Extracted from the book’s Foreword by Peter Middleton:
Joe’s interest and passion for the natural world began in Nova Scotia where he was born in 1943.He remembers walks with his mother, who enjoyed the outdoors. She introduced Joe to the world of nature and encouraged his interest and sense of curiosity. At university Joe studied Biology, Botany in particular. He honed his observation skills and became proficient in plant taxonomy and identification. He also developed the discipline of carefully recording observations. He received his Bachelor of Science at Acadia University, majoring in Biology and was awarded a medal for scholastic excellence, receiving the highest marks in the graduating Biology class. By the end of university, Joe had formalized his interest in the outdoors – a sense of intense curiosity melded with scientific methodology. Joe is not just a talented naturalist and observer, he is also a trained and skilled professional field botanist. Together, the disciplines provide Joe with a holistic image of plants and an almost innate ability to identify them, when encountered in the field.
Joe came to the Bruce Peninsula and moved to Wiarton in August 1971, following a three month contract with the Long Point Bird Observatory. While at Long Point, reference to the Bruce and its botanical riches had piqued his interest. For the next four decades he would immerse himself in exploring the peninsula and its remarkable landscapes, both as an ardent naturalist and as a contract field botanist doing contract work for a number of agencies. He has explored the Bruce Peninsula as extensively as anyone I know, walking much of its length and breadth both as a naturalist and as a professional botanist. His intimate knowledge of the peninsula and its plants is based on direct field experiences.
The Author
14 Thursday Apr 2016
Posted in Uncategorized
Joe's Book 