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Your Independent Local Newspaper Established in 1918 VOLUME 103: ISSUE 22
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2021
VERICAL ROOTS – A LABOUR OF LOVE FOR ITS OWNERS.
www.tofieldmerc.com
DUROVICKS RETURN TO FARMING AND RURAL LIFE.
SEE PAGE 2
SEE PAGE 8
Tofield nurse takes large leaps to nurture her adventurous spirit MOUSH JOHN Editor Tofield resident Irene Crosland moved from her journey of nursing of 43 years, the last 18 being in town, to bird photography, and in her words it was “large leaps and little steps in the right direction.” According to Crosland, her nursing career brought her many thrills and also many little side trips of discovery into new skills, new cultural contexts and areas of growth and change. “Graduating from the Holy Cross School of Nursing, I was thrilled to the idea of adventure and spent two years in the mountains of Kentucky, isolated far from any city or town and finding that besides enjoying the rugged beauty there, that the people carried a rich and proud heritage while suffering the ups and downs of a coal-driven economy,” Crosland said. After returning and gaining expertise in Labor and Delivery in a city hospital, she would carry the love of that maternal focus to the rural hospitals she worked at. “My final 18 years I worked at the Tofield Health Centre Emergency Room and Acute Care with a larger focus on cardiac care and the general nature of small
town issues,” she added. “Learning as a lifelong goal and being there with younger nurses helped me with the rise in technology skills needed, while I mentored them through some of their learning needs.” For Crosland, birding to bird, is not a static noun but a dynamic verb. Long walks, hiking and exploring a new locale led her to explore the Beaverhill Natural area, often as stress relief from a challenging nursing shift. “One day I stumbled upon Lisa Priestley, who was only too happy to explain the work of the Beaverhill Bird Observatory (BBO), and the rest as they say, is history; just like nursing began with a big leap following a migration south, of sorts, I began with studying the migration of little feathered friends from this knowledgeable woman!” Crosland explained. “An example of the big leap was hearing from other birders to find new species and understand their unique place in our area. “Kallal Meadows just east of town is known for its Bobolinks, a very dapper black bird with a smashing ‘tuxedo suit’ in reverse. It takes to the air and does a unique circling ‘round, all the while singing “bubbly, bubbly,
What’s Inside Loose Ends: In the dark PAGE 5
bubbly”, then plunging to a grassy tuft, out of sight.” According to her, people drive out from Edmonton just to see these little characters. “But they need this meadow, which is always damp underneath. Its also hay land, which must be harvested in a timely fashion, coinciding with the time the parents are feeding their young. I know for a fact that one year the delay in cutting cost the farmer dearly as the weather did not cooperate to get his crop off; this is the dilemma.” Crosland’s advice for those who want to get into birding, is to grab a pair of binoculars, and start walking, and also invest in a good birding book. “Tofield has many wonderful areas to explore, varied as the birds that come here, sloughs and marshes for shore
STARS responds to twovehicle collision off Hwy. 14 and 630 PAGE 5
Irene Crosland with a chickadee. SUBMITTED PHOTO/HENRY SANDERS INSET: Pine Grosbeak from Beaverhill Bird Observatory. SUBMITTED PHOTO/IRENE CROSLAND birds, ducks and geese, groves of trees for woodpeckers, hawks and owls and willow brush for those hard to find sparrows and warblers,” she noted. “Dawn and dusk the birds are most active and owls can be found on the tops of trees as darkness settles in.” Crosland further explained that seasons change and so do the
birds that can be found. Regions around Alberta each carry unique species. “Every time of the year is great birding time! Just dress for it. Explore Alberta when COVID-19 demands socially isolating and distancing, and you may just find someone along a lonely trail smiling while looking up into a tree-top. It could be me!”
Editorial: The Return of Parliament – Ensuring you are heard by MP Damien Kurek PAGE 6
Tofield’s Welcome Basket program receives accolade PAGE 9
Letter to the Editor by MLA Lovely PAGE 14