Newsletter No.
33, March 2016
Contents
Annual General Meeting Conveners Report ..................... 2
Celebrating 125 Years of Yosemite National Park................ 4
Dunbar Grammar Schools Next California Visit .................. 6
John Muir Birthplace Welcomes 150,000th Visitor................ 7
Ohio Rotary Team To Visit John Muirs Birthplace .............. 8
An Ingenious Whittler John Muir the Inventor................... 8
John Muir Coast Festival ........................................................ 9
Muir Is Back and Walking His Way! ..................................... 10
Festival of Museums 2016 .................................................... 10
Coastwords Dunbar Literary Festival 2016 ........................ 11
Membership News ................................................................. 12
Exhibition
March 5th to July 31st
Annual General Meeting of 13 January 2016
Conveners Report
It is customary to begin the Conveners report by stating the aims of Friends of
John Muir Birthplace (FoJMB) as given in our constitution. These aims are:
to advance the education of the public concerning John Muir, as the
Dunbar-born pioneer of world nature conservation, and his belief in the
unique and irreplaceable value of wild places and wild creatures;
to implement John Muir's philosophy practically by conserving, restoring
and enhancing landscape and wildlife in East Lothian and Scotland and
supporting the work of the staff of John Muirs Birthplace.
Over the past year we have continued to further these objectives by:
Delivering a programme of talks and other events on John Muir and
environmental topics, both within and outwith John Muirs Birthplace.
Publishing regular newsletters containing items regarding John Muir,
environmental issues and the work of JMB; circulated to members,
available at the Birthplace and online on the Friends website1.
Liaising with people and organisations of influence both locally and
nationally. Including: John Muir Birthplace Trust; John Muir Trust;
VisitScotland; Historic Scotland.
Being involved in local environmental initiatives such as the Dunbar
Woodland Group and Sustaining Dunbar.
Providing volunteers on a regular and ad hoc basis to support JMB staff
and to promote JMB both locally and further afield.
Full details of the highlights over the past year have been given in the
newsletters published during 2015 and the archive of all past issues is
available via the FoJMB website2.
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http://muirbirthplacefriends.org.uk
http://muirbirthplacefriends.org.uk/newsletters/past/
The events that FoJMB have helped to organise and deliver include:
Will Collins invited talks about Muir throughout the year. The recipients
of these talks included:
o Dunbar Primary School (Assembly) [400+]
o Leith History Society [30]
o University of the Third Age (U3A) Groups [225]
o Probus Clubs of North Berwick [50] and Portobello [45]
So, over 750 people attended the above events, an increase of 50% over
last years outreach numbers.
April 21st the unveiling of the most recent of Historic Scotlands
commemorative plaques, acknowledging the link between a building and
a famous Scot. Muir and his birthplace were a fitting choice.
April 27th: launch of John Muir: A Colourful Life.
June 26th: launch of Walking the East Lothian John Muir Way.
Welcoming visitors
o E.g. 21st and 22nd May visit by John Muir Association, Martinez.
Celebrating the 21st Anniversary of the foundation of Dunbars John
Muir Association, the original name of the Friends of John Muirs
Birthplace, on 27th July 2015.
August 23rd: Annual Sand Sculpture Competition.
Celebrating the 21st Anniversary of the public launch of Dunbars John
Muir Association on 29th September 2015.
October 23rd: John Muir Concert by the andante Chamber Choir.
Stop press: the opening of the Friends of John Muirs Birthplace
Yosemite 125 exhibition in the John Muir Birthplace Museum on 6th
January 2016.
The success of the Birthplace is due, of
dedication of the museum staff and, also,
voluntary basis. Their heroic efforts have
Green Tourism award and the Scottish
attraction status.
course, to the hard work and
the Friends that help out on a
maintained the museums Gold
Tourist Board five star visitor
Id like to thank all my fellow Council members - past and present - for their
tireless efforts in promoting Friends and the Birthplace.
Best wishes for 2016.
Duncan Smeed
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Celebrating 125 Years of Yosemite National Park
A Friends Temporary Exhibition
Following intense campaigning and as a direct result of John Muirs essays
specially written for Century Magazine, The Treasures of the Yosemite
(August 1890) and Features of the Proposed Yosemite National Park (Sept.
1890), the legislation creating Yosemite National Park was passed in
Washington on 1 October 1890. It had followed the first US National Park,
Yellowstone, established on 1 March 1872. By a quirk of fate, legislation
establishing Yosemites near neighbour Sequoia National Park was passed on
25 September 1890, beating Yosemite into third place by a mere six days.
Friends decided to put together an
exhibition
marking
the
125th
anniversary of creation of Yosemite
National Park and it opened on 6
January. It looked at the geological
history of the Yosemite area and its
settlement, post glaciation, by Native
Americans as early as 8,000 BC. It
recorded some of the first white settlers
such as James Mason Hutchings who
organized the first tourist visits to
Yosemite Valley in 1855; mountain man Galen Clark, the first protector of
the Valley after it was ceded to California by President Lincoln in 1864 for
public use, resort and recreation; Scotsman George Anderson, in 1875 the
first person to reach the top of Half Dome; and Bridget and John Degnan
whose bakery, first established in the 1890s, became the Valleys premier store
and restaurant and which still operates today.
There were sections on early painters
such as Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902),
Thomas Hill (1829-1908), Thomas
Moran (1837-1926) and William Keith
(1838-1911); and on photographers
including C L Weed (1824-1903),
Carleton
Watkins
(1829-1916),
Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904) and
Harry Cassie Best (Ansel Adams
father-in-law).
It was through the
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works of these and others that the grandeur of the Yosemite area, and the need
for its protection, became known throughout the USA, attracting a slowly
growing flow of tourists which now brings over 4 million annually to visit
Yosemite National Park.
Included is the huge part played
by John Muir to the creation of
Yosemite National Park in
1890, the incorporation of
Yosemite Valley into the Park
in 1906 and the formation of the
National Parks Service in 1916.
Muirs contribution from his
first visit in 1868, through his
years as a Valley resident in the
1870s and his meeting there
with President Roosevelt in
1903, to his death in 1914
formed one of a number of time lines in the exhibition tracing out the Parks
125 years.
In recognition of the ongoing link between Dunbar
Grammar School and Yosemite, a PowerPoint slide show
took visitors into the heart of the Park. It used 35 of the
amazing images captured by former DGS student Euan
McIntosh during the last visit by a group of senior
students and staff in 2014.
Dunbar Grammar Schools Next California Visit
Back in 2004, Dunbar Grammar Schools head teacher Don Ledingham
proposed a summer visit by senior students and staff to California. The group
would follow in some of John Muirs footsteps and include visits to Martinez
and Yosemite Valley, as well as spending time in San Francisco. The visit to
Martinez would include a stay with local families and a day at the John Muir
National Historic Site, Muirs family home. In Yosemite, the group would be
accommodated in the Yosemite Valley Elementary School, sleeping en
masse in the assembly hall! (Groups from the Valley school had already been
visiting Dunbar although sadly these visits have seemingly come to an end.)
While in Yosemite, it was planned for the group to make a high level hike,
sleeping under the stars as John Muir often did.
That first trip was hugely successful and provided the blueprint for subsequent
biennial visits. The main change has been to reduce the time spent in San
Francisco with more spent in Yosemite. Visiting every two years ensures that
all senior students have the opportunity to take part and there is a growing
number of staff who have accompanied the groups.
This year brings the seventh
visit, scheduled for 23 June
to 8 July. There are 22
students taking part, with 15
from fifth year and 7 from
sixth year, accompanied by
five members of staff. 22 of
the 27 visited the Birthplace
on 11 February when
Pauline Smeed and Will
Collin spoke about the formation of the Valley, its topography and history, and
John Muirs contribution towards its conservation. Friends Council at its
February meeting agreed that each of the group should be given copies of our
wee books Close to Natures Beating Heart and Still Walking the World,
funded by part of the proceeds from the October choral concert. The books
were presented to the visitors at the end of the afternoon by our President Jim
Thompson. The possibility of the group putting on an exhibition in the
Birthplace after their return to give visitors a glimpse of the groups
experiences was discussed. It is hoped that this will take place sometime in the
autumn. We will keep you informed.
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John Muir Birthplace Welcomes 150,000th Visitor
Another milestone was reached on 18 February with the 150,000th visitor to
the Birthplace coming through the door at lunchtime. Staff were on the
lookout and when the ten visitors from the Musselburgh based CHANGES
arrived the magic number was passed. CHANGES is a Community Health
Project, founded in 1996, which promotes the positive wellbeing of people
living in East Lothian.
150,000 since 23 August 2003
averages out to around 12,000 per
year but the numbers are steadily
increasing.
We reported the
arrival of the 100,000th in
February 2012 when a primary 5
class from East Linton Primary
School took us past that
milestone.
The pupils were
involved in a citizenship project
as part of their school curriculum.
This time the group consisted of
adults working towards the John Muir Award as part of the Edinburgh &
Lothians Greenspace Trusts (ELGT) Branching Out programme. This
innovative twelve-week outdoor activity programme is run by Forestry
Commission Scotland. It involves organised activities in woodland settings, in
this case including conservation activities at Dalkeith Country Park and a visit
to the 18th century Redhall Walled Garden, on the banks of the Water of Leith,
in Colinton, on the west side of Edinburgh. On successful completion of the
course participants receive the John Muir Award.
Founded in 1991, ELGT is dedicated to improving the quality of life for our
communities by re-connecting people with their local green spaces. Its staff
often brings small groups to the Birthplace that, they have said, inspires those
setting out on one of Greenspaces many ventures. ELGT's programme of
environmental and community projects is very much in the spirit of John Muir,
helping to create and improve local greenspaces across Edinburgh and the
Lothians. ELGT provide a comprehensive range of environmental project
development, management and fundraising services, helping to ensure that
everyone has an equal opportunity to enjoy their natural environment.
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Ohio Rotary Team To Visit John Muirs Birthplace
A Rotary Group Study Exchange (GSE) team from Ohio will be visiting
Dunbar Rotary Club from Tuesday 22 to Tuesday 29 March as part of a fiveweeks visit to Scotland. Rotarys GSE programme is a cultural and vocational
exchange opportunity for young business and professional men and women in
their initial years of professional life. Each group consists of a Rotary team
leader and four non-Rotarians between the ages of 25 and 40. The leader is
Dr. Julie McIntosh a native of Findlay, Ohio. She received her Doctor of
Education degree from Bowling Green State University, has worked for The
Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and currently serves as the Dean of the
University of Findlays College of Education. The team members are Sarah
Jackson (Marketing), Emily Sanlow (Lawyer), Emily Goetschoius (Field
Archaeologist) and Joy Walk (Librarian).
A full timetable of vocational and cultural events has been organized by the
Dunbar club and on Good Friday the visitors along with local Rotarians will be
shown around John Muirs Dunbar and Dunbar Town House by Friends Jim
Thompson and Will Collin before finishing with a visit to the Birthplace.
There does not seem to be any connection between Ohio and John Muir
although Parma, a 80,000-inhabitant suburb of Cleveland, on the shores of
Lake Erie, has a John Muir Elementary School.
An Ingenious Whittler
John Muir the Inventor
The latest exhibition at John Muir's Birthplace
is An Ingenious Whittler - John Muir the
Inventor. It opened on Saturday, 5th March and
will run until July 31st. The exhibition
highlights some of Muirs wonderful
inventions including clocks, barometers, chairs
and an 'early rising machine'!
Come along, be inspired, and take away your
own blueprint for an ingenious invention.
John Muir Coast Festival
Based around John Muir's many quotes praising an active outdoor lifestyle, the
John Muir Festival has been created around East Lothian''s outdoor sports
offering. The festival takes place on Saturday 23rd April & Sunday 24th April
and features a range of events. More details of the following are available at
the http://www.johnmuirfestival.co.uk website.
Saturday 23rd April
John Muir Ultra Marathon, Foxlake Adventures, Dunbar
Not for the faint hearted! Get your running shoes on and break the challenge
of 30 miles along the stunning John Muir Way.
Foxlake Adventure Festival, Foxlake Adventures, Dunbar
Family fun day with world class wakeboarding, local food & drink and a
fantastic line-up of tribute acts and the opportunity to come and have a go at
wakeboarding and segway. Fun for all the family!
John Muir Music and Rock Stacking Event
Join us for a beach site concert, interactive art installations and Scotland's first
ever rock stacking competition.
Nike Performance Centre Open Day, Archerfield Golf Club, Dirleton
Come along to the world's only Nike Performance Fitting Centre and grab your
opportunity to get into golf or brush of those skills.
Saturday 23rd April & Sunday 24th April
The John Muir Surf Competition, John Muir Country Park, Dunbar
Hosted by Coast to Coast Surf School, an exhibition of Scotland's best surfing,
longboard and paddleboard talent.
Coast 2 Coast Watersports Taster, John Muir Country Park, Dunbar
Your opportunity to come along and try your hand at surfing and
paddleboarding and enjoy the beauty of East Lothian from the Firth of Forth.
Muir Is Back and Walking His Way!
Lee Stetson (see www.johnmuirlive.com) is Walking the John Muir Way from
April 27th until May 15th, with his finale appearances in Dunbar for Festival of
Museums weekend.
The John Muir Way is a coast-to-coast route stretching 134 miles across
Scotlands heartland, from the Firth of Clyde at Helensburgh in the west
through to John Muirs birthplace on the North Sea at Dunbar.
Along the Way, Mr. Stetson, as Muir, will perform at a variety of venues,
relating stories of his earliest years in Dunbar, his boyhood in the wilderness of
Wisconsin, his truly astonishing adventures in the American West, and of his
heroic battles to preserve wild lands.
Festival of Museums 2016
Adventures with John Muir - an exciting weekend of
Minecraft, Lego and Living History!
Celebrating the centenary of the creation of the US National Parks we will be
exploring the connections between John Muirs formative years growing up in
Dunbar, his epic adventures as an adult and his legacy that lives on today
through National Parks worldwide and campaigns to protect wild places.
Information about ticket sales, etc., will be available from early April.
Friday 13th May. John Muir Minecraft - SE Scotland ComputerXplorers
will lead a workshop using MinecraftEdu. Children will work together offline
in our own Minecraft world hosted on a local server to explore John Muirs
Dunbar. Suitable for Primary 4-7. Ticketed event.
Saturday 14th May. John Muirs Dunbar in Lego! Join us on a walk around
John Muirs Dunbar as we record Johns scootchers and daring adventures
with the help of Lego! We will take you to the places where John had some of
his most epic childhood adventures. Come to Dunbar Town House Museum &
Gallery after your walk for our big Lego build session. We will have historic
images and quotes from Muirs book The Story of My Boyhood and Youth to
inspire our Lego version of John Muirs Dunbar. Dont forget a camera so that
you can share your Lego John Muir adventures with friends through social
media. Suggested donation 2 person or 5 family. Booking essential.
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Sunday 15th May. Spirit of John Muir performance by acclaimed
Yosemite National Park performer Lee Stetson. Dunbar Parish Church.
3pm. The finale to Stetsons (http://www.johnmuirlive.com/) walk along the
John Muir Way. The show is a fun romp through some of the very best of
Muir's greatest adventures in his beloved wilderness, while exploring Muirs
boyhood in Dunbar and his contribution to todays environmental awareness
and the need for responsible stewardship. Muirs greatest adventures included
dancing the highland fling while caught in a blizzard on top of a mountain,
ridding an avalanche down a Yosemite Valley canyon wall, encounters with a
mighty earthquake and a bear, dangerous Alaskan ice crevasses, snow
blindness, and much more - all liberally salted with Muir's wilderness
philosophy. It will certainly have a few outrageous adventures, a good deal of
humour, and a bit of righteous indignation but will be suitable for adults and
children from 5 years. Ticketed event.
Coastwords Dunbar Literary Festival 2016
CoastWord is a Dunbar-based writers group, run by a group of enthusiastic
volunteers. They held their first Dunbar Literary Festival in 2013 and have
gone on from strength to strength. This years festival is from Friday 27 May
to Sunday 29 May and tucked away in their programme is the following:
John Muirs The Story of My Boyhood and Youth
Saturday 28th May3, 11am to 12pm at The Dunmuir Hotel. Tickets*: 3
Will Collin, a Trustee of the John Muir Birthplace Trust, will introduce
Dunbars most famous son, and his memoir, The Story of My Boyhood and
Youth. He will follow the reading with reflections on Muirs legacy. Muir is
a role model for people of all ages, demonstrating that increasing age is not a
barrier, but presents another series of opportunities.
* CoastWord say that to purchase tickets for any of this years events online go
to their website www.coastword.co.uk. Tickets can also be purchased directly
at their Pop-Up Box Offices. They advise keeping an eye on the their
website or Facebook page4 for details of where and when these box offices will
pop up! The CoastWord website also has links for all this years artists.
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http://www.coastword.co.uk/saturday
https://www.facebook.com/coastwordfest
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Membership News
Online Delivery of Newsletters
A significant number of Friends have opted out of receiving paper copies of
the Newsletter and now read the online version5 instead. This is a significant
saving since the production and delivery cost of the Newsletter is now a
substantial proportion of the membership subscription. If you still receive
paper copies of the newsletter and would like to opt out of receiving paper
copies in the future then please do let us know.
Membership Renewal Reminders
Friends Council hopes that the initiatives, events and publications that are
produced to help promote Muirs life and work and that support John Muirs
Birthplace have been of interest to the membership. If our records show that
your membership is due for renewal then a subscription form will be included
in this newsletter mailing.
FRIENDS CONTACTS
Official address: Friends of John Muirs Birthplace, John Muirs Birthplace,
126 High Street, Dunbar EH42 1JJ: tel: 01368 865899
Friends Email: [email protected]
Friends Website: www.muirbirthplacefriends.org.uk
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