GRAINS OF SANDY October 2015

Transcription

1 GRAINS OF SANDY October 2015 Sandy Island's Mighty Waterfront Oak Has Passed By Peter C. Everett, Week 8 camper (written during Week 8, 2015)

2 Photo credit: Sharon E. Smith The enormous northern red oak tree that dominated the Sandy Island waterfront for all of living memory passed this week after a long illness. It had not been well for many years, showing signs of decay and a few dropped branches in recent seasons. But, shortly after noon on Sunday, August 23, 2015, a large upper section of the tree fell. The limb snapped the stout 2x4 armrest of the lifeguard chair like a toothpick. Thankfully it was unoccupied at that moment, but it narrowly missed lifeguard Cara Muthig and her sister Mya, who escaped with only minor scrapes and bruises as hundreds pounds of wood crashed around them. That the limb fell on one of the most constantly occupied corners of Sandy Island Camp without causing serious injury, or worse, has been viewed by some as remarkable luck, and by others as a sign of divine Providence.

3 On Monday, the waterfront area was roped off, and much of Sandy's Week 8 population gathered on the lodge porch to observe the progress of the tree workers. These tree professionals devoted a great deal of effort and care to safely remove the remains of this great oak, starting from the top, and working down. The tree was removed in sections. They used guide ropes and winches to control the descent of the various pieces. Towards the end of the day, when all that remained was the huge trunk and its first bifurcation, the tree formed a giant capital "Y", in the style of the YMCA logo. Tom Long remarked that it might be left in this state as a tribute to the Y, but it was not to be, as the rotten trunk was still a hazard and had to go. Once the trunk was felled, I took the opportunity to examine the rings, principally to count them and determine the age of the tree. The count could only be approximate, because the carpenter ants that had been gradually destroying this Sandy Island landmark had eaten the center rings. Nevertheless, the 186 rings that I was able to count, almost to the center, told a remarkable story.

4 Starting from the center, where the pest damage was most severe, I used a ball point pen to mark out sets of 10 rings, the last ring, adjacent to the cambium under the bark, was numbered 186, which I then designated 2015, and using that baseline, counted backwards, numbering the marked rings as 2009, 1999, 1989, 1979, etc. Following many years of thin rings, growth took off in 1939 following the great New England Hurricane of This was probably due to improved growing conditions. The tree had had better and worse years, based on thicker and thinner growth rings. Most of the recent years had been bad ones, presumably because it was in the late stages of its terminal illness. In the 1960s, 50's, and 40's the rings were widest, as an indication of how fast the tree was growing, and how well it was doing. But, in the 30 years prior to 1939, the rings were very narrow, indicating lean times for this oak. Larry Koff, fellow Sandy Island Camper, reminded me that the Great Hurricane of 1938, which devastated the Island, corresponded exactly to the transition from slow to fast growth. Clearly what had happened is that all of the tree's taller neighbors, which had been shading it from full sunlight, were wiped out by the storm (along with many of the man-made structures), while the Northern Red Oak at the waterfront had survived! The hurricane of 1938 was one of the worst things to ever happen to Sandy Island, but it was probably the best thing to ever happen to our departed tree. In 1939, it began the period of its most rapid growth.

5 The other period of rapid growth was the late 1800s, from 1863 to 1909, which included the year of Sandy Island Camp's founding in Perhaps there was a clearing of tall pines at the waterfront for wood in 1863, the year of the Emancipation Proclamation. Was this a logging operation related to the potato farm that preceded the YMCA camp? Was it a logging operation related to the war effort? Prior to that, the tree seems to have struggled to get started, going back to the oldest visible ring in 1829, very near the center of the trunk. Just as remarkable as the story told by the rings were the stories told by the campers. Several senior campers recalled a time when the trunk of the oak was circled by an octagonal bench which was a popular place to sit in the shade at the waterfront. There are many stories of the activities of campers under this tree over the last 115 years. Although the great waterfront oak is gone, its removal yielded an extraordinary number of large, ripe acorns which Myra Emslie gathered into a bucket in the Sandy Island Store. They are being given away for free with instructions to keep them in the freezer for 1,000 hours, and then to plant them shallowly in moist soil. People who do so are asked to send pictures of the new seedlings. As of this writing, there are also plans to mill the dense trunk wood for lumber to build sturdy new benches for the camp. Week 8 Water Carnival, 2004 Archives: Help us write the history of our waterfront tree! The Sandy Island Archives would like to prepare an illustrated history of our departed Waterfront tree to share with campers next summer. If you have a good, clear photo of the tree - or a story about the tree, please share it with us! You can send information to clarksonsh@gmail.com (as Anya did with the photo below) or post it on the Archives Facebook page (as Carol Stucchi did with the 1973 photo.) Thank you, Peter, Anya and Carol, for "planting" this idea.

6 Sally Treash with daughters Anya (now Anya Archer) and Myra (now Myra Emslie), sitting on the circular bench around the tree, ca WHAT IMPACT DO YOU WANT TO HAVE ON THIS SPECIAL CAMP? Kate reminds us that while senior staff and Weekenders are closing up our camp for the winter, office staff and administration are also trying to finish up our fundraising goal of $185,000 to date we have raised $131,000. If you made a pledge to the Annual Fund last winter, please check to be sure you've mailed in your contribution! If you haven't pledged or donated yet this year, there is still time! We are looking to raise $10,000 with help from our Sandy Island Community. We have many options for your to give dedicated gifts. Happy Feet ($5,000 goal for 2015) Annual Campaign ($5,000 goal for 2015) any donation amount welcomed, supports scholarships, program and facilities at Sandy Island Heritage Club Fund- Sandy Island Endowment Fund (Min. of $1,000 donation to join this legacy group, a multi year payment plan can be arranged) if you have any questions about supporting Sandy Island YMCA Family Camp please contact Kate Lemay atklemay@ymcaboston.org or Cell:

7 HAPPY FEET UPDATE This year Mark Hamilton and his crew completed Happy Feet paths to the 77 Sandy Strip/Stay-A- While/Happy Nest this fall and they have started building a new path at Kum-N-Go. These paths have been built by campers and funded primarily by donations from YOU! They are great for the ecology of the camp, are built to blend into the natural environment and have proper drainage to keep your Feet HAPPY! Your donation can help us finish this next phase of the larger "Happy Feet Project" AND help us to reach our 2015 Annual Campaign goal. To donate, click here - (Please identify where you would like your gift to go in the text field) or mail a check to: SANDY ISLAND PO Box 10 Mirror Lake, NH Thank you for a wonderful 2015 season! CHECK OUT THESE NEW ONLINE STORE ITEMS! FREE SHIPPING Holiday Special (All orders over $49.99) November 15th through December 1st. Our vendor Preston and Director Anya have been hard at work getting these new items ready and available for you! From infants to "Fancier Adult Items" you will see it all, also if you don't see something you would like? Let us know what else we could have available.