​Huron Fringe Field Naturalists time-travel on the Niagara Escarpment

The promise of a virtual tour of the Bruce Trail, given by a geologist and highly-experienced guide, brought a large crowd to the Oct. 22 meeting of the Huron Fringe Field Naturalists in Point Clark.

Beth Gilhespy is the chief executive officer of the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy, with degrees in physical geography and geology. She is an avid hiker, fossil collector and enjoys sharing her love of the geology of the Niagara Escarpment as a hike leader.

She estimates she’s led about 150 interpretive hikes on the Bruce Trail, as a volunteer starting in 2003. For each outing, she would prepare a hand-out with maps and text to describe interesting geological features.

Eventually, she was encouraged to publish her fact-sheets, resulting in two volumes, “Walking Through Time: Exploring Niagara Escarpment Geology in the Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Section” and “Walking Through Time: Exploring Niagara Escarpment Geology in the Sydenham Bruce Trail Section.” Each book explores the formation of the Niagara Escarpment through maps and photos, and provides guidance for several geology hikes.

Gilhespy is a passionate and engaging speaker who had her audience listening intently to her stories of adventure and misadventure while discovering the geological features of the Niagara Escarpment. Members purchased books and enjoyed an impressive display of fossils. More information can be found at walkingthroughtime.ca.

Concluding her presentation, Gilhespy spoke with pride about the work of the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy in purchasing and protecting environmentally-sensitive tracts of land. One upcoming acquisition is at the Greenock Swamp where the cerulean warbler has been seen, and her organization is actively fund-raising to cover the purchase price. More information and how to donate can be found at escarpment.ca/about/campaigns/wild-futures-project.

The naturalist club welcomed two new executive members to the board. By the end of the 2024-25 season, Pat Ross-Smith will take over membership director duties from Barb Simpson, and Gloria Bond will assume responsibility for finances from treasurer Bob Simpson.

The next meeting takes place Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 7 p.m. at the Point Clark Community Centre. Erin Gouthro, watershed ecologist with the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority (MVCA), returns to present the results of the 2024 Forest Bird Monitoring Program as part of the MCVA’s watershed-wide health assessment of aquatic and terrestrial systems.