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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-11-13 Minutes C40 O� Draft minutes—Not vet approved by Committee NOTES OF MEETING OF SAMUEL WILMOT NATURE AREA MANAGEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE HELD TUESDAY NOVEMBER 13, 2012 7:OOPM Present: (Voting) Karin Murphy Suzanne Land Jim Cleland Pat Mulcahy Councillor Corinna Traill Melanie McArthur Staff Present: Peter Windolf Regrets: Michael Goleski Bonnie Seto Brian Reid (Chair) Geoff James Absent: Warren May—MNR Greg Wells— GRCA Tim Lizotte 1. Agenda Acceptance of Agenda Jim Cleland requested that Wildlife be added to the agenda MOVED: by Suzanne land, seconded by Pat Mulcahy THAT: the agenda for November 13, 2012 be accepted. CARRIED 2. Minutes of October 9, 2012 Approval of Minutes MOVED: by Melanie McArthur, SECONDED by Jim Cleland THAT: the minutes of October 9, 2012 be approved. CARRIED SWNA November 2012 Minutes 2 2. Updates Site maps for Kiosks Most of the laminated maps have been taken and not returned to the kiosks. Instead of producing additional laminated maps the committee recommended providing non- laminated map that would include information about the SWNA on one side and a more basic map on the other. Forty of those maps were printed. Melanie McArthur will place 20 at the Toronto Street kiosk and Pat Mulcahy will place 20 at the Cobbledick kiosk Additional maps will be printed on an as needed basis in the future. Traffic Survey Results Brian Reid provided a spreadsheet for discussion at the meeting with results from the SWNA Traffic Survey that was undertaken from September 15 to October 9. The synopsis of the surveys identified that; - The highest number of vehicles, people, dogs and bicycles were all recorded at the Cobbledick entrance. This was not entirely surprising but it was expected the numbers at Toronto Street would be higher particularly because the survey coincided with salmon fishing season. - Toronto Street did have a higher number of walk-ins, presumably because of the proximity to the Port of Newcastle subdivision. - The overall volume of visitation via the Waterfront Trail was surprisingly low. - There are a lot of people with dogs using the SWNA. - Weekend volumes were significantly higher than weekday volumes. It was suggested that next year the committee should consider doing another survey for a similar period of time in the spring and at the height of the summer. It was also suggested that the survey form could be modified to make it easier to record the survey results. Melanie McArthur suggested that the survey could be done more intensely for a shorter duration, for instance over a one week period with more time slots. Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund An application to the Great Lakes Guardian Community Fund has been submitted requesting funding to improve the Lake Access Trail on the east side of the wetland. The trail currently has a woodchip surface but it requires replacement every few years. The application is for funding to replace the woodchips with a granular trail. Although no decision has been received regarding approval, a representative from the GLGCF phoned Clarington staff to obtain additional detail on the application. They are currently reviewing the application but gave no definitive date for completing their review. SWNA November 2012 Minutes 3 Fall Clean-up Typically the committee participates in a fall site clean-up. In recent years it has been part of the Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up. On Nov. 4 a group of fishermen picked up litter on the Toronto Street side, including the interior of the marsh. Other SWNA users and committee members routinely pick up litter at the site and the general observation was that the SWNA was fairly litter free. The committee decided that a fall clean-up event was not required this year and members were encouraged to continue picking up litter on an ad hoc basis. The committee agreed that a letter be sent to the organizer from the fisherman's group to thank them for their assistance again this year and that the information be posted on the SWNA Facebook page and blog. Wildlife Jim Cleland suggested that the committee do more to encourage wildlife habitat at the SWNA. He commented that while more members of the public have been using the SWNA he has observed a reduction in the amount of wildlife. The committee was asked to consider ways to enhance habitat and attract more wildlife to the SWNA. 4. Other Business Bird House Removal All of the birdhouses have now been removed. Brian, Jim and Karin will store them over the winter. 5. Motion to Adjourn MOVED: by Councillor Corinna Traill SECONDED by Suzanne Land THAT: the meeting be adjourned. CARRIED Adjournment: 7:45 P.M. Next Meeting: Tuesday December 11, 7:00 PM Notes prepared by P. Windolf