EMERALD ASH BORER POEM INSTALLED ON KAGAWONG RIVER

I 'published' a poem about the emerald ash borer on the Kagawong River trail. I'm not sure how many people will read it, or even see it; it's interesting to think about what publishing means, and who is a reader.

The area around the river has many ash trees. They are important shade trees that support many species. It is also important culturally, providing wood for carving, basket-making, tool handles, and canoe-making. It was also the preferred wood for one of America's favourite games: baseball. The Emerald Ash Borer is migrating to our area, and is already in some local woodlots. Introduced on packing crates in 2002, the borer is slowly devastating the North American ash population: 8 billion trees and counting. The loss of the ash is significant. Along with global warming, the loss of canopy will contribute to warmer river water which will affect water ecology, plant and fish life.