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Home My WebLink About2025-10-21Samuel Wilmot Nature Area Management Advisory Committee Minutes October, 21, 2025, 7:00 p.m. Room 1c Municipal Administrative Center or Microsoft Teams Present: Y/N Person Y/N Person Y Brian Reid (Chair) Y Leanne Fernandes Y Carmen Aeillo Y Lou Itier Y Councillor Margaret Zwart (Council Liaison) N Patrick Bothwell Y Kate Potter Y Tom Hossie (Vice Chair) Y Ken Mercer (Staff) Y Rod McArthur Y Leah Bourgeois Y Meg Vandenbrink Y Kayla Stephens Also Present: 1. Call to Order Brian called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. 2. Land Acknowledgement Statement Brian led the meeting with the Land Acknowledgement Statement. 3. Additions to the Agenda/Adoption of the Agenda Moved by Meg Vandenbrink, seconded by Tom Hossie That the Agenda be accepted, with the following additions: Committee Membership Participation to be added under Other Business. Carried 4. Declaration of Pecuniary Interest There were no disclosures of interest stated at this meeting. 5. Adoption of Minutes Moved by Rod McArthur, seconded by Carmen Aeillo That the minutes of the meeting of Date September 16, 2025, be approved. SWNAMAC - 2 - October 21, 2025 Carried 6. Committee Administration 7. SWNA Workplan Q3 a. Canadian Wildlife Federation Right of Way Program – Brian & Ken - Brian and Ken attended the annual meeting in Milton, where Brian shared the following takeaways: o Invasive Species: Prescribed burns are an effective method for management. o Butterfly Pollination: Roadways can have both positive and negative effects. Additionally, soil health plays a crucial role in pollination, though it is often overlooked. - Brian also has a contact he plans to share with Lou. Th ey are currently focused on the West end but have expressed interest in visiting our area. Q4 a. Monarch Tagging – Final Update - Tom shared an update on monarch tagging efforts: o While official numbers are not yet available, preliminary estimates suggest approximately 400 monarchs have been tagged. o Tom has asked anyone who tagged monarchs independently to submit their data sheets. Leah mentioned she has 22 monarchs recorded and will be sending her sheet. - Additional Notes from Tom: o Monarchs typically arrive in Texas by late October. During this time, domestic taggers may recapture tagged monarchs, contributing to a semi-live tracking list known as Domestic Recovery. o Overwintering tag recoveries occur in February of the following year, which is when official tagging numbers are released. o Tom also noted that monarchs tagged in the current year may not be recovered until 2–3 years later, at which point they are added to the overwintering data. b. Photo Contest – Kayla - Two entries have been submitted so far. - Kayla has sent the updated poster-Ken will handle printing, and Brian will put them up in the trails. c. Fall Cleanup – November 1 or 15 – Brian - November 15 has been set as a tentative date. Plan to meet in the SWNAMAC - 3 - October 21, 2025 Toronto Street parking lot at 10:00 AM, with the activity expected to last approximately 1–2 hours. - Brian will confirm whether this is still needed as we get closer to the date. d. Christmas Bird Count – to be discussed at a later meeting – Brian - We’ll follow the same approach as last year, with a few adjustments to the designated areas. - This time, we’ll encourage more people to participate in the bird feeder count, which they can do from the comfort of their own homes. - The date is scheduled for January 3rd. 8. External Projects a. Communication – Instagram, etc – Ken - It has been confirmed that the Municipality does not use these types of social media platforms. o We’ve been asked to compile any questions we have regarding Facebook, and answers will be provided. - It was suggested that switching our Facebook group from private to public might help us reach a broader audience. However, Tom explained that the group was originally set to private to help manage unrelated or off-topic content. - Meg will look into who currently maintains our Facebook group. - Leah asked whether the Municipality would be willing to share our posts if we publish something—Ken will follow up on this. b. Missing Garbage Receptacle – Ken - Ken will conduct an inventory to determine how many are missing. - Kate mentioned that she noticed some of them have graffiti on them. c. Additional Nets – Ken - Ken has the budget available and has requested that the purchase details be sent to him. Brian will take care of sending that information. d. Connection with Indigenous Group – Ken - Ken has reached out to the Municipality’s contact but has not received a response yet. In the meantime, any questions we may have send to him, and he will work on getting answers. SWNAMAC - 4 - October 21, 2025 9. Other Business a. Nature Education Program - Lou - This is currently in progress, and Lou is aiming to have something ready to present at the November meeting. b. SWNA Committee Communication – All - Lou has requested that meeting dates and event details be communicated clearly and well in advance. - Rod suggested that the Committee review the Terms of Reference. c. Barriers for New Pollinator Planting Area – Ken - Ken mentioned that the rocks will be placed first, and bollards are being considered for installation next spring. - Brian provided an overview of the request and noted that the area where the new pollinator planting was done this past spring is currently unprotected, making it vulnerable to public foot traffic. d. Committee Membership Participation – Kate - Kate noted that Patrick has not been participating in recent meetings or events, likely due to his busy schedule. - She suggested it may be a good time to check in with him to confirm his continued interest in being part of the committee. - Brian will follow up with Patrick. - Kate and the committee also acknowledged and appreciated Patrick’s past commitment and contributions to the group. e. Round Table – All - Carmen noted that the pollinator planting, particularly the black-eyed Susans, are still thriving. - Leah shared how wonderful it is to see the trails busy, attributing the increased activity to the recent stretch of nice weather. - Rod observed that a new swath of woodchips has been added south of the filtration plant near the bend. - Meg mentioned that her family met one of Tom’s students, who was demonstrating how he conducts parasite testing on monarchs. Her family found it very intriguing. Tom identified the student as Ethan, who is currently working on a school project. Tom will ask Ethan if he’d be interested in presenting his findings at one of our meetings next spring. SWNAMAC - 5 - October 21, 2025 - Tom also noted that this has been an active year for angling, which has led to an increase in fish carcasses. He added that there’s been a noticeable rise in litter at the beach, including beer cans, broken glass, and bonfire remnants. He suggested the committee consider reviewing ways to manage these issues. - Marg expressed her appreciation to the committee for helping make SWNA a beautiful place. - Kate shared her experience of walking the trails—one day enjoying the scenic views and abundant salmon, and the next seeing a stark contrast with dead fish, broken glass, and other debris. 10. Date Of Next Meeting The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled to be held on November 18, 2025, commencing at 7:00 p.m. @ Room 1c Municipal Administrative Center or Microsoft Teams. 8. Adjournment Moved by Leah Bourgeois That the meeting adjourn at 8:12 p.m. Carried