Ep. 12 Before & After

Last week FOTC was visited by three masters of journalism students from UWO. We had the chance to show them around the coves, extend to them a little history lesson and even though the weather wasn't the most cooperative with the outing or their equipment we were able to have a great and informative afternoon. During the tour and prior to filming some brief clips and interviews in Swallowtail Grove we squired the aspiring Mustang reporters to the head of the East Pond. The East Pond has a beautiful lookout with two engraved benches overlooking the water, not that anyone would have been able to tell. It was very apparent that over time FOTC's nemesis European Buckthorn had overgrown the gap in the lookout and those benches now faced a wall of green. A side note was made during our tour that something needed to be done to re-establish this lookout as a place to enjoy the coves.

Before: As you can see. You can't see much

This morning, Mia and I set out to do battle with the buckthorn and clear out the dense ticket which had grown in just between the benches and waterline.  

With our arsenal of pruning tools, bit by bit, stem by stem we removed chunks of the buckthorn menace (did you ever think pruning could sound so exciting?). The dense mass of buckthorn and grape vines proved to be no easy task to remove. Needle sharp thorns held together with the tendrils of the grapes made the going slow initially. However with each piece removed the window began to open gradually and the light off the water began to show through. Not surprisingly we discovered that there was at least five individual buckthorns growing inside this area no greater then 5x3m. Each individual having around 7-10 stems and more sharp thorns then I would really care to remember. However FOTC came out victorious in the battle buckthorn and as you can see in the after photo the results were really something to smile about.  

After: Take that buckthorn, I'll be back for your stumps tomorrow

Finally you could see the waterline without have to search for it and the lookout had an comfortable location to sit and enjoy the East Pond. A small victory but a victory nevertheless. We here at FOTC encourage you to take a walk down to the East Pond lookout and have a sit and enjoy.  It's hard to believe a hidden gem such as this lookout exists not even 10min from downtown, let alone less then 20 metres from a major traffic artery like Springbank Dr. This might make waiting for the #5 Springbank just a little bit easier. Unfortunately the battle is not over at the East Pond lookout. The stumps that remain are exceptionally stubborn and I'm sure will be a battle unto themselves to remove. For now though I might as well sit back, relax and enjoy the view. :)