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Home My WebLink About2026-04-21 Samuel Wilmot Nature Area Management Advisory Committee Minutes April 21, 2026, 7:00 p.m. Room 1c Municipal Administrative Center or Microsoft Teams Present: Y/N Person Y/N Person Y Brian Reid (Chair) N Leanne Fernandes Y Carmen Aeillo Y Tom Hossie (Vice Chair) Y Councillor Margaret Zwart (Council Liaison) N Rod McArthur Y Kate Potter Y Meg Vandenbrink Y Ken Mercer (Staff) Y Kayla Stephens Y Leah Bourgeois Y Michael Henderson Y Doug Rapley Also Present: N/A 1. Call to Order Brian Reid called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. 2. Land Acknowledgement Statement Brian Reid led the meeting with the Land Acknowledgement Statement. 3. Additions to the Agenda/Adoption of the Agenda Moved by Kate Potter, seconded by Meg Vandenbrink that the agenda be accepted with the addition of review of the May 9 Wildflower Hike poster. Carried 4. Declaration of Pecuniary Interest There were no disclosures of interest stated at this meeting. 5. Adoption of Minutes Moved by Tom Hossie, seconded by Leah Bourgeois that the minutes of the meeting of March 17, 2026, be approved. SWNAMAC - 2 - April 21, 2026 Carried 6. Committee Administration 7. SWNA Workplan Q1 2026 a. Photo Contest - Kayla couldn’t attend to provide her update, but Meg confirmed that the photos are now on display on the second floor of the Clarington Public Library. - The committee extended its appreciation for Kayla’s hard work in bringing this contest together. Q2 2026 a. Monarch Presentation - Ethan Money Gomes, a student of Tom’s, delivered an in-depth presentation on his thesis examining the effects infection rates of Ophryocystis elektroscirrha (OE) found in monarch butterfly’s. His presentation explored migration patterns and factors contributing to recent population declines. - Ethan’s research, conducted within the SWNA, specifically compared OE prevalence in wild versus captive monarchs as part of his thesis work. - The committee as a whole appreciated Ethan taking the time to share this information with the committee and the continued work he does within the SWNA surrounding butterfly conservation and research. b. Earth Week Cleanup (April 18, 2026) - Meg - Overall, fantastic event with a great community turnout. - Still waiting on the final volunteer numbers but noted that turnout appeared to be higher than last year. - 990 kilograms of garbage was collected from the April 18 event alone, not including the garbage collected from Bond Head the weekend prior. - Carmen and Deb started cleaning the Toronto St. area early on Saturday and collected a good amount of garbage. - Brian noted that, due to the volume and weight of the garbage can along the trail, support from the municipality would be required to remove it. - Kate commented that nothing out of the ordinary was collected along the beachfront. - Cadets also collected a few unusual items, including a full suitcase. - Meg suggested having using a whiteboard in future cleanups to track unusual items collected. c. Spring Perennial Planting (May 30, 2026) - Brian SWNAMAC - 3 - April 21, 2026 - Brian confirmed that OPG is contributing $2,500 to support the May 30 planting. The work will take place in the same area as last year, with additional planting planned to further fill in the space. - Event poster has been created and is being circulated on social networks for awareness. - Canadian Wildlife Federation has approved the funding application of the seeding area located off the western corridor (west of Toronto Street). The funding will cover crop costs/seeding and use of a natural soil enhancer. The project will take place in the fall. d. Bird Box Cleanup - Brian - Kayla, Carmen & Brian provided maintenance/cleaning on nestboxes noting the occupancy rate on the Toronto Street side was lower than previous years. - Suggestion to move the boxes to the Cobbledick side of the nature area. - One unexpected discovery during maintenance was a squirrel found inside one of the boxes. Q3 2026 a. Moth Week (June/July) – Tom - Tom mentioned that he is not available to host events during the International Moth Week but has tentatively set a date of June 20. More details to come. b. Tree Identification Walk – Mike - Tentatively scheduled for June 20 with backup dates being July 4, 18 or 25. More details to come. c. Monarch Tagging (September 12; back up date September 19) – Tom - No new update. Q4 2026 a. Fall Cleanup (November) – All - No new update. b. Bird Count – Jan 3/27 – Brian - No new update. 8. External Projects a. Facebook Account – Meg SWNAMAC - 4 - April 21, 2026 - No issues to report on new FB site - Kate will look into the option of adding accessible links on FB - Brian noted the blog as always being a good communication option. b. Missing Garbage Receptacle - Ken - No new update. c. Additional Nets (nets are in storage and need to be assembled) – Ken - Tom noted they can be assembled in the fall - Ken offered to retrieve them whenever they are needed. 9. Other Business a. Barriers for new Pollinator Planting Area (barrier options) – Ken Mercer - Ken mentioned a few options being reviewed 1. Arbor Stone and 2. Natural Stone. Once a decision is made Ken will inform the group. b. Leo Blindenbach SWNA Memorial – All - Meg connected with Leo’s daughter to discuss potential locations for the memorial, and the family is looking to our committee for a recommended site. - Several options were considered, including the gazebo area, where Leo played such a key role in establishing pollinator plantings and the area near the water treatment facility overlooking the storm pond. - A tulip tree was suggested as the preferred species for the memorial. - Ken confirmed that the dedication bench and memorial tree fall within the Municipality of Clarington’s dedication program guidelines. c. Spring Ephemerals Identification – All - The spring ephemeral wildflowers hike has been set for May 9/26 at 10 a.m. - Leah has created a poster to be shared on FB and blog and set up event registration on Eventbrite. - Mike and Tom available to assist with the hike portion. - Meg suggested a portable speaker to be used if possible, during the hike. d. Presentations: Meg/Brian - Meg and Brian updated the committee on various community presentation options for 2027 March Break program ideas including: Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue, and the Turtle Conservation Group. - Given the associated costs of the presentations, the committee discussed sponsorship options to help cover the costs. - Kate suggested approaching local relators - Brian suggested local businesses SWNAMAC - 5 - April 21, 2026 - Committee was to brainstorm potential event sponsor options. e. Fall Hike/Salmon Life Cycle/Monarch Tagging Event – Leah/Meg - Leah contacted OFAH (Ben Teskey) regarding the hike – providing his availability he would like to participate. - Meg to follow-up with Ben regarding date – Sept. 12/26 f. SWNA Committee communication strategy (information item) – All - Recommendation to create a communication strategy outlining upcoming events and the use of various communication platforms. - Leah offered to create a strategy in the coming the months for committee review. 10. Round Table – All - Ken has taken an action to have his team assess the drainage issues at the bridge and the beaver dam areas. - Mike noted the large turnout at the cleanup – great to see so many families. - Meg noted it was lovely to see so many spring flowers emerging in the area. She also observed that the “gnome tree” is becoming increasingly cluttered with items and suggested preparing a sensitively worded Facebook post to raise awareness about not adding to the site. - Kate mentioned that the individual who appears to be living near the beach is often present and observing when people are in the area. - Brian highlighted the success of the cleanup and the strong participation from various volunteer groups across the community. - Leah noted that the minimal amount of garbage collected from the beach and main trail area was a positive finding. - Carmen noted the abundance of spring ephemerals in the nature area this time of year and mentioned he has enjoyed tracking the various molds and fungi appearing throughout the site. - Tom also agreed it was great to see such a large turnout for the cleanup. Unfortunately following the cleanup, he found a tic on one of his sons. He suggested we post tic awareness signage on the sign boards for awareness. He also noted he recently heard leopard frogs in the marsh area, spotted 4 or 5 salamanders in the nature area. 11. Date Of Next Meeting The next meeting of the Committee is scheduled to be held on May 19, 2026, commencing at 7:00 p.m. in Room 1C at the Municipal Building or Microsoft Teams. 8. Adjournment SWNAMAC - 6 - April 21, 2026 Moved by Carmen that the meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m. Carried