Wild Wednesdays!

It's that time again! Wild Wednesdays are back for the summer! Starting next week on July 5th, the Harrison Lewis Centre will be hosting outdoor educational activities in Thomas Raddall Provincial Park. These are family programs, great for kids and parents alike! Join us in the park from 1-3pm (check in at the administration building) for a different activity every week. Next week we have our own summer student, Jake, leading us on a bird tour of the park! He'll be showing participants different bird species that nest in Thomas Raddall in the summer, and how to recognize their calls! Jake is doing research on this very topic during his time at the center and definitely knows his birds. But hurry; most birds stay for only a limited time in the summer. Catch this chance to learn about the birds that frequent Nova Scotia while they're here! Also, Wild Wednesdays are FREE! 

N2O: Never-2-Old Recap and Upcoming Sessions

Hello! Two weeks ago the Harrison Lewis Centre had its first N2O: Never-2-Old workshop and it was a fantastic success! The theme of the day was self-sufficiency, recycling, and creativity! To incorporate these, we had participants make their own planter boxes using old fish tubs [donated by our neighboring fisherman on Wharf Rd], that they then planted herbs and different vegetables in. Voila, fresh veggies for the summer, and a major recycling project at the same time! These workshops can have up to 12 participants, so the instruction is much more personal, and the lovely folks we had come around for the first session had a great time getting to know each other while planting. The next N2O is this Tuesday, 10:00am-1:00pm, and the theme is Woven Nature! What does that entail you ask? Come on by to find out! 

Until then, enjoy the the sun and blue skys! 

Alex

N2O: Never-2-Old! Program for Seniors

Happy Saturday, friends of the Harrison Lewis Centre! We have a busy week coming up, with one of the events being a free workshop for seniors, those 55 and older, as well as their friends and family. This workshop is scheduled for Tuesday, May 30, and marks the first N2O Program session!

The Never-2-Old Program is a day-long workshop that happens once a month at the Harrison Lewis Centre; each day will consist of short presentations, guided nature walks, hands-on activities, led discussions, and a lunch!  Presentations will focus on topics relating to the natural environment, rural living, gardening and farming, and local history. This Tuesday's workshop is called "Grow-A-Salad!" and will have participants planting their own vegetables in a planter box and then having fresh salad ingredients all summer long! Growing your own food is an easy skill to cultivate at any age, so long as you have a little bit of patience, and don't mind a little bit of dirt! :) 

The schedule for Tuesday is as follows: 

Participants arrive and are rarin' to go at 10:00 am, and get an introduction to the Harrison Lewis Centre, which will take about 30 minutes. From 10:30 to 11:30 is the Plant-Your-Salad Activity [some gloves available; you can, of course, bring your own, but where's the fun in staying dirt-free? (: ]. 11:30 to 12:00 is your time to relax around the center, have a coffee or tea and have a chat with all the lovely people around. 12:00 is lunch, which is provided, and goes until 1:00. Participants then get to take their soon-to-be-salad boxes home and enjoy!  

There is a limit of 12 participants for this workshop! If you want to get your spot, please contact Cindy Hagen, at Studio 138, to register! 902-875-4797

You can also message our Facebook page to secure a spot!  https://www.facebook.com/harrisonlewis.centre

The Centre is located at the address 339 Sandy Bay Road. Follow Highway 103 West, and take exit 22. Follow Highway 3 until Port L'Hebert Road (on the left), then follow for 8km. Be careful not to take the corner onto Wharf Rd, keep going straight until Sandy Bay Rd. Follow Sandy Bay Rd until you see the sign for Harrison Lewis Centre on the left. Pull into the driveway and you're there! 

See You Soon!

-Alex

Piping Plover Sighting!

As any birders out there may already know, the bay that the Harrison Lewis Centre resides in is home to an endangered bird species, the piping plover; The Nature Conservancy of Canada's Sandy Bay Nature Reserve is an area specifically made to protect their habitat. These birds usually end up in Thomas Raddall Provincial Park area, but occasionally hop over to our side of the beach, just to change things up. A sighting of any endangered species in the wilderness is a cause for celebration, but piping plovers are especially exciting. Or, at least that was the vibe I got from the 20-something ornithology students that were in the vicinity at the time of the sighting, all of which immediately sprinted down to the beach in the hopes of catching a glimpse. If you want to witness a stampede, come down to the centre during high bird migration and hang out with birders. In all actuality, the students of the ornithology class were clearly blessed by the "Great Raven" (birding joke), because the sighting took place just as they were packing up to ship out. There were two plovers spotted, hanging out on the beach, that stuck around until the students had got their fill of pictures and scope looks. A particularly steady-handed student was smart enough to take these pictures through the scope.These two plovers may have taken a liking to our side of the beach, as they were still in the vicinity early this morning, spotted again by our summer intern, Jake Hubner, during his morning bird walk. Let's hope they stick around! As always, if going into an endangered species habitat, you have to be careful. Plovers make their nests on the dry shore just above high tide, and by nest I mean they lay a couple eggs in a small divet in the ground. If walking along the beach on the ocean, try to stay in the "wet sand" if possible. These birds have taken a massive decline in population from a larger presence of feral cats and increased human expansion. Young plovers are hard to spot for the untrained eye; they blend in with the sand from far away and are quite small. Watch your feet! Especially in areas thought to contain nests.  With a little knowledge and respect towards these adorable little puffballs, we might just be able to bring the plovers back! 

-Alex 

Summer 2017 Begins: Dalhousie Ornithology Class!

The Harrison Lewis Centre has kicked off the Summer 2017 season with the completion of the annual Ornithology field trip! Students from Dalhousie, as well as some awesome TA's, and Sarah Gutowsky as the instructor, arrived last Friday. The class spent the last 6 days using the HLC as a base of operations while working in Sandy Bay Nature Reserve, as well as Thomas Raddall Provincial Park, and Kejimkujik Seaside National park. These areas are perfect for the avid birder, as this area of South Shore Port Joli, is home to a Canadian Wildlife Service migratory water fowl sanctuary, natural ecosystems, an endangered Piping Plover population, and many different bird species. South-west Nova Scotia is one of the best birding destinations in Canada; with the mixed woodlands, coastal salt marshes, & open ocean, there is a great diversity of species year-round. Which is why students come back year after year!  We'd like to think that the HLC makes the experience even more enjoyable, providing camping areas, communal living space, and learning resources (as well as the company of a resident Labradoodle named Tank..).

This year's class was an amazing group of truly phenomenal people; the energy throughout the week was constantly upbeat and full of companionship. Nothing brings people together like a passion for Class Aves! (Aka, birds)         ...Or maybe it was having to share sleeping spaces, fight off bugs 24 hours a day, and the collective fear of running into a black bear in the middle of the night. Whatever it is that brings people together, it finds opportunity here. The staff at HLC are super grateful that such an awesome experience is made available to students, and that we can help provide it. More so, we're also thankful for the wonderful attitude of the students/instructors and the inclusiveness you showed; to each other as well as the interns here.  We wish we had more time to hang out with such a rad group of people! 

-Alex

March Newsletter - Announcing 2017 Calendar!

Hello Friends of the Harrison Lewis Centre!

We’re excited to announce the first of our 2017 weekend workshops. These include Birding by Ear, Chainsaw Use and Safety (including one for women only), Edible Wild, Backyard Forestry, and Nature Photography.

For program descriptions, dates, and details, check our workshop page. There's more to come, so check back often. We’re offering early bird prices on all our workshops until May 1.

Join us at Thomas Raddall Provincial Park every Wednesday 1-3 pm in July and August for an afternoon of guided nature walks. Now in its second year, the popular Wild Wednesday program brings together visitors of all ages to experience the natural history of this beautiful coastal park. Free!

The N2O: Never-2-Old program is a monthly day-trip to the Harrison Lewis Centre for those 55 and older, their friends and family for short presentations and to take part in guided nature walks, hands-on activities, led discussions, and a lunch. Free!

This initiative is made possible by the Community Fund for Canada’s 150th, a collaboration between the Harrison Lewis Coastal Discovery Centre, the Government of Canada, and extraordinary leaders from coast to coast to coast.

Whether it’s an afternoon, a week, or a whole month, we’re looking for passionate and reliable people to help make this year spectacular! Do you have a skill or craft you’d like to share? Are you interested in connecting with an older crowd? Love working with children? Know your way around a kitchen? Landscaping or maintenance - there's always much to do. Fill out a volunteer information form or email thea@harrisonlewiscentre.org to find out more.

Farewell

Our last week has come so soon! Last week after a few very hot days on the protected land we finished our survey and collection, next stop the Herbarium at Acadia! Our tidal pool Wild Wednesday was a hit! We once again found lots of neat sea creatures in the tidal pools at Thomas Raddall.

Starfish in hand - Tidal pool Wild Wednesday 

Last weekend I participated in Roger Savage’s Plein Air Workshop. It was a blast! I learned lots of new painting techniques from Roger. My favourite painting would be one I did of sunflowers. Anne brought us a huge collection of fresh cut flowers to paint while we were stuck inside due to the rain. We have started raffling off tickets to win a Roger Savage painting that was donated to the centre last year.

Trying to save my paints from the rain during the Roger Savage workshop 

This week we are getting ready for our last Dalhousie field school group to arrive and finishing up all of our projects. Our last Wild Wednesday today was a lot of fun. We had two families join for the nature scavenger hunt, we spent the afternoon catching insects, hunting for treasures on the beach, and watching frogs as they jumped away from us into a murky pond.

Watching the frogs - Nature Scavenger hunt Wild Wednesday 

Out of interest, I started working on a quick snorkel survey of the beaches around the centre. I spent a couple of hours’ yesterday observing rock crabs, green crabs and other ocean life as they scurried about in the rockweed and sandy bottom. I am hoping to get out once more before I leave to see what other sea creatures I may find. I’m taking advantage of this rare warm water that I don’t need a wetsuit to explore. 

Since Abbie and I are heading back to school, we are on the hunt for volunteers! any help would be greatly appreciated and also a chance to getaway from the city and enjoy the wonderful scenery the centre has to offer.

Abbie and I - Farewell dinner 

Well it has been a blast of a summer, I’ll miss the wonderful views and people.

Leah  

Maritime Hand Mowing Championships!

Volunteers Needed

In exchange for quality time on a beautiful South Shore beach, we are looking for two to four volunteers to help with workshops and other events at the Harrison Lewis Centre (harrisonlewiscentre.org) August 24-29, August 31-Sept. 4 (Labour Day Weekend), Sept. 8-12, and Sept. 22-25. Duties are primarily of a house-keeping nature as the Centre prepares for hosting students or researchers, looking after up to 24 people in-residence, and restoring the Centre to order after each of the groups leaves. Pick one weekend or all.

Give us four hours of help each day and the rest of the time is yours to read a book, walk on the beach, appreciate the natural surroundings, or perhaps simply “cool out.” Your cabin in the woods promises restful nights. For board we offer groceries and a pick of the garden, along with access to a fully equipped kitchen in which to prepare your own meals.

Phone 902-646-1554 or email HLC@eastlink.ca

Do A Rain Dance!

Well, we are officially at a standstill! With the incredibly dry weather bringing on forest fires throughout the province, any and all activity in publicly owned forests without a permit has been banned. This means both our Wild Wednesdays program at Thomas Raddall Provincial Park and our surveying of the protected lands are postponed until the government of Nova Scotia can reassess. For the time being, we’re waiting for word on our request for a permit which would allow us to continue the plant surveying while taking necessary precautions.

Wild Wednesdays are postponed until the forest travel ban is lifted.

Fortunately, the forest ban did not interfere with our women’s only chainsaw workshop a couple weekends ago that I happily participated in! Patrick Allen shared valuable knowledge and safety skills with our tight knit group. Before the ban as well, Dalhousie’s Marine Life course was visiting last weekend. It was a full house in addition to a couple tenters and all field work went off without a hitch.

Action shot of me cutting "cookies"

Photo credits Leah Strople

This coming weekend we are looking forward to hosting the very talented Roger Savage and his Plein Air Watercolour painting workshop. With the summer quickly coming to a close, this is one of the centre’s last workshops of the season. In fact, the next workshop, Milling and Building on August 20th-22nd, is the last program that Leah and I will be here for! Luckily, it’s one of our most unique workshops allowing an optional third day stay, which should be fun for everyone.

Watercolour paints

In regards to mine and Leah’s departure back to university in the fall… the centre is in need of some eager volunteers to host Dalhousie at the end of August and for Harry Thurston’s “Write From Nature” workshop in September. We would be incredibly grateful for any volunteers and for you to spread the word to family and friends! A few hours help in exchange for time to cool out on the shore (cabin and fare provided). Not too shabby! If you’re interested in lending a hand, please e-mail HLC@eastlink.ca for more details.

As for now, we’re at the centre crossing our fingers that rain will come our way soon. Hopefully this time next week we’ll be completing our plant collection to send off to Acadia’s herbarium and enjoying another Wild Wednesday with the kids.

Cheers,

Abbie

Discovering the Interesting World of Algae

This week is off to a fun start! Dr. David Garbary from St FX and Rob Cameron from Environment Canada came to the centre for a few days to help us collect and identify the algal species found on the protected land. We spent a day and a half learning how to identify the different algal species and press a collection. David also taught us a neat technique to monitor beach erosion over time. All it requires is a GPS and a notebook! Hopefully, future students can use this technique and continue to monitor the Sandy Bay beach erosion.

Abbie Hudson laying a transect line, necessary to determine the percent cover of an epiphytic algae growing on ascophyllum. 

Last week we continued our work collecting and pressing a collection of land plants found on the protected land. We have over 26 species from the beach alone. It will likely take a few more full days to complete our collection. Our jellyfish surveying has also been going well, there are lots of washed up lion’s mane jellyfish on the beach. We will continue this survey until the end of the summer.

Sundew prepared to be pressed

Poppy Balser’s workshop at the centre last weekend was a blast! We had a great time with the participants who were all so keen and talented. We are looking forward to our next workshop this weekend – Chainsaw skills and safety – women only.

Group photo from the Plein air watercolour workshop with Poppy Balser

Wild Wednesday’s have been going very well, Abbie and I are pleased with the enthusiasm of all our participants so far. Last week the theme was tidal pools. We had several participants join, all with different backgrounds, from a retired marine biologist to a six-year-old. We found all kinds of neat animals in the tidal pools. Some of the big hits included: a crab carrying eggs, and a couple of sea anemones. 

Wild Wednesday (Tidal pool) group walking to the tidal pools.

Best wishes and until next time,

Leah

Planning a Retreat?

Be it for yoga, birding, music, or any other natural environment-related venture, the Harrison Lewis Centre offers the perfect locale for a retreat. Consider the Centre for a get-away this summer or fall on the beautiful South Shore. Sandy Bay is a remote, peaceful, forested location, on the ocean with sand beach frontage. We are across Port Joli bay from Keji Seaside Park.

We have a main building for cooking, meeting, activities, etc., and a field laboratory. Individual cabins can accommodate four to five each for a total of up to 20 (more room for tenters). Check out the Harrison Lewis Centre website for lots of photos. Contact us for details. Special mid-week rates. Email hlc@eastlink.ca or phone 902-646-1554.

Berries, Insects and Plants, oh my!

Another busy couple of weeks at the Harrison Lewis Centre have come and gone. Leah and I have been out in the field quite a bit working on the Port L’Hebert Nature Reserve. We are so fortunate to have Sarah Adams and Adele Bunbury-Blanchette’s guidance and eagerness for this project, they’ve been incredibly knowledgeable.

Photo credits: Adele Bunbury-Blanchette

Last week we learned how to properly collect samples, including the necessary data to be gathered with the sample as well, and then were shown how to properly press them. We’re truly starting from scratch since neither of us have botany backgrounds, but we’re learning so much as we go along and really enjoying this unique opportunity. My favourite discovery thus far has been the beautiful orchids, such as Dragon’s mouth and White Fringed, as well as crowberry plants. Luckily, no one else seems to be fond of the crowberry which is found in abundance throughout the site...more for me!

We also completed our first Wild Wednesday last week, Insect Discovery. The highlight was when our participants caught not only one but, TWO tiger beetles on the beach! Although it was a small turnout, it was enjoyed by all and we’re very excited for the coming weeks to watch as the groups grow.

As for this weekend, we’re delighted to be hosting Poppy Balser’s Plein Air Watercolour Painting workshop. With a sold out program, it’s going to be a full house! In fact, every weekend from here on out there will be different workshops taking place at the Centre. We hope to see your friendly faces soon!

Cheers,

Abbie

Photo credits: Ben Sadeh
Enjoying a snack while doing PR work

Science is Brewing

This past weekend, the Harrison Lewis Centre hosted Jamie Simpson’s Backyard Forestry workshop. We had a blast and beautiful weather! Our special guest Donna Crossland also stopped by to give a talk Saturday night. Thank you to all those who participated and joined us for the fantastic weekend. 

Photo credits: Ben Sadeh 

On Friday, we had a planning meeting for an Environment Canada survey that Abbie and I will be conducting on protected land near the centre. Our main goals are to identify the plant species on the land, as well as, dry and catalogue plant specimens. The survey will indicate habitat types and the diversity of species that may coexist in this environment. This is important for the protection of the Port Joli wilderness and the species that inhabit it. 

Photo credits: Ben Sadeh

The group of us, including: Rob Cameron from Environment Canada, two students from Acadia, Sarah Adams and Adele Bunbury-Blanchette, Jamie Simpson, Dirk, Abbie and I took the coastal walk along the shore to the protected area. We learned a lot about the different plants inhabiting the area and even got to taste a few (Labrador tea for example)! We had a wonderful time and would like to sincerely thank everyone for taking the time to help us out with this project. 

Photo credits: Ben Sadeh

We also will be starting jellyfish monitoring for Bethany Nordstrom, a master’s student at Dalhousie University. Bethany is monitoring the whereabouts of jellyfish in order to better understand the endangered leatherback turtle. In addition to us, Bethany has enlisted the help of citizen scientists across the province to monitor sections of the coast for jellyfish throughout the summer. In addition, she is asking anyone who spots a jellyfish in the province to email her and to include a photo or ID of the jellyfish and where it was found. So keep your eyes peeled for those Jellies! And Email jellyfishmonitoring@dal.ca if you see anything. 

A lot of scientific work is brewing at the centre. To top it off, a banded male plover was spotted nearby the centre this week by students from Bird Studies Canada! 

Hope everyone is having a great summer so far and taking advantage of the beautiful weather!

Until next time, 
Best wishes, 

Leah 

Go Wild!

Wednesdays at Thomas Raddall Park

Beginning July 6 and every Wednesday afternoon through the rest of July and all of August come to Thomas Raddall Park in Queens County for “Wild Wednesday” guided nature walks sponsored by the Harrison Lewis Coastal Discovery Centre.

Lead instructor Leah Strople, a fourth year honours biology student at Dalhousie University, will be joined by Abbie Hudson, third year honours environmental science student at the University of Ottawa, offering overnight campers and day-use guests of all ages a chance to get close and personal with the natural history of this beautiful coastal park.

Sand beaches, lakes, upland barrens, bogs, and forests are magical places to explore. Access is easy over groomed trails linking coast-line habitats; home to wild wonders like plants that eat insects, birds that seldom fly, mice that can jump three meters in a single bound, and fish with arms.

Come share the fun, rain or shine. These two hour walks (1 to 3 pm} are free, just stop by the administration building at the park entrance to sign up and find out where each walk begins. All ages welcomed. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

For further information please contact the Harrison Lewis Centre by email (HLC@eastlink.ca) or phone 902-646-1554,

Off to a Good Start

After lots of preparation, cleaning and organizing and thanks to the help of many, the centre is officially set to host its first workshops of the 2016 season! We’re so excited to get the ball rolling and to be offering so many unique programs this summer.

The centre was ready in time for the first Dalhousie class, Dr. Sarah Gutowsky’s Ornithology field course, which was fortunate to have spotted 65 bird species (and many ticks, of course). Next up, we welcomed Dr. Sarah Gutowsky’s Birding-by-ear workshop which had an amazing discovery…a pair of breeding Field sparrows (Spizella pusilla)! The sparrows were seen with beaks full of insects, swooping into a small conifer where, evidently, a nest with fledglings awaited. However, with no official sightings of the fledglings during the workshop, Leah and I spent the rest of the following week observing the sparrows in the hopes of getting a glimpse. Finally, we were overjoyed to find a fledgling outside of its nest accompanied by an adult sparrow in the grass. We learned that according to the Maritime Breeding Bird Atlas, this breeding event is the first for Nova Scotia, adding to everyone’s excitement!

In the coming weeks, we’re looking forward to having some more Dalhousie classes and both our Backyard Forestry and Milling and Building workshops. Taking place later in the summer, our Chainsaw Skills and Safety courses are quickly filling up and Poppy Balser’s Plein Air workshop is already sold out! We’re also very happy to announce that we’re in the works of setting up surveying of the protected lands surrounding HLC with Environment Canada. In the meantime, I’m on the hunt for research that’s been done around the area and adding to a database previously put together by another student. By the end of the summer, my plan is to have a grand report including all published research that was completed in the immediate area for future researchers or interested individuals. 

As you can see, it’s been a busy first month and we’re eager to keep the momentum growing!

Cheers,

Abbie

HLC News, 5.31.16

Please welcome Leah Strople and Abbie Hudson to the Harrison Lewis Centre where they are taking a break from studies (at Dalhousie and the University of Ottawa respectively) to take on running operations on the hill. Leah is majoring in marine biology, and Abbie in environmental sciences.

In a short time they have made their mark, for in addition to working like slaves to bring facilities up to snuff for the coming season (including washing down the kitchen top-to-bottom) they have revamped our website (HarrisonLewisCentre.org), beefed up the facebook account, established our presence on Instagram, and created a slide show of old and new photos that will be used to promote the Centre, created and distributed posters for upcoming workshops, and looked after the needs of our first Dalhousie field class (ornithology).

Now that we are up and running Leah and Abbie can delve into activities that require more reliance on brain over brawn. While they will be working together (and what luck that the two do work so well together) Abbie’s focus will be the creation of a document summarizing research that has been carried out in the immediate area over many years into habitats and inhabitants of our wild coastal lands. Two summers ago Dalhousie student Spencer Quimby built a database of these studies going back many years. This needs to be edited, updated, and most of all be accompanied by a well-written summary report.

Our newest cabin

Leah is taking the lead on our Wild Wednesdays program taking place at Raddall Park through July and August. That entails arranging a two-hour nature walk each Wednesday afternoon, finding resources for each (lead instructor when it is not either Leah or Abbie, literature such as brochures published by the Port Joli Basin Conservation Society, aids such as nets, lenses, etc.) And in addition promoting Wild Wednesdays through posters, social media, and local providers like tourist bureaus of news about what is taking place in the area.

Other projects are being discussed.

In other news from the Centre, we have a new cabin that can sleep six (soon as we have another set of bunk beds. Please keep an eye out for same. Leah and Abbie have taken over the loft in this new cabin and two can pile in there to the one double bunk already available. With this new cabin (five in total) we can easily put twenty under a roof. The boat house when needed can take another three.

On the wildlife side, in addition to scores of warblers and other song birds passing through and some stopping, we have lots of Snowshoe hares about this year, Ruffed grouse too, and black bear (a few seen, and much bear scat around). Piping plovers are on the beach (must be nesting although I do not think a nest has been located). Plenty of ticks and Red squirrels; a pair of scourges. It has been a cool spring thus far ­– not much fun for Abbie and Leah although they have not been complaining. That does not seem to be in their nature, to complain.

Lucky us.

That’s all for now. Best regards, Dirk

Our new workshop posters are here! Share with your friends and community!

News, views, and plans for 2016 The Harrison Lewis Coastal Discovery Centre

While much of the Maritimes is getting hammered by snow it is a dark and dismal day on the Harrison Lewis hill. Such is frequently the case on this western end of the South Shore. Cold, wind, and rain. But we are dry, and warm by a fire in the kitchen range, and it is a perfect afternoon to at last put digits to keyboard in an effort to bring everyone up to date on what has been happening and what the Harrison Lewis Coastal Discovery Centre Society has planned for the coming season that gets underway in May.

    First of all, a long overdue message of thanks to long-standing members of the board who stepped aside as of our annual meeting in August. Jane Cook, whose summer home is across the bay in Port Joli, has been with us from the beginning, providing support and encouragement, as was the case with Peter Carver, past chair and as well, a summer resident with a home three doors over from the Centre. Ian Dingwall, great grandson of Harrison Lewis, stepped up filling the seat prematurely left vacant when his father, founding director and chair Lewis (Lew) Dingwall suffered a fatal heart attack. 

    New additions to the board are Doug van Hemessen, Atlantic stewardship coordinator with the Nature Conservancy of Canada; Sarah Gutowsky, a PhD candidate at Dalhousie University; and Michael Greenlaw, summer neighbour and student at Kings. Sarah, a biologist, has participated as student, teaching assistant, and lead instructor with the University’s Seaside Summer program bringing ornithology students to the Harrison Lewis Centre. 

    As far as activities this past year, in addition to four Seaside Summer programs, Anne Gray serving as manager brought together weekend workshops. There was Roger Savage (plein air painting); mushroom culture with David Boyle assisted by John Crabtree; scything with instructor Peter Redden; chainsaw workshops with Patrick Allan; and nature writing with Soren Bondrup Nielsen. 

    Plein air students and instructor alike made the most of views from the back deck of the main building. An example is Roger’s painting reproduced here that the artist has generously donated to the Society. As soon as we’ve permission in place we will be offering chances on the painting for a draw sometime this summer. Board member Susan Hoover has fond memories of Soren’s nature writing workshop in which she took part. "There were four of us, all with different interests and levels of skill. Soren was a good facilitator. We spent a great deal of time looking at moss and other tiny plants. A real eye opener. I really enjoyed this workshop."

    What now? Plans for the coming year. Dalhousie Seaside has booked four programs, we expect the Biology Grad students to return for a social weekend in September, and a committee headed by Doug van Hemessen is charged with scheduling a variety of workshops and programs, including new to us bird-by-ear courses. We welcome suggestions for ways to put this Centre to work with workshops, retreats, or events of various sorts with the desired focus being natural history and skills relating to home and farmstead life.

We look forward to hearing from anyone and everyone with a history with or interest in the future of the Harrison Lewis Coastal Discovery Centre.

Best regards, Dirk van Loon

On behalf of the HLC Society Board of Directors
Peter Rogers, chair
Stephanie Carver, secretary
Susan Hoover, treasurer
Willem van Loon
Michael Greenlaw
Richard McBride
Sarah Gutowsky
Doug van Hemessen
Christine Curry

The Harrison Lewis Coastal Discovery Centre
is a registered charity (#859077810) 
and can issue tax receipts for donations. 

Harrison Lewis Coastal Discovery Centre
339 Sandy Bay Road
RR 1 Port Joli NS B0T 1S0