THE GOSLING FOUNDATION
In each issue of the Bruce Trail Magazine, two references can always be found: the BTC Honorary President is Philip Gosling, and a regular donor is the Gosling Foundation.
Veteran Caledon Hills BTC members will recognize Philip's name; he was one of the founders of the Bruce Trail, and also the first president of the Caledon Hills Bruce Trail Club. At the Devil's Pulpit at the top of the Forks of the Credit is a plaque in appreciation of his donations and just south of the Hockley Valley, the Gosling Forest recognizes the enormous contributions of volunteers over the years to the protection of Escarpment lands.
It was Philip who in 1962 took a year off work to move the Bruce Trail from merely a concept to a reality on the ground. He organized the first meetings, helped set up the first clubs, and contacted the first landowners for “handshake agreements.” Next year will mark the 50 th anniversary of this birth of the Trail.
But Philip's story does not end there. Like many before him, in his early adult years he was captured by the wonders of the natural world. Unlike most, however, Philip took that sense of wonder, nurtured it and paid it due respect through a like-long endeavour of service to conservation. In appreciation of the opportunities that Ontario provided, Philip established the Gosling Foundation in 1977 to further support, protect and share his joy in our wildlife and natural world.
Recent projects are mentioned on the Foundation's website. The first on a lengthy list is Philip's generosity to the Bruce Trail Conservancy, “protecting ecosystems along the Niagara Escarpment.” Also funded has been the start-up of four-credit integrated programs in secondary schools; these courses have a strong outdoor education and natural history component and are integrated through an environmental theme.
Additional support has gone to Local Land Stewardship Support, linking community foundations and land trusts to help their local land protection efforts, thereby strengthening efforts to ensure the long-term sustainability of acquired ecological property. Also helped has been Bird Studies Canada with funding for its substantial citizen-science volunteer force for field work in identifying Canada 's Important Birding Areas. An avid birder, Philip helps with the expansion of their educational programs, allowing the sharing of research insights and cultivating the thrill of viewing “wildlife on the wing.”
Also, at the University of Guelph 's Arboretum are the Gosling Wildlife Gardens , providing naturalized urban landscapes to inspire homeowners to invite wildlife into their back yards. The g ardens demonstrate different landscape plans and plant specimens and are well worth a visit.
Two very recent projects demonstrate Philip's on-going commitment to the natural world. This past fall, the Foundation donated $250,000 to name a new greenhouse in memory of one of the Arboretum's best-known horticulturalists, Henry Kock. Philip spoke at the dedication ceremony: “The naming of the greenhouse gave the Foundation the opportunity to remember Henry, and particularly, the important role he played in preserving native species, which always appealed to us.”
Perhaps the project which has generated the most interest in the past few years is the Foundation's support of the Elm Recovery Project at the University of Guelph . American elm trees were wonderfully suited to urban environments, lining boulevards and lending city centres the kind of distinguished beauty and stately grace that few other tree species could provide. But starting in the 1930's in Canada and the United States , about 80 to 90 per cent of mature elm trees were destroyed by Dutch elm disease, a fungal infection that prevents nutrients from being transported to the trees' active growing parts.
Now with support from the Gosling Foundation, a plant conservation research program in the Plant Cell Technology Lab at the University of Guelph is aiming to bring the American elm population back. And the elm is just the starting point: this technology may help preserve thousands of other endangered plant species around the world. Cell culture technology allows researchers to select a germplasm, or collection of generic resources with the most desired traits. Currently, researchers are working to identify and develop a completely Dutch elm disease-resistant germplasm; from there, they will be able to grow thousands of genetically identical plants with the same disease resistance. The end goal is to gradually reintroduce these disease-resistant trees into their natural environment.
As Philip has said, “Hearing again the musical greeting calls of the Northern Oriole each spring from the stately elm tree will bring joy to all observers and naturalists.” Susan, Philip's wife, has been especially active in this project, and states that “We want to conserve and propagate the American elm and many other rare and endangered Canadian species so that we can start to replace what has been decimated along the way”
We must all be thankful for Philip and Susan's vision and generosity in helping to foster an appreciation of our natural world and to ensure the protection of land of particular ecological interest. They should be celebrated for what they have already achieved, and future generations will look back and realize how important a contribution they both have made.
Ross McLean
(sources of information: Gosling Foundation website, University of Guelph , and the Guelph Mercury)
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