This article is written by the Friends of Lemoine Point as a tribute to the late Peter Butler, whose efforts, inspiration and ingenuity as a leader of the Friends of Lemoine Point, and as a valued team member on countless work parties over the years, have helped to make this space more vibrant, welcoming and resilient.
_____________________________________________
'Take a Load Off & Enjoy the View' - Vignettes From a Sunday at Lemoine Point
The ‘big loop’ trail is a long walk if you are four years old. “Mommy, can you carry me?” is not an unusual thing to hear near the bench that is dedicated to Irene Backholm.
“Sure thing! Climb up on the bench and then hop on my back – I’ll carry you like a backpack up to the next bench. Irene’s bench is a perfect platform for a four-year old who is climbing onto their mom’s back for a ride. This bench, and the sixty others that grace the trails, are found in places that were chosen carefully to showcase the natural beauty and the diverse ecosystems of the Lemoine Point Conservation Area. Peter was instrumental in the campaign to arrange a sponsor for each bench. Rick Knapton from Cataraqui Conservation installed them on the trails and collaborated with Peter to care for them for the past twenty-five years.
_____________________________________________
Francisco carefully lowers himself to the bench with a sigh. This spot is just a stone’s throw from the parking lot, but it is as far as he can get these days before he needs to take a break. That’s ok, because it gives him a chance to forget about the effort required to put one foot in front of the other, instead to rest and cherish the image of four generations (four!) of his loved ones moving away from him down the trail into the forest. These Sunday morning excursions to Lemoine Point have been a weekly ritual for Frank and his kin for decades now, and for many of them it is their favourite way to get together. Well, he’ll just sit here for a while and say hello to the other visitors until his mob comes back, eager to tell him about the wild turkey encounter, or the barred owl, and just as eager to get home for lunch.
Someone is coming down the trail out of the forest, accompanied by a happy and friendly-looking golden retriever. The dog is young, about the same age as Loki, Peter Butler’s latest. Antoine wonders whose home Loki has joined, since Peter’s recent demise. Antoine and Peter go way back, they often encountered each other on their early-morning walks at Lemoine and stopped for a few minutes of friendly chatter. It seemed like Peter was always enthusing about something he was doing to enhance the area, whether it was getting these benches sponsored and installed, planting some red oaks here or some highbush cranberries there, or nurturing habitat for the barn swallows or the meadowlarks. Antoine had heard that Peter’s last steps were on these trails, and there seems to be some powerful good karma in that.
_____________________________________________
Calm and tranquility seem to be easier to find here in the forest near the shoreline, with the waves tossing the stones on the beach below and the breeze whispering through the treetops. That is why Anya has come to this place this morning, as she has done many times before. Some of her most profound conversations took place here, and this is where she comes when she needs to step out of her circumstances and reconnect with mother earth.
She glances at the engraved plaque attached to the bench, and then notices that the board to which the plaque is attached seems quite new. Reflecting back on a lovely visit here with her mother, she realizes this bench must have been here for almost 20 years, and realizes that ‘Rick the Ranger’ and that older gentleman with the easy grin, sparkling blue eyes and the clipboard are caring for these sanctuaries. She whispers words of gratitude for the efforts of those who provided the community with this place of peace and refuge and those who have carefully maintained it for all these years.
_____________________________________________
On one of the less-travelled trails, a black-capped chickadee picks through a handful of seed that some anonymous benefactor has piled on the bench. First come, first served, she eagerly finds and consumes the sunflower seeds then disappears back into the forest from which she flew. Stillness returns to the glade, where the seeds and their bench await their next visitors.
_____________________________________________
It was with great sadness that the Friends of Lemoine Point and Cataraqui Conservation learned of the death of Peter Butler on September 22, 2023. Peter was the inaugural Chairman of the Board (1998-99) of the Friends and the longest-serving Past President. An ardent supporter of the native plant nursery and heritage forest programs, Peter was also the volunteer lead for the memorial bench program from its inception. Peter will surely be missed, but the plants, benches and berries that would not be here without him will welcome and nourish, long into the future, the people and dogs who visit as well as the plants and animals who call this place home.
Peter was the lifetime partner of Joan Butler, who passed away four years ago. Joan was also a founding member of the Friends, a long-time membership secretary, and an active volunteer and supporter for many years.
Peter (left) and Rick Knapton (right) harvesting berries.
Peter and Rick working in the Native Plant Nursery at Lemoine Point.
Peter tree planting at Lemoine Point.
