Forest operations manager John Watson checks damage at the Morgan Arboretum. PHOTO: CLIFF SKARSTEDT

Macdonald Campus relatively unscathed

DANIEL McCABE | Staff and students were counting their blessings at Macdonald Campus last week. While big chunks of the West Island went without power for several days, McGill's St. Anne de Bellevue campus -- home to the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences -- fared reasonably well during the ice storm's aftermath. Macdonald's farm briefly lost its electricity before back-up generators kicked in. The Weather Radar Observatory was out of commission for a week. The Ecomuseum, which houses a variety of animals, also lost power. Not much of a hardship for the facility's hardier occupants such as raccoons, but some of the more vulnerable animals had to be relocated to warmer quarters. About 12 snakes took up temporary residence in Patrick Blue's office. "I'm not all that fond of snakes per se, but that's what campus security is for -- to provide support," says Blue, the coordinator of security at Macdonald. The snakes stayed toasty in tupperware-type containers. They were kept company by a pair of cockatoos who also set up house in Blue's office. "They belonged to one of my men and he lost his power." While Macdonald was fortunate in many respects, the Morgan Arboretum -- a heavily forested area used for teaching and research purposes and which also offers hiking and ski trails -- sustained major damage. Many of the arboretum's trees buckled under the weight of the accumulated ice from days of freezing rain. In addition, a major power line that services the arboretum went down. "The damage is devastating," says Dean of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Deborah Buszard. "We've had to close the arboretum completely until further notice -- it's really dangerous for people to be there right now. There is a tremendous amount of clean-up work to be done. "It's not immediately clear what will survive," says Buszard. "We'll be pruning the trees, trying to maintain and bring back what we can, but many of the trees that have lost limbs are at risk for fungus and infections." Farms throughout Quebec and eastern Ontario have been hit hard by the ice storm and the resulting blackouts -- some rural communities won't see electricity for weeks yet. Without power, milking equipment on dairy farms hasn't been functioning, food stored for livestock has gone bad and pumps used to supply animals with water aren't usable. In some cases, farmers have had to kill most of their animals as a result of disease outbreaks. "It's a catastrophic situation for farmers," says Buszard. "The impact on Quebec agriculture is going to be huge." She received a phone call last week from the Westmount Rotary Club -- they wanted to send power generators to farmers and sought her advice in how to go about doing it. "That put the thought in my head that we could do something ourselves to help out," says Buszard. The dean raised money to buy more generators by phoning foundations and companies that have worked with her faculty in the past. The Macdonald Stewart Foundation, the McConnell Foundation and the Louis Johnston Foundation all quickly pledged their support. The Development and Alumni Relations Department made sure that donations were speedily processed and Macdonald staff worked with Quebec farmers' associations to distribute high-power generators to farms in desperate need. The first 50-kilowatt generator purchased by McGill was sent to St. Hyacinthe on Monday and Buszard expects to be able to buy and distribute 10 to 20 in all. Students at Macdonald have also done their part to help others in need of assistance. A group of 20 students from the Laird Hall residence organized an impromptu shelter for people in the area who needed food and lodging during the blackout. "These kids were fantastic," says Joan Kavalarsky, the Macdonald Campus Students' Society's bookkeeper. "They did a terrific job. When they weren't cooking, they were making coffee or cleaning the dishes or mopping the floors." Kavalarsky, who lost power at her home and stayed at the makeshift shelter, did her part as well, helping out with the chores and finding some temporary lodging for some families in unoccupied offices in the Centennial Centre. At one point 90 guests -- ranging from young families with toddlers to octogenarians -- ate dinner at the shelter. About 50 individuals slept there on its busiest night. John Abbott College lent sleeping bags and mats, while Macdonald's athletics complex and the residence provided hot showers. Blue and his security officers helped drum up supplies. The menu for people staying at the shelter was fairly eclectic, according to Kavalarsky. The Macdonald farm donated dozens of fresh eggs for one breakfast. As individuals arrived at the shelter, they often brought food supplies from home. For one meal, cans of different flavours of soup were blended together. "It tasted surprisingly good," says Kavalarsky. "Maybe when you're cold, you're not as fussy." Animal biology student Joan Clark, the assistant director of Laird Hall, led the organization of the shelter, which ran for three days and nights. "We were all just happy to help out." Clark's own family, which operates a dairy farm in Clarenceville, expects to be without power for two more weeks. "I was so impressed by how hard our people worked through this," says Buszard. "I'm very proud of the staff and students in this faculty."