|
news - about - search - email - home
dunbar - djma - muir - jmbt - donate walks - events - newsletters - membership - office - links DJMA Newsletter #10 |
|
|
DJMA Newsletters... [home] |
DJMA Newsletter #9
|
| DJMA Newsletter #10 |
 DJMA Newsletter #11 |
![[top]](../../images/buttup2.gif){kind=small} |
| John Morton Boyd |
|---|
| As you may know, our patron of one year, Dr. Morton Boyd, sadly died in the last week of August 1998. At his funeral on Monday 31st August, the director of Edinburgh Zoo, Professor Roger Wheater, who was an old friend, made a moving eulogy, excerpts of which are included here with kind permission by Professor Wheater: ... I cannot begin to imagine just how many talks and lectures Morton gave over the years, how much information he had imparted and how much passion he had generated in others. Tremendously articulate, he had words and phrases to describe every eventuality - sometimes words that etymologists might hesitate to use. His considerable involvement with the National Trust for Scotland included travelling with Winifred [his wife, ed.] on their summer and other cruises giving lectures and assistance appropriate to the countries that we were visiting. Always determined to make his points with words and slides, Morton was a compelling lecturer, whether delivered from the windswept bridge of a cruise ship, in modern lecture theatres or in village halls across the length and breadth of Scotland and beyond. Many of his lectures were driven by his desire to get people to understand the wonders of nature, the importance of our environment, the need to develop strategies to ensure the future of wild animals and plants and the need for individual and corporate commitment in the task of conservation. Morton in full flow, was a magnificent sight, his body seeming to shake with enthusiasm, his beard vibrating with the passion of it all, the pursing of his lips prior to the delivery of a point of fundamental importance: an enthusiasm, it has to be said which was often unstoppable. Difficult, if not impossible for a Chairman to deal with, torn between wanting to hear what else Morton might say and the real constraints of time. I only once saw a lecture halted in mid sentence. It was a cruise lecture and he had seriously overrun his time when a Phillipino steward marched up to the rostrum, placed a coffee in Morton's outstretched hand and loudly announced "coffee is served Sir." ... |
If anybody would like a copy of the text as it was sent to the editor, please contact the editor privately (see address at the end of this newsletter). The full text of the eulogy was also printed in the Obituary Section of The Scotsman on Wednesday, 2nd September.
|
by Jim Thompson
One of the last things Morton Boyd wrote was a message in the book John Muir's Dunbar:
On 23 October 1867, towards the end of his thousand-mile walk from Kentucky, John Muir reached the sea in Florida.
"While I was yet miles from the sea back in the palmy woods I caught the scent of the salt sea breeze which ... suddenly conjured up Dunbar, its rocky coasts, winds and waves; and my whole childhood, that seemed to be utterly vanished in the New World, was now restored amid the Florida woods ... I could see only dulse and tangle, long-winged gulls, the Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth and the old castle, schools, churches and long rambles in search of birds' nests ... How imperishable are all the impressions that ever vibrate one's life".This was John's spontaneous tribute to the enduring influence which his boyhood in Dunbar had upon the person he was to become and to his achievements on the world stage of conservation, natural science and public life - achievements
which live on today as he is voted "the most famous Californian of all time". Dunbar is where it all started. The spirit of John Muir, the boy, still dwells in its streets and country byways and chimes with the spirit of John Muir, the man of world stature whose same spirit dwells in the High Sierra of California and in the heart of the conservation movement worldwide. Dunbar is the birthplace of the great man and place of pilgrimage for all people.
Dr J Morton Boyd, CBE, FRSE
[Ed's note: A printed version of John Muir's Dunbar is available. To order a copy please complete the order form at the end of this newsletter.]
"Last night I took a walk [...] along the shore on the rocks where I played as a boy. The waves made a grand show [...] and I seemed a boy again and all the long eventful years in America were forgotten while I was filled with that glorious ocean psalm."
Excerpt from a letter written by John Muir whilst on his visit to Dunbar in 1893.
The above extract shows how much Dunbar meant to John Muir and that he never lost his love for the town of his birth. The Dunbar of the 1840s and its townspeople were critical to the development of the young Muir.
Every year, admirers of Muir travelled thousands of miles to visit his birthplace, but there was no formal invitation and little welcome when they arrived. How did they find the window where he hung out his nightshirt? Where was Grandad Gilrey's shop situated? Where was the school? Mr. Lawson's stable? DJMA believed this had to be rectified and the idea of a town trail was born. David Anderson did the research and a simple booklet was prepared. It was then decided to recruit and train volunteer guides and to provide a more professional guide book. Plaques showing a likeness of Muir have been fixed at nine major places of interest. Unfortunately I am the only member who has come forward to act as a guide and more volunteers would be welcome. Initially those wanting to go on the walk telephoned the guide, and to date, no one has been disappointed even at 10 minutes notice. Walks have now been arranged to take place every Tuesday at 2.30pm, meeting at the town house, and notices to this effect are posted in the town. As well as small groups, mainly from America, we have had larger parties from conservation societies and from local schools. Details on the walk are to be found on the internet, courtesy of Duncan Smeed, at the John Muir's Dunbar website.
|
Dan Cairney
By the time you read this the John Muir Birthplace Trust should have received confirmation of its Scottish Charity Number from the Inland Revenue. Arranging this has taken longer than expected and has delayed some of the fund-raising opportunities more than any of the John Muir Birthplace Trustees would have liked. Despite this regrettable delay, the Trustees - DJMA included - have been working hard raising the profile of the John Muir Birthplace Appeal and these efforts have been rewarded by very generous donations from members of DJMA and John Muir Trust as well as from East Lothian Council and, recently, the Bank of Scotland, Dunbar. Local businesses have also been contacted by DJMA in the past few weeks and the initial response has been encouraging. Other major donors have been awaiting the confirmation of official charitable status and it is expected that this will result in a substantial boost to the fund-raising campaign. Letters about the Appeal will have been sent to national businesses and grant-awarding organisations. DJMA has drafted a letter to President Clinton and Vice-President Gore to name but two influential people! Appeal letters have been sent to 15 District Governors of the United States Rotary Club. The Districts chosen have all got some connection with Muir and, potentially, this means that up to 60,000 Rotarians will get to hear of our campaign.
Another important milestone that should have been achieved by the time this Newsletter is circulated is the appointment of consultants to advise the JMBT on the development plan for the John Muir House. As reported in the last Newsletter, DJMA has been instrumental in establishing the importance of local community involvement in the project and the need to incorporate, and harness, the enthusiasm of Muir devotees at a local, national and international level. We also fully recognise the requirement to explain, and interpret, Muir to an audience that, perhaps, have never heard of him and hence don't (yet) appreciate the importance of the man and what he managed to achieve in his lifetime and his legacy to past, current, and future generations. Nigel Hawkins and Carole Ross of JMT have just returned from an awareness-raising trip to the USA. Nigel is a JMBT trustee and Carole is the JMT representative on DJMA Council so few are better equipped to raise the profile of the campaign.
It is also worth mentioning that a major John Muir Exhibition is planned for next year - to be hosted by the City of Edinburgh. It is to be hoped that at least part of the exhibition will come to Dunbar. Wouldn't it be wonderful if this could be combined in some way with an official opening of a 'new' John Muir House Museum? You might also like to know that a film "The Boyhood of John Muir" is scheduled to be televised nationally on US public broadcasting service TV channels as the "Family Special" for Christmas Day this year. This is but one example of the high regard that people have for Muir. Other recent examples include Muir's (second) commemoration on a US Postal Service stamp, plays about Muir, biographies written about Muir, songs inspired by Muir, the declaration of 'John Muir Day' in California, and the fact that the people of that state voted Muir to be 'the most famous Californian of all time'. Not to mention his legacy that lives on in the Sierra Club, JMT, etc., etc.
Fellow members of Dunbar's John Muir Association, let us all help to secure John Muir's birthplace for future generations and raise awareness about Dunbar's most famous son. DJMA remains committed to the ultimate goal of a John Muir Centre of national and international standing. Securing Muir's birthplace is, of course, another step towards that prize.
[Ed's note: Dan represents DJMA on the John Muir Birthplace Trust.]
|
DJMA Co-ordinator's Report
by Ross Macphail, Council Member and Seasonal Museums Attendant at the John Muir House
The Appeal began in April with Nigel Hawkins, Director of the John Muir Trust, and Dunbar children posting the Birthplace Appeal Leaflet into the post box by John Muir House. By the end of August, £22,000 has been donated. In order to understand how the Appeal is organised a short explanation is required.
Six Trustees were appointed to form the John Muir Birthplace Trust - one from DJMA, one from the Dunbar Community Council, two from the John Muir Trust, one from East Lothian Council, with the local member as chairman. There is an observer from Lothian and Edinburgh Enterprises Limited (LEEL) and an observer from the East Lothian Council Museum Service.
The Trustees decided to share out the work of the appeal. DJMA is concentrating on Dunbar, its local area and members of the DJMA, East Lothian Council is concentrating on business in the rest of East Lothian as well as providing design, printing and publicity services. The John Muir Trust is canvassing the top 500 U.K. companies, relevant Charitable Trusts and the Sierra Club in the United States. The Dunbar Community Council will lend support where it can. A World Wide Web site was set up for the Trust by DJMA Council member Duncan Smeed.
Our share of the Appeal continued with a mail shot to members and with leaflets to Dunbar schoolchildren to take home to their parents. Will Collin and Jim Thompson became responsible for receiving, recording and thanking you for your donations. They also did likewise for John Muir Trust members.
Pauline Jaffray, an associate member, offered to put the Birthplace Trust leaflet in the Summer Issue of East Lothian Life. Pauline generously made no charge for this opportunity to reach a wider audience.
Appeal leaflets have also been sent to members of the local Dunbar Business Community.
Will Collin is a member of Dunbar Rotary. He has been successful in persuading his fellow Rotarians to back the Appeal and has got their approval for sending out leaflets to the Rotary network. Responses are now coming in.
DJMA Council members became convinced that it would be worthwhile "to go to the top". Vice-President Al Gore has written a book on the environment and maintains a strong interest in this area. Writing letters to him, his boss and the Speaker of the Senate will help to raise awareness of the Appeal at this political level. Carole Ross, the JMT representative on the DJMA Council, has recently returned from the United States with Nigel Hawkins and Mrs. Maude Tiso where they visited local chapters of the Sierra Club. Both Carole and Nigel will be speaking to us about their visit at this year's A.G.M. on Wednesday 30th September.
At our most recent council meeting we invited Dawn Kemp from the Events Development Unit of the East Lothian Council to give us her ideas on fund raising and promotion. As well as giving advice she can actively help with events that will attract from fifty to five thousand people. While she was at our meeting we had a short "ideas session" from which came the suggestion that there should be a sponsored 'sleep out' by teenagers This idea has been sympathetically received by the John Muir Park Rangers but will take a bit of organising!
After conversations with Winifred Sillitto an attempt was made to set up an events committee. At a subsequent small meeting it was decided to organise a pot luck lunch for the Kintner family from the United States. The Kintners, founder members of the Association, were visiting Scotland with their teenage children. This successful social event took place in the small backyard of the John Muir House. [see Winifred's article on p. 6, Ed]
Duncan Smeed bumped into Jimmy MacGregor of Radio Scotland as Jimmy was visiting Dunbar one Saturday. He is prepared to give a public lecture on John Muir but does charge a fee! He was in the U.S. recently walking sections of the John Muir Trail.
Fundraising will be with us beyond the duration of the Appeal. Once bought, the building will have to be developed and maintained. The idea of a separate John Muir centre will still be pursued, so there will always be a need for your support, time and money. Small scale events help to provide the money for larger events. They also provide that very important publicity without which the larger public will just not know about DJMA and John Muir. Speaking to your friends and colleagues is almost as important as putting your hand in your pocket. Word of mouth can produce miracles, particularly if the people concerned are marketing directors looking for an environmental cause to support and sponsor. Keep up the good work!
|
by Winifred Sillitto
Dunbar's John Muir Association was born on the 27th July, 1994. Thirty-two individuals and ten families enrolled, thirty-seven people listened to Don Bracewell and Graham White talking about John Muir and his ideas; mulled over and eventually approved a Constitution, resolved that a Treasurer's Account be opened with the Bank of Scotland, and elected members of council. Council met briefly and appointed Fred Last as President, Susan Butts as Honorary Secretary and Stefany Hawryluk as Honorary Treasurer. Most of us had already met throughout the summer as a steering group under the chairmanship of Dr Carole Ross, a trustee of the John Muir Trust, and we all thought Don Bracewell would take on the role of Convener of Council. We were astounded when he announced that he was leaving Stenton for the wilds of Northumberland and proposed me as convener instead. When I got home with this unwelcome news, I found that my husband had just had a rare telephone call from Eric Kintner, whose PhD he had supervised many years ago. How appropriate, I said, for it was from Eric that we had first heard of John Muir. So I returned his telephone call and told him about DJMA, and the Kintner family became DJMA Founder members, number 48.
Eric had come to Edinburgh from Maryland in 1971 to work on optical coherence theory. In 1958, a Sierra Club Family Burro Trip along the John Muir Trail left an indelible impression on him. In those days, the Sierra Club was a much smaller regional organization composed largely of Berkeley academics. Then Executive Director David Brower incurred the wrath of the Internal Revenue Service when the Club strenuously opposed the construction of two dams in the Grand Canyon. The dams were never built, fortunately, and the Sierra Club became recognized nationally and internationally as the premier organization championing wilderness.
In Edinburgh Eric shared an office with me, and it was not long before I was hearing about Muir and the wonders of the Sierras. I responded with praise of the mountains of Scotland, and for the next few years Eric and Jean, from West Virginia and also an astronomy graduate, spent much of their free time on the hills. They returned to the States in 1976.
Why did the Kintners visit Dunbar again now? "We came to Scotland" Eric writes, "to be re-inspired by its mountains, its history, and its people, especially the many friends whose welcome and hospitality made the trip so wonderfully memorable. We came to inspire our daughters as we had been inspired 25 years before, and in this we were not disappointed. We came to visit the birthplace of John Muir, having heard of all the efforts made to preserve it, in order to recognise the Scottish roots of Muir's special inspiration for American wilderness. And we left hoping to help other Americans understand the remarkable link between Scotland and America which John Muir created for the defence of wilderness."
Just as the Kintners were inspired by John Muir so many other people have been touched by his life and his vision. The diversity of these people is evident in the following articles about different creative manifestations of his influence.
|
by Will Collin
"I asked the Master Builder, how did he find a way to put the man in the mountains and the mountains in the man? How long did he search to find the uncommon clay that he needed for his master builder's plan? And the Lord's voice came down from the High Sierra skies saying 'Take a heart of hard Scottish stone, plant the seed of a wild place deep down inside and I'll show you how to call a hero home.'"
Copyright Grian Music - words used with permission
Many books have been written on John Muir but I am not aware of many songs. One, which was written by Scottish folk singer Brian McNeill, is about to be released by fellow folk singer Dick Gaughan. Brian McNeill's song, "John Muir and the Master Builder", first appeared on Brian's solo album, "The Back o' the North Wind", and released by Greentrax Records in 1991. Clearly in tune with Muir's philosophy of life, McNeill's lyrics show an understanding of John Muir's religious views which have seen him wrongly criticised by some as being atheistic. The words of the song's chorus show McNeill's empathy for Muir clearly:
"Leave Calvin and the Bible to the parish o' Dunbar. Give a blind man back his eyes to find the brightest o' the stars. Then lead him to the altar of a better God by far in the vale of the redwood cathedral."
Muir often likened the towering trees of the Californian forests to some grand place of worship and "Redwood Cathedral" is likely to be the title of Dick Gaughan's album due for release on 1 November, again from Greentrax. Greentrax Records of Cockenzie are one of the founding business sponsors of the John Muir Birthplace Trust, and Ian Green of Greentrax has kindly made both versions of the song available to be used by the Trust and within John Muir House. Copies of Brian McNeill's album, on CD and cassette will be available for purchase at the DJMA AGM with profits going to the Birthplace Appeal.
(A second track on that album is an instrumental version of a traditional Scottish tune, "Lang Johnny Moir", which McNeill acknowledges was inspired by John Muir.)
|
Over the weekend from 28 to 31 August, Dunbar Parish Church played host to a flower festival, organised by the Church's Narthex Committee and ladies of the Dunbar and District Floral Art Club, in aid of charity. The theme of the festival was "Scottish Heroes".
Fittingly for one whose love for flowers was a lifetime passion, John Muir was one of the ten heroes celebrated, along with such as St Columba, Robert Burns and John Knox. The arrangement dedicated to John Muir was a mix of wild and cultivated flowers, including the Californian lily, one of Muir's personal favourites. Incorporated in the design were mosses, rocks and even two small pine trees. The backdrop was formed by the Scottish Saltire and the Stars and Stripes and included were artefacts associated with Muir such as an inkwell, a quill pen and a copy of one of his letters to his mother. The festival was well attended over the four days and well over £300 was raised for charity. Is this a possible future event for DJMA?
|
How is John Muir's life influencing children today? This is a very important question - because it is pointing us to the future.
At the end of the 1998 summer term at West Barns Primary School, children of Primary 5, 6 and 7 worked on the John Muir Bronze Award under the guidance of their teacher Robert McDougall. Below follow their memories of their work and their thoughts.
"I enjoyed the John Muir Award because you get to go outside, you get exercise, fresh air and the chance to take part in exciting activities. I enjoyed playing games like Bat and Moth. They were designed to help us learn about animals and the countryside. We made rainbows, a food web and took part in a beach clean-up. We reported on our visits and the beach clean-up. We designed our own country parks and found out what is a country park? Finding out about John Muir was the hardest part. The award was set up by the John Muir Trust to educate young people about John Muir and wildlife. The 4 parts are Discover, Explore, Conservation, John Muir. Conservation is not just about putting litter in the bin, but involves caring for trees, plants, ponds, beaches, animals and stone. Anybody can take part in conservation. Conservation needs teamwork, time and effort. We raised £59.26 for the DJMA and received our awards on 10th June."
Alexander McLeman
"When I was doing the John Muir Award with my class we did a lot of good things and met lots of nice people like Mandy Caulder [sic], Jim Thompson [DJMA] and Bobby Anderson [Ranger at John Muir Country Park]. We went to the Town House and watched a video about John Muir's life and what he did as a child. The John Muir Award comes in 3 parts the first one is the Discovery Award, the second is the Explore Award and the last is the Conservationist Award. When we were doing the Discovery Award we had to work for 15 hours. The five parts of that Award are Discover a wild place, Find out about the wild place, Conservation , John Muir and Share It. The way we shared our information was by putting it on the Internet in the school.* I thought that the Award was one of the best projects I have ever done and when I am older I will be able to do the other two awards then I will have all of the certificates up on my wall."
Anna Kerr
"When we were doing about John Muir we went to the John Muir house in Dunbar and Jim Tompson [sic] took us on the John Muir trail around Dunbar. When we were at the John Muir House we watched a video about his life. My favourite part of the Award was the beach clean-up [...]. The award was lots of fun and I would recommend it to other people."
Claire Litherland
"The best part of the Award was when we found out about John Muir. Mandy Caulder, Jim Thompson and Bobby Anderson told us some information about John Muir. Mandy Caulder works for the JMT [sic] and Jim Thompson works for the DJMA. I thought the Award was very good and I hope I do it again and get all the Awards."
Elise Pearson
"The best part of doing the John Muir Award was that I learned a lot about John Muir and were he lived. This was all set up by the John Muir Trust. A lot of people came to help us with our project. Mandy Caulder [sic] works with the John Muir Trust. She took us down to Spike Island and played games with us. The games were called Bat and Moth, Animal Partners and Animal Chain. A man came and showed us some slide shows, his name was Graham White. ... I would do the John Muir Award again."
Jodie Davidson
"I enjoyed this project , it has been one of my favourite. We got to go loads of places like the John Muir walk in Dun-bar, the country park in West Barns and many other places. We got to see some videos and read some books. ... On the June 10th 1998 we had an award ceremony and a cake stall, we were only meant to raise £10 but raised £59:26."
Malcolm Miller
"I enjoyed the John Muir award it was a very educational project and I learned a lot. I hope to go on and do the next two awards: the Explorer and the Conserver award. The project is very exciting and you get to visit a wild place we chose spike Island.
Richard Hamilton
"The John Muir Award is made up of 5 parts. Part one - find a wild place. 2 - discover it. 3 - find out about conservation. 4 - find out about John Muir. 5 - share all your work. The John Muir Award is about teaching children to care for conservation. I think that it is very interesting because you get to go to places such as beaches and woodland areas to find out about plant life and animal life. ..."
Ross Main
*West Barns Primary School website address is http://www.sol.co.uk/w/westbarnsps/
|
'Nature jokes' as told to the Editor by Clement and Maurice Penny - answers at the bottom of page 10 (if you need them!).
1.Why does a heron stand on one leg?
2. Why did the viper vipe 'er nose?
3. What has six eyes and cannot see?
4. What do you call a deer with no eyes?
5. What do you call a deer with no eyes and no legs?
|
Hi! I'm Anna Gardiner and I'm in primary seven at Dunbar Primary School. In July [1998] I decided to do the John Muir Silver Award, I've already done the Bronze Award with the school, but after one Award with the school, if you want to carry on, it is all self-directed.
Firstly I had to contact Mandy Calder who is the education officer [at East Lothian Council]. She gave me all the information I needed. I then had to choose an area of study. I chose to do my project on Arthur's Seat and Holyrood Park.
I have to do thirty hours over six months, I've already done about seven hours. I climbed up to Dunsapie Loch and up Crow Hill, which must be one of the highest points in Edinburgh! I spent an afternoon with the park's foreman, Martin. He took me to cut gorse and we checked the ducks and geese at Duddingston Loch.
If I am successful with the award, I will receive a certificate, but I've still got a lot of hours to do!!
|
by Stephen Jenkinson
So what relevance does John Muir have for conservationists today? Muir would surely not recognise the tools of modern countryside managers like myself. Satellites monitoring endangered species. Computers predicting threatened habitats. And ever-more bureaucracy from Whitehall and Brussels. But despite all the changes since Muir's time, after one brief trip to Dunbar I know his vision and spirit for the environment are as relevant now - if not more so - than they ever were.
When Environment Minister Michael Meacher appointed me to the 'board of directors' of the North York Moors National Park Authority, the enormity of this long-awaited responsibility hit me. Was I really up to it? Would I have the strength and tenacity for the many challenges ahead? I needed inspiration to reaffirm my confidence and passion to conserve the countryside. And I truly found that - and much more - in John Muir's Dunbar. Our American cousins may, at first, see few similarities between Britain's national parks and their untamed protected areas with which Muir is so strongly associated. Indeed, Britain's parks are not uninhabited wildernesses. They are truly living landscapes, balancing the needs of our natural heritage, local residents and businesses - and the millions of visitors who enjoy these special places.
From an early age, Muir knew these largely man-made landscapes could still be wild. As he wrote of Dunbar: "there was no lack of wildness, though most of the land lay in smooth cultivation." Muir also recognised the importance of the physical and spiritual connection between man and the environment, and this principle is upheld in Britain's national parks today. One key reason for our parks' designation nearly 50 years ago, was their accessibility to many people who wished to experience and enjoy these treasured landscapes. As Muir wrote decades before: "Let children walk with nature." Muir's principles are also robustly illustrated in the modern concept of sustainable development, adopted by world leaders at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. This philosophy binds together environmental, social and economic concerns to ensure a better quality of life today and for generations to come.
It is a fitting tribute that Dunbar's John Muir Association epitomises this vision of sustainability, by promoting the conservation and enjoyment of our precious landscapes, whilst bringing economic benefits to his home town. But even with all these fine principles and Muir's spirit in our souls, we countryside managers can only ever set the scene for conserving the world's wild places.
You, your behaviour, and your ability to make politicians protect these landscapes are just as crucial. May the spirit of Muir's Dunbar serve you and your special places well.
[Stephen Jenkinson lives in North Yorkshire and works as an advisor, lecturer and writer to conserve the British countryside and public access to it.]
As you all know Duncan Smeed, our electronic whizzkid, has connected the rest of the world to Dunbar. On the next few pages follows his exciting and encouraging report.
|
Duncan Smeed, DJMA Internet Correspondent
Please note that the new e-mail address for DJMA is djma@djma.org.uk The old address will continue to be valid but will eventually be phased out in the future.
One of the DJMA 'contributions' to the John Muir Birthplace Appeal has been to set up and maintain the http://www.djma.org.uk website. News about the Appeal is kept up to date there and is available to anyone on the Internet. From the outset DJMA has been firmly convinced that this form of technology has a part to play in raising awareness about John Muir. Four years ago the early involvement of DJMA on the 'net was seen as a leap of faith. Recent surveys have vindicated the importance of this medium - especially in America. See, for instance, http://www.wired.com/news/news/culture/story/14645.html which reports: "A survey conducted in June by Nielsen and the nonprofit industry association CommerceNet puts the number of American Internet users older than 16 at 70.5 million. That's an increase of 36 percent from last September, according to the survey.
But it's kids who are taking them online. About 36 million users said they have children at home. "For a good share of active users, very often a child is the main reason why they are adopting new technology," said Jerome Samson, director of technology and business strategy at Nielsen Media Research. "There may be other sociological reasons or rationale, but that is one obvious one." While roughly 10 million North Americans haven't even heard of the Internet, twice that many are now using the Internet to make purchases -- primarily computer hardware and software, books, music, flowers, and airline tickets, the survey said." A fuller report about this survey can be found at: http://www.msnbc.com/news/190591.asp
Undoubtedly the best resource of John Muir material currently available on the 'net is the Sierra Club's John Muir Exhibit. This is compiled by a founder member of DJMA, Harold Wood. Given the results of the recent survey of Internet usage in the USA, the following e-mail circular from Harold is most timely:
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 From: Harold Wood < hwood@lightspeed.net > Subject: New Educational Resources on John Muir Exhibit "Greetings fellow Muir fans, The following set of new features have been added to the John Muir Exhibit. You can easily access all of these from: http://www.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/new_and_improved/ Note particularly the new materials on the John Muir Youth Award. I welcome your feedback and assistance in getting that information out to teachers for this school year. Best Wishes, Harold Wood Webmaster, John Muir Exhibit: http://www.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/ To subscribe to our John Muir Discussion mailing list, send in the message body (Subject is irrelevant): SUBSCRIBE CE-EE-JOHN-MUIR-EDUCATION to: listserv@lists.sierraclub.org
[Ed's note: Lack of space does not allow a listing of the new materials . See the John Muir Exhibit website for more details.]
Soon after the last newsletter was published, I received the following message from Robert McDougall. The web site Robert refers to is at http://www.sol.co.uk/w/westbarnsps/ and is well worth a visit as the children did a marvellous job of documenting their John Muir Award projects.
From: "westbarnsps" < westbarnsps@sol.co.uk > To: Duncan Smeed < duncan@dunbar.prestel.co.uk > Subject: John Muir Award Date: Thu, 7 May 1998 16:13:31 +0100 Hi Duncan, Just a note to let you know that the John Muir project is going great and that the children are all really enthusiastic about it. We did the town trail with Jim today. He was excellent. We have updated our web site and sorted out our problems. I hope you can share the address with other members of DJMA. Best Wishes, Robert
Readers of the last newsletter may recall that several founder members of "The Canadian Friends of John Muir" contacted DJMA by e-mail. This initial contact resulted in Scott Cameron, and Mr & Mrs Fred Young visiting Dunbar on the day of the launch of the John Muir Birthplace Appeal. Scott, from Meaford, Ontario, where Muir spent two years working in a mill, presented Stephen Bunyan, Chairman of Dunbar Community Council, with a Meaford town flag.
Scott and Fred were also the main driving force behind the opening of a new John Muir Walk at Meaford. The following report was forwarded to DJMA, again by e-mail [see also http://www.meaford.com/town/muir.htm]:
John Muir look-alike, Keith Mustard of St. Vincent Township, greeted St. Vincent Reeve Gerald Shortt and Meaford Mayor Doug Grant as they declared the John Muir Walk to Trout Hollow officially open in a ribbon cutting ceremony at the edge of the Big Head River.
Muir's stand-in chatted with Shortt and Grant and told them about Muir's commitment to nature and how he saw the preservation of natural spaces as a fundamental human need, as a spiritual touchstone, and as a place where man could connect to what is really important in life. "None of nature's landscapes are ugly so long as they are wild. One touch of nature makes all the world kin" stated Muir. In response Grant and Shortt each assured the Canadian Friends of John Muir that they would do all in their power to support the riverside local conservation initiatives like the John Muir Walk. Grant elaborated that the Town of Meaford recognized the importance of conservation in the future of the community.
After the ceremony, Shortt visited the Trout Mill site and riverside where the Canadian Armed Forces will set up the river crossing ferry for the hikers on Saturday, June 13.
Fred Young, one of the local organizers of the John Muir Walk said registration for the hike will start at 8:30 at both the Meaford Harbour Pavilion and the Riverside Community Centre. The hike will start at 9:00 am at Riverside. "Persons wanting to take the long hike (6 km) should park at the Harbour Pavilion where they will be provided free transportation, courtesy of Smith's Tire Service, to the starting point at the Riverside Community Centre. That way they can pick up their cars at the end of their hike. Those choosing the shorter hike (3 km ) should park at the Riverside Community Centre because their hike returns there. Maps will be provided to hikers and there will be geologists, geographers, historians, field naturalists, and conservation personnel located along the route to explain important features of Trout Hollow and the Big Head River." said Young . "John Muir himself may turn up", said look alike Mustard, with a twinkle in his eye.
John Muir in Ontario Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 17:34:22 -0400 From: Stephan Fuller < stephanf@ontarionature.org > Subject: JOHN MUIR IN ONTARIO To: CE-EE-JOHN-MUIR-EDUCATION@LISTS.SIERRACLUB.ORG Hi everyone, My name is Stephan Fuller - a brand new subscriber to the Muir listserver. I work as the Executive Director of the Federation of Ontario Naturalists with 91 member conservation organizations and 15,000 members, based in Toronto. I have been a longstanding Muir enthusiast and student with particular reference to Muir in Canada. Among other sites we have the site where Muir spent much of 1864/5/6 here in Ontario near Meaford on Georgian Bay. This site has been written about several times but it was local historian Scott Cameron who discovered - in the local museum -- 5 letters from Muir to friends in the area, first from Indianapolis and later from Yosemite. Scott used this discovery (about a year ago) to interest the local community in holding a day long symposium (June13 1998) at the site. It also turns out that the specific site of the mill where Muir worked has now been specifically identified, and possibly his cabin. Archeologists will likely begin work next year to be more precise. All rather exciting. A local organization -- The Canadian Friends of John Muir -- has been formed and my organization is now trying to raise funds to purchase the land, establish a nature reserve and construct an interpretive facility. I'd be happy to provide more info to those interested and will post updates from time to time. Email your address.
sf
In his column Dan Cairney referred to the fact that the Public Broadcasting Service will be televising the film "The Boyhood of John Muir" by Florentine Films. Readers may recall that the film stars Gary Hollywood, of 'Take the High Road', as the young John Muir.
PBS have a web-site at http://www.pbs.org/ where you might find details of the Christmas showing of the film.
|
You may find that the newsletter has a slightly different look to it. Duncan Smeed found that his existing commitments no longer allowed him to continue as editor. Many thanks to Duncan for the good and informative (and as I am finding out, hard) work he has done over so many years. I am glad to say that he has been a great help to me with my first issue. Other members of DJMA have also generously assisted me with my task. I want to thank them all very much. I hope I can continue the high standard the readership of this newsletter has come to expect.
Let me introduce myself, my name is Ute Penny and I have been persuaded to edit the Autumn edition, possibly carrying on to do further newsletters. I came to Scotland from Germany in 1985, settling in West Barns in 1989, together with my husband Chas and our two boys (Maurice, 8 and Clement, 11).
We have been members of DJMA since January 1995. I currently teach German evening classes at Stevenson College, Edinburgh and am also studying towards a Diploma in Translation English to German, awarded by the Institute of Linguists, London. My interests are Nature and the environment, hill walking, cycling, swimming, reading, the theatre, Art, music, dancing, I also sing with the Dunbar and District Choral Society.
This latest edition of the DJMA newsletter contains lots of valuable and encouraging information. It is great to see that the John Muir Awards are stimulating children to go out and experience nature. Many a seed will be sown there to reap a rich harvest! Together with the children we must go into a future of a conscious approach to our environment. Duncan's article on the future, which follows, should give us plenty of guidelines of how we can make a good future for the DJMA. Let us hope that there will always be a lot of volunteers giving up their precious spare time to make DJMA work. - Even more participation than at the moment would be much appreciated. - Some new faces have already come forward!
Ute Penny, DJMA Editor
[ If you would like to get in touch with Ute, you can do so by mail:
Ute Penny
2, Implement Rd.
West Barns
Dunbar, East Lothian
EH42 1UN
Scotland, UK
or by e-mail: 100760.3610@compuserve.com ]
|
An item of business at a recent meeting of DJMA Council was 'The Newsletter'. I was actioned to write a short column about DJMA's strategy for the future. Having given this some thought I have concluded that the best way to determine the strategy for DJMA is to involve the membership in generating, and following through, ideas. Perhaps this could be discussed at the AGM?
At one level DJMA has been extremely active in its attempts to progress the plans for a John Muir Centre here in Dunbar. This is not surprising as this project was really the stimulus that led to the founding of our organisation. More recently, DJMA has been one of the founders of the John Muir Birthplace Trust which should lead to the purchase of the John Muir House property and the expansion of its role of museum, visitor / education centre, and the focal point for our activities in Dunbar. A notable contribution to the early planning for this was the 'brainstorming' session that DJMA hosted in March and that was reported upon in the last Newsletter. Of course, the John Muir's Dunbar guidebook and town trail with bronze plaque waymarkers is another very positive outcome of our efforts.
At another level DJMA has been less active in the past year in terms of arranging social events such as evening meetings, and conservation events such as work parties to John Muir Country Park. It is to be hoped that more members will come forward and help organise and participate in these types of event in the future. In summary, Dunbar's John Muir Association aspires to be an active organisation that lives up to it's motto of 'Working for a sustainable world - Putting Dunbar on the Map'. To be able to achieve these objectives we need the sustained and active support of the local community. We need to continually review our strategy to achieve that.
Feedback would be most welcome. DJMA can be contacted by writing to:
DJMA
c/o John Muir House,
128 High Street
Dunbar
East Lothian
EH42 1JJ
or by e-mailing djma@djma.org.uk
by Duncan Smeed
|
from the DJMA Constitution approved by the Inland Revenue for Scottish Charity No 022857:
Copies of the complete constitution may be obtained by writing to
DJMA c/o John Muir House, 128 High Street Dunbar East Lothian EH42 1JJ enclosing 4 first class stamps.
|
please complete this order form and send it to:
![[Home]](../../images/jmh42x60.gif){kind=small}
![[DJMA Home]](../../images/jmclogo.gif)
Dunbar's John Muir Association
c/o John Muir House
128 High Street
DUNBAR
East Lothian
EH42 1JJ
Scotland, UK
Name: ...................................................
Address: ...............................................
...............................................
...............................................
...............................................
Postcode: ................... Tel: ......................
E-mail: ...............................................
Please send me [ ] copies of John Muir's Dunbar at:
[ ] £2.50 (UK) [ ] £3.00 (Overseas) [tick as required]
I enclose a cheque (drawn on a UK bank) made payable to: "DJMA" for £......
or debit my: [ ] Visa [ ] American Express
Card Number: [ ][ ][ ][ ] [ ][ ][ ][ ] [ ][ ][ ][ ] [ ][ ][ ][ ]
Expiry Date: ...............................................
Cardholder: ...............................................
Signature: ...............................................
1. Because it would fall over if it lifted the other one. 2. Because the adder 'ad 'er handkerchief! 3. Three blind mice. 4. No idea. 5. Still no idea.
|
|
|