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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-04-10 MinutesDraft minutes — Not yet approved by Committee NOTES OF MEETING OF SAMUEL WILMOT NATURE AREA MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE HELD TUESDAY APRIL 10, 2018 7:00 PM Present: Brian Reid Tom Hossie Kate Potter Meaghan Vandenbrink Leo Blindenbach Jim Cleland Rod McArthur Regrets: Councillor Corinna Traill Paul Davidson Suzanne Land Patrick Bothwell Staff Present: Peter Windolf 1. AGENDA MOVED: by Kate Potter SECONDED by Leo Blindenbach THAT: the agenda for April 10, 2018 be accepted CARRIED 2. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING Approval of Minutes MOVED: by Leo Blindenbach SECONDED by Tom Hossie THAT: the minutes of January 9, 2018 be approved CARRIED SWNA April 2018 minutes 3. UPDATES New member Rod McArthur Rod Mcarthur was appointed by Council in January and was welcomed officially to the committee. Rod has lived in Clarington for 45 years and is currently living in Bond Head. Rod is very familiar with the SWNA and committee activities. Great Lakes Atlantic Salmon Restoration presentation On Thursday February 22 the SWNA Committee hosted a public presentation at the Newcastle library to educate the public about the Great Lakes Atlantic Salmon Restoration project. More than a century after Atlantic Salmon were last seen in Lake Ontario, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), together with other partners, are working to bring Atlantic Salmon back to the lake. Atlantic Salmon were one of the first fish species in the Great Lakes wiped out by human activities. Decades of rehabilitation and pollution control improved the health of the watersheds, and years of research by MNRF and others demonstrated it was possible to restore Atlantic Salmon to the tributaries of Lake Ontario. Approximately 30 members of the public attended the presentation. The audience was very well informed and was very eager to ask questions of the presenters. Pooh Sticks Bridge Plaque In January Rod McArthur submitted a request for a plaque in memory of his wife Melanie, a long-time member of the SWNA Committee. Rod attended the meeting to personally make the request and will pay for the plaque. The SWNA Committee supported the request with the final location and wording to be determined through consultation between Rod McArthur and municipal staff. The plaque is now ready and will be installed on the north railing of the Wilmot Creek Bridge. Birdhouses Approximately 48 birdhouses were cleaned over the past two weeks by several of the committee members. It appears that 80-85% of the boxes were occupied in 2017. An additional 16 boxes have been donated and will be installed later in the week on the Toronto Street and Cobbledick sides of the SWNA. 4. ACTION ITEMS Soper Creek Wildlife Event The committee will be hosting a public event, themed around urban wildlife, on-site on Saturday June 9. Soper Creek Wildlife is a local group that rescues animals and does educational presentations. The event will take place just north of the Toronto Street parking lot from 10:30 -Noon. In case of rain the Dianne Hamre Recreation Centre has been booked from Noon-2:OOPM. SWNA April 2018 minutes Pollinator Event The SWNA committee will be hosting Let's Bee Friends!! a presentation about bees and other pollinators at the Diane Hamre Recreation Complex in Newcastle on Sunday April 15 at 2:OOPM. Entymologist Kayla Vizza and Apiarist Emily Rose will be the speakers. They will speak about bee biology and habits and the role they play as pollinators for a third of our food supply. Spring Clean-up The 2018 Spring Clean Sweep project is scheduled for Saturday April 21. The committee has register the SWNA as a location for our Operations Department to supply bags. Approximately 30 people have registered to participate at the SWNA. Brian Reid will meet participants at the Toronto Street parking lot at 10:OOAM. The clean-up will be followed by a community BBQ at the Newcastle Town Hall. OPG Planting Project On Saturday May 26 at 11:OOAM a project to plant 500 nectar plants will be held at Port of Newcastle Waterfront Park. This project is an extension to the planting that was done in 2017. OPG will be sponsoring the event to plant butterfly and pollinator friendly perennials. The event will be advertised on the SWNA and OPG's social media platforms. OPG will also contact Scout groups that have assisted on their planting projects in the past. Meghan, Brian and Rod have confirmed that they will be able to attend. Fall Monarch Tagging Following the success of the 2017 monarch tagging where 487 monarchs were tagged and inventoried, the committee has decided to tag monarchs again in 2018. Saturday September 8 has been determined as the date of the event with a rain date of Sunday September 9. Five hundred tags will be ordered from Monarch Watch later in the summer. Brian Reid is looking into a finding a donor to purchase butterfly nets to supplement those that we borrow from GRCA. Friends of Second Marsh festival In 2017 the SWNA Committee had a booth at a public event organized by Friends of Second Marsh at the McLaughlin Bay Wildlife Reserve in Oshawa. Approximately 450 people attended the event therefore it was a great opportunity for spreading information about the SWNA. This year's event will take place on June 2 and the committee will request a booth again this year. A map showing the various features of the SWNA will be displayed. Kate Potter will look into creating a map to direct people to the SWNA from outside of Clarington. Fishing line disposal containers Leo Blindenbach suggested that fishing line disposal containers be installed at the SWNA in locations convenient to anglers. Several of these, made from poly pipe, have been installed by Bowmanville anglers along the Bowmanville Creek. Leo will look into possible sponsors for the materials, and who could volunteer to build and install the containers. SWNA April 2018 minutes 5. OTHER BUSINESS None 6. MOTION TO ADJOURN MOVED: by Jim Cleland SECONDED by Rod McArthur THAT: the meeting be adjourned. CARRIED Adjournment 8:15 PM Next Meeting: Tuesday May 8 at 7:OOPM in 3C (meet in lobby) Notes prepared by: P.Windolf