Autumn 2011

Kukagami Environment Watch                                                                           Autumn 2011
www.kewatch.blogspot.com

"Listen! the wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves,
We have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!" - Humbert Wolfe

Summer in Review
     Another wonderful summer at Kukagami has come and gone! Lots of sun and hardly any rain. It doesn't get any better than this. Except it would have been nice to have some more rain....

Autumn Road Clean-up
     The official fall road clean up will take place between October 1st and 10th. This allows two weekends so that it can fit into most folks' schedules and allow you to pick a sunny day. Sign up to clean a one or two km section of the road! To register for your section of the road, drop a line here at kewatch@gmail.com.
Volunteers are asked to keep a rough total of recyclables, and place these in the giant blue bin at the transfer depot. If your section of the road has too much junk for you to add to your weekly drop-off, let us know and we'll arrange for the city folks to come pick it up form the roadside.
     Bring a friend – it's a fine way to spend a cool autumn day while at camp.

Second Annual Mushroom Walk, October 2nd
     Have you ever wondered if you can eat any of those mushrooms that are popping up everywhere after the rains? We'll take a walk through the woods on the afternoon of October 2nd to see what's up, and what's good to eat. Meet at the trail head across from Sportsman's Lodge at 2 pm on Sunday for a mushroom talk and walk. Dress for the weather! And bring along any mushroom books you may have lying around the camp.

Keeping Beavers at bay...
    Just when you thought the local beavers have moved on to another part of the lake, you will suddenly notice they have taken down five small trees in your yard. Yikes! There are lots of trees in the forest, why do they have to take the ones in the yard?
Last year we tried and tested a new way to keep our leafy trees from falling to the beaver's teeth. Sand paint! Beavers don't like the feel of sand in their mouths, so this method really works. Paint your birches with white paint, and toss hands-full of sand onto the paint while it is still wet. The sand will stick to the paint, and the beavers will (hopefully!) travel elsewhere to find fodder for the coming winter.

Cranberries!
     With the long hot summer this year, bright red cranberries are abundant in boggy places around the lake and of course, around the edges of many swamps. Wild cranberries look just like the ones you buy in the store, but they are so much better tasting because they are so fresh!
     Look for tiny trailing vines with half-inch long and skinny leaves. These will be turning from green to maroon as the days cool between now and Thanksgiving. The cranberries will be scattered along the intertwining vines. Most will be 90% red by now, and ready to pick.
Use them to make cranberry sauce by simmering the berries with just a touch of water and some sugar. A splash of lemon juice is optional.
     Or, try something different his year....make a cranberry pie for Thanksgiving dinner! Just fill an unbaked pie crust with fresh raw cranberries, sprinkle with a cup of sugar and add a few dots of butter along with a half teaspoon of almond extract. Put a top crust on, them bake for 45 minutes at 325 F. Yum!

How Lucky We Are

     Research continues to prove that people who spend time in nature are healthier than those who don't. Children really benefit from time outside, especially the unstructured time they spend here at the lake. Some studies have shown that children who are comfortable playing in nature are less likely to have attention deficit disorder. Read "Last Child in the Woods" by Richard Louv for more details. And be sure to send the grandkids out to play next time they come to visit.

Website and Newsletter
The KEW newsletter is published quarterly, and sent by email to any interested person. The Website has random updates and is a great place to post stories and photos. Send these to us at kewatch@gmail.com and we'll get them online!


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