Pelee Island Ferry

Batavia Boy Scout Troop 21 reaches Niagara Falls

One week was all it took for Batavia Boy Scout Troop 21 to reach Canada.

It only took them 12 days to reach Niagara Falls — by bike.

According to the troop’s blog, the 14-person riding crew (10 scouts, scout master Sergio Olache and three parents) started on July 30 from downtown Batavia on a ride to Niagara Falls. The group arrived about 3:30 p.m. Wednesday after a final ride of 84 miles.

Sticking mostly to scenic country roads, they arrived in Sandusky, Ohio, on Aug. 4. They spent a day relaxing at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky on Friday, crossed over to Pelee Island, Ontario, Canada, by ferry on Saturday morning and arrived on mainland Ontario by Sunday morning thanks to another ferry ride. On Monday, the riders traversed hilly terrain for most of the 77-mile ride, a journey made more challenging by stiff headwinds and rough roads. The Monday ride preceded one of the longest rides of the trip — a trek of over 80 miles planned for Tuesday as the scouts inched closer to Niagara Falls. The Tuesday route was the last long ride planned for the journey. Then in the middle of the ride, the trail rider (a parent who was a quarter-mile behind the main group) was hit on the arm by the passenger side mirror of a passing minivan. The driver didn’t stop. When the same driver caught up to the rest of the group at a stop sign, she went around the main group but hit scout master Sergio Olache with the same passenger side mirror. She did stop at the stop sign, but continued ahead of the riders. One of the scouts snapped a photo of her license plate. The police were called, a report was filed and the ride continued without incident to Perrysburg, Ohio.

PELEE ISLAND: A LIVING METAPHOR WE IGNORE AT OUR PERIL

Hmmm, would we treat this fragile planet differently if we came to fully appreciate how interdependent we are with the other creatures and living things with which we share Mother Earth?

I’ve just returned from a few days spent on Lake Erie’s Pelee Island – the most southern area of Canada. Pelee Island, a 90 minute ferry ride from the mainland, is home to many creatures, trees and plants not found anywhere else in this country.

I went there in search of a couple of butterflies that call Pelee Island home – the Hackberry Emperor and the Tawny Emperor . So why does these two beauties occur nowhere else in Ontario?

The answer lies in the interdependent relationships in nature. All butterflies are associated with specific plants or trees on which they lay their eggs and on which their larvae feed. Hackberry and Tawny Emperors are associated with the Hackberry Tree which appears nowhere else in Ontario other than Pelee Island.

Hackberry Trees grow well in the unique Alvar habitats – a thin layer of soil on top of limestone – which are characteristic of the island. But how did Hackberry Trees come to be on Pelee Island? It is quite possible they found a home there because of migrating birds. Pelee is a major stopover for many migrating birds in the spring as they make the lengthy and difficult crossing of Lake Erie.

Some of these birds are seed eaters. They make many stops, on the journey from the southern U.S. or South America, to rest and feed. Seeds which they consume on the northward journey may be expelled in their droppings during their Pelee Island stopover. Hence, trees or plants, which would otherwise not occur on an island, find a home there.

And so, if seed eating birds become extinct, no seeds are transported to new places during the wonder of migration. No Hackberry seeds transported to Pelee Island means no Hackberry Trees and, consequently, no Hackberry or Tawny Emperors. Interdependence is a governing factor in nature but it doesn’t stop there.

Pelee Island is well known for its winery. Grapes grown there produce world-renowned wines. This is possible, in part, because Pelee Island is located at an ideal latitude for vineyards – equally close to the equator as parts of Northern California and Spain.

Other factors also come into play. The nutrients in limestone (found in Alvar habitats) are ideal for vineyards. But how can you get these nutrients out of the limestone? Viticulture experts plant weeds between the rows of grapevines. These weeds take root in the limestone and draw out the nutrients. The weeds are then cut down, left to decay and release their nutrients into the soil for the grapevines. Interdependence at work again.

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