Walking Lunesman Park and Greystone Nature Preserve)

6:05

Thayer Rd

Overview of Lake Erie

Luensman Hiking Trail

Greystone Nature Preserve

Lunesman Woods

Greystone's Caretakers: Bill Moran and Diane Clark

Amish Farms Around Portland/Fredonia area

Up just before 6:00, to sounds of geese quacking and birds awakening.  At least the birds are considerate enough to hold their songs until first light.  And they don't seem to go to the feeder until an hour or two after sunrise.  Today is supposed to be another beautiful day, like yesterday, sunny, not too hot, perfect for working in the yard or taking a hike.

Yesterday we decided to venture north, towards Portland and Fredonia and visit the Lunesman Overlook Park, which we had been to back in 1995 and the Greystone Nature Preserve, a preserve I really did not know existed until I read about it on line.  The Luensman Park is on Thayer Rd., about a 20 minute drive.  It's a lovely area, a marvelously grassy overlook of Lake Erie and a mile hike through the woods with 24 stops, all explained by a booklet available at the kiosk. The park had not yet opened for the season so we had to park outside the gate though workers were mowing and getting it ready for the summer season.  The walk was lovely, all wooded, gentle climbs, following a creek much of the time.  It would be a great place to snow shoe in the winter, a bit too difficult for cross country skiing.  The mile walk, through the green woods, was about as nice a walk as we have been on this spring.  We should have walked it twice but we wanted to move on a visit the other Preserve.

About 10 minutes away was the Greystone Nature Preserve,  We were really not sure what to expect.  We found the sign, drove up the driveway and found a house, garage, a chicken coup with chickens running free, and a huge meadow, with 15-20 bird houses off in the distance.  We were not sure if this was the right place or a home.  Fortunately, the two owners/caretakers were in the garage, Diane Clark(retired school teacher) and Bill Moran (plays in a band called Harbour Lights).  They were both very friendly, happy to tell us about their lives, their interests, living in a sustainable, healthy, organic and environmentally safe way.  And they want to use this Preserve to educate others, encouraging groups to come and meander around the grounds, 71 acres overlooking Lake Erie.  They reminded me of modern hippies, both into the land, living simply, enjoying the moment.  As the brochure they gave us  suggests, their goal is "to  foster a connection and appreciations of nature.  We encourage visitors to listen, see, touch, taste, climb, smell and feel various aspects of nature rather than naming or only relating facts."

They have planted over two hundred trees on the grounds.  They had just returned from Buffalo where they had met with a land use attorney.  I assume they are making sure that their use of the land, with its emphasis on 'preservation and education" allows them to write the property off.  They asked us to sign in (we were the first visitors of the season), for tax purposes. They live here seven months a year, then trade places with a lesbian couple, both artists, who have a 24 acres place in Florida.  Sounds like a perfect gig.  Bill mentioned he's exploring the idea of turning part of the land into a natural cemetery.  He's actually taken a couple of courses on how to properly take care of a body(wash and wrap in a cloth), then bury it safely(casketless) in the ground, a natural way of blending life and death.  They even stopped at a couple of natural cemeteries on their way back from Florida.  Needless to say, they are an interesting and different couple.  Bill also mentioned he plays in a couple of bands, often playing at Tom's Tavern over near Bemus and some gigs at the Chautauqua Suites in Mayville.  They also mentioned that the Fredonia Birding Society was having a walk on Monday, May 21st at 6:00 and invited us to join them, if we wanted. Everyone brings a dish to share and then all walk and observe, not only birds but the natural world. A group visited recently an observed over 15 varieties of birds.  We plan on going,.

After talking with them for about 15 minutes, we walked the meadows and woods for about a half an hour.  There are three or four open meadows, a couple with trees planted in rows though most are still quite young.  There are mowed paths that allow you to walk though the grassy meadows and a path has been cleared so that you  can walk though the twenty heavily wooded acres, a nice change from the meadows.  It was an interesting way to spend an hour and it would be a great place to snow shoe in the winter.  I am still not entirely clear about visiting the Nature Preserve.  They welcome visitors but prefer people giving them a call so they can plan on being there.  I don't get the feeling there's lots of action, just occasional groups like the birders, or boy or girl scout groups and people like us, who discover their preserve on line and stop by to see what it's all about.

We went to an amazing nursery, just outside of Fredonia, picked up a hanging basket and got home around 1:30.  We spent a good part of the afternoon working in the yard, cutting the grass, cleaning out the flower beds.  For dinner, we had left over Indian food and watched a movie.  We were both tired and went to bed early.