Chatham-Kent may not have a lot of tree cover, but much of what it does have is pretty impressive, and accessible, if you know where to find it.
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Retired Ministry of Natural Resources ecologist Allen Woodliffe has called on his decades of experience to help people find the numerous forested gems across Chatham-Kent in the hope they will get out and explore them.
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He has just released his second book, Natural Treasures of Chatham-Kent. highlighting about 25 natural areas. The 100-page book features 160 of his photos.
Knowing a lot of new people have moved to Chatham-Kent, and many longtime residents are unaware of these publicly accessible natural areas, Woodliffe said, “I thought it’s time to advertise Chatham-Kent a little bit.”
He said the new book covers everything from Rondeau Provincial Park to the St. Clair National Wildlife Area, near Pain Court, and O’Neill Nature Preserve (known as Paxton’s Bush to many) in north Chatham to the little-known McKerrell Woodlot in Chatham Township.
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Woodliffe said he’s gone to the McKerrell Woodlot at 10381 Darrell Line several times a year for about the last 15 years. He said the 20-hectare (50-acre) area is “really high-quality woodland” not many people know about.
“I think there’s only one time I was there that I ever encountered anybody else.”
Inheriting his father Peter’s appreciation of nature, Woodliffe began his career path as a park naturalist at Rondeau Provincial Park in summer 1973.
He spent 13 years as Rondeau’s park naturalist, including living in the park for more than five years, before becoming MNR’s Chatham district ecologist. His responsibilities later grew to include an area west to the Detroit River, east to nearly the Grand River and north to Grand Bend.
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“That was my playground and I got to explore a lot of unique and interesting natural areas,” Woodliffe said.
About a year ago, he produced his first book, Life on a Sandspit, focused on Rondeau Provincial Park, at Place Woodliffe considers his second home.
“It’s just a place that I’ve gathered thousands of photos,” he said.
Figuring these photos weren’t doing anyone much good on his hard drive, Woodliffe produced a book featuring various aspects of Rondeau’s habitat and its background.
Seeing the book was well received, featuring some of the best photographs he’s taken, Woodliffe said it led to producing Natural Treasures of Chatham-Kent.
Both books are available at the Friends of Rondeau Book Store and the Bayview Market just outside Rondeau Provincial Park’s gates.
In Chatham, both books are available at the Book Brothers and Lavender & Honey.
Woodliffe said he hopes to make Natural Treasures of Chatham-Kent more widely available in communities across Chatham-Kent. Anyone interested in selling copies of the new book can contact him at [email protected].
Woodliffe also has numerous birds and nature photos on his Natural History Stuff blog at pawsnaturenuggets.blogspot.com.
eshreve@postmedia,com
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