The White Pine Gazette Volume 25 Spring 2011 Dear Friend, Another spring is upon us at least that s what the calendar says. But this wet green planet we live on has sent our mid-section some record-breaking cold, late snowfalls, high winds and lots of rain. The bluebirds and robins that arrived in March were desperate for the insects and earthworms they depend on. Many songbird losses were reported. Fortunately Toft Point escaped the damages it had experienced in December 2009. A few deadfalls across the Toft Road were the result of heavy March snow and wind. Roy Lukes & Marc Savard were on the job in early April to cut and remove the debris using only a bow saw! No carbon footprints for these two. I know you ll be inspired by a February sighting Roy made of otter tracks and the tobogganing trail it made. It s exciting because of the otter s affinity for wild and free habitats. The Toft family legacy lives on. We all know that spring will arrive, but due to its tardiness this year we ve scheduled our first members hike on Saturday, June 4 at 9:00 AM. Please rsvp to Roy at 920-823-2478 or via e-mail at Rnclukes@mwwb.net to say how many will attend. We will meet at the Ridges Road beach parking lot and carpool from there. A second members hike will be on Saturday, June 25, at 9:00 AM with the same meeting place and carpool plan. Rsvp again to Roy for that date. I m excited to announce the creation of the Krischan Fund for Student Research in Botany generously donated by Tom and Donna Krischan of Big Bend, WI. Dr. Bob Howe said he will promote this opportunity to the students as soon as the fall class begins. There were no students able to use this resource for the summer of 2011. Thank you, Tom and Donna, for your enduring gift to Toft Point. Invasive plant species continue to be a menace at Toft Point. Our past efforts have been successful but some plants persist and need further work to eradicate them. Plan to join the volunteer crews as we mount our weekly attacks to make Toft Point invasives free. Please let me know if you can help by joining our Thursday work parties. It s mostly fun and we have a beautiful jobsite. Call me at 920-868-3499. If you can t join us in the field but would like to help fight invasives you can contribute to the Friends of Toft Point, Inc. Invasive Species Endowment Fund. This fund enables us to access the most effective tools for eradication and to hire licensed contractors to assist as necessary. The membership form at the end of this newsletter has a space for you to donate to the Endowment Fund. The date has been set for our Annual Meeting. Mark your calendars for Sunday, August 14 th at 12:30 PM. We will gather at the Baileys Harbor Town Hall for our famous potluck and then have the meeting at 1:30 PM. A program will be presented after the meeting and it will be a Tour of Toft Point with slides taken by Roy Lukes and narration by Miss Emma Toft. We look forward to seeing you there or on the trails. Nick Anderson, President
Friends of Toft Point, Inc. Officers and Board of Directors Nick Anderson, President 2013 Jim Jennings, Vice-president 2013 Liz Wallner, Secretary 2011 Nancy Rafal, Treasurer 2012 Bill Johnson 2012 Charlotte Lukes 2012 Marc Savard 2011 Tom Turriff 2013 Bill Wolff 2011 Membership Report Annual Members 170 Life Members 85 Total 255 New Life Members: Bill & Kathy Wolff Please check your address label to see when it is time for you to renew your membership. The date on your label will be highlighted in color telling you this will be your last newsletter until you renew. UW-Green Bay Cofrin Center for Biodiversity The management of the Toft Point State Natural Area is handled by the Cofrin Center for Biodiversity. Dr. Robert Howe is the administrator and Vicki Medland is the assistant. The Center has a very good web site which is going to be re-designed within the next few months. There will be information about our Friends of Toft Point, Inc. as well as information on how to join our support group. The site now has taxonomic lists of the Trees of Wisconsin, Spiders of the Great Lake States, Ferns and Fern Allies of Wisconsin, Invasive Plants of Northeastern Wisconsin and Wetland Plants of Wisconsin. A new feature will go into the redesigned site which will include descriptions of the 119 species of Mushrooms and Fungi of the Toft Point Natural Area. Charlotte Lukes submitted this information along with 160 photographs of 70 of the species. The web address is www.uwgb.edu/biodiversity, so check it out later this year to see all the wonderful resources available to you. Mission Statement of the Friends of Toft Point, Inc. To support the Management Plan of the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, to help preserve the flora and fauna of Toft Point and to help educate visitors about the natural history and the Toft family history of this State Natural Area and National Natural Landmark. The Chanterelle Waxy Cap stands just 2 inches tall.
Thimbleberry by Roy Lukes A common member of the Rose family, the Thimbleberry, grows plentifully at the Toft Point State Natural Area and became one of the hallmark foods of the Toft family for many years, Thimbleberry Jam. During summers with abundant rainfall the thornless canes grew so tall that whenever Emma Toft went picking the berries and had to leave the trail for better picking, she tied a red bandana on top of one of the tallest canes near the road so she could find her way back. The small-seeded fruit is big, juicy, luscious and rich in flavor. The jars of this delicacy made by Emma bore this label: Genuine Thimbleberry Jam, the berry with the pine flavor, made by Emma Toft, Baileys Harbor, Wis. It was too tart for some, had too many tiny seeds for others, but was relished by many. There is an old saying which applies well to eating or preserving wild fruit: Experience is the best teacher. Emma s method for picking the fruit and making jam in early to mid- August was quite simple. Line your container with a few fresh Thimbleberry leaves and pick the fruit clean. Try to prevent extraneous material from falling into the container because one doesn t pick the berries over when it comes to making the jam. They are too soft and easily break apart. Put equal parts of sugar and berries into a kettle, cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture comes to a full boil. Turn off the heat and quickly ladle the jam into sterilized jelly jars and seal with the two-part lids. Two of Emma s good friends from Wausau, Art and Adair Meeks, camped there often and made a delicious campfire dessert. A Sarah Lee pound cake was cut into half-inch slices and spread with Thimbleberry jam. On top of the jam were placed a few squares of Hershey s milk chocolate. Next marshmallows were roasted over the fire, put on top of the chocolate, then topped with another slice of pound cake. This resulted in a dessert sandwich fit for the king of the boreal forest. The upper Great Lakes region is considered to be the finest area for Thimbleberries to grow. They do very well in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, on Isle Royale National Park, the Bruce Peninsula of Ontario and even at certain elevations in the Rocky Mountains. Seldom will they be found along the Green Bay side of the Door Peninsula but are very common along the east side, most often within a few hundred yards of the water. Frequently following the development of home sites along Lake Michigan, the growth of these shrubs, often reaching five feet tall in wet summers, form dense thickets and can become downright rank. The leaves of the Thimbleberry plants resemble large glorified Sugar Maple foliage, are green above and paler
below. Its flowers, having five petals, are white and large, like single white roses. Fortunately for the picker, the canes have no thorns. A word to the wise picking and removing anything, including fruit, is against the law in all Wisconsin State Natural Areas including Toft Point, so your Thimbleberries will have to be picked either on your own property or on state-owned land, such as at Whitefish Dunes State Park or Newport State Park where picking is allowed. I wish you good luck in gathering, eating and preparing one of the choicest foods of the Gods, genuine Thimbleberry jam. Thimbleberry fruit, ready for picking. Special Hike for Members Join Roy Lukes for a hike in the Toft Point State Natural Area on Saturday, June 4, 2011. We will meet at the Ridges Rd beach parking lot and carpool from there. Space is limited so please pre-register by calling Roy at 920-823-2478 or via E- mail at Rnclukes@mwwb.net. A second hike will be on Saturday, June 25 with the same arrangements for carpooling and registration. Both hikes begin at 9 AM and will last until noon. Here is a patch of Thimbleberry shrubs near Woods Edge cabin at Toft Point. This shows how tall they can grow in good conditions. They bloom during the month of June. ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- You can receive this newsletter via E-mail in a Pdf Format and save the Friends of Toft Point funds spent for paper, printing and postage. You will also get it faster than by postal service. Tell Charlotte Lukes to put you on the E-mail list at Rnclukes@mwwb.net.
Big Tree Project Update By Roy Lukes The FOTP, Inc. big tree project has some very good additions, last fall at Peninsula State Park, and this spring at Newport State Park and the Logan Creek Preserve. One site, among others, that will be explored this summer, is Rock Island State Park. Kirby Foss, park superintendent, has informed us that a sizable portion of the botanically rich island has never been cut, and that plenty of both hardwoods and conifers are large, especially a few White Pines described by Kirby as colossal. Six trees were measured at the Blossomburg Cemetery in Peninsula Park on November 11, 2010 by Nick and Gail Anderson and Charlotte and me. Of the three White Pines measured, the largest had a circumference (4.5 feet above ground) of 10 feet 5 inches, a height of 79 feet and ¼ average crown spread (ACS) of 9 feet. These three combined measurements give the Pine a total point score of 218.75. The largest of the Sugar Maples had a circumference of 14 feet, height of 79 feet and ACS of 17.5 feet, for a total point score of 264.5. Joel McOlash stands next to a huge White Cedar tree. Two trees were measured at Newport Park on April 29, 2011 by Nick Anderson, Joel McOlash and me. A gorgeous White Cedar near the south tip of the park has a circumference of 9 feet 10 inches, is 57 feet tall and has an ACS of 9 feet, giving it 184 points, only one point less than the record White Cedar found in Newport last October on the trail north of the visitor center. The first Large-toothed Aspen ever measured was on April 29 th in Newport Park on the trail north of the visitor center. It was 78 feet tall with a circumference of 6 feet and an ACS of 11.625 for a point total of 161.625. Two huge trees were joyfully measured on April 30, 2011 in the Logan Creek Preserve by Nick Anderson and Charlotte and me. An Eastern Hemlock has a circumference of 8 feet 4 inches, a height of 75 feet and ACS of 10.375 for a point total of 185.375. Our current record Eastern Hemlock grows at Toft point and has a point total of 189.225. The great surprise of the morning was the Paper Birch first discovered by member Don Bartoli a few weeks earlier. It has a circumference of 8 feet 3 inches, height of 80 feet and ACS of 16.375 for a new county record of 195.375 points. The second biggest of the species was also found at Logan Creek, date unknown, and is 90 feet tall with total points of 188.375. The previous big tree record for a Sugar Maple is one growing on Shiloh Road south of Sturgeon Bay with points of 264.75; so the Blossomburg Maple is very close with 264.5 points. The largest White Pine was measured on November 5, 2008 at a home on Bay Shore Rd in Sturgeon Bay. It has a record point total of 233.875, only 15 points more than the White Pine at Blossomburg Cemetery. Our Big Tree Project, done voluntarily at no cost to FOTP, Inc. is making excellent progress. We have a list of about 140 trees spotted around
the county and 99 have now been measured. We feel this is a very important project adding to the baseline data regarding the rich natural history of Door County. Good accurate natural history resource information is too frequently lacking for many counties in the state, and if our group of volunteers wouldn t be doing the Big Tree study it wouldn t get done, simple as that. We would greatly appreciate receiving your sightings and suggestions of what you feel are big trees that should be measured in Door County. Thanks! Contact Roy Lukes at 920-823- 2478 or at Rnclukes@mwwb.net or call Nick Anderson at 920-868-3499 to suggest some trees to be measured. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Our Friends of Toft Point, Inc. Organization always encourages more people to volunteer. There are many ways you can help. Offer to be a Trail Docent or help with trail maintenance or be on the Invasive Species Thursday work crews. You might even offer to serve on our Board of Directors when an opening occurs or you can help with the annual meeting and potluck. Find the Volunteer Opportunities form at the end of this newsletter and use it to notify your Board of Directors where you can help. Training is always available for any of these jobs. Annual Meeting Date Set Sunday, August 14, 2011 Be sure to mark your calendars to attend our Annual meeting on Sunday, August 14 th, 2011. Baileys Harbor Town Hall 12:30 PM potluck followed by the annual meeting at 1:30 PM. Nick Anderson admires the new Door County record Paper Birch growing at Logan s Creek. A previous state record Paper Birch for several years, about 9 ½ feet in circumference, was measured during the early 1970 s by Roy Lukes and Harry Porter, county forester, on Detroit Island. A special program will be presented after the meeting. More information about what food items and utensils to bring will be in our Summer Newsletter.
Friends of Toft Point, Inc. -Membership Form New Renew Single Annual @ $10.00 - Single Life Membership @ $250 (Payable in 2 annual gifts) Family Annual @ $20.00 - Family Life @ $400 (Payable in 2 annual gifts) Contribution of $ for General Expenses for Operating Endowment Fund Please print- For Invasive Species Endowment Fund_ Name Local phone Summer address Winter address E-mail The Friends of Toft Point, Inc. Make Check payable to: Friends of Toft Point, Inc. is a 501 ( c ) (3) non-profit organization. MAIL TO: Nancy Rafal All dues and donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. P O Box 340 Baileys Harbor, WI 54202-0340 VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Trail Docent (training provided) Trail Maintenance (supervised crews) Invasive Plant Removal (supervised) Big Tree Recording (with assigned crew) Serve on Board of Directors (six meetings per year) Help with Annual Meeting & Potluck in August Name Address_ Phone Email Fill in form and mail to: Charlotte Lukes, 3962 Hillside Rd., Egg Harbor, WI 54209
Scarlet Cup Fungus is a spring mushroom that grows on dead hardwood. Roy Lukes photo