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2010 Spotlight on Essex County: 2010 Spring Essex Free Press

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PUBLISHER Laurie Brett EDITOR Table of Contents Jennifer Cranston Spotlight on Essex County is published by ADVERTISING Hollee Hutchins No place like home ~ESSEX Erin Squance 4 Life on the streets and the struggle FREE PRESS CONTRIBUTING WRITERS to stay off them Limited Andy Comber Art Rhyno The Osage orange and distributed via Canada Post Kevin Wickham 7 Looks can be deceiving and independent carriers BOOK REVIEWERS Annette Gabriele It takes a village to raise a child Connie-Jean Latam For Advertising En_quiries: The challenges and triumphs of foster parents Lynda Schlichther 8 EllyTakaki I 6 Centre Street Inventors Essex, Ontario NBM I N9 PRODUCTION Phone: 519-776-4268 Tom Warwick I I Contemporary explorers pushing the boundaries Fax: 519-776-4014 Lana Garant Email: [email protected] Ahead of the he rd Website: www.essexfreepress.ca OFFICE Cathy Campbell 14 Woodslee sheep farm serves niche market Sarah Adams

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SPOTLIGHT O N ESSEX COUNTY 2 SPRJNG 2010 EDITION Local legends 16 Bootleggers, rumrunners, blind pigs and cash

What's the Point? Traditionally spring is a time for new beginnings, hope and rejuvenation. Discover t he many faces and seasons of Join us in this issue of Spotlight on Essex County where we look at survival 19 Point Pelee National Park and new life in all its forms. Discover how flying squirrels and wild turkeys are getting a second chance in A Taste of Essex C ounty Essex County and explore the ever-changing experience and natural adventure of Point Pelee National Park. Chef and winemaker Dennis Sanson shares one of 21 Learn about the challenges and triumphs of local foster parents as they dedi­ his favourite reoipes cate their homes and their hearts to giving children security and hope for their future. Fiction Did you know that Essex County is loaded with inventors? Meet some of 22 these creative and entrepreneurial people as they bring innovation to the game of golf, artistic expression, and even sleep apnea. They bring new and exciting ideas Poetry and products to the region and to the world. 23 Let yourself be moved by the struggle to survive without a home, and take comfort in the chance at a new life. A young man shares his story of life on the Book Reviews streets. 24 Fast times, big money, midnight intrigue and black market booze were a large part of Essex County during prohibition in the 1920s. See how this exciting era in Bringing back the our history is being preserved by local historians, writers and collectors. gobble and glide This issue of Spotlight has some new features that are sure to capture your 26 interest. Check out some fresh new fiction wriitten by a local university student. Essex County's Let our book review section help you choose your next great read. comeback critters Wine and food are two of our region's greatest creations. Let a local wine­ maker share with you one of his favourite recipes and, of course, the wine to go with it Essex County is a place of promise, fresh starts and constant improvement I hope that Spotlight will inspire you to take pride in all that we are and all that we are becoming. Let this season find you embracing all of the hope, anticipation and energy that spring brings with it Jenni-Fer Cranston Editor

-Industrial -Commercial -Agricultural JAMES SYLVESTBE ENTERPRISES 2008 -Pre-Engineered The Leading Edge

SPOTliG HT ON ESSEX C O UNTY 3 SPRING 2010 £DITtON his taught guitar music. He spent much ofbis Point. He liked being outside near his home. He even years. Ifhe wants to graduate witb kids his age, Cameron will have l;Q work bard. He bas a lot ofcatching up to do. He wasn't in school last year. He was homeless. Cameron was candid and frank when he took us on a tour of his life on tbe street and shared his story with Spotlight.

ameron Bastien was 14 years old when his hom~ hi When there wasn't a friend or became unstable. He listened to music that his ~ents acquaintance to put him up for disapproved of and admits he was experimenting with C -~Cameron took to the marijuana, which contributed to the contli,ct. He left home repeatedly. Sometimes he was kicked out, other times~­ •Alleys have a lot of away. The summer he was 15 he left his familY's hOme iii"~ ;;Protection from wind and Point tor the last time. Tain," he explains. "Arguments got really heated and out of control;;" 1$ &J;p • He points out parks Whether he was kicked out or ran away is up for debate. and playgrounds where be Cameron and his mother would probably disagree. Regardless of would sometinies sleep. who made the final decision, he blames himself for being on the "At the top ofthe slide street. there's always that little "I always felt like I put myself in the situation. Like my atti­ area where you can sit tude at home, I was pretty stubborn. I kind of feel like I put down. It's always a good it on myself," he says. place to curl up. A lot of A friend drove Cameron to parks have like a hard plas­ ·•. -"l WiruiRJ>r where he stayed tic siding on each side so it with another friend for a blocks the wind." while. He stayed with his There is a tree close ~the paternal grandparents in Belle docks in Sandwich that River from September until Cameron discovered fit hi after Christmas. That didn't body just right. It's not far work out and it was back to from a warehouse that was Windsor. easy to get into. The aban- Hospital also orovidllfd'lrim over summer but since. a night or two. Cameron says he learned some valuable lifi~';;e..,.,. .._ 11j'. "I was 'USually alone," he explains."' didn'}jike to lessons on the street. • 1111 1111 sleep where there were other people. You don1t 1mow who "You've got to appreciate what little I to trust. People get desperate. They'll steal the shirt right don't think I will ever take anything for fP'&Jlted again," he says. off your back," he says. It makes him angry when he hears other kids talk about leav­ He recounts times when people would not only try to steal ing home. from him while he slept, but even try to take things from his "I bitch at kia'faD~ time at school," he says. "When I hear •11''"""~"' when he was awake. He once got into a fistfight over a them at 14 or15 saying TWant to move out so bad,' I just tell~]..,, _ __ ,...... of cigarettes. 'No, you don't want to move out. You-don't want to leave. "I was clutching them. They were all I had." to appreciate what you have right now b~JC)'Q're not going tQ.. There is an underpass at University A'Ye. W. that is thickly plas­ have. it in a couple of years.' Just the everyday tlifil r:: having a tered with graffiti. In the summerti~e pa~es are frequently li~ld roof over youP head, getting fed, getting clothes. L' isn't fft.e a.nd there. Cameron explains that many homeless people gather the~ you don'trealize that until you have nothing." too. He would go there somet;.mes with hJ,s &tiend. He points to a ledge that has been carved into a very steep Tbe Services

used to make a little campfire on that ledge there," he "People tend to think of bomelessness only happeni "I've used that same ledge ~s a bed. I re·member one night urban centres," says Becky Parent of the Homeless Coalition of I was sleeping, I slipped 8,Dd rolled halfway down the hill." Windsor and Essex County. "'t just isn't true. People in the county Met· some searching he is able to find his "tag" on the colour- fall into the category of 'hidden homeless.' They have to be; there are stained concrete. A tag is something the "painter" uses repeated­ no services or shelters." ly in different places to mark that he was there. Cameron's is a "Hidden homeless" is a term used to desc.ribe people who are off stylized "EVERLOST." the radar of the service agencies. Some of these people simply house­ "The ultimate fear is eating," he says as he sips coffee from a hop, never asking for any formal assistance. Many of them are single paper cup. "You never know where your next meal is coming mothers who deliberately hide their situation for fear of losing their -··· ..."~" children. Many county folk who find themselves without shelter will Cam·eron a.dmits to going as long as two days or more without bead to Windsor or another city to take advantage of bet­ food. Sometimes he would use food banks or steal small items ter availability of resources and better outdoor shelter. from stores. Panhandling was his main source of income. There are 36 organizations in the Homeless Coalition, "'f you ask 20 or 30 people for bus fare, you can end up with $10," which was founded in 2002. Much of what the coalition and its he explains. partner agencies do involves helping those at risk of becoming But the money didn't always go towards food. homeless to keep their shelter. "There was one point where I was being reaUy stupid. I'd just "Our definition of homeless includes people at risk of becoming bum 'bus fare' all morning until I had enough oo buy a forty of homeless," explains Parent. "It's not always albout finding a home. ~••"' '"'"' English (malt bquor)," he admits. It's about keeping it, maintaining an income and finding inexpensive really don't like to drink anymore," he adds. food.'' worst part of being on the street for Cameron was the stark Parent explains some of the challenges facing COWlty residents at realization that came to him one cold February night. He was sleep­ risk. ing outside that night. "There is very little affordable housing in the county," she says. "The hardest thing is laying there in the cold, just trying to cuddle "And, especially in the county, transportation is an issue." yourself up with a sweater, whatever you've got. You realize that Finding fresh, inexpensive food can also be a problem. Parent you have nothing... it just hits you like a ton of bricks, you have says people with very low incomes and little access to transporta­ nowhere to go," he said. "You're in a city with 300,000 people and ttcm will often end up doing their grocery shopping in variety stores. you're out there alone and it sucks. You can't sleep half the time "Homelessness is about people like you and me," she says. "Many because you just want the morning to come." of us are only a couple ofpaycheques away from homelessness." 'lila... Cameron never stayed in a shelter. During the last few Everyone is at risk. tr" 1111...... _ months of his time on the street he discovered the "Seniors with fixed incomes are at risk. Just (paying) utilities can ~ Street Health Homeless Initiative. He went be crippling," says Parent. "Single parents don't want to apply for there the first time for help with obtaining a health assistance because there's a fear of losing their kids. Most youth card. A man named Patty gave him coffee and a slice of pie, bus aren't choosing to be homeless because it's cool; they have no choice. vouchers and food bank information. The program even has facil­ It's often safer on the street than in their parents' home." ities where a person can get cleaned up and shave. There are some services in the county but they are few in num­ "Patty is a great guy," Cameron smiles. "It's a good place for ber and overtaxed. Most communities have food banks. In sure, but there's no places like that out in Stoney Point. You've Amherstburg there is the Food amf'FeDowship Mission where got to get to Windsor ifyou want to get the help when meals are available in addition to the traditional food bank. you'r9 homelfas, because there's nothing out in the county Churches often pick up as much slack as they can. for you. You've got to be in a city." With offices in Harrow, Kingsville and Leamington, the Youth This past September, Cameron found a home. The par· and Family Resource Network operates a program called THRIVE ents of a fr,iend took him in for a night and told him he could Transitional Housing Resources Improving Vitality in Essex. stay. They built him his own bedroom, enrolled him in school THRIVE operates throughout the county. They offer transitional and helped him get social assistance. housing, affordable housing and referrals to services like Keep the "I'm stable now," be says. Heat that can help free up money for rent. Cameron's family is still not part of his life. His par· "A lot of it is getting them affordable housing," says Connie ents are divorced and both remarried. He has one older Day, client services and support worker for THRIVE. and four younger siblings. There lies the biggest challenge. Even people who have "I don't really talk to them any more." asked for assistance ~ive Ontario Works will He says be had some "really good talks" Wli;QIIlW have a ¥ng 1 housing in ~ the change county. the locks to empty his house," she ~ays. "The average single mother with one child is getting A majority of Steve's possessions will about $913 (per month)," she says. be put in storage. According to the Ontario Works rat:e chart for Dec. 2009, a sin­ Shannon believes that the o.rily therapy Steve was getting at gle adult is only allowed $585 per month. the hospital was drug therapy. "The hardest part of my job is when there are no options left," "He's got no real care, only drugs," she says. "None of us has says Day. "We will help them call family and friends. Couch·su.rf· ever even spoken to a doctor. We asked repeatedly for the doctor tof ing is better than the alternative, especially in the winter." phone us but he never did." Most service providers, including police, often have no choice but The plan was to find Steve a one-bedroom apln;g;p.e11t to refer people to services and shelters in Wmdsor. When working over his finances. Shannon and Phil believe he people have to go to Windsor for services or shelter, they often run ability benefits, which would raise his income the risk of losing their jobs too. up to nine months to find out ifbe qualifies. Like the otl;ler organizations in the Homeless Coalition, Shannon and Phil live in Essex. They ..lm,•u-.,ft THRIVE works with existing agencies in an effort to help people the resources to take Steve into their home. find all the services available to them. ing care of Phil's mother. Shannon worries "All the partnerships we can make, we·have made," says Day. Windsor to the county. "He has no vehicle. He will become more'isolated and more depressed," she says. They had a difficult time finding any servjq;s or resources that The names in Mus segment; have been changed tv protect the priva­ might help Steve. When they did find something, they were cy ofthose involved. unable to act on his behalf because he had not given anyone Shannon and her husband Phil are currently struggling to power of attorney for personal care or property. ,. keep Phil's brother. Steve off the streets after he recently Shannon says they repeatedly asked stafF at the hospital and attempted to overdose on a cocktail ofprescription and noQ-{lre- otber organizations for help and di,rection. At first they got very _..,,.,,,u.,uu drugs. little help and were given co~cting i.n{ormationlfrom "We got a text message that said, 'That's enough, rm done. hospital staffand social workers. Tell my girls I love them.' We found him on his couch," says "There's no consistency~ no knowledge," she says. "We Shannon. "we looked through the window. We thought he was have all of these services and no one ean find them_ Why?" unconscious as his breathin~ seemed shallow." When the hospital announced they were fOing to release Steve did not move. or resR<~nd to loud and exc;essive banging on Steve, his brother and sis*-in-1aw panick~d. the doors and windows, so police officers broke down the door to "They're talking about letting him out," she said at the get to him. When be refused medical treatment, IJolice band­ time. "He cannot handle itl! Ifhe is let out on Friday, his tuffed him so that EMS workers could get him to the h~spital. A chances of survival are slim. lie will not see March 1.'' person does not have the option of refusing treatment when sui­ At the last moment, when they were on the verge ofl'osing)all cide is suspected. Shanncm. and Phil J:equested police assistanee to hope, a me.mber of the hospital staffha,.d a bought. She remem­ get Steve into the ambulance. berJd a seminar she had attended that was hosted by a t:etirem~nt Following a physicalinjury that prevented him from working and home in the county and thought ma be they could help. She con­ a difficult. di.vorce, Steve developed aepressiC?Jl· TP.e trigger that sent tacted them on behalf of the family. bbn over, the c!dge was a letter from his mortgage lender's lawyer l1be home offers retirement and assisted living. The staff at informing him that (oreclosure would begin'Feb. 4. the facility took over Steve's caM· Tbe people tlierejmew hllw' to While Steve was in the psyf biatric w~d, Shannon and Phil start­ make, the system work. ed looking for ways oo help. They started at t~e hotlSe . .a'he door Steve now has a roof over his bead at the retirement home. needed to be repaire

here's something along Highway 3, between Maidstone and Oldcastle, that might perplex the com­ casual traveller. mon T name, A single tree bearing greenish-yellow orbs stands sentry over a residential property on the north- Osage east side of the road. But for the fruit-like orange, derives spheres that appear most noticeably in the fall from the indigenous after the tree sheds its leaves, passersby Osage Nation that historically occupied much of the might not give the tree a second glance. lands in which this tree is found." Once they catch your eye, however, these The Osage orange tree grows naturally in northern grapefruits beg for a closer inspection. Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas but has been planted The Osage orange is unlike anything you've throughout the United States and in Canada. The . ever seen in Essex County. It weighs heavy in WO?d of the tree is highly prized for its density and its ;. • your hand and feels more like a large bumpy soft­ resiStance to rot. Early pioneers used it for tool handles / - ball than anything that might be found In a super­ and fence posts because of its durability. -~-··o·-·- - ;-~ market. Its citrusy aroma is deceptively alluring but, "Early French explorers called it 'bois-d'arc' mean­ .LJ.-.~~ unlike the fruit from Rorida, the Osage orange is ing 'wood of the bow', in reference to the aboriginal definitely not suitable for human consumption. use of this species as a bow." says Bissonnette. Although it's not considered poisonous to humans, But the thorns account for at least one nickname - only the most patient of squirrels "hedge apple". Before the availability of barbed wire, would attempt to get through its the trees were planted In tight, hedge-like rows to deter hard exterior and thick, sticky sap to livestock from wandering into gardens. get at its seeds. "It has also been used for wind breaks and shelter ''The tree was brought from Texas." belts and reclamation projects,• says Bissonnette. says John Arsenault, the owner of the While a decorative bowl of Osage oranges Is defi­ property. "I am constantly gathering the fruit nitely a conversation starter, you'd be best to leave it at and piling it somewhere. It causes that. It's tempting to cut open the fruit to see what's ' / problems for my lawn tractor." inside, but be warned - the sap that bleeds out is .• Curious passersby have incredibly hard to remove from any instrument used for t stopped many times over the the incision. Your hands might need an aggressive --/ years because of the fruit's unusual scrubbing as well. appearance. There is some speculation that the fruit can be "There's nothing else like it." used to ward off insects like spiders and cockroaches, Arsenault as he points out the although research suggests that It is a chemical com­ sizeable thorns on the branches of pound within the fruit rather than the fruit itself that acts the tree. "It attracts attention." as t~e deterrent. Only the female tree produces fruit, Although this species is a distant rela­ and 11 can take ten years before gender can be deter­ tive of the mulberry family, it is actually the mined, so going to the trouble of removing and plant­ only one of its kind in the world, says Dan ing the seeds of the fruit will not guarantee more fruit in Bissonnette, program coordinator for the Mure. the Naturalized Habitat Network. The Osage orange is considered to be an adapt­ "The scientific name of the able and resilient tree. It also appears to have found a species is Maclura pomifera," home in Essex County. says Bissonnette. "But its • It's actually an inaedibly simple tool for solving complex problems. Similar to I how we're not just accountants. We're a partner-driven accounting network with THIS IS MORE over 1000 offices in over 100 countries. THAN A COMPASS BOO. More than you think.

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The work, the adventure, the requirements, the rewards and mother died, leaving Lisa in the care of Marie. There was no inheritance or the challenges that come with being a successful foster parent may life insurance money to draw from, so when Lisa was 15 and needed braces Marie asked CAS if there was any way to get help with covering the cost. surprise you. Spotlight spoke to foster parents, former foster "The only way any funding could be issued was to make me a ward of the parents and those in the process of becoming foster parents. A crown through CAS," says Lisa. "My dad signed papers ensuring that Marie foster parent recruiter and a former foster child have also helped remain my guardian, but giving up his parental rights." to give us an understanding of the truly exceptional people who SuSAN AND PHIL SMITH have fostered about 30 children over the last nine open their homes and their hearts to children in need. years. They have three teenaged children of their own. "My youngest was just starting school so I had time, but still wanted to be Due to the candid information, commentary and opinions pre­ home with my kids," explains Susan. sented in this story, most of the participants agreed to share their The Smiths take in infants to toddlers and will keep them as long as stories only with the protection of anonymity. It is also a legal they need to stay. They also care for many special needs babies. obligation to protect the identity and location of foster children. Susan is a foster parent advocate, a support group leader for Many of the names have been changed. The people we spoke to FASD (fetal alcohol spectrum disorder), and on the executive board of the Foster Parent Association of CAS. live in Essex County and do or did have a relationship with "Before we got married, my husband knew that children Windsor-Essex Children's Aid Society (CAS). are my passion." says Susan. "There would always be children in our home." RENEE AND HER HUSBAND TIM have two children of their own and are cur­ Unfortunately, there are times when, for various reasons, a child cannot rently in the process of becoming foster parents. live with their natural parents. Fortunately there are amazing individuals, "' can't have any more children and we always wanted three children," couples and families who will take these children into their homes, their lives says Renee. "You can foster with the intent to adopt." and their hearts. A child can be in foster care for as little as a few hours, a few weeks, months or years, or for their entire childhood. Foster parents do the best they can, in whatever amount of time they have, to repair emotional The kids, the challenges and rewards damage and point these kids in the right direction. Compared to most families, foster families face unique challenges. They also experience moving rewards. Foster parents have a passion and a love for Introductions children that gives them the strength to overcome the harder parts and makes the rewards so much greater. JANlCE AND PAUL have been fostering children with special needs for about "You have to start with a love for children," Susan says. "These are the 13 years. most challenging children you will ever parent. But, because the challenges "My child has special needs, so I had to stay home," explains Janice. "That are greater, so are the rewards." gave me the opportunity to fo.ster other c.hildren and, because we have experi­ Susan's favourite experience as a foster parent is when she gets to see her ence, I chose kids with special needs." kids go to a happy home. They have two adult children, a teenaged daughter and three foster kids. "Sometimes we're able to stay in touch with the children," she says. "It's Two of the foster kids are old enough to have aged out of the system - they're awesome when it can happen." over 18 - but because their disabilities don't allow them to live independently, Some of her children have grown up in other homes but still call her and Janice and Paul keep these young people with them, in the only home they've Phil "Mom and Dad Smith." known for the last several years. "Those connections last a lifetime," she says. In 13 years, Janice and Paul have fostered close to 30 children with intel­ It's not all happy endings when you're talking about kids who have bad a lectual, emotional and physical disabilities. Some of the children brought to rough start in life. them bad illnesses so severe that they were not expected to live into adult­ "The hardest thing is when a child isn't successful. As hard as we plan, hood. the.re are children who are not successful," she says. "We take comfort in that SARAH and her family fostered several children over 15 years. we've made the difference we can and they are in God's hands." "We took teenagers," she says. "The longest (stay) was about one and a Sarah found that life with foster children was often exciting and never halfyears . The shortest was about eight minutes." boring. They chose to stop fostering in 2008. "My favourite part was seeing these kids figure out what they want," she "'t was hard to give up," she says. says. LISA is a happily married mother of three. When she was 13 her biological A few of these kids still contact her, her husband and her kids. With older children often come bigger problems. SPOTLIGHT ON ESSEX COUNTY 8 SPRING 2010 EDITION "You teach your own kids to be loving, open and giving and then you tell have to worry about. All medications must be them to hide all of their favourite stuff," says Sarah. locked up at all times and, if you have a Sarah believes that her own kids took a lot of the brunt of the negative pool, it must have an alarm on it. There aspects of raising foster children. certain types of dogs you cannot have. You "My son was 11 when he stopped a potential suicide," she says. "He once must have insurance on your home and vehi­ took a heck of a punch defending his younger brother too." cles and you must have a valid driver's Even with some of the more trying times, she believes the overall effect on license. Any babysitters must be approved by her family has been a positive one. the agency and smoking is strictly governed. "' think .my kids are better people for it. My husband and 1 are better peo­ These are just a few of the requirements, most of ple for it," she says. "My kids turned out pretty fabulous." which are designed to ensure the safety of the chil­ Many of her foster children went on to have successful lives, but not all of dren. them. Darcy Thachuk is a foster parent recruiter and "' always check names in the paper looking for my kids," she says. trainer with CAS. She says foster parents should be flexible, have a sense of Some of the more challenging kids have come back to Sarah and her hus­ humour and possess good communication skills. She also says a foster home band and thanked them and even introduced them to their own children. needs to be one that can be run with structure. For example, if yow· job has Sarah explains that most kids are not happy to be in foster care. Only about you traveling a lot or working odd hours, it may not be for you. 10 per cent of her kids were happy to be out of their parent's home. "There are times when the agency and the foster families don't get along, Sarah explains that there are a few kids who look at wher·e they came but that happens in any job," says Susan. from and say, "I'm going to be better than that." She spoke of one young man CAS provides money to care for and support these children, but it isn't she knows who, when given the opportunity to go home, said no. large amounts of money. He wanted an education. He was willing to live in a group home for about "'f you're in it for the money, you're not going to have a very rewarding five years just for the opportunity to go to school. His biological family did not career," says Paul. consider education to be important and he knew if he went back he would not Thachuk says. one of the requirements is that a foster home be financially be able to continue with school. stable. There will be out-of-pocket expenses. Children can be destructive at the Most of the foster parents we spoke to warned that foster parenting best of times and the damage done to homes and property is not always cov­ changes your relationships with your family and niends and not always for ered by the agency. Sarah and Janice both spoke of damage they've had to pay the better. for out-of-pocket. "Just because you're passionate about it doesn't mean you friends and For Sarah, the agency was a large part of why she gave up fostering. family will be," says Sarah. "You can lose friends over it. You can offend your "The disagreements with the agency were the worst part," she says."' family." think they have a tough job, but I think that theory and reality are two differ­ The foster parents we spoke to also agreed that, despite of the challenges, ent things." the rewards make it worthwhile. Sarah believes that the.ir motivation is "right on the money," but that their "We don't regret being foster parents at all," says Sarah. expectations can be unrealistic. She says that an important part of the servic­ Janice and Paul take in sick and disabled children. That brings with it es provided to these children is the ability to talk about what they like and challenges and rewards ofits own. don't like and about how they're doing in their foster homes. The catch there "'t's the satisfaction of giving kids a home, food, love and acceptance of is that kids learn how to work that system pretty quickly. Sometimes they lie who they are,'' says Janice. or complain about silly things. Every time a child complains, there needs to be In order to be an effective foster parent, you must love the children that an investigation. It can get to be very counter-productive for all the people come into your home. That love makes it harder to see them go. involved, especially the child. "We had one little girl we just fell in love with. She went back to her par­ Sarah had one child who, she had been warned, was hostile. Eventually ents and it hurt my soul," says Paul. be became angry and accused Sarah and her husband of hitting him. Sarah Some of the children that come into Paul and Janice's home are not understood that there would need to be an investigation, even though the expected to live very long. Friends and familly have asked them why they agency knew her hlds were never hit. The investigation took months. would put themselves through that kind of hurt. "We did nothing wrong, but they left us hanging for four months,'' she "How can you let a child pass without a family to love them?" Janice asks. says. There is one child who has lived well past what doctors predicted. Sarah says that many of the policies that are handed down don't work in "Without love (the child) wouldn't be here. I know I've helped," says Paul. the real world. One foster child died of a terminal condition while in their care. Janice "You have to realize, they're bands are tied," she says. "Some of the poli­ and Paul knew before they agreed to take her that the child had very little cies and decisions don't make a lot of sense but they are law." time. Paul spoke to his nine-year-old son and asked him ifit would be too hard Saral1 is not the only one who has discovered an occasional disconnect to fall in love only to have to say goodbye. between the agency and reality. "He says, 'Well, we can give her lots oflove while she's here,' and I knew "I've always said that every person at CAS should have to spend a month that I was doing something right - making a difference in the world," be says. with a foster kid,"' says Sarah. Lisa, who spent much ofher childhood in foster care, takes it a step fur. ther. The agency -requirements, "I understand that education is incredibly important, but it's not enough," supports and getting along she says. "Anyone without children should not be allowed to make decisions on parenting." Foster parents work through CAS. The agency is there to train, lend sup­ Janice says that, as a foster parent, there have been times when she has port and guidance, and ensure that foster parents are meeting the high expec­ felt taken advantage of. Some of her kids have needed special structural tations that come with caring for other people's children. requireme.nts in the home, lik·e ramps and lifts. She says that sometimes she There is a lot of education that takes place before someone becomes a fos­ feels like she has to fight to get help with these things and has often paid out­ ter pa~·ent. That education continues while you foster. of-pocket for them. She even bought a special vehicle for a child who was Renee and Tim are in the process of becoming foster p.arents. They will removed after only a few months. have to take a nine-week course before they take in any children and they will have to attend regular classes and meetings while they The goals and the policies foster. There is also 24-hour access to support networks Thachu.k says the need for foster parents is always there. They try very through the agency. hard to match children with foster homes that ufit" them well, so it is impor­ "Every new foster parent has a resi­ tant to have various homes to choose from. It is also a priority to get these dential worker (that visits regularly) children into a situation that is permanent, be it a foster home, the parent's for the first year," says Susan. The Ministry of Children and Youth home, relatives or adoption. Services requires certain things of foster "The agency is all about permanency," she says. Foster parents come from all walks of life. They can be single or married, families and foster homes that other people don't

HT ON ESSEX COUNTY 9 SPRING 2010 EDITION a young family with children or a retired couple. In an area as ethnically through the agency and support groups. diverse as Wmdsor-Essex, it is also important to have people of many different Renee spoke about the process she is currently undergoing. backgrounds. "First they come and evaluate your home," she says. "They all have a common theme - a passion for children," says Thachuk. Foster kids don't have to have their own bedroom, but they do have to Thachuk is proud of the fact that Wmdsor-Essex has the lowest number of have their own bed and their own storage. The agency also looks for safety fac­ chil.dren in foster care in Ontario. It has a lot to do with the hard work the tors. Carbon monoxide and smoke detectors must be in place and there must agency puts into getting kids settled into permanent homes. be a way to lock up medication. At the end of 2009 there were 678 children in foster care through CAS. "There are mounds and mounds of paperwork," says Renee. Permanency planning includes exploring all options. The best case You will be asked about your own childhood, your kids, your parents and involves getting the parents to a point where they can competently take care your spouse. They want to know what your parenting style is like. They will of their own children. also want to know what your parents' parenting style was like. "The main goal of foster care is to return children back home," says Who do you talk to when you have problems? What do you do with your Thachuk. "'Ib strengthen families to make it safe for kids to go home." friends? When that isn't an option, CAS looks to relatives next, or what they call "Many of the questions are the same, just asked in different ways," says 'jQnghip" placement. Some kids stay in foster care until they are adults and Renee. "'twill get extremely personal." many are adopted. Renee says there were two forms that took two days each to fill out. In 2009, 26 children were adopted through CAS. There are some that are "Just because you want to be a foster parent doesn't mean you'll get to be still pending and many that still need adoptive homes. At the beginning of a foster parent," says Renee. "They make sure that you're emotionally healthy 2010 there were 26 children from infancy to six years old, 39 children from enough to deal with what comes up with abused children. Some people might seven to 13 and 39 children from 14 to 17 who were in need of adoptive be just too oa'ive." homes. Much of the questioning is also to help the agency place the right children Often foster parents adopt, but you don't have to be a foster parent to in the right homes. adopt through CAS. Renee and Tim are requesting children under five, because it is recom­ mended that foster children be younger than biological children. Susan explained that this policy helps biological chlldren to "maintain Thinking about it their place" in the family structure. If if Iffoster parenting is something that you have been considering, it is you are unsure fostering is right for you, but you still want to help important to go in with a good understanding of what will be required. there are ways to go about it. Many people think it would be too hard to fall in love with children only to CAS needs volunteers to take children to and from parent visitations. see them leave. There are also mentoring programs and homework programs that you can "'t's not for everybody," says Susan. "But don't count yourself out just become involved in. if is because it's hard to give them back. Ifit's not hard to give them back, you're "A good way to get started and find out it's right for you to become a not doing it right." "reliefhome," explains Thachuk. Those who wish to foster children should be in good health and financially Foster parents are amazing people who give of themselves every day. They stable, Thachuk says. are always needed. There are never too many. The challenges may seem stag­ Foster parenting is a constant learning environment with lots of support gering but the rewards are great and deeply felt. • ~CFunera[ Clfome & ~ception Centre www.reidfuneralhome.ca Committed to Organizational Management www.TheGoT rainer.com YOUR I'RODUCTIV lll' PARTNER FOR TODAY'S "BUSI-NESS"! Providing the Highest Quality ofService & Value. 119 R obson R d RR#t Leamington 519-322-2384 ... o retirtf!Jettl t0111111/lt111.J •·herr tht comfort & sotiol fits urvii

SPOTLIGHT ON ESSEX COUNTY 10 SPRING 2010 EDITION By Kevin Wickham

uglielmo Marconi was one. So w as Alexander person but most inventors aren't average. Graham Bell. For Marconi, it was the promise They are quite extraordin01y,n explains ofusing radio waves to create a new era of Gabriele, who has been with the slwwforfour years. With Dr·agon's Den's auditions scheduledfor early March at the communication. For Bell, it was the possibili­ Windso1·-Essex Regional Chamber· ofComme rce, it seemed like a perfect time G ties ofsound technology to improve lives. to sit down with fow· inventors from Essex County and find out more about Dedicated to the point ofobs ession, these inventors their· journeys. journeyed to the.fringes ofwhat seemed possible with intense dedication. "They all have to be tenacious and single-minded and dedicated, and that usually translates into somebody that is a little bit craZIJ," observes Lisa To protect his identity and his invention, which has yet to be patented, we'll call Gabriele, ajoumalist and Belle River high graduate who is also a senior pr·o­ our first inventor 'Double D' or DD. He's a 26-year-old Windsorite who has spent $300 ducer oft he CBC television show "Dragon's Denn. The popular· show features in t he last seven months on his prototype. entrepreneurs who pitch their· products to jive business experts - the Dragons "It's kind of at a stagnant point right now; says DD. "Once I made the idea and got the prototypes together, I wasn't in a position to - in the hopes ofsecu ring venture capital. invest anything myself except the idea and the concept. I didn't have the money to '"Watching people try to convince somebody that they have a great be tossing out for mass production. I can't say that I would even see it being fin­ idea is what makes great television. It becomes very watchable. Tenacity and ished." single-mindedness are not necessarily great character· traits for the average The invention is very straightforward. It addresses mobility and grip issues in the field of artistic expression. The elderly and people with disabilities, including chil­ dren, could benefit from it. A philosopher at heart, DO's ideas came from seeing a problem and looking for a solution. He currently works at a long-term ca re facility in the Rose City as a chef. An avid reader, DO's father is a teacher and his mother runs a marketing company. She also served as a sounding board for his ideas. DO's agenda is societal improvement. He wants his invention to have wide­ reaching appeal for the health care industry and schools with special needs stu­ dents. "When you have a feeling about something, nine times out of ten you:re right." he says. All the ideas for the invention came from "seniors with children" and a desire to bridge the gap between the ages. "People feel comfortable around kids and kids always love being around grand­ parents," DD says. With patent application fees topping out at $5,000, DD has been told by legal professionals that his idea has merit but needs investment to proceed. "Marketing it to the public is something I haven't even thought about yet; he says."But if I had backing to do it, I would hit up the health care sector across the board." Despite his creative flair, DD says real life creates constraints, even for those try­ ing to offer something new and useful. He compares an inventor to a chef. "When I take a raw product from a state that was inedible and I manipulate it into something that is producible, I guess it's an ability to see the merit in something before others can."

< Ozone N ation owner Michael Antinozzi and his son Patrick

SPRING 2010 EDITION Patrick Strong is the president of Strong Dental, a Leamington-based sleep 2005. Located on County Road 42, across from Windsor Airport, Ozone Nation fea­ apnea and dental treatment clinic. When the graduate ofToronto's George Brown tures a SOD-lb. cleaning machine for hockey equipment called The Fresh Gear C40.1t College was 16, his uncle, owner of the Strong Dental lab in Windsor, took him under is trademarked ami in the patent pending stage. his wing. Patrick's father had passed away and the teenager was looking for support Within the C40, ozone is produced through high voltage electricity. It splits regu­ and direction. He worked for his uncle that summer and discovered he liked the lar oxygen molecules into two atoms. A generator takes the regular air inside the work. cabinet, passes it through an electrical charge, which creates ozone, then blows it at In 1997, Patrick and his wife started a business that now has 20 employees. He the right velocity and volume up into the fabric where it attacks bacteria and it turns won the Leamington Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2003 in his sixth year of busi­ back into oxygen. No veMilation, no pipes, no tanks. ness. Michael chose hockey equipment because it was the most applicable to Patrick's best known invention is the Strong Upper Airway Dilating or SUAD Canadian sport. The C40 costs $13,950, with a device. It was approved by the USFDA in 2002 and is classified as a dental appliance three-year warranty on everything. Three in Canada and a class two medical device in the U.S. Canadian Hockey League teams have pur­ The SUAD device is used in the treatment of sleep apnea, a condition Patrick chased the machine, as well as the NHL's knows well because he is a patient in his own practice. Sleep-deprived patients may Washington Capitals, Columbus Bluejackets stop breathing 5 to 15 times an hour (mild), 15 to 35 times (moderate), or more than and Dallas Stars. One hundred machines have 35 times an hour (severe). Patrick is in the 56 times an hour range. Over time, the been sold in Canada. condition stresses the heart and increases the chance of high blood pressure, heart With customer services in the front and attack and stroke. the machine's manufacturing component in "Every time you stop breathing, your airway collapses at the back of your throat the rear, Ozone Nation is a family affair. and you stop bringing in oxygen," Strong explains. "Your oxygen level is going to Michael's son Patrick runs the day-to-day drop down so low that it's incompatible with life. You are not going to stay there operations when dad is away, while his because, if you do, you're going to die. So, youngest son James works part-time. the brain panics. Panicking is adrenaline; Daughter Christina works the phones and adrenaline is blood pressure and the pulse customer service responsibilities. going up.You take a breath, you start to "One of my ex-co-workers from Sun normalize again. If you're a severe apneic used to say, 'You're a systems analyst, patient, by the time you take that second you're not an inventor, and I kind of breath you've barely recovered. You are laughed," Michael reflects. "I thought, what's staying with high blood pressure all the job description of an inventor? Somebody gets an idea, night long." you test it and see whether it works. It probably doesn't work phenomenally right When worn, the SUAD device away but you get a glimmer and you think, what if I did this instead, and what if I did moves your lower jaw forward, allow­ this, and you actually start down a path." ing relaxation of the tissures at the The Fresh Gear C40 not only cleans athletic gear but also works on firefighting back of your throat and ensuring the equipment, police vests, fur coats, rubber boots, horse blankets and saddles. - base of your tongue does not col­ lapse and block your airway. The device is an effective treatment for

~~:----:~:::J~In the snoring last four and yea srs,leep Strong apnea. Dental has ~ had five expansions. Their clientele is ninety-eight per cent American and, in the last six years, the clinic has treated well over two thousand patients. The product manufacturing, all done onsite, has sustained a fj; thirty-three per cent growth in sales and fabrication for the last five years. ~ .. The SUAD device costs $1300,and is the only appliance worldwide, according to Patrick, that will "stand up to the rigors of grinding teeth and abuse because it has an SHOP LOCAL, inner casted framework." He holds the two patents and carries out his inventive research in Atlanta, Georgia because "there are lots of spies here." SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNfn! If everyone spent $20.00 M ichael Antinozzi, a 44-year-old Montreal native, worked in the high-tech indus­ on the 2()11' of each month try for 20 years as a computer programmer and manager of business practices. His It would boOst our economy! career took him to Ottawa, then Dallas for four years. Following a transfer to Detroit, Eau: Centre BIA .ncouragee he lived in Windsor and Kingsville. you to ..,.nd $20.00 on the 20'" Michael's invention came

SPOTLIGHT ON ESSEX COUNTY 12 SPRING 2010 EDITION Tecumseh's Russ Bennett, a 2002 retiree from the Quality department at Ford, the Dragon's Den in Kitchener, but he didn't make the drives around with invention number one emblazoned on his license plate ­ final cut for television. The Dragons said he was on the TRUPUIT1 . market too long, had spent too much money and had As a student of the game of golf, with a handicap of eight, Russ has played t he not sold enough units. sport since he was 18 years old. After one year of living the good life, Russ started to "They told us up front that not all the best prod­ invent Bennett Tru-Putt-"the ultimate putting trainer" - in his garage. Looking ucts get on the show. Sometimes it's what makes good through his collection of Golf Digest magazines, Russ noticed a trend in the articles - television," Russ remembers. The Dragons thought Model the putting tips concentrated on proper aim and speed, stance, eye over the ball. He 1 was too heavy, about four pounds, and it wasn't portable. embarked on developing a putting trainer to improve the skill that separates win­ "He had an interesting product, and it was a fine inven- ning from losing. tion but because it was very difficult to explain, it didn't translate "Putting is a game within a game," Russ points out! ln putting, in the game of into good television,• Gabriele notes. golf, we're all equal. Tiger (Woods), I don't care how good of shape he's in, it doesn't Because of his financial investment, most of it from his retirement fund, Russ has mean he has any mere ability than a 10-year-old kid or an 80-year-old woman. The had many second thoughts on being an inventor. physical aspect doesn't come into the picture. It comes down to feel, training and "Some days I wish I'd never thought of it. I'd be much better off financially and alignment." be more relaxed," he says. After many alterations, Russ developed two models of the putting trainer. Model 1, an L-shaped design patented in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, is made of wires, beads, and a flat pedestal. It guarantees you are standing directly over the ball and square to your putt line. The wires and beads, through adjustments, allow you to "dial into All of our local inventors have experienced the maze of paperwork and bureau­ the putt~ Model 2 weighs only six ounces, with a spike that affixes the product to the cracy t hat comes with creativity. Lisa Gabriele has met hundreds of would-be million­ ground. aires and has some tips for future inventors. Have a working prototype, be realistic With Russ's investment so far totaling $250,000, Tru-Putt claims to improve your about your evaluation, and know your numbers. putting up to a range of 35 feet. With 62-million golfers in the world - 38 million of "You may think you have a million dollar idea but if you've sold two thousand, them in North America- Russ is able to say, "Alii want then you have a $1 0,000 idea, • she says. is one per cent of the market." At $10 profit per unit, •sweat equity is par for the course, so is passion. You have to have that, but you that's a mere $6 million. are not going to get paid for it, yet, until that thing starts to generate income and it's Russ sells the product from his website not going to do that until you get your investment, so be realistic about that,• (www.bennemruputt.com) fully packaged with a DO's advice is, do your research. 55-minute DVD for $69.95. 1t takes 30 seconds to "I spent two months trying to fill out something and you get a letter back saying set up and can be used repeatedly. Russ has sold this is already in progress,• he says. 600 units so far. Patrick Strong advises would-be inventors not to use a bank or go into debt to Overall, Russ estimates he spent $100,000 invest in the invention. He also recommends that you patent your product in the U.S. getting started. Brochures, marketing, first because the market is so much larger than Canada's. and his website were all necessary Russ Bennett advises inventors to keep quiet! Develop your idea to the point before he could sell one unit. where you are ready to file for patent pending and get a quote from a lawyer on In 2008, Bennett auditioned for what it's going to cost.

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SPOTLIGHT ON ESSEX COUNTY 13 SPRING 2010 EDITION Woodslee sheep farm serves niche market

By Jennifer Cranston ----·

Carolyn Fuertb and her husband Rick aren't simply following the herd. They own and operate one of only a few sheep farms in Essex " Ewes and their lambs are kept separate from the rest of the herd. County. Ewe Dell Family Farms in Woodslee has been serving an ethnic niche the winter it can cause other problems. Because it's lambing season, it is market successfully since the Fuertbs brought home their first herd in important that the utters are exposed and easy for the lambs to find. 1973. Fleece also holds moisture. In a wintery barn, moisture can contribute to Carolyn grew up on a summer resort in Haliburton and studied illness like pneumonia. human nutrition at university. Rick grew up on a dairy farm .and studied The Fuerths raise meat sheep, so sale of the fleece does n<>t cover the anim.al sciences. While most students return home with dirty laundry and cost of shearing but it needs to be done. Ewe Dell produces low quality debt, the Fuerths came home saddled with other responsibilities. fleece, meaning it's made into blankets rather than suits. "We brought some sheep home from university," says Carolyn. Jeff Russell and his dad Calvin are part of a three-generation travel­ They've never looked back. ing shearing business. Calvin's father is still working, but he didn't make "We put an ad in the paper at Easter the first year and never had to the trip to Ewe Dell this year. advertise again," she :says. The Russells worked all day shearing all the sheep Ewe Dell had to The Fuerths designed and built all the buildings for the sheep opera- offer. They stopped only for a mid-day meal provided by the Fuerths. tion, including their own abattoir. · There is no need to "wrestle" with the beasts. Jeff explains that "Part of the advantage of having our own abattoir is that control of maneuvering and handling the sheep is more about using pressure points end use helps with profitability," says Carolyn. rather than force. The abattoir operates every Friday and three times a week before reli­ Like the Russells, the Fuerths also operate a family business. Carolyn gious feast days when demand is higher. A provincial inspector is always and Rick's eldest son Jason does most of the work with the sheep and joins on site when killing is done. Rick on Saturdays to help with the cutting. Because they sezve ethnic and religious groups, there are often special "I do more of the marketing and that sort of stuff," explains Carolyn. requirements for how the lambs are processed. Like many fanners, agriculture is not the Fuerths' only business. They "Our customer base is not WASP (White-Anglo-Saxon-Pr<>testant)," also own a construction business. Th.eir youngest son Shawn works in that explains Carolyn. part of the family enterprise. About 30 per cent of their customers are Muslim. People of Greek, Daughter Tricia works out west building bridges but comes home to Serbian, Croatian, African and Lebanese descent make up m<>st of the help out when she's needed. Her experience on the family farm has made remaining 70 per cent. Producing Kosher meat is cost-prohibitive; Jewish her into a reluctant vegetarian of sorts. people are better served out of larger markets in Michigan, Carolyn says. "I don't believe in factory farming," Tricia says. "I won't eat meat ifl Wmter is a busy time for the sheep at Ewe Dell. It is lambing season don't know where it came from." and it's also the time for shearing. She will eat the meat ifshe knows its origin, including what her fami­ A "city kid" might expect shearing to be terrifying and traumatic for ly produces. sheep. After all, they are shy and timid beasts, aren't they? The Fuertb farm is the largest sheep farm in the region. It houses Carolyn laughs. She doesn't know ifit scares them, she's never asked about 500 to 600 ewes and about seven rams. It markets about 4,500 them. sheep and lambs from th.e farm gate ~ach year. It is also used as a model Upon walking into the barn where the shearers are hard at work, one and learning tool for other agricultural professionals. discovers it's not much different than getting a haircut and the sheep don't In September 2009, Rob Bradley of Longford, Tasmania, Australia seem to mind at all. spent time at Ewe Dell, visiting throughout the region with Carolyn as his A "city kid" might also think that it makes more sense to shear in the guide.,Bradley was traveling the globe courtesy of the Nuffield summer. Don't they need their fleece to stay warm in the winter? Scholarship Program. Carolyn was a Canadian Nuffield Scholar in 1999. Fleece in the summer protects the sheep from the sun. If it's left on in That isn't the only opportunity that their chosen field has offered.

SPOTLIGHT ON ESSEX COUNlY 14 SPRING 2010 EDITION Once a year the Fuerths go to an agricultural leadership conference in the U.S. or Australia. While it makes for some great vacations, leadership is a big part of who they are. Carolyn, Rick and Jason are involved in countless agricultural organizations. Rick is a founding member of the Ontario Sheep Marketing Agency. Jason is involved in an agriculture research committee for the province. Carolyn is on the Ontario Farm Marketing Commission. They are also involved in the Ontario Federation ofAgriculture, Ontario Agri-Food Education Inc. and the Agriculture Research Institute of Ontario, to name a few. Carolyn is also involved in vari­ ous charity organizations. Rick says he has no inten­ tion of retiring. This is his hobby as well as his job. The farm gate market has various cuts avail­ able. Saturday morning 1 is set aside for cutting ) and pick-up, but the Fuerths will gladly accommodate the cus­ tomer's schedule. It is recommended that orders be called in, especially for l:arge orders or a wholelamb. f

Sheep shearer Calvin > Russell lays out a single fleece, illustrating that when it's shorn properly it is in one piece.

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SPOTLIGHT ON ESSEX COUNTY 15 SPRING 2010 EDlTJON Bootleggers, rumrunners, blind pigs and cash

By Jennifer Cranston

Ifyou~re passed the National Prohibition Act, comfortably which prohibited the sale, manufac­ middle-aged, your ture and transportation of liquor but grandmother may did little to enforce the law. have told you stories According to.some experts, prohibi­ of lining her baby tion was the best thing that ever hap­ buggy with hot pened to our local economy. It is estimated water bottles full of that about 80 per cent of the alcohol con­ whiskey. Or per­ sumed in the U.S. during prohibition passed haps your grandfa­ through Windsor and Essex County. When a ther recalled spot­ provincial referendum on prohibition was held ting people like Al in 1919, the peop~e of Windsor voted overwhelm­ Capone and The ingly in favour of the sale of beer and liquor Gang on the packaged under government control. The streets, at the shoreline, province, however, voted to continue with and or in the fields of Essex strengthen the Temperance Act and prohibit County. the sale of all alcoholic beverages. If you're old enough to get a dis­ Unfortunately we've reached a point in count on Senior's Day, yow· grand- time when firsthand accounts of booze parents may have told stories about smuggling during prohibition are hard to false iloors in houses and barns that come by. Anyone who was a young child became hiding places for booze. Or perhaps during the era would be over 90 years they described perfectly curved bottles that old today. fit neatly into their boots - an unobtrusive Fortunately there are a handful of way of ferrying contraband liquor across the historians, writers and collectors who border. Maybe they even shared harrowing are still doing what they can to pre­ tales of their youth, when they drove old beat­ serve the memories of one of the up cars filled with cases of beer and whiskey most exciting and profitable periods across the frozen Detroit River. in Essex County history. The best If your family was here in the 1920s, news is that many of them began chances are good that the ancestors in your collecting and recording all the attic have stories to tell about bootlegging, information they could get their smuggling and prohibition. bands on before those firsthand In 1916, the province of Ontario passed the accounts Ontario Temperance Act, a law that prohibited were lost. the sale ofliquor and launched the era known as prohibition. Other provinces and U.S. states followed suit and, in 1920, the U.S. .Congress Victoria. Beaulieu of Lakeshore is an avid and active historian. ed the entire cost of its construction. He also presented cash awards She runs the Maidstone Bicentennial Museum on Puce Rd., the site to students who excelled. of a new prohibition exhibit, and she and her husband, Romeo, own Cooper adopted three children, but his soft spot for kids did not two historic buildings in Belle River at an intersection she-affection­ stop there. He took orphans on field trips and made sure schoolchild­ ately calls "Rumnmner's Corner." ren could get haircuts and visits to the dentist. He also supported Beaulieu has ~pent years talking to th.e elders in her community, local farmers with gifts of prize-winning cattle and Ford tractors, and collecting stories about every part of our regional history. She has is credited with bringin.g hydro-electrical lines into town. learned not only that Belle River was instrumental in the illegal traf­ Using his rum running knowledge, Cooper started the first agri­ ficking of alcohol, but also that mu.ch of the town's development was cultural import/export business that operated back and forth across due to the proceeds from black market booze. the border. The Stone Garden Bed and Breakfast was built by William Because he didn't focus solely on the liquor trade, the philanthro­ LaVoie in 1920. It was his family home, but he ran a bootlegging pist was one of the few black market booze dealers of the day who operation out of the Log Inn, a restaurant and dance hall located was still financially well off when he died. next door to the house. 'Ibday the Beaulieus own both buildings. The "I'm so intrigued by Cooper," says Beaulieu. "I have so much Log Inn is now an apartment building. respect for Jim Cooper." Beaulieu has never been in the building that was LaVoie's first She says that even though the era was one of rampant criminal home. It is located across from Belle River District High School. activity, good things were also happening and Cooper led the way. "Old-timers talk about that house having a false floor," she says. "If Cooper hadn't put that money into Belle River, it would never Beaulieu has restored much of the bed and breakfast to its origi­ have been what it is, or possibly even survived," she says. nal state, uncovering hand-painted frescos and murals on many of Hiram Walker and Sons still stands on Riverside Drive in the walls. The bouse bears the original lighting and boiler. A furnace Windsor. Hiram Walker, his sons and grandsons are legends in their and central air system has been installed as back up. own right. Hiram Sr. was the founder of Walkerville. His lavish The apartment building still has the original tin ceilings and offices now hold a museum that exhibits hard evidence of tbe temper­ hardwood floors. ance movement, the prohibition era and the lucrative legacy of "If that building could talk, it would be one hell of a building to Canadian Club Whiskey. It is open for daily tours. listen to," she laughs. On a tour of the distillery, you will learn about a secretary whose Beaulieu never met LaVoie himself but she did have the opportu­ ingenuity allowed her to make a fortune smuggling Canadian nity to visit with his granddaughter before she died. Renowned \Vhiskey under her clothes. You will also visit the place, originally a Canadian author June Call wood remembered her grandfather sitting wine cellar, that became a secret meeting room in the 1920s for in his wheelchair in front of a window in the bouse, a vantage point underworld legends like AI Capone, the Purple Gang and other that allowed him to keep a close eye on his operations next door. American importers. As far as anyone knows, no one was ever killed Not far from the Stone Garden Bed and Breakfast is a deteriorat­ in that room, but there is a bullet hole in the wall that speaks to the ing duplex that was once the home of Blaise Diesbourg. He supplied violence that was so prevalent across the border. the likes ofAI Capone of Chicago and the Purple Gang of Detroit Anyone who studies the history of the area is bound to touch on with regular shipments of liquor by plane. Diesbourg's underworld rum running. This is the case for Bill Marentette whose fascination colleagues knew him as King Canada. The house is rumoured to con­ began with a childhood job at the original Walkerville Brewery and tain hidden secret passages within it. an interest in advertising. James Cooper was an extremely successful rumrunner from Belle "I have what you could call a museum in my basement," he River. He also worked in the sales department at Hiram Walker's laughs. Distilleries. The first mansion he built still stands and bears the These interests have led Marentette to research all of the brew­ same name. Cooper's Court is now a tavern in town. Cooper eventu­ eries in the area. He has collected bottles, promotional materials like ally built a larger, more opulent mansion in Walkerville, but he con­ serving trays, photographs, and countless other items that illustrate tinued to leave his mark on Belle River. the prohibition era. He even has a bar that was created from the Cooper opened the Belle River Grain and Seed Company, the front counter of The Bermuda Export Co., a booze cartel that operat­ Belle River Brick and Tile Company, Belle River Poultry Farms and ed in Essex County. green houses that still stand today. He used his considerable fortune "I've researched this to set up friends and neighbours in their own businesses. St. for many years," he said. "Of James High School was named for him the five breweries we had in when he donat- Windsor, none are left." He can tell you all about how the Tecumseh Brewery became Old around," he says. "It's

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SPOTLIGHT ON ESSEX COUNTY 19 By Arldy Comber

vast ice field extends to the horizon as far Spring and fall are the premier seasons for the as the eye can see. A delicate green migration, bUJt birds frequent the park in all sea­ A blanket of growth emerges from the for­ sons. Eastern bluebirds and savannah spar­ est floor. Water sparkles in waves reaching sun­ rows fly the grassy meadows. Red-winged drenched sands. Landscapes In new colours, black birds, ducks and herons make their skies filled with wings In flight. home in the marshes. Warblers and wild turkeys These are not places at the four corners of reside along the woodland trail. Organized the Earth. These are the seasons of Point Pelee For the keen eye, there may be a sighting of activities one of the park's nesting bald eagles - or brown National Park. a at the Point Pelee, or "The Point" as it is affection­ pelican, blown far from its southern home on the Point are ately known, contains a large part of the natural winds of a hurricane. In the autumn, a different offered in migration - Monarch butterflies briefly linger on area of Essex County - a patchwork of marsh, all seasons. forest, fields, and beaches teaming with life. All their 3,000-kilometre journey to Mexico. Bike and canoe rentals become available this is packed into a small fifteen-square-kilometre Enhancing people's sense of discovery and in April, an opportunity for personal exploration triangle of land that juts out into Lake Erie. connection to nature at the Point is the task of on path or pond through summer and into The Point has a human history. Karen Linauskas. manager of visitor experience. autumn. Humankind has inhabited the region for thou­ Many kilometres of trails offer adventure in all Uke voyageurs of the past, large groups of sands of years - the proof recorded in stone seasons, Linauskas says. people can explore the marvels of the marsh In arrowheads, spear points and fragments of clay "There are trails for hiking, biking and cross­ the comfort of a freighter canoe, encountering pottery. Point Pelee is "our home" to the Caldwell country skiing - and footpaths- narrow one-per­ interesting plants, frogs, birds. turtles and drag­ First Nations and "part of our house" to the son trails that offer a little more adventure." onflies. Walpole Island First Nation - compelling descrip­ Each trail offers its own experiences, ones Visitors enjoy butterfly counts in August, tions illustrating its importance. that change with the seasons. Monarch mysteries in September, creatures of Each season at the Point offers something A boardwalk winds through the expanse of the night in October, bird counts in December, new to the human experience. the large cattail marshes, where turtles bask in the and an owl prowl in February. Sarah Rupert, a senior park interpreter, was summer sun. Paths explore the open fields. Cedar Surrounded by Lake Erie, the shores of the Introduced to Point Pelee by her parents, avid savannah and swamp forest surround an old Point offer a playground of sand and water, birders who made numerous pilgrimages to the homestead - a reminder of days-gone-by when stretching for several kilometres. park during her youth. humankind tried to tame the wilderness. There are remarkable vistas in all "It's always changing - 365 days a year," Woodland trails, framed by over seventy species seasons. Rupert says. of trees. allow a view of the home of rac­ The dawning sun rises Many of the regular visitors to the park come coons, coyote, deer, squirrels and count­ over the marsh in the mists of from the surrounding region, but for many local less birds. a spring morning. A summer residents, decades may separate their visits. For the less adventurous, a remarkable storm darkens the horizon. "We get a lot of people who have not been interpretive centre offers interactive displays, lightning connecting cloud to here since a school field trip," she says. ''Then, nature films. and a discovery area for children. water with electrical fire­ twenty years later they come back and say In spring, summer and fall, a shuttle offers works. Waters like 'Wow, everything's changed' - or - 'Wow, noth­ transportation to within a short walk of the tip glass mirror the sky ing's changed'- there are both sides to the of the ever-changing Point. In an autumn calm. memories." Ten years a,go, the tip stretched for a A red sun sinks Bird migration was the reason kilometre out into the lake, a sandy trail into an Arctic-like Point Pelee became a national surrounded by water. In recent years, landscape in the park In 1918. More than plagued by storm and high waters, it cold of winter. 380 species have been has performed a disappearing act. Offshore there is recorded in the But, in all seasons, it remains history, adven­ park bound­ the southernmost point of mainland ture and leg­ aries. Canada. end in the ~For a lot of people that is the inland key attraetlon - to stand at the tip of Canada." says LIQauskas. An illustrated sign along a west beach and fifty ships. Includes the tip," Stranak says. "We trail tells the true story of the wooden There are no signs to direct your vision get over 200,000 visitors a year and many steamer Conemaugh, which sank In the for more legendary sightings. of those people want to stand on the very Pelee Passage during a violent gale on Perhaps If you scan the waters, how­ tip of Canada." Nov. 22, 1906. The vessel hit the shoals ever, you might spot Bessie- Lake Erie's "We have three elements to our man­ with such force that most of her propeller famed lake monster. If you see her, you'll date - protection, visitor experience and blades were broken off by the Impact. be joining the crew of a schooner who public education. That Is where the real Fortunately for the crew, a lifesaving station reported a serpent-like creature 30- to 40- challenge is to managing the park." was located at Pelee. feet in length in July 1817. Care and respect willl be needed from "It would have been utterly lmJ::ossible With the future in mind, a new park all visitors to Point Pelee to preserve Essex to launch an ordinary boat and it was only management plan is currently being devel­ County's most amazing paradise and park. after the third effort that the lifeboat got oped to provide a long-term vision for Skis glide over the snow-covered path. away manned by seven men," stated an Point Pelee as an oasis of nature, a place Eyes turn to the skies. following flocks of article In a 1906 Windsor Evening Record. of history and a tourist destination. birds. A couple walks barefoot in the surf "It made three trips before it got the whole For park superintendent Marian of an inland sea. Fallen leaves crunch 22 men ashore." Stranak, the challenge is finding a balance under the hiker's boot. Today, divers come to explore the between protection and experience. These are not places at the four cor­ remains of the Conemaugh and fifty other "The park is two-thirds marsh. That ners of the Earth. These are the seasons known wrecks in the Pelee Passage This means almost all the (human) activity takes of Point Pelee National Park. Is the resting place for over two hundred place on one-third of Its area and that

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SPRING 2010 EDITION SPOTLIGHT ON ESSEX COUNlY 21 The Pitch: Business Lessons Learned on the Soccer Field Linda] Lord Finding Bill A sports analogy for business Henrietta T. 0 Neilf Reviewed by order to have closure on their Connie.Jean Latam life connection. By J ennifer Cranston "People's professional per­ This is a great book to formance is only as good as the Finding Bill is a true read for its depiction of a time The Pitch is a fast-paced, strength of their personal foun­ story of sacrifice, devotion of great turbulence and how a easy read that tells the story of dation," Lord explains. and remembrance that loving devotion for Canadians invokes the clich~, "Truth is and each other would evolve a single mom and entrepreneur The Pitch illustrates how dif­ stranger than fiction." - so much so, that one can who turns her life around. ferent aspects of our lives are This fascinating book understand the attachment Liz Robertson is broke. Her interdependent and explores the takes you to Holland during that comes about. relationship with her teenaged challenge of finding balance. World War '1\vo. Bill O'Neill, Life changing? Yes, son is as rocky as her business. This book draws on Lord's a Canadian soldier, is billeted indeed. How many times have in the home of Antonia and you had someone walk into The story begins with Liz reluc­ personal experiences to create a Hendrikus den Otter. The your life and change it forev­ tantly getting out of bed to face believable parable with effective young Dutch couple learns er? This book will help you to what is sure to be a difficult and advice that is easy to apply. about the Canadian lifestyle, reflect on the life-changing miserable day. But, just when The Pitch is available at as well as the struggles and person in your life. her personal and professional Indigo bookstore in Tecumseh successes of Bill and other Connie-Jean La tam is a soldiers like him who are Doetor ofNatural Medicine lives are at a breaking point, and through Lord's website serving to free Holland. and the author ofEverything she fmds wisdom and hope in www.lindajlord.com. It is avail­ Local author, Henrietta is Food! Words ofWi sdom the words of her son's soccer able in paperback and e-book O'Neill, the sixth-born child from a Small Child. coach. formats for $15. of the Den Otter family, con­ Local business coach Linda nects the reader with Bill O'Neill on a personal level, by J. Lord, successfully draws a sharing Bill's and her family's parallel between playing com­ loving and sacrificial tales in petitive sport and running a a way that captivates the successful business while heart and soul. enjoying your personal life. Bill enmeshes the family profoundly for generations "Dress for the weather," and decades. His effect on "find a mentor" and "first win them is so deep that the fami­ the game in your head," are ly immigrates to Canada and some of the life lessons that Liz years later searches for Bill in discovers can be applied to her life. This struggling business­ woman begins to apply the prin­ ciples she picks up while hang­ ing out at soccer practice only to discover that something is still missing from her approach. It isn't until her new mentor helps Liz to explore her own motives and desires that she finds a winning strategy and gets her life back on track.

SPOTLIGHT ON ESSEX COUNTY Dracula: The un-Dead The Best Laid Plans Dacre S Ioker and Ian Holt Terry Fallis Reviewed by Beware traditional Dracula Annette Gabriele lovers, for Jack the Ripper and Reviewed by tary for Mackenzie King during Elizabeth Batbory have been writ­ Lynda Sehlichther WWII. She is Liberal to the core. One hundred and twelve years ten into the plot and provide some She is 81 years old, has later Bram Stoker's great grand­ most bloody and disturbing scenes. Meet Daniel Addison, a 32- Parkinson's disease and lives in a nephew has re-opened the family I was pleased with this fusion, as year-old Ph.D. of Canadian senior's home after breaking her crypt with the help of Dracula his­ it gives the book a more modern, Literature (University of Ottawa). hip two years ago. While Muriel's tori~ Ian Holt, to bring to the sensational feeling Life is pretty good for Daniel; he disease may have slowed her down page the sequel to the than its predecessor. has lived with his knockout girl- physically, her intelligence, wit and classic gothic novel, Dracula: The Un­ friend, Rachel Bronwin, for two reasoning is still strong. Dracula. Dead seems to be a years now and he is a speechwriter Meet Angus McLintock - Come and meet an novel about bringing for the Leader of the Liberal Party. Scottish immigrant, landlord, adult, naive Quincey, son back to life all those J ust when life is going so good Mechanical Engineering professor ofDracul a's beloved Mina favourite characters it comes to a crashing and stellar chess player. For 25 Harker, as the torches of 25 years after the halt for Daniel. He dis- years this 60-year-old man has old are reignited and we seeming end at covers Rachel has been teaching at U ofO. (the Dracula fans) start a Castle Dracula. }--1( another relationship I He is well spoken new quest with the "band Bram Stoker him­ rr with Dick Warrington, thanedEtakngli~sshdleanlig_ht in of heroes" to rid the world self even makes a Opposition House Bzy / of Dracula. cameo appearance Arthur still pines for in this fast-paced Leader. Daniel Jj guage. However, Lucy, and Van Helsing still mix of fact and resigns from his posi- I when he receives spits as he speaks the name fiction, but let go tion and gets a job \ I word he is to teach "Dracula". All our old friends of t he past and dare to enjoy! teaching undergrad- l 1\ \ Englisn for Engineers are still peering cautiously around Annette Gabriele works in uate English at the [f Jh for a second consecu- comers expecting to encounter an acquisitions at the Essex County U ofO, but not p ''- / I.J tive year, he declares,"' evil vampire, and they do! Librazy. before making a L..·-- ~ cannae do it!" and promise to the N makes a deal with Liberal Leader - A Daniel. to find a Liberal 'T t: '1 The Deal - Daniel candidate for c ""'( f 1 L '.... will teach his E for E class Catching Fire the riding of .f\ L[J and he, in turn, will let his Cumberland-Prescott and name stand as Liberal can- Suzanne Collins then manage the campaign. How didate for the riding of hard could it be? Cumberland-Prescott. A win-win Reviewed By compete in the televised bloodbath Meet the Honorable Eric deal - or is it? Elly Takaki as punishment for a previous Cameron, Cumberland-Prescott The hilarity begins! Terry attempt at revolution. 'lbry stronghold Leader. He is Fallis tells a tale that is clever, My husband and I have very Without giving too much away young, good-looking, widowed, and enlightening, witty and sometimes different reading tastes, but when for those who haven't read the first blessed with eloquence in giving absurd. His characters are people he started emotionally exclaiming book, Catching Fire hikes up the speeches - in short, the complete you care about, and the storyline at random times that he couldn't stakes for K.atniss. Because of her package. Oh, and did I mention, he will keep you hooked. Mr. Fallis is wait for the next book in a young actions in the first novel, she is is the most popular Finance winner of The Stephen Leacock adult series, I was intrigued. I now fighting, not just for her own Minister in Canadian history? Award for Humour for his soon understood his torment when survival, but for everyone she Meet Muriel Parkinson, the Canadian view of Ottawa's political I read The Hunger loves. The action is relentless and previous Cumberland-Prescott culture. Bravo! Games by Suzanne the characters are so engaging Liberal candidate for the last five Lynda Schlichther is an avid elections. Muriel has worked for reader and member of the Essex Collins, and its sequel, ~'-'··· that you come to relish Catching Fire. Now I'm spending time in this the Liberals since becoming secre- Public Library's Book Club. tormented by the six­ dark, futuristic world. month waiting period K.atniss Everdeen is before the third book smart, resourceful, and in the trilogy is pub­ brave. Her fellow tribute, Sp~tlight on Eutx County would Jjke to thank the foUowing peo­ lished. Peeta Mellark, becomes a ple and organizations: character you fall in love The plot of The • Margaret McMaster, branch assistant at Essex Public Hunger Games has with, while you wait to see been described as if K.atniss ever will. Library, for putting us in couch with library staff and book club ~Gladiator" meets Stephen King declared The members who have contributed to this jssue's book reviews. "Project Runway". Hunger Games as addictive • Brian Sweet and South Coast Writers for communjcating Collins quickly as a video game, and our request for book reviewers to members of the group. pulls us into the Stephanie Meyer confessed she brought the book out to world ofPanem, a post-apoc­ .IUCUIIIIIIIIIIIIIII ~ alyPtic America ruled by a brutal, dinner with her and read it If you love to read aod also have a passion for Wealthy government referred to as under the table because she could­ scribbling, jotting or earnesdy composing notes "the Capitol." The sixteen-year-old n't stop. Though Collins writes for about your best-loved books, please contact protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, is children and young adults, adult Spotlight publisher Laurie Brett at 519-776-4268 chosen to participate in the readers will be just as enthralled or email us at [email protected]. Book Hunger Games, a competition in with this blend of sci-fi, adventure, which teenagers must fight each and romance. reviews of fiction (adult and )'Oung adult pub­ other to the death. Each year, all Elly Takaki is Branch lished in the last two years) must be pre­ twelve districts must send one boy Supervisor at McGregor Public approved and should run around 250 words. and one girl, called "tributes," to Library.

SPRING 2010 EDITION SPOTLIGHT ON ESS'EX COUNTY 23 By Mich eal Laverty

arley Stromberg walked in and hesitated at why the voices had quieted themselves. The life he his vision. A hum of voices from the crowd held a the top of the staircase. I could see that he lived and the people he knew were not easily for­ steady note behind a twelve-bar blues progression, was nervous, almost as if he knew what gotten down here. Instead he saw their faces. The which gently cycled back on itself. H Harley touched the smooth top of the guitar was waiting for him, below. Harley stepped into eyes, lips, nose, and cheek bones of every person The Blue Room, one desperate stair after another he loved formed within his mind. 1'd seen this and watched as the light reflected off the curving, until reaching scarred wooden floor. He had a look happen many times before and would witness it lacquered finish. He moved the dials back and of restrained terror on his face, the face of some­ again. He knew our eyes were watching him from forth. There was no sound. He bad to plug himself one who is not sure what they are afraid of yet, as the darkness and be searched the room for any in. The cord dangled over the speaker, the golden he noticed the empty stage to his left and turned trace of light. transmitter shone in the spotlights. He would towards the bar. His name wasn't on the bill and Our walls are decorated with the honoured have to connect, create the divine circuit and enter the band already had a lead guitarist. The entire guests of the past. IfHarley could see them he the stream. Harley took the jack in his left band evening bad been arranged for him. I jotted down would have noticed his family tree sharing space and held it above the input. It hovered inches from a few notes and begged him not to disappoint us. with memorials to Albert King and Chuck Berry. the silver plate. The jukebox was playing songs from Harley's His ancestors played here long before I arrived. I couldn't understand why he hesitated, the childhood. Old and familiar melodies created a They were the only friends he bad that night. fm band was waiting. We were waiting. Somewhere, backdrop for the noise of the patrons. The notes not sure why it had to be that way, why Harley from above perhaps, voices could be heard, the carried over the metallic rafters above our heads sat alone and apart from us. Someone was speak­ faint call from the other side. The instruments of and then escaped through the ceiling into nothing­ ing to him though. Ifhe listened closely he surgeons cut into his body and someone began ness. I could see bow he was immediately affected would've heard the echoes of pain, joy, love, and pulling him away from the stage. Harley closed by the atmosphere of the room, even though he despair carved into the walls. his eyes and squeezed the cord in his bands. wouldn't look at anyone. Everyone who visits this An empty stool stood upon the stage. It waited The intense white glare dissolved and the place for the first time tries to hide their face. for everything and nothing at all in the same room returned to its natural blue. It We were all watching, waiting for the perform­ moment. Four thin legs rested upon the floor­ was over. He was gone. ance to begin. Harley cautiously took his place at boards, a flat wooden surface barely visible in the The soul of Harley Stromberg is the bar and tried to get the bartender's attention. dwindling light. His place, a shadowy plane which still scheduled to play. They've We thought he'd be here months ago but a mis­ stretChed beyond the raised stage, stood in front of already found someone to take had been made. In the time it took for him to him. The house lights went down. Harley pushed replace him. He won't be a finally arrive, our table bad discussed why it had his glass to the side and tried to take a slow part of the band this night, taken him so long to visit our bar. The farthest breath. A series of overhead bulbs lit up a path but he will one day-and corner was reserved for the regulars. We had all leading from the stool on which he sat to the beck­ maybe you played with the band and would play again, many oning stage. A hush could be heard all around, our can join us. • times. We knew the setlist well. hearts beat and echoed inside the walls. Harley I bad known Harley long before he appeared knew why he was here. that night. A father of three children, he had The bartender leaned in close, placed a band Micheal Laverty is worked the same job for over thirty years. The on Harley's forearm and pointed towards the eru·olled in his first career had been fulfilling for his body and soul. stage. Harley could no lQnger ignore the fact that year ofa Master of Harley always said that life would never be per­ everyone was staring at biro from their tables. All Arts in Creative but this world has much to offer, if you're will­ be could hear was the sound of a hundred people m-.iting at the work for it. That night, if he decided to play, whispering about his salvation. He stood up, University oflllildsor would discover tb,e depths of his personal adjusted his shirt, and walked towards the stage. and completed a writr among the exhaustion of the early Harley notic:ed a group of figures moving and ing degree through wife was probably searching for him, shifting behind the amplifiers and drum kit. A Humber College's where he was man emerged from the darkness holding a white School for m-iter's wrapped his Les Paul guitar and offered it to him. For a few program in April stool and seconds the man stood there, arms outstretched in 2009. He bas recentr front of him, supporting the weight of the instru­ ly published a short ment. Harley took hold of the neck first and cra­ story in the latest dled his other arm around the body. The density of issue ofTbe Maple the wood made his bands tremble. The guitar was '1i'ee Literary in his gr-Mp and the man stepped back to join the Supplement. other musicians. Harley could see that the audi­ ence was cast in a pale blue light. Streaks of white rained like dust in a sunlit window and obscured d Comber is not Essex Free Press Editor Anh:r and accomplished only a fantastic p~ot~gr?closet poet. To. journalist, but he~ ar!oto share their wn t~en encourage our rea e offered up some of ~IS works, Andy gbal~ehl:d poems for your enjhoyrt- . h 'o unpu 15 +-r-..r or s o h1t er" ld like your poe"~J · f ture ment. If you wou_d red for inclusiOn m al u . be cons1 e ty p ease fictlOn to tl.1g ht on Essex Coun 9776-4268 issue of Spo. urie Brett at 51 - contact pubhsher ::n:[email protected]. w-.fh '~"+\~ wi"o ""Y Co"\pA"·'o" or email us at ess ~!rom you! 1 OW'.ttt AW"-y j" thOv.,hf We'd love to hear,., th~ d·tp o.f th~ pAdd\~ th~ O>\\y SOV.>\0 0>\ ~V..tet Stf'eA"\ 1 tt>\0 p~i>.C~ "' s~"se o{ wo,.fh 1 1>. I V.r'~ S SCh~"'~ ... s+ ..... ·'" ... "T co.-.+~.-.+ 0~~p c\~M fhov.~htS lik~ fhes~ w~>. fe,.s Trolley soofh~ ""~ . A\1 ,.ipples l~.ff b~h• .-.d Tours fyov.bles .fo,.,off~.-. . 1 1>."\ CI>.("\~O rtl<.e Chtlo ·,... thiS Cf't>.d\~ "'Y c~>..-.o~ th"-t se+s "" spi,.·,f t"~~ Yo~ s~i~ld 1'0\e A'Ai ...st ~W't .fo,.,dti"' yow ow" pAi" t~"di"' to ""~ Wit~ yow wo,.ds let "\~ tAd~ lik~ t~~ diStA>\t \i,l.,t of' A StAr' Wineries A"d I~M~ t~~ bwd~" to t~~ dArk o.f ... i,l.,t f~o~,~f.f~l of' All1 b~t yo~,. 'Ai" D·,sfA"<:~ .fo,.,off~" Wl.,e" pAi" ~~~ils "'Y so~l, ""Y heArt tAke" {A,. Events yo~ ~old ""~ the" SI.,AI\ t~~ ~~All~" ~old "'Y sil~"f li,~t Museums t~~ ~"\br'AC~ Str'O"' Wit~ l_ov~ Co"stA"t As is ti"'~, th~,.~ Will b~ "'Y piA<:~ Markets t"~t. As A"Y f',.i~"d co~ld b~ '~"tl~ sle.ep efe,."A\1 "~stled i" t~~ sky Yov. Ar'~ c~~,.is~~d Wit!., CO"\tOrt tOV.>\d >\OW tAl\~>\ trOI'O\ t~~ W'AC~ Natural Sites "''Or'e_ t~A>\ yo~ k>\OW t~~r'~ i>\ pe.AC~ tAt~ tAk~S t~e "\~>\ t~At die. yo~ Ar'~ b~A~tit~\ let "'~ liv~ i" yow' f~o~,hts, With yov. .. CAY~ ...... "' j~w~l i" lif'~'s ~bb A"d .flow .fo,.,off~" to tl.,os~ thAt l~.ff A Wor'(d tOr'" "' ~1.1"\b(~ SO~\ "'"d li.ff~d by t~os~ wifh ki"d"~ss fo SI.,A,.e Bo,." o.f A CA"i"' ~~Ar't A>\d Oll~r' tl.,~ tr'O~b\~d WAter'S tO b~ bor'>\ .,__ let "\~ tAde ~v.ief, ~>\Atr'Aid of' tl.,~ CO\d ...... i.f tri~"ds co~ld b~ s<:~lpfw~d yo~'d b~ p~rf'~ct ""'t· lef "'Y spi,..if ,.est wif~i" yo~,.. lovi"' !.,old Slt-7ti-IHI According to the MNR, over 100 wild turkeys were released in this region from 1998 to 2005. he hunter raised his gun and fired. Wild turkeys are flourishing in Essex County and across the province. A It was 1907 and there on the shores of Lake !Erie lay the 2007 survey estimated there were 80,000 to 100,000 birds in Ontario. T remains of the last wild turkey in Southern Ontario. Now, thanks to tight regulations, monitoring and management, hunters Eastern wild turkeys once ranged all over North America, east of the are again able to hunt the wild turkey in some areas of Ontario - and the gob­ Mississippi River and throughout Southern Ontario and Quebec, their numbers ble remains. in the millions. By the late 19th century much of their habitat had been Being one of the largest game birds in North America, there is a good destroyed, the land cleared for settlement and fanning. By 1909 big city mar­ chance of seeing a rafter of turkeys during t1 drive through the county. ket hunters and poachers had wiped them out in Ontario. Chances of seeing the nocturnal flying squirrel are not so good. Some twenty years later, another animal would vanish, not entirely from While wild turkeys were being released in Essex County, the reintroduc­ the province, but from Essex County. It was the flying squirrel. tion of the flying squirrel into Point Pelee National Park was already being <:el­ Loss of habitat worked against this woodland dweller. By the late 1920s, ebrated. the forest coverage in Essex County had shrunk to just three :per cent of the Once abundant at Point Pelee, the southern flying squirrel disappeared land area. Dead trees, the home and shelter for flying squirrels, were often from the park in the 1930s. Human development had claimed much of the old removed from woodlots. Exposed and unsheltered, many flying squirrels fell growth trees used by the squirrels for climbing and gliding. Considered prey to feral cats as human settlement closed in around them. unsightly, dead trees were also removed. Unfortunately they were home to the Out of this dark history there is a story of triumph- a second chance for flying squirrels. the flying squirrel and the wild turkey in Essex County. Ironically, hunters Leonardo Cabrera, an ecosystem scientist at Point Pelee, says that the would be among the conservationist.'! and other volunteers who would bring the park wtts created in 1918, but cottages and farms occupied much of the land. wild turkey back to life for our province- and our county. He says it took decades to restore the park's habitat so that it could support an Our wild turkey success story begins in the United States. There, sports­ attempted return of the flying squirrel. men and conservationists brought the wild turkey back from the brink of "There was a huge effort to restore the forest," says Cabrera. extinction by increasing its numbers from about 30,000 birds in the 1920s to Professor Thomas Nudds and graduate students from th.e University of over 1.3 million in 1973. Guelph started working wit.h the park in the early 1990s to bring the flying Before long, Ontario outdoors groups began looking at reintroducing the squirrels back. Flying squirrels were collected from 16 woodlots in the Long wild turkey to it.'! Canadian range. In the early 1980s the Ministry of Natural Point and St. Catharines areas of Ontario for transfer to Point Pelee. Resources partnered with the Federation ofOntario Naturalists and the "From 1993 to 1994, 99 flying squirrels were released in the park," Cabrera Ontario Federation of Hunters and Anglers to pursue that goal. The problem ­ explains. "Nesting boxes were put in place to provide a home and shelter." wild birds were needed to guarantee success. The number of flying squirrels dropped at first, but recovered to a number A unique solution was found in a wildlife swap program. Michigan needed estimated to be over 200 in 1999. Because of the nocturnal nature of the flying our moose, Missouri needed our river otters, New York needed our partridge squirrel, it is difficult to get accurate counts. and Ontario needed their wild turkeys. From 1984 to 1987, Ontario received Challenges remain for tthe flying squirrel. Cabrera says they are adapting 274 eastern wild turkeys from several American states. to a "less-than-ideal" habitat in a maturing forest and are still preyed upon by The first wild turkeys to be returned to Ontario were 27 Missouri birds the odd feral cat. that were released in the central areas of the province, part of their historic "It may be necessary to have another release," Cabrera says. "New nesting range. boxes might be needed too, until the forest matures." The wild birds adapted quickly to their new home and flourished. By 1985, The flying squirrel is not a true flier. It glides from tree to tree using furry populations were high enough to support the "trap and transfer" of established membranes called patagium that are attached between the front and back feet. wild turkeys to other areas of the province. "The flying squirrel is a beautiful design of nature," says Cabrera Essex County's efforts to bring back the gobble started in the winter of The wild turkey has found its way to the woodlands of Point Pelee, but the 1997-98. Dying squirrel is unlikely to spread out into the county due to the lack of con­ Now a stewardship coordinator, Don Hector was a management biologist necting forests and woodlots. for the MNR involved in the release of wild turkeys in Southern Ontario. Essex County was once covered in a dense and mature Carolinian forest Hector says E ssex County was one of the lttst areas considered for turkey that was home to many animals. releases due to its small area of natural cover. "Today Essex County has one of the lowest amounts of natural cover, sec­ "Priority was based on forest cover," he says. ond only to Chatham-Kent," says Dan Lebedyk, a conservation biologist with Earlier trap and transfer guidelines called for at least 10 per cent forest the Essex Region Conservation Authority. cover, interspersed with agricultural lands. Essex County was "a hard sell". It "There is not enough habitat to sustain the species that once called Essex only has about seven per cent natural cover even today, he explains. County their home," he says. "You can't reintroduce animals before restoring Hector says the determined efforts of volunteers, conservation groups, field the habitat.n and sportsmen clubs, and "a whole range of people" encouraged success, but There is about seven per cent natural cover in Essex County, a good por­ there was another resilient element in the reintroduction program that would tion of that within Point Pelee Ntttional Park. That remains far below the 12 guarantee it - the eastern wild turkey. per cent natural cover recommended by the United Nations for a sustainable "They are a pretty hardy bird," Hector says. "They surprised people. They community. did well ttnd their numbers expanded." "What natural area we have left is the most significant in the province and That first winter in 1997-98, 17 birds were released in the Big Creek area the country," says Lebedyk. outside Amherstburg. Hector attended releases. It was "a rewarding experi­ Efforts are underway through tree planting and stewardship programs to ence" seeing the entire flock set loose simultaneously from large waxed-card­ connect the existing natural areas in the county. That is encouraging for the board boxes. wild turkeys and flying squirrels - and the future of nature's gobble and glide More releases followed, usually in flocks - also called rafters. Seventeen to in Essex County. 25 birds were released in natural areas in the River Canard and Cedar Creek watersheds and in the Hillman Marsh area near Leamington. 122 Talbot St. S., 166 Talbot St. E., 24 Russell St., Essex Leamington Leamington 519-776-6922 519-322-4593 519-326-3591

Congratulations on your magazine - it looks awesome. I read it from cover to cover and found it to be inspira­ tional, educational, and motivating. The stories on the young man who is visually impaired and the one on the writer's group were very interesting. This wonderful pub­ Just received your Spotlight on Essex County and must lication shows that print is alive and well. tell you how impressed I was. Far from being the puff piece that some of the Windsor business mags are, yours Fred G roves is a serious journalistic and literary work that celebrates our county's abundant and varied interests. I am a senior and an avid reader and just received Everything about the magazine says class. The photogra­ Spotlight on Essex County. I found it very interesting and phy, composition, and artwork are visually stimulating, and the items were exceptionally good reading. Just want to even the ads are integrated into the page without being congratulate you on a job very well done. intrusive. Marieta Brew What I admired especially was the selection of articles - so diverse, well researched, lucid and written with style. We want to complement you on your first issue of From the contemporary concerns with wind power, to Spotlight on Essex County. We thoroughly enjoyed all of crime, to writers, to sports, to soldiers, to naturalists, the articles. As well as being interesting and informative, etcetera, you hit all the high notes. they were written in such a way as to hold interest in reading the whole thing. Congratulations! Keep them coming.

Ron and Elaine Seguin Tony Nespolon

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