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2011 has seen many new and exciting things happening at the Haliburton Forest & Wildlife Reserve Ltd.

New Births at Haliburton Forest - 4 new wolf pups born at the Wolf Centre

To the delight of everyone at the Haliburton Forest and after 4 years without any new wolf pups, the Haliburton Forest wolf centre is proud to announce that 4 wolf pups were born on April 29, 2011.The 4 as yet unnamed pups, 2 male and 2 female brown and black in colouration were born in a small den on the north west corner of the 15 acre enclosure.

It took almost 6 weeks before the 4 healthy pups made their way to the viewing area. The wolf pups have been without a doubt the highlight of everyone's visit to the Wolf Centre.

While we do not guarantee sightings of any wolves let alone the pups; visitors to the Wolf Centre have been enthralled by the many antics of the young pups as they play with each other, bug the adults for food and chase butterflies.

For more information on the wolves of Haliburton Forest please click on the following website link - http://www.haliburtonforest.com/wolf.html

Be sure to check out our Face Book page to view images of the new wolf pups and Ms. Moose - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Haliburton-Forest-Wild-Life-Reserve/144312746326

Ms. Moose - Haliburton Forest becomes home to an orphaned female moose calf

In early June a cow moose was killed in a vehicle accident near Bancroft.  This resulted in the orphaning of two three week old female moose calves.

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources contacted the Haliburton Forest and asked if we would be interested in helping assist the two orphaned calves. Under the guidance of MNR staff biologist, Haliburton Forest agreed to take over care of the moose calves. By the time the two calves arrived at the Forest they were stressed and malnourished.  One of the calves unfortunately died within the first couple of hours.  The other calf has had a tough road to recovery but is now looking like she will make it.  The moose calf is being feed a combination of Moose Grower supplement; milk every 6 hours as well as veggies and fruit and lots of poplar leaves and twigs. At present the calf, affectionately named Ms. Moose by the staff is putting on about a pound a day. By the time the calf is full grown it will consume about 50 lbs of branches a day.

Ms. Moose is still quite shy of strangers but is quite accustomed to its caregivers.  It is the intention to keep Ms. Moose in captivity however should she decide it is time to leave we will do what is best for her. By August Ms. Moose should be up to meeting visitors and people can stop by for a short visit and take a few photos.

Moose Facts

Moose are the largest members of the deer family.

Large bull moose may reach a shoulder height of 6feet and weigh between 800 to 1800 pounds.

Female moose (cows) average between 700 and 800 pounds in weight and do not grow antlers. The cows are mature and mate yearly from two years of age onwards. After a gestation period of 240 to 246 days they usually give birth to one calf or occasionally to twins in May or June. If they survive moose may live to be 20 years of age.

Although moose mainly eat twigs from brushes and shrubs, their favorite food in summer is aquatic plants that grow in marshes and lakes.

There are 4 sub species of Moose in North America - the Yukon/Alaska moose is the largest, the Shiras Moose, the Western Canadian Moose and the species found in Haliburton County - the Eastern Canadian Moose.

The Eastern Canadian moose of Haliburton County are well suited to the wilderness regions of the County. Their long legs and wide flat hooves, allow them easy passage over all types of terrain. They can step over deadfall in the woods or effortlessly walk through deep snow that hinders most other large animals.

For more information on moose please click on the following informational link - www.mooseworld.com

Be sure to check back to our website as we will be providing regular updates on the progress of Ms. Moose.

Tennis Anyone - Haliburton Forest Resurfaces Tennis Courts

The tennis courts of Haliburton Forrest have just been resurfaced.  Located at Based Camp, the tennis courts are open to anyone visiting the Haliburton Forest as are seasonal memberships. So for those of you visiting the Forest and looking for opportunity of adding something different to your visit, why not play a round of tennis. Court times can be booked by contacted the Forest office at Base Camp.

Two new exciting projects for 2011 include the development of a non-timber forest product niche of Haliburton Forest & Wildlife Reserve Ltd. As the name suggests non-timber forest products are products of biological origin that aren't wood.

Haliburton Forest to produce North America's First Forest Honey

While the concept of forest honey is new to North America it is very widely known across Europe. The forest honey project in Haliburton Forest will be the first of its kind in North America.

Beekeepers in North America strive to set their apiaries (bee houses) up in agricultural areas to take advantage of agricultural crops when they bloom, our bees will be foraging on the native wildflower blooms, nectar from trees and honey dew. Aphids, scale insects and whiteflies, produce honeydew from the sap of trees and other plants. Honey from a forest source is generally darker, more flavorful and contains more minerals than traditional honey. It is also widely accepted that, people can reduce or eliminate plant allergy symptoms (hay fever) by eating honey produced in a forest source.

The bees of Haliburton Forest are also going to be the subject of a research project being conducted by The University of Toronto's Faculty of Forestry in conjunction with Haliburton Forest investigating the impacts that the non-native honeybee may have on naturally occurring pollinators.

Honey produced by the bees will be available for sale at Haliburton Forest and the Forest Store (located in the village of Haliburton)

Haliburton Forest Growing Shiitake Mushrooms

Shiitake Mushrooms are an edible Japanese variety of mushrooms that have a meaty texture and a smoky taste. Shiitake ("shii" means oak and "take" is mushroom in Japanese).

Shiitake Mushrooms are grown in small tree logs coined "mushroom bolts". Mushroom bolts consist of a 40" long piece of hardwood 4 - 6" in diameter with the bark still on.

Each bolt is inoculated with between 40-60 mushroom plugs containing thousands of mushroom spoors. The bolts need to be kept at approx. 40% moisture content for 8 months while the mycelia (fungus roots) grow and become established in the log. Bolts with established mycelia will be available for sale in the spring of 2012. After purchasing your bolt all you need to do is soak the bolt in water for 24 hours and two weeks later there will be a fruiting of fresh shiitake mushrooms. These logs can be fruited every 8 weeks (temperature permitting) for up to six years. Shiitake mushrooms are extremely nutritious; contain loads of anti-oxidants and other nutraceuticals. It is interesting to note that, the Shiitake mushrooms, grown outside have higher levels of several nutrients and it is felt this is due to the sunlight they are exposed to.

The forest mushrooms bolts will be available for sale at Haliburton Forest and the Forest Store (located in the village of Haliburton).

Non-timber forest production fits in well with the Haliburton Forest's goal of responsible stewardship and sustainability. Accordingly, there will be new non-timber forest products introduced in the future.

Stay tuned for more information on both the forest honey and the forest mushrooms.