Edsel Ford Barn Efforts Begin a New Green Season
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FOHRA members with assistance from an Oakland County WWAM team (Weekends and Weekday Alternative for Misdemeanants) resumed major sorting and reclamation efforts at the Edsel Ford Barn on March 28th inside the Highland Recreation Area. High winds during a June 8, 2008 storm dropped approximately 3/4 of the barn's rear structure into a large debris pile that FOHRA will now sort and salvage.
FOHRA members organized the material content into sorting locations that included metal, glass, wood, asphalt tiles, etc. The volunteers intend to reuse as much of the original materials as possible for the barn's restoration.
Heavy lifting equipment from volunteer group member Dean Sutton was used to begin dismantling the large debris field. The machinery makes short work of what seems to be an insurmountable task.
FOHRA's efforts within the Highland Recreation Area are guided with intentions to reuse and reclaim as much of the park's historic structure's materials as possible, whenever possible. Discussion of salvage projects at member meetings, which occur on the 1st Wednesday of every month, is usually filled with "green" ideas for future efforts.
The green efforts are also financially smart. Salvaging valuable raw materials makes good cents (pun intended).
Seen below, even wood that is deemed unusable for now is being sorted and stored for it's final disposition.
Come join the efforts of the Friends of Highland Recreation Area to restore this barn and other historic structures from the era of Edsel Ford's Haven Hill Estate. See our website for membership info.... www.fohra.org. The next meeting of the group is at the White Lake Township community building on Wednesday, May 6 at 7 pm.
Above: FOHRA set up a tent for the WWAM crew during the rainy day at the Haven Hill Carriage House. Photo by Tom Slaga.
Above: FOHRA member Dean Sutton uses his heavy equipment to clear Haven Hill Road.
Above: The circle of Haven Hill Road after FOHRA and WWAM clean-up on March 7, 2009. Photo by Tom Slaga.
The Highland Recreation Area is a wonderful place to get outdoors in the winter! Beauty abounds in the form of amazing sites and sounds. The clean snow and skies left after the last few days of snow afforded me a great hike today.
The limbs of this large old oak tree stretched from right to left and formed an interesting pattern (above). The snow today was light and flaky. It glistened in the sun.
Snow snakes were seen slithering in the snow inside Highland Recreation Area on Saturday, December 20th. Have you ever heard of a "snow snake"? Do you think maybe it's a unique reptile that survives Michigan winters slithering in the snow? Have you ever seen one? Maybe you should watch out for them when "Cow Tipping" or "Snipe Hunting" in the Winter. I think maybe their skin is white and camouflages them so that they are rarely seen when a wintry blanket covers the ground...
Well those are some of the thoughts that I had when I was first presented with the concept of a Snow Snake. Mr. Dick Russell from the Clinton Valley Council of the Boy Scouts of America (Waterford, Michigan), and Chairman of the Chief Pontiac Trail Committee, explained to me that the snow snake is actually the main object in a Native American Indian winter game, wherein a wooden "snake" is sent hurtling down a track in the snow for maximum distance.
