Evolving Name Changes for the MNR Since the birth of our nation the present Ontario MNRF has undergone some name changes. Following are the timelines as of April 16, 2023. 1867 – 1905 – Commissioner of Crown Lands 1905 -1906 – Ministry of Lands and Mines 1906 – 1919 – Ministry of Lands, Forest and […]
Algonquin Fire Towers At one time there were at least 23 fire towers in Algonquin Provincial Park. One of the first was built on the top of a giant white pine at Smoke Lake which featured a rough observation platform at the top. A ladder at the base helped the climbers. Clearly safety concerns were […]
ONTARIO’S FIRE WATCHTOWERS by BARNEY MOORHOUSE For Reproduction Rights Call Access 1.800.893.5777 During the late 1960s and early ‘70s I did a lot of canoe tripping throughout Ontario. Whenever I saw a fire tower I was obsessed to find and climb it. Somewhere, among boxes of film and slides, are loads of photos and the […]
The Stages of Hunting & Fishing Apparently there are 5 stages of hunting. Fishing? We’ll see. For a while “Foodies” became well known as people who wanted to harvest their own wholesome, nutritional game for the table. This movement resulted in many adults taking hunter safety courses so they could harvest and gather their own […]
A 7-point plan to save Ontario’s moose A longtime friend used to sit on Ontario’s provincial Fish & Wildlife Board. The annual moose headache caused him to comment, tongue firmly embedded in-cheek – “just kill all of the moose and that will end this problem.” The moose issue never lets up. Retired moose biologist Alan […]
BRAGGING RIGHTS? Who holds the record for the ‘fish of 10,000 casts’? There appears to be some debate. Of course length, girth and weight are the key factors. According to Fishbase.org two different fish hold the world record for either length or weight. The longest documented length is 183 cm (72.04”) and the heaviest is […]
OLDEST WILD MALLARD Recently I wrote of a wild mallard duck being harvested in West Virginia that had been banded at Mitchell Bay, Ontario, in 2008 and mentioned that this was not a record. The oldest record banded mallard was 27 years, 7 months. I have since discovered that it was banded in Louisiana in […]
NEW CHANNEL CATFISH RECORD ON THE HORIZON Gordon Kauffeldt’s Channel Catfish entry to the OFAH’s Ontario Record Fish Registry is the potential new record in 2016 “assuming a larger Channel Catfish is not caught this year and submitted by February 14, 2016,” said federation representative David Ryrie. Kauffeldt, age 67, was fishing for walleye near […]
1004 SPECIAL EDITION THE TIMES TRAVELLER by BARNEY MOORHOUSE For Reproduction Rights call Access 1.800.893.5777 WILLIAM PATTISON 1878-1911 A SPECIAL MEMORIAL The June edition of the North Hastings Advertiser published the following report from St. Ola: The community was greatly shocked at the news of the terrific calamity at The Ridge in which Mr. Patterson […]
THE BACKSTORY – Joni Mitchell’s Coe Hill Connection Much of the following information is courtesy of Ernest (Ernie) Pattison; local historian also the former owner of The Old School Teahouse where many enjoyed a relaxing, refreshing ‘English’ tea and from where numerous book launchings took off. “I think old English or traditional English would describe […]
