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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-09-14 MinutesI-4 Draft minutes =Not vet approved by Cotnxnittee NOTES OF MEETING OF SAMUEL WILMOT NATURE AREA MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE HELD ON TUESDAY SEPTEMBER i4, 2010 AT 7:00 P:M. Present: (Voting) John Stoner-Chair Karin Murphy -Vice Chair David Best Joe McKenna Jim Cleland Staff Present: Peter Windolf Regrets: Arthur Burrows , Absent: Warren May - MNR Councillor Willie Woo 1. Agenda Additions Trails and parking lot issues Acceptance of A eg nda MOVED by David Best, seconded by Karin Murphy THAT the agenda for September 14, 2010 be accepted. CARR~D 2. Minutes of May 11, 2010 Corrections There were no corrections to the minutes Approval of Minutes MOVED by Shirley Minifie, seconded by Jim Cleland THAT the minutes of May 11, 2010 be approved. CARRIED Dan Stanoi. Shirley Minifie Brian Reid Pat Mulcahy Greg Wells - GRCA 2 3. Issues arising from the Minutes There were no issues arising from the minutes. 4.. Sub-Committee reports None 5. Updates Trails Open .Re-cap ' The Trails Open Event was organized in conjunction with the Clarington Branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario. Guided trail walks at the SWNA were offered by SWNA committee members on June 5 and 6. The site was profiled in the Trails Open guide. This was the, first year of Trails Open which is an offshoot of Doors Open events that are already well established in Ontario. The guided walks at the SWNA were poorly attended however the exposure the SWNA received from the trails Open Guide may help .to increase the knowledge and use~of the area. The popularity of the Doors Open events in Clarington held on the same weekend may have been a reason that the Trails Open event at the SWNA was poorly attended. Participation next year will be reviewed at a future meeting. Scheduling the event to not conflict with Doors Open may increase participation in 2011. MNR Rangers Re-cap On July 15 and 16, a crew of five Ontario Stewardship Rangers worked at the Samuel Wilmot Nature Area along with members of the SWNA Committee. The Stewardship Rangers program is an eight week summer program operated through the Ministry of Natural Resources for students. The Rangers work on a variety of natural resource management prof ects, including: • creating wildlife habitat • building fish spawning beds • removing invasive species • cleaning up streams • maintaining hiking trails This is the fourth straight year that the Rangers have worked at the SWNA. This year's projects included spreading woodchips on the trails leading to the barrier beach on both the east and west sides of the SWNA and around the Cobbledick kiosk, removing old sections of metal farm fence, clearing vegetation from around interpretive signs and benches, and mulching newly planted trees. Some concerns were expressed by the committee about the Rangers lack of equipment and arrival times. Both issues will be brought to the attention of the program leader prior to committing for 2011. Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-un Shirley has officially registered the SWNA as a site for 2010 Clean-up which is scheduled at the SWNA for September 2S at 10:00 AM. The following members have volunteered to clean-up on the east side; Joe, Karin, P.at. The following members have volunteered to clean-up on the west side; Dan; Brairi, John and Shirley. Spouses and friends are also encouraged to attend. Peter.will obtain heavy duty trash bags and confirm if Operations wants the recyclables separated from the trash.. A notice inviting public participation will be placed on the Cobbledick kiosk and the entrance sign at Toronto Street. 2011 Capital Budd . The committee discussed possible 2011 projects. There is approx. $28,000 remaining in the Samuel Wilmot Nature Area account that can be used for projects in 2011 provided they are approved in the 2011 Capital budget. Projects to be investigated for further discussion at the October meeting are: - An information kiosk on the Toronto Street side similar to the existing kiosk at the Cobbledick parking lot - Additional benches along the trails - A viewing platform on along the east edge of the marsh - A second Osprey nesting platform. Blog Updates The committee was reminded that if they have any information to post on the SWNA blog they can submit it to either Jennifer O'Donnell or Peter Windolf. Term of SWNA Committee The term of this SWNA Committee extends until the end of 2010 however the committee will not meet after the municipal election in October. Anew cominiftee is typically appointed by Council at one of the first meetings in the new term. The Clerks Department will advertise for positions on all municipal committees in November. Peter stated that the current committee contains some of the most dedicated members ever appointed to the SWNA committee. Applications will be brought to the October meeting for members that would like to re-apply. 4 6. Other Business Jim Cleland expressed concern that the barrier curbs in the Cobbledick parking lot are covered by vegetation and can't been seen when parking a car and some trees are overhanging the Toronto Street trail to the lake. The maintenance committee will attempt to rectify both of these issues prior to requesting assistance from Operations. Shirley Minify advised that she witnessed two boats in the marsh. When questioned, the boaters inforrn.ed her that they were participating in a fish inventory of the marsh. Peter will confirrr~ with CLOCA if this work was part of the Coastal Wetlands Monitoring project. Motion to Adjourn MOVED by Joe McKenna, seconded by Jim Cleland THAT the meeting be adjourned. CARRIED Adjournment: 8:~0 P.M. Next Meeting: Tuesday October 12, 2010 Notes prepared by P. Windolf