The Marsh &- Don't Throw IT Away, eh

Earl Plato
The Marsh
Have you ever walked the back trails and followed the old rail tracks of Wainfleet Peat Marsh? You need boots preferably ‘hippers’. It was a cloudless Spring day when I followed naturalist Ernie Giles into that barren landscape. The crossing of drainage ditches caused me to lose my knee boots more than once. - “sucked right off my feet!” Ernie was on a hunt for the elusive Pitcher plant and Sundews. Then I heard it. To our right and along a low hedge row came a melodious song. Tinkling symbols as a bird flew toward us. “Horned lark,” said Ernie. “They sing as they fly,” he added. It was my first lark medley of high pitched series of what I describe as ‘tinkling’ notes. That wasn’t all. We trudged across the open peat field toward thr row of bushes. Ernie raised his hand and I stopped. Glasses up. Ernie pointed to the end of the hedgerow. Then I saw it - a Horned lark.
Not a large bird but bigger than a sparrow. Black stripe below the eyes and a black crescent on its breast. Otherwise it had a brownish body. Ernie spoke, “See its horns?” The lark had walked out of sight. I found it again and looked for the two tufts of black feathers. Ernie saw them. Did I? Not really but Ernie with much superior eyesight did. I believe him.
Writer’s Note: Our Horned lark is the only true lark in North America - Audubon source. I love Snow buntings and their aerial tactics as a flock. Listen to this - In the fall Horned larks in large groups roam the open country side with Snow buntings. I have found as many as 300 Snow buntings flying in Wainfleet fields - Horned larks too?
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“It’s a throw away world.” Right? Ontario has clear cut more of its forests over the years than any other jurisdiction in North America!
Of pioneer stock myself I guess ‘clearing the lands’ was uppermost in those early days of the late 1700’s. So? “If it’s in the way remove it.” Is that the mind set of the typical Ontarian? Could be. However, Oaks Ridge Moraine near Toronto is an exception. Developers wanted to continue to build new houses in areas that should be protected. So? Hey, it’s a throw away world. What’s a tree or two!
I consider my self a nature preservationist. The word environmentalist has a bad connotation for some. Preserve nature-wise what’s still left. If we don’t in this “Throw away world” it will be gone and soon. What’s my motive ? No money deals, no headlines, just the satisfaction of seeing the preservation of our remaining natural sites in Niagara. The Garner Road development is an example. Be a preservationist.