Virgil Martin, a planning information specialist with the Region of Waterloo, will be speaking at the Puslinch Historical Society on Oct. 4 about changes in the landscape over the past 25 years in Wellington County.
His presentation will be illustrated with slides taken over the years. By photographing sites under the same lighting, camera angle and time of day as historical photos, changes are immediately evident, and sometimes quite dramatic.
Martin is the author of Early History of Jacobstettel and Changing Landscapes of Southern Ontario. He has delivered seminars on the vegetation and wildlife of the Grand River basin, and writes for the GRCA publication Grand Strategy. He has a passion for natural history, especially birds, ferns and mosses.
The presentation – on Oct. 4 at 7:30pm at the Puslinch Township offices, 7404 County Road 34, Aberfoyle – is open to the general public.
In the 1980s, while working at Ampersand Printing in Guelph, Martin became intrigued with the possibilities inherent in the familiar concept of before-and-after photographs. He reasoned that carefully paired photos could be a very effective way of exploring long-term changes in the landscape.
