by Bill Moses
This year is the 10th anniversary of Lorraine’s death.
The first meeting of Owen Sound Field Naturalists (OSFN) was held early in 1989. Lorraine Brown was the organizational kingpin and the first president. Very soon, the club had 70 members.
Lorraine has been referred to as the “mother” of the Owen Sound Field Naturalists. She was a steady helper in the annual task of conceiving, consolidating and delivering our indoor and outdoor programs. She was also a long time editor of the Hart’s Tongue Herald.
Freeman Boyd in Lorraine’s OSFN Life Member tribute stated that she was a patient and selfless mentor for many budding naturalists. That included me. She showed a sincere interest in my nature quests. Lorraine told me that she was seriously thinking of helping Joe Johnson write the book that he had talked about so often over the years. She had even gone to his home to determine if his handwriting was legible enough to work with and she determined that it was. To me that made it a worthy project and after her passing I decided to take it on.
Other people as well have taken up Lorraine’s example of service. John Dickson and Norah Toth immediately come to mind.
Lorraine’s Background
A Biology Degree and a Masters of Environmental Studies degree. Prior to moving to Owen Sound she spent 5 years working at the Canadian Museum of Nature and 5 years at the Ontario Science Centre
Author
She was an award winning free lance science writer and a member of the Canadian Science Writers Association.
She wrote the book “200 Years of Tradition: The Story of Canadian Whiskey”
Guide to the Geology of the Niagara Escarpment With Field Trips. Edited by Lorraine Brown. TOVELL, Dr. Walter M.
Musically
She was a singer, song writer, and could play several different musical instruments. She won the Ottawa Kiwanis Music Festival award for classical guitar in her early days as well as playing and singing at coffeehouses during her university days.
Amateur mycologist
Lorraine was famous for her knowledge of mushrooms and hosted innumerable outings and workshops related to mushroom identification. Bill Proud who sells “wild” mushrooms at the Owen Sound Farmer’s Market, was one of her students.
Curator and Exhibit Planner
(A curator’s job is to acquire, care for and develop a collection, to arrange displays of that collection and loaned works, and interpret that in order to inform, educate and inspire the public.)
Just a few of the places where Lorraine did this work:
- Canadian Pavilion Expo 92
- Seagram Museum in Waterloo
- Grey Roots Museum
- Niagara Parks Butterfly Conservatory in Niagara Falls
Some other organizations she played important roles in.
A Province of Ontario appointee to the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority. (At one meeting when a person asked the Board for permission to camp on Conservation land, Lorraine’s response was, “I think your request is outrageous!”)
Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory
A Province of Ontario appointee to the Ontario Parks Board
Roxy Theatre
North American Butterfly Association
Catalyst
Proposed (with others) to form a “Round Table for the Economy and the Environment” the purpose of which was “Sustainable Development for Owen Sound”.
Took a leading role in organizing a day-long seminar called Common Ground regarding land use problems in rural Canada.
National Trails Conference in Owen Sound. Chair of the conference hosted by The Ontario Trails Council and the City of Owen Sound and was involved in launching a Bruce Grey All Seasons Trails Network Master Plan.
Natural History Exhibit for the Meaford Tank Range.
Farm stewardship payment schemes
Niagara Escarpment Interpretive Centre and Grey County Heritage Centre.
Why did Lorraine work so hard on these projects. She said, “You’re rooted in a place, you care about a place. You care about the people there and you live in an area that you really like, you want to tell people about it.”
Educator
Took a leading role in the formation of the Owen Sound Field Naturalists (1989). She stated the organization would “provide a medium for outings and provide an opportunity for local residents to learn more about the environment. If and when environmental issues arise in things that need attention, we will be following that too as part of our mandate.”
Took a leading role in an Ontario-wide 5 year mammal census (an Owen Sound Field and Saugeen Naturalists project locally).
Took a leading role in building a 365 meter wheel-chair accessible elevated boardwalk at the Oliphant Fen, an Owen Sound Field and Saugeen Naturalists project.
Butterfly count organizer.
Bill Henry of the Sun Times reported, “Lorraine Brown plans exhibits for museums all over North America.”
Taking in the whole complexity of nature, just within the Great Lakes Region, Lorraine stated that the purpose was to “beat all of that down to something that is still meaningful and fun for kids”. In educating children I am sure, the larger purpose was to protect the planet.
“We will conserve only what we love. We love only what we know. We know only what we are taught.”
My message today is that we should not forget Lorraine’s contributions, especially the one she took most pride in, the formation of the Owen Sound Field Naturalists.
There was a celebration of her life 10 years ago at the Roxy on the first day of spring. We should name the first day of spring every year, Lorraine Brown Day. I know I am going to.
Thinking even bigger (something that Lorraine never backed away from doing) we should endeavour to fulfill her wish to get a property purchased that would be dedicated to encouraging kids (as she called them) to get closer to nature, the benefits of such are outlined in the novel, Last Child in the Woods while, at the same time, sensitizing future generations to the importance of looking after the natural world.
At this point, this is my own initiative! Bob Burnett of the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy also has expressed an interest in this idea.
The first step would be to identify a suitable property. That, in itself, would not require money (if that is thought to be an issue). Then we could go from there.
If anyone can come up with an idea for a suitable property over the next while it would really help.
