Story and photos by Ralph Curtis
In memory of Mr. Ruben Barsamian
I was first introduced to the land now known
as the Ottawa Wildlife Refuge more than 10 years ago. On a cool
autumn day, I rapped at the door of the house where Ruben Barsamian
lived. A meek-looking old man answered the door, and I asked permission
to hunt deer on his property. As I started to explain that I would
be willing to exchange hard work for his permission to hunt, the
old man cut me off and abruptly scolded, “O.K.! Be here next
Tuesday and bring a chainsaw if you have one!” This wasn’t
a frail old man at all! He was a strong man, determined to do things
his way, and was very stubborn when his mind had set a goal.
Ruben
always told me that he was going to preserve his land for generations.
He would say, “People need to start preserving and quit destroying,
before it’s too late!” Ruben had a dream of calling
his preserve the Ottawa Wildlife Refuge. In 2003, his dream became
reality. With help from the Knowles-Nelson
Stewardship Fund, the
Waukesha County
Land Conservancy was able to purchase the land.
Ruben had achieved his goal.
Years ago, Ruben had a group of us plant a few
thousand oaks and pines on the property. He handed us a power auger
and two wooden post-hole diggers, and we planted the hard way.
It took a little longer than if we had used a tree planter behind
a tractor, but the rewards of hard work and the feel of dirt in
our hands was worth the effort. While I planted, I would think
of the years that these fields were farmed and all the hard work
it must have taken to clear the land. Now I was helping nature
reverse the process.
This past year, the Waukesha County
Land Conservancy created new wetland wildlife habitat by filling
in some of the ditches on the property, which had been created
to prevent flooding back when the OWR was farmland. The resulting
ponds and wetlands were quickly utilized by wood ducks this spring.
Photographing this beautiful, shy waterfowl can be problematic,
but it is an enjoyable challenge to sit on the edge of a pond and
patiently wait these birds out.
 One
of the most memorable experiences I have had on the OWR was during
the “Invasion” of
2005—the influx of northern birds from Canada
due to factors such as weather or lack of food. In early March,
I was walking the refuge, camera in hand, enjoying the late winter
day and looking for nothing in particular. I noticed an unusual
clump in an aspen about 70 yards away. As I approached it, I recognized
the unmistakable silhouette of a perched Northern Hawk Owl. He
had flown all this way just to get his picture taken! An amazing
bird topped off an amazing day at the refuge.
I’ve been coming to the OWR to photograph wildlife
for 10 years now. To be able to pursue my passion on such a unique
property is extraordinary. I also continue to hunt whitetail deer
here each fall, and it is a comfort knowing that I will be able
to participate in deer management here for years to come. Recently,
while hunting on an oak ridge overlooking a swamp of tamarack,
I was taken aback by the uniqueness of the OWR. The 350-acre property
is as diverse as any other in this part of the state. Tangled swamps
feed rain water into ditches bordering the property. Oak openings,
pine stands, meadows, fields, and wooded drumlins are scattered
throughout the tamarack swamps, which are often full of whitetail
deer. This is the kind of place that rescues your mind when your
day at work becomes too hectic, or today’s fast-paced world
cripples your soul. There is peace of mind knowing that three-car
garages and upscale homes, which dominate the surrounding landscape,
will never invade this refuge.
Ruben Barsamian passed away during the summer
of 2005 at the age of 84. He was able to achieve what few of us
are capable of doing: making our dreams come true. Seeing his land
become the wildlife refuge of his imagination was the final chapter
in a lifetime of land stewardship. I am so very thankful that I
can continue visiting the land Ruben loved as I did when he was
alive.
The OWR appears to have a bright future, and
was lucky to be bypassed by development. This is all due to a gentleman
with a love of the land and the things that call it home, a group
of people who run a conservancy very professionally, and a Stewardship
Fund that made preserving this land all possible. Every interaction
I have on the refuge is a gift, a gift of conservation.
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