I wish at this time to express my deep concern and protest about the potential sell-off of an important greenbelt, wet land and buffer zone on the north side of Segwun Blvd., and abutting the west side of Oriole, to the property of the Ontario Fire College, as recently considered by Town Council.
In this supposedly enlightened period of enhanced environmental awareness, infilling this small but significant lowland to faciliate increased urban density is distressing to say the least. The woodland nature of this neighborhood is the reason we re-located to Gravenhurst from Bracebridge in the late 1980's.....because it didn't look like every urban neighborhood in North America.....it looked like Muskoka....something that is drastically changing the character of the entire region. The staggering rate of urban change, and forest reduction is accelerating at a dangerous speed throughout the region, and it should be of great concern to the stewards of our region,....members of our elected councils, to exercise caution with this developmental surge that has quality of life implications.....as it will be adversely affected in our neighborhood if its character is hacked down by the developer who will not live where he/she constructs their vision of paradise on earth. Paradise right now is in the wonderful shade of hardwoods and evergeen, the cool greens of fern and cat-tail.....the wildflowers in early summer and the autumn crimson in September. This is paradise. It is Muskoka. And for those who appreciate these characterisitics of Muskoka, cottage country.....the hinterland of Ontario, we have no choice but to stress our objection.
Please reconsider placing this property on the "surplus" listing, and instead help conserve it as a an important remnant of what this town was.....there's more to this community than steamships and The Wharf.
For more information on this mission to Save The Bog, you will be able to access a new blog in preparation.
Thank you for your consideration of this letter of protest regading the sale of the Segwun Blvd. North property.


We have commenced to seek opinion from the neighborhood to protect this 20 acre greenbelt.
I would be delighted to take any or all councillors on a site inspection.....so before you entertain the idea of destroying nature.....you can experience it up close and personal.

Selling off the woodland - it sucks big time



Our family has just found out the Town of Gravenhurst is considering the sell-off of the woodlands that abut properties on Segun Blvd. and Oriole, amongst other town assets.
The wonderful lowland known in my own writing work as "The Bog," was the reason we purchased the property in the late 1980's, and decided to make Gravenhurst our new home town. I was assured by a number of residents that this was a guarded greenbelt, as part of an agreement when the Calydor subdivision was developed. Apparently someone was wong because the town has made the property an item for consideration, for possible future disposal. Meaning that it will be sold for more housing, condominiums or whatever can fit these days onto 20 acres.
I have vowed to fight any compromise to the quality of this neighborhood, and the green belt plays a huge role, and as I am true to my word, the battle has begun. We invite those residents interested in this latest town foray into our neighborhoods, to contact me at the number 687-3629, email at birch_hollow@sympatico.ca and watch for the "The Blog" soon to be prepared to "Save The Bog".
Ted Currie
Muskoka History Resources

Gravenhurst and me – I just want to write

There was a time when I couldn’t remain uninvolved despite the most dire warnings from my wife, my kids and my friends…… that I was about to get sucked up into some vortex, a condition of non-dimensional rural mind-melt if I joined the latest community initiative I entered most of the region’s contentious debates and never let a bygone be a bygone without my initials sharply imprinted somewhere within. Even now when I sit back and let yet another nasty issue go by without getting involved, I think of myself as a craven coward. Yet there is a time in every muckraker’s life that it becomes necessary to look at the bigger picture of life fulfilled. I just can’t function as part of a committee or protest group these days without getting furious with the array of personal agendas that pop up at the worst possible times. I’ve found committees to have more inherent problems with conflicts of interest and associated personal ambitions, than with the target mission which becomes a smaller issue of concern, once all the gratifications of committee members are pocketed…… prior to even a modest effort forward to deal with the contentious issue at hand.
I get asked to join at least two action committees a year now which is down from the dozen or so I was recruited to serve on, back in my kick-arse columnist days for the local press. I’ve got pretty good at turning down such positions today because I’m not hesitant whatsoever asking about some inconsistencies I’ve found with their subject group, members and mission statement. They usually drop me as a political “hot potato” shortly after I begin asking sensitive questions. The committee seeking transparency of government is often just as evasive and shadowy about their conduct as the group they are trying to reform. So I find it’s better to be a consciencious-objector these days and stick to the power of the pen….or in this case keyboard, to make present my point of view.
As a long-serving historian in this region I have never subscribed to the “good time was had by all” crap offered up by some contemporaries, who would rather leave real history alone in favor of a nicely shined-up version, that seems to have experienced no real strife from then, our founding to the present. I’ve been asked to attend a number of events that were being promoted by these revisionists, some who claim to be full ranking historians. Undoubtedly they wish me to be there boast yet another speaking gig to a guy on the “outs” with nary a speaking engagement in sight. First of all I don’t have much in common with most of the self-proclaimed historical types these days and as far as sitting listening to them spout off about “history as they see it,” I’d rather sit here at Birch Hollow and pen actuality than fiction.
I’m disgusted by many of the fly-by-nighters who pen the volumes of tripe these days about “the way we were,” without any reverence to the critical approach of historical research. There is relatively little counter point used, and they routinely side with the source most verbose on the subject, in total disregard for “what is accurate,” and not just “a good story.” I have never witnessed so much baloney in print about the Muskoka I know from decades of research. I don’t read much published locally any more because I get too mad about the liberties with what I take so seriously…..the record of the past. Apparently it’s in vogue to be called an “historian,” these days…., however, I never once felt that my task at research had any “vogue” value whatsoever…..it was about as generic an operation as you could inspire from the historically inclined.
Every year I get the opportunity to work with university students and some family historians who are genuinely interested in pure, un-tampered-with heritage, who don’t care a lick about color commentary, or popular presentation but instead want to know the truth as it effected the region and its humanity.
As a long time writer working in this region, I will only offer my writing services for publications out of the region because frankly I don’t have much use for the editorship or leadership generally of the local press. Unless of course, one day some enlightened newspaper type agrees the local press should have a columnist who brushes his teeth every morning with “critical approach,” and sees great danger in complacent thought.
And then there is “The blog!” I adore this opportunity to write without the intrusive hot air of the publisher blowing down my neck……telling me in no uncertain terms…..”you can’t write that…..you’ll offend an advertiser…..you’ll offend a club member, church goer, candlestick maker!”
Yup, I like it pretty much here with this endless horizon I see from Birch Hollow. It just makes you want to write. Thanks for joining me for this most recent blog entry.