahan's Rapids. Considering it's a ten minute drive from Crowe Valley's Marmora headquarters to the conservation area, I wonder why this lack of monitoring? Ditto the OPP - never once have I seen a cop car stopping all the illegal ATVs. Our local taxpayer dollars are being wasted while we wait for our public servants to perform their duties. The fish and birds, whose breeding areas are being destroyed, are voiceless. Ditto the frogs, toads, snakes and turtles who are having their habitat ripped up by fat and lazy ATV joyriders.

There are rare orchids in the woods which are now criss-crossed by ragged trails and illegally chopped down tree stumps. Today I watched a parade of ATVs driving downstream from the Trans Canada bridges to the rapids, a distance of several kilometers. The jerks were often churning through several feet of water, and I kept hoping they'd ruin their noisy idiot machines. The senseless damage they were doing to the habitat is hard to believe. Simple solutions: for starters I'd like to see a couple of uniformed Crowe Valley Conservation officers in the parking lot on weekends. Although they are empowered to give tickets, just their presence would cool out some of the garbage leavers and illegal campers. Our local OPP should also visit on weekends, and begin by issuing warnings for the first few weeks to the ATVers. 

Something has to be done soon, or we're going to lose this special spot to the vandals among us. The original donors of this sacred conservation area must be turning in their graves. for the frogs, toads, snakes, birds, bees, fish, trees, orchids and all our other silent friends who depend on us for their preservation,

 Chris Faiers (signed)