HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-04-12SAMUEL WILMOT NATURE AREA
MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF MEETING OF APRIL 12, 2021 7:00 P.M.
VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS
Note: the date of this meeting was changed ( from Tuesday April 13th ) by the
Chair with the agreement of all members to accommodate a conflict with
another meeting .
Present: Brian Reid, Ken Mercer ( staff ), Kate Potter, Leo Blindenbach, Tom
Hossie, Patrick Bothwell, Rod McArthur
Regrets: Carrie -Anne Atkins, Maggie Luczak
Absent: Councilor Corinna Trail ( conflict with Council meeting )
Acceptance of the Agenda: moved by Kate Potter, seconded by Tom Hossie that
the agenda, with additions noted below under Other Business, be accepted.
CARRIED.
Minutes of Previous Meeting: moved by Patrick Bothwell, seconded by Rod
McArthur, that the minutes of the meeting of March 9, 2021, be approved.
CARRIED.
Correction to the Minutes of February, 2021: Brian advised that the portion of
the minutes from March 9t" that dealt with the issue of winter maintenance of
the trails contained an error. The minutes indicated that the Council Resolution
proposing clearing of the trails during the winter specifically stated that salt
was NOT to be used during the process. A review of the resolution indicated
that reference to salt was NOT included in the wording.
Status Reports/Updates:
Probus Hiking Group: Brain advised that the group hike referred to in last
month's minutes was cancelled by the organizers because of the changing rules
relating to the number of people permitted at an outdoor event. It is expected
that the group will reschedule later in the season.
Presentation to the Canadian Wildlife Federation:
Brian reported that he had made a presentation on April 6t" to Managers and
staff of the CWF's Right -of -Way Habitat Restoration Program, relating to
SWNA's work in establishing our wildflower/pollinator garden. Other presenters
included the City of Calgary, B.C. Hydro, the City of Cornwall and a group from
from Oshawa. The presentation was well received and was an excellent
opportunity to showcase our efforts and establish contacts for the future .
Bird Box Cleanout/Monitoring:
Leo, Rod and Brian completed this task on April 8t". It was noted that many of
the boxes were empty. This was a major concern because our occupancy rate
has traditionally been very high ( approximately 95% ) It appears that someone
had undertaken to clean out many of the boxes without our knowledge.
Although the effort is appreciated, it does undermine our ability to measure
occupancy rates. We will endeavor to determine who was responsible so that
occupancy data might be retrieved and so we may tactfully suggest that
permission be obtained in future.
Orono Times Article:
It was noted that an article pertaining to the establishment of the wildflower
garden, and featuring lead committee member Leo Blindenbach and volunteer
Kirk Kemp, had appeared in the most recent edition of the Orono Times.
Butternut Tree Planting: Ken had previously advised us that a developer will be
planting a number of butternut trees in a specified part of the SWNA as
compensation for having wrongly removed such from another project. Ken will
keep us advised on the timing and progress of this effort.
South Lookout: repair/partial replacement of this structure has been budgeted
for this year. Although the timing for the required work has not yet been
established, the committee requested that it be given priority given the high
degree of usage of the trails .
Deadfall removal: Committee members had reported a large tree which had
fallen over a portion of trail west of the treatment plant. Ken advised that his
department had remedied the problem as of the time of this meeting.
Spring Cleanup: this annual project, involving SWNA, the Port of Newcastle and
the community of Bond Head, originally scheduled for April 17t", has been
cancelled by the organizers because of covid restrictions. However, volunteers
are encouraged to do whatever cleanup they can on their own time. It appears
that many are already doing that on a regular basis . Our own monitoring of the
trails recently reveals that they are relatively litter free. Patrick offered to check
the creekbanks and pathways in the coming days since this is an area not easily
visible from the main trails network and is often heavily littered by anglers.
Spring Planting: after considerable discussion, it was decided that the
committee will proceed with this year's planting initiative on May 29t" , but on a
more limited scale due to covid restrictions. We will concentrate on infilling
existing planted areas rather than expanding the scope of planting. As we have
done in previous years, members will mark the locations for planting with
florescent paint and probably pre dig most of the holes. Brian will follow with
OPG and the supplier re timing, delivery and number of plants.
Moth Night:
Member Tom Hossie had introduced the idea of holding an " event " in July
focusing on live -capturing, identifying and recording the incredible variety of
moths that inhabit the nature area. He has undertaken this previously and is
prepared to take the lead role in doing it on a larger scale, subject to covid
restrictions . This is an excellent way of increasing our educational role , of
gathering data and expanding our inventory of flora and fauna within the
SWNA. The committee agreed to proceed. Tom does not expect a great deal of
preparation will be required. Promotion, however, will be important.
Other Business: as identified at the beginning of this meeting, three other items
were added to the agenda.
Monarch Tagging: Tom advised the committee that he had received information
that two of the monarchs tagged last fall at SWNA. The overall number of
monarchs recovered this winter in Mexico and enroute is well below that of
previous years. However, this appears to be the result of covid restrictions
limiting the number of people involved in the recovery effort rather than to any
particular decline in overall numbers of monarchs completing the migratory
journey.
Request from University Student to conduct Research:
Ken advised that he was in receipt of a request from a university student from
Queen's to conduct research at the SWNA concerning two invasive species:
dog -strangling vine and garlic mustard. He committee is supportive of the
request and Tom Hossie will act as our direct liaison with the individual to
ensure understanding of the scope of the research etc.
Round Table:
Kate introduced the idea of including a few moments at each meeting for
members to share any individual experiences, thoughts or comments not
necessarily part of our agenda. This was readily agreed to and will become a
standing item for future meetings beginning with the current one:
Kate: talked about recent walks with her family through the nature area and the
many interesting things they had observed. She related this to the importance
for children in particular to have a way of connecting with nature during a time
when they have been very much " housebound ".
Rod: spoke about observing a beaver near his home on Graham Creek and
enquired about whether such were active at the SWNA. To and Brian
responded that they had both seen beaver along the creek — as well as the signs
of their presence. Ken pointed out that controlling the beaver population is an
ongoing issue throughout Clarington.
Leo: noted that some of the large rocks at the entrance to the waterfront trail
had been moved . He requested that they be replaced because tire tracks had
bee observed inside the nature area in that vicinity. Ken will investigate.
Similarly, the plastic fencing accessing the storm drainage pond below the
Toronto Street parking lot needs to be replaced — or some other barrier
installed.
Rod: asked Ken whether we had any type of operational budget as a committee.
Ken responded that he believed we had a standing $500 amount assigned each
year.
Brian: asked Ken if he could acquire a dozen 8 foot t-bars to be used for birdbox
placement. Some are now on wooden stakes which are deteriorating; others are
shorter than required.
Next Meeting: Tuesday May 111". This will be am ONSITE meeting, location TBD,
and will start at 6:30 p.m.
Adjournment: moved by Kate Potter, seconded by Leo Blindenbach, that the
meeting be adjourned.
Carried
The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m