Annual Meeting September 21, 2019
Club Reports
Niagara Bruce Trail Club Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club Toronto Bruce Trail Club Caledon Hills Bruce Trail Club Dufferin Hi-Land Bruce Trail Club Blue Mountains Bruce Trail Club Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club Sydenham Bruce Trail Club Peninsula Bruce Trail Club Niagara Bruce Trail Club Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting - September 21, 2019
1. Trail Development and Maintenance 5 trail reroutes completed o New Jim Rainforth Side Trail as a result of a land owner removing permission o East of Louth Conservation Area, main trail moved into the woods and out of a farmers field o Woodend Conservation Area, trail changed from access road to the woods Mewburn Road rail crossing will be completed by December 2019 and the trail will be returned. Implemented a new Trail Monitor Program
2. Land Stewardship A good year but an unusual number of trees falling on neighbouring properties.
3. Landowner Relations We are continuing to connect with landowners by making personal contact when delivering BTC calendars and the invitation to our annual Landowners Appreciation Dinner.
4. Land Securement Acquired two properties, one 11 acres and one 55 acres. Antoin Diamond came to Niagara to review properties and improve our land securement strategy.
5. Hiking Program Continue to offer Hiking 101 and Hike Leader Training. Introduced a Youth Hiking Program We offered 5 special event hikes in 2019. New monthly night hikes. New Friday morning urban hikes The regular hike schedule offers hikes 6 days a week and specialty hikes monthly, catering to various interests and abilities.
6. Members and Volunteers The Club now has over 900 members, an all-time high The Board welcomed Lisa Etienne as President, Alan Laver as Hike Coordinator, Craig Church as Land Securement, and Rhys Beak as Director at Large. We acknowledge the contributions and thank retiring board members, Ruth Moffatt and Alicia Aitchison. There is currently 1 board vacancy, Vice President.
Niagara Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 We have an amazing number of volunteers that help in so many ways. Our Trail Angels have already provided over 45 drives in 2019
7. Fundraising The Club has forwarded a $21,000 donation to the BTC. BTC promotions at Station One coffeehouse, The Exchange Brewery. Club volunteers supported Niagara Ultra marathon, which donated proceeds to BTC.
8. Communications and Publicity The Grapevine newsletter is edited and produced by Kathleen Orth, and published quarterly. Special Events Exhibits: Information kiosks at Ball’s Falls Thanksgiving Festival, Pelham Summerfest, Finger Lakes Trail Days (New York State), Senior Living Exhibition (Lincoln and Fonthill) and Heritage Village (Lincoln)
Submitted by: Lisa Etienne President, Niagara Bruce Trail Club
Niagara Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting - September 21, 2019
Finance The Iroquoia Club finished the year in a good financial position. We are starting to see some reduction in printing costs from our ongoing efforts to increase the number of newsletters that we send electronically; this has been offset by increases in trail maintenance and hike management costs.
Trail Maintenance & Development This year has been a challenging year for our Trail Maintenance Crew with a lot of difficult weather conditions bringing rain (meaning muddy terrain), and strong winds (meaning more hazardous trees). A total of 202 trees were dealt with in the last year. Total volunteer hours is 5,540 hours
We have started to rebuild a few structures (bridges, boardwalks, and stairs) using a special donation provided by Hydroflask for large projects.
Kelso Conservation Area: A small reroute was completed to ensure better visibility when hikers and mountain bikers meet. Access to the park in the winter was still an issue but progress had been made in that area and we are hoping to avoid future winter closures.
Road crossings: An effort has been made to ensure every location where the trail crosses a road, there is a sign on both sides identifying the road.
Donor plaques: Much discussion has been ongoing about donor recognition and how to avoid plaque pollution on the trail. Many options have been explored such as kiosks, obelisks, donation walls, etc. We expect to continue on this subject in the next year.
A Women’s Trail Maintenance Workshop took place on July 13th. The goal is to encourage more women to become trail maintenance volunteers and come out to work parties or volunteer as trail monitors or trail captains. They are now working to re-establish a closed portion of the trail.
Hiking The Hike portfolio’s biggest accomplishment to date is the implementation of a Unified Hike System. The Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club deployed this integrated system in late 2018. Our Club’s Hike Leaders lead over 600 guided hikes for our community
In case you missed it, we have a new badge! The Winter End-to-End Badge. Must be completed between Dec. 21 and March 21. We also created a side trails badge. Anyone who goes to our web page can download a checklist.
Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 The annual New Year’s Day Hike had approximately 150 people in attendance – an excellent turnout along with great weather.
As in previous years, the official End-to-End was held over two weekends in mid-October. Over 120 unique participants registered for at least one day, with 89 participants registered for all four days. 51 earned their badge.
Media This past year has been another solid year of growth in social media. Our Facebook page grew from approximately 1100 to 1500 likes, Twitter from 900 to 1000 followers and Instagram from 300 to 550 followers.
Landowner Relations We implemented a Landowner Ambassador program this year, modelled after the one in Beaver Valley. Though the program is in its infancy, we will actively pursue further landowner contacts.
We held our first ever landowner appreciation event in Waterdown in November. We had no landowners attend so will re-think our approach for next year.
Publicity and Public Education In November, we had a successful KINKS Tribute fund raiser for the BTC. We made over $4,000 that went to the Bruce Trail Conservancy. We will be repeating another concert in November with the same band, but playing the Beatles Abbey Road album.
We had booths at Hamilton Public Library, Oakville Library, ArcelorMittal Dofasco Health & Safety Fair, Ancaster Farmers Market, Mountain Equipment Co-op about how to prepare for hiking the Bruce Trail.
Educational Walks: These are being developed and will be short distance themed hikes with several stops that talk about topics like birding, trees, wildflowers, and invasive species. Leaders from other organizations are invited but a trained hike leader will be on hand to cover insurance requirements.
City of Hamilton: We started a new partnership with the Cultural Heritage Dept. of the City of Hamilton. This summer we held a public event at a local meuseum, we took the people on a hike. The City designed a special badge and paid for busses for the hikers. Plans will be made for another meuseum next year.
Volunteer time: Looking at cutting down on attending events where volunteer time is strained attending booths for long hours with little benefit. For instance, attendance at seniors' events have shown most are looking for free material but not health benefits of hiking nor is there opportunity for follow-up. On the search for more volunteers who are interested in writing
Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 (press releases/community newspapers), being interviewed on Cable 14 and radio, presenting and seeking out partnerships with local organizations including youth like Scouts.
Social Media: Plan to work with Membership and Communications to increase awareness on all social media platforms and to find out what kinds of posts work well and what doesn't in terms of public engagement.
Membership The Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club is the second largest Club of the nine Clubs of the Bruce Trail Conservancy. Membership for the Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club has increased overall by 1% over the past fiscal year in comparison to overall growth for BTC of 3.8%. We average around 2500 members.
Land Stewardship We have 17 properties, managed by 13 Steward / Steward Teams, plus 2 other Stewards that I will be getting settled into their new properties in 2019.
We honoured two of our long serving Land Stewards with plaques, our Commendation Awards for Land Stewardship. Congratulations to Laura Tuohy and Paul Toffoletti for being Land Stewards for five years.
Respectfully submitted by Paul Toffoletti President, Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club
Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 Toronto Bruce Trail Club Report to Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting - September 21, 2019
The Toronto Bruce Trail Club (TBTC) has had an active year with its successful hiking program, active volunteer engagement and on going member communication.
Communications to our members have improved significantly, with our new and improved E- Notes. I would like to acknowledge the efforts of Wayne Crockett and Magdalena Vanderkooy, the new editors of E-Notes. Our Footnotes magazine continues to deliver interesting content to members, thanks to our new editor Orest Nahacziwec and retired editor Malcolm Sanderson.
Club membership continues to grow, now standing at nearly 3,100. Special thanks are due to Alina Lin for her enthusiastic and determined efforts to grow membership.
Our hiking program continues to thrive, under the leadership of David Royle, Hiking Director and Club Vice President. Our Hiking Initiation Program (HIP) in April attracted over 200 participants. The Club offers over 300 hikes a year ranging from urban walks, bus hikes and weekend trips afield.
The Bruce Trail Conservancy acquired the Robertson property at Speyside. The 2018 acquisition of the Jespersen property on Heritage Road allowed us to reopen a very long stretch of closed trail through the Terra Cotta Conservation Area. Each of these transactions required imagination and determination from our Land Management Committee under the leadership of Dave Tyson.
The Conservation Committee created a Biodiversity Team to bring more professionalism to the conservation work on the various BTC owned and managed properties in our section. All the members of this team deserve our thanks for their efforts to open our eyes to the natural wonders on the Trail. Thanks to Kevin Warburton and the other members of this team.
Our trail captains and other trail maintenance volunteers continue to do a superb job of keeping our Main Trail and Side Trails in excellent shape, despite all the challenges. Our thanks due to Marlis Butcher, Director Trail Maintenance and Development, who is also the Club’s BTC representative.
Volunteers are the heart of the TBTC and Barbara Euler was the recipient of the Nina Carlisle award, which recognizes outstanding long term volunteerism. Thomas Swales was the recipient of the Todd Bardes award recognizing an outstanding contribution over a shorter term.
Toronto Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 Karim Mishriki, Kevin Warburton, Lucy Leung, Brigette Peters and Malcolm Sanderson stepped down from the board and we welcomed new board members Janet McColeman, Sarah- Louise Quig and Natalie Svechnikova at the April AGM.
The board has set a number of strategic initiatives for the next year which include building a more diverse and inclusive Club, improving our social media content, reviewing our Club by laws and updating our board position descriptions to attract new board members.
I look forward to reporting on these initiatives at the September 2020, BTC Annual Meeting. Submitted by: Graham Allen President, Toronto Bruce Trail Club
Toronto Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 Caledon Hills Bruce Trail Club Report to Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting - September 21, 2019
The Caledon Hills Club has had an exciting and active year from Sept 2018 to Sept 2019. Our Bruce Trail Day event took place in Glen Haffy CA for the second year with varied hikes including one exploring the Gosling Nature Reserve and another being a walk identifying local trees and discussing the pathogens attacking some trees. Land conservation, stewardship and biodiversity along our trail are becoming an increasing focus for our Club.
After hosting a very successful Bruce Trail Day we held our second film festival event in Elora to a sold out theatre for both showings. The film was titled The Gardener. Beth Gilhespy gave a short introduction to the Bruce Trail and all its beautiful properties at each showing.
Our Club supported the BTC with a hiking/lunch event at the Forks of Credit for a corporate group with people from all over the world. We got the opportunity to showcase our beautiful country. We supported the BTC with their booths at the Outdoor Show and the Green Living Show and also attended some local events to promote the Bruce Trail.
During the fall and spring, we ran three hikes for students from local schools as part of their curriculum giving our younger generation an opportunity to see the Bruce Trail and learn what it is all about. We also ran a sold-out end-2-end over Thanksgiving weekend. Our hike leaders offer a very vibrant program all year. Our Tuesday hiking program continues with great turnouts almost weekly in spite of the weather. One Tuesday was dedicated to a successful Garlic Mustard pull. Our weekend hiking program is active with many hikers working to earn one or more of our exciting badges that give hikers a chance to find specific items and learn more about our trail and its history. Our Club is also supporting a Trail event with a booth at the end, where relay teams of 4 are running 100k from Terra Cotta to Albion Hills.
Our Clubs’ annual Christmas Tree sale takes place over the three weekends prior to Christmas. To compliment our sales, we have a great group of volunteers who make beautiful Christmas planters to sell at the same time. We are grateful to the Moule/Cohen family for supporting this fundraiser every year.
The Club held its annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic again this year handing out our Club awards to deserving volunteers. This year a new biodiversity award was established and named after long time volunteer Laurence Christie.
Club communication is handled on several different fronts. Four times per year our colourful newsletter, the Caledon Comment, is published. Currently about half our Club membership has agreed to receive the newsletter electronically. Cal E-news is our electronic information source which is sent out monthly with upcoming events or important news. Information and photos
Caledon Hills Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 are also posted on Facebook and Instagram. Our website is well used, up to date, and includes an interesting blog.
Our trail maintenance team is continually working to keep the main and side trails in tip top condition, removing fallen trees, fixing boardwalks or stairs in a very prompt manner. And our trail team is looking at ways to remove trail from dangerous roads and road crossings. We are looking forward to working closely with OHT and CVC at the Cheltenham Badlands property which reopened to the public in September 2018.
The success of all of the programs mentioned above (and tight financial control) has helped result in an increase in our Club membership and the Club has been able to donate excess funds to the BTC this year to further its mission.
We are looking forward to an exciting upcoming year with the new faces on our board and the new position changes within the executive which occurred at the Clubs’ April AGM.
Submitted by: Marilyn Ross President, Caledon Hills Bruce Trail Club
Caledon Hills Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 Dufferin Hi-Land Bruce Trail Club Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting - September 21, 2019
The Dufferin Hi-Land section is the shortest stretch of the Bruce Trail at just over 56km and with over 530m of elevation change. Here, in my first year as President, I am privileged to volunteer with a fantastic group of people, many of them long time members, giving their time, opinions and friendship.
Since starting to hike in Dufferin 6 years ago, I have been asked to (i) be a trail captain (ii) host the annual Christmas Party and (iii) take the minutes at Board meetings (which I did until becoming president). A richer landscape and stronger community of like-minded people would be hard to find.
This time last year, we agreed to bolster our membership through some creative means. We launched a new 25km Challenge Hike in the Boyne Valley with an online contest for a new badge. The winner earned a beautiful BTC fleece. That hike starts in 2020.
As we gather information about our volunteers, we measure the various specific roles that volunteers play in our Club. We are starting to actively pursue their interests and our goal is to engage them to the level they desire.
Without question, the truly magnificent achievement from our Club this year is our IT Director’s creation and the BTC’s adoption of the Unified Hike Management System. The new system allows each Club to input hike data and share it without having to go to another Club’s website. I believe this is going to have a strong and positive impact on our membership.
At Board meetings we discuss how to increase membership without spoiling our precious trails. How do we teach this precarious balance between recreation and conservation?
Our website now posts several interactive family activities including the Children’s Treasure Hike, a GPS Orienteering Course, a Nature Scavenger Hike and a Tree Trail. These initiatives are geared towards getting families with children out on the trail; the idea being that an early habit becomes a lifelong habit.
On Bruce Trail Day, we will steer the people to Splitrock Narrows, our honey pot, to give them a delicious taste of nature in a safe and fun way and to keep some of the other gems in Dufferin away from the madding crowds.
We continue to experiment with various ways to bring members and volunteers to Dufferin and will weigh in after BT Day the cost benefits of print advertising, direct admail, Facebook ads, postcards, fall fairs and festivals and word of mouth.
Dufferin Hi-Land Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 Dufferin Hi-Land Club’s School Outreach Program is beginning to grow as well. This is a 1/2 day hike with local students grades 3-5 in Mono Cliffs Provincial Park with an emphasis on current curriculum: flora and fauna, geology and social history. With the help of a generous grant, DHBTC pays 1/2 the cost of bussing the students so it is a very attractive add-on program for teachers. This fall, we are approaching schools directly with the goal to bring even more students to the Outreach Program.
Lastly, it turns out I won’t be hosting the annual Christmas Party anymore. We have decided to host a Member Appreciation Evening instead and let the people dance on the tables. And why not? They’ve earned it.
Submitted by: Susan Ford President, Dufferin Hi-Land Bruce Trail Club
Dufferin Hi-Land Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 Blue Mountains Bruce Trail Club Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting - September 21, 2019
Membership – 685 members in 2019 (660 for 2018) – increase of 3 % Trail Captains – 37 Land Stewards – 14 Hike Leaders – 36 Active Volunteers – over 100 Hikes & other events– over 130
2019 has once again been a busy and successful year for the Blue Mountains Bruce Trail Club. Our membership is continuing to grow. Our continued success is due to the positive contributions of our many volunteers. Of course, we are always looking for new volunteers who help to keep the Club fresh with new ideas and initiatives.
1. Trail Building and Stewardship Under the very capable supervision of long-time member Dick Edwards, 20 volunteers participated in the reconstruction of the 36 foot long bridge over the Nottawasaga Bridge in the Nottawasaga Bluffs Conservation Area. A second bridge was repaired over the Pretty River in the Pretty River Provincial Park. A new installation of a park bench was made at a scenic hill in the Gardener Property in memory of Gloria Edwards. Trail captains and other volunteers have worked hard to keep our trail prepared for the E2E participants, as well as for the many who travel from far and wide to complete our section. There was a special work party in early May to ready this section with new blazes as well as trimming of the shrubs along the trail. Once again, many favourable comments of praise have been received. We thank the many who help with this work under the very capable leadership of Trail Maintenance Director Linda Finley. Next year, with the guidance Bruce Trail Conservancy ecologists Adam and Brian, Dave Knox and his many volunteers plan to plant native wildflowers in the meadow area of the Dunedin Nature Preserve.
2. Communications Several members have continued to successfully promote the Bruce Trail this spring and summer at the Creemore Market where they have also sold coffee and croissants to the public as they have answered questions about the trail and the BMBTC activities. Nearly $250 has been raised while promoting the Club to the market visitors.
Blue Mountains Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019
3. Fundraising Our annual E2E and Barbeque continued to be a very successful fundraiser with 239 hikers registered this year. This year we used the services of Eventbrite to make the registration process run more smoothly. In spite of the rain, there was a good turnout with 134 hikers being presented with our End‐to‐End badge. A BBQ was held to mark the end of the event which also raised funds for the Club. Discounting expenses, the event raised $5,130.71. For the second year, Wendy and George Morin invited hikers to their home after a snowshoe to partake in “Soup’s On” a successful fundraiser where members registered to have lunch at the Morin’s home after a winter snowshoe. More fundraisers like this will be planned for next year, as there was good participation and it was a great opportunity to raise funds for the Club as well as to socialize. This year for the first time, BMBTC volunteers helped with a water station for the first ever Blue Mountains Grand Fondo Cycling Event for which we were presented with a generous donation. Volunteers also helped over two days at the Sea Otter Canada Road Cycling Event at Blue Mountains for which the BMBTC is presented with a generous donation. For the past several years various members of the Blue Mountains Bruce Trail Club have organized two different Three Days on the Peninsula hiking events – one in September and the other in early October. These are very successful fundraisers where a total of 100 members participate in their choice of hikes on the beautiful trails of the Peninsula. It is also an excellent social activity where we get to know one another and meet new members.
4. Other Events Along with our usual full roster of trail hikes, this year as well as last year, we have offered our members an opportunity to hike the entire Sydenham Section of the Bruce Trail – 9 hikes last summer and the final 6 hikes this summer. On August 7, a special hike in memory of two special members who recently passed on, was held at the Wedding Tree. Herman Ohrt had served as a long-time member, as well as serving as our previous BMBTC President. Sharon Emerson also was a long-time member, who served as the BMBTC Treasurer for many years and who also co-organized the End to End Hike Event. Both Sharon and Herman are deeply missed. A Volunteer Appreciation Event is being planned for the many volunteers who help with the organization of the board, the organization of the trail, as well as the smoot running of the Club’s many events and activities. We are working to revise and update our BMBTC by-laws.
Blue Mountains Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 As the Blue Mountain Bruce Trail Club continues to grow, we encourage new members to get involved in the life of the Club. The trail would not exist without our volunteers. We thank the many who give of themselves to make our Blue Mountain Bruce Trail Club the success that it continues to be. Volunteering is good for the soul and helps one feel a part of a larger community.
Submitted by Jill Doble Blue Mountains Bruce Trail Club Blue Print Editor, on behalf of Michael Treuman, President, Blue Mountains Bruce Trail Club
Blue Mountains Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club Report to Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting - September 21, 2019
The Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club, thanks to its amazing team of volunteers has had a busy and productive year. Our volunteers have reached out to the different agencies within our area and have volunteered and participated in many community events.
Board Directors have submitted the highlights of their portfolios:
Invasive Species: We didn't dare to believe it when the BTC biologists predicted that 2019 would be the year, but it was: after five years of annual work parties, clearing large infestations of the invasive species, Garlic Mustard, from several Beaver Valley properties, this year we finally saw the reward we had been hoping for. So little Garlic Mustard was visible at each of these locations this year that a single person was able to remove it all in a couple of hours. We could not be more proud of the Club volunteers and a few members of the public who joined in the annual cull. This daunting annual task actually does yield results if you persist.
….and let’s not forget that this year marked the 7th year that our club has each spring and fall organized our club volunteers (aided by our BTC staff ecologists) into multi-day, multi-volunteer work parties with the goal of eliminating, buckthorn, an invasive species threatening all other trees and foliage on our BTC-managed properties.
Newsletter Editor Three issues of the Club’s newsletter “Beaver Tales” were produced this year. Editor Joan Nuffield was delighted by two requests for reprint rights on articles.
Land Steward Director: Staking of new properties (Fox Ridge, Vandeleur, Valley East 2/3 done). Introducing / walkabout for 5 new Land Stewards to 5 new properties. Extended staking on "old" properties (Leverty, Kay, Sewell, Lower Valley NR). Keeping the Land Stewardship part of Beaver Valley Organizational Data Base up-to-date with property charts, iron bar co-ordinates, photos, documents, correspondence and reports. Handling Land Steward queries and their spring reports.
Information Services The restructuring and organization of the filing system is being researched to prepare for future expansion which will make information more accessible to all of us and smooth the succession of directors and other volunteers into their roles. Data on all volunteers and the roles they fulfill has been updated in the Club’s Information on Lands and Trails database.
Our club database is focussed on critical information required at the club level. For instance, our Club TD&M Director reports that the database is an essential tool for carrying out the planning and day-to- day work of his management team.
Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 Communications and Publicity One is never sure where our Communications Director Margaret Yaraskavitch might appear, on the Trail (almost anywhere), at local farmer’s markets and fairs, marshalling snowshoe events, speaking at a Rotary dinner, she is always on the go most often with camera poised ready. The Facebook photos Margaret posts along with Lilla’s Instagram ones tell the story of an adventurous, busy Club. Have you followed Eager, our Club’s Instagram star? He’s been busy tearing up the trails and posting his adventures on our Instagram account. Have a look at a sampling of Eager’s posts, check out the badges he’s earned since he became a member of the BTC and join all those in the hiking community who find their way to hashtag beaver valley.btc and then onto our Trails. Webmaster Irena keeps members current with information providing quick updates for all hiking events. Irena also creates and publishes Beaver Bytes, our monthly electronic newsletter. An amazing team that keeps us in the loop!
Trail Development & Maintenance We continue to develop a TD&M management and organizational structure that is more appropriate to the changing nature of the demands placed on our team. Our management team of Director, Zone Leaders and Leads of various support crews has worked especially well in ensuring the necessary overall planning and management functions are performed. Trail Captains retain a central role, but we have also found that, to achieve our goals, we have needed to recognize the critical role and to create and strengthen special support crews, including Chain-Sawyers, Whipper-Snippers, Mechanized Mowers, Flying Squads, Structures Control, Quartermaster, and our Design and Construction crew. Kudos to all these volunteers who together have done an exemplary job of keeping the trail up to the desired standard.
A number of specific major development projects have been completed this year, including: The creation of a TD&M priority planning process, that is based on: o a detailed inventory of each of our 64 trail section’s and TC’s special characteristics and requirements (plus past and planned projects), and o a zero-based budget and budgeting process Development of closer co-ordination with other groups within the club. For instance, our Group Hike leaders are now playing a major formal role helping our TC’s and management team identify the dates of upcoming hikes on each trail section and challenges they observe that need prompt attention. Recruitment of new volunteers for all parts of the TD&M team—with a noticeable trend toward relatively younger persons, and persons with considerable management, technical and construction skills and experience Development of a more complete inventory of all BTC structures (bridges, boardwalks, donor plaques, etc.) in the BVC—complete with photos, location co-ordinates, trail sections, etc. the creation and opening of the new Stew Hilts Side Trail, named to recognize the special past contribution of one of club’s key volunteers completing the Main Trail reroute over the newly acquired Fox Ridge Nature Reserve Special concerted efforts by special work parties and support crews to ensure the trails were in particularly good shape for the multi-hiker Falling Water and BVC End-to-End hikes Completion of the major reroute to allow hiker enjoyment of the Allen Property Temporary, but significant, reroutes at Hogg’s Falls and the Beaver Valley Ski Club Securing outside funding and completing construction of the 3rd Line D bridge
Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 Improving relationships and partnerships with outside groups, including o Creation and leading a multi-partner (BVBTC, MNRF, Grey County, Municipality of Grey Highlands, NEC, GSC and Parks Ontario) stewardship committee to create a plan for future developments at Hogg’s Falls o Participation in multiple meetings to develop the County initiative to develop the Grey County cycling and Trail master plan new or significant rebuilds of sets of stairs and steps at: Hoggs Falls, the Kimberley-to -old Baldy trail, Wodehouse Karst, and trail section 2 and the Chuck Grant side trail new or significant enhancements to boardwalks on Sections 6, 7, 11, 30, 33--and to replace aging infrastructure at Hogg’s Falls and the Vandeleur Nature Reserve
Special reasons to celebrate what is by far the most ambitious Trail Development project undertaken in the Beaver Valley in the past couple of years: We are really excited about the magnificent reroute through the recently purchased Fox Ridge Nature Reserve as it moves part of the main trail off 1.3 km of Fox Ridge Road into the forest. These results were only possible through a major effort on the part of volunteers from BVC Land Acquisition, Land Stewardship and Trail Development & Maintenance (TD&M) to secure the property and then to route, build and mark the new trail.
TD&M’s contribution, led by John Burton, one of our TD&M Zone Leaders, consisted of: 22 separate days of Work parties; involving 19 different TD&M Flying Squad Volunteers, (many helped with multiple work parties); and in total provided over400 hours--over 60 person-days-- of volunteer effort.
Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 Highlights of the new route include: Starting at the Blue Mountain/Euphrasia Townline the trail progresses west across an open meadow with some apple trees with views of Georgian Bay to the north the trail then heads into an area of new growth and features a lovely stream valley with old growth sugar maple and many large ironwood trees it then takes in views of Georgian Bay to the north in an area referred to as the “Grassy Knoll” which will have a bench installed in the future ascending the escarpment, the trail then follows the escarpment edge west taking in views of hardwood forests, stacks along the escarpment edge, large butternut and basswood trees and stands of older growth sugar maple trees; finally, the trail heads south to Fox Ridge Road, passing through a corridor of forest that presents alternates views of trees and farm fields.
Trail Activity Director another successful winter of hiking with many folks from near and far participating in our snowshoe hike series to earn the coveted “berserk beaver” badge our first spring ephemeral, wetland plant hike combined with a nursery visit was well attended, thanks to Claire our native species expert great Beaver Valley and E.C. Carr Observatory cooperative fundraising event in August, “Steps, Sustenance, Stars” in which participants hiked on the Bruce Trail, enjoyed a potluck dinner and spent the evening studying the stars with the observatory’s equipment. The skies were clear and viewing was excellent! Thanks to the volunteers from the RASC. an end to end of the Beaver Valley trail over 4 days was led by Margaret O’Dell on our weekly hike schedule and attracted some hardy souls. Our official end to end held on Aug 24/25/31 & Sept. 1 was sold out quickly! our small team of trail angels had 161 requests for rides between Sept. 1 2018 and the end of August and were able to fill all but 6 of them. What a dedicated group of individuals! we work very closely with Beaver Valley’s trail maintenance and development team to keep our trails in top shape and by the positive comments we get from hikers, it shows. we are a rurally based club with few small towns and villages to draw from and yet we have a dedicated group of volunteers who go above and beyond to lead hikes and shuttle hikers, while also serving other roles within the club. We couldn’t do it without them.
Friendship Trail For the fourth consecutive year, BTC volunteer activity extended to the Sendero Pacifico in Costa Rica, the Trail twinned with the Beaver Valley Club’s Friendship Trail. This year 18 people, in 2 separate groups travelled to Costa Rica. They extended and improved the main trail and started work on a new side trail. Representatives from all 9 Clubs have now participated in this Friendship Trail project initiated by the Beaver Valley Club under the leadership of Ros Rossetti.
Events Director delighted membership with festive holiday dinner party; lively BBQ at the annual AGM with record number of attendees
Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 celebrated volunteers with our annual volunteer night to bring people together, and showcase the dedication and accomplishments of their work supported our community by participating in the local Canada Day Parade; managing a feed station for the Sea Otter cycling event; selecting local businesses for our event needs; organizing social outings at local events organizing committee for the 2020 BTC AGM
Landowner Relations and Land Securement In April the Landowner and Land Securement team were asked to make 2 separate workshop presentations at BTC head office outlining the Landowner Ambassador program that our club initiated, this was well received by other Clubs and has already been adopted by the Caledon Club. Jack Morgan told them the secrets of our land securement success, Jill outlined the Land Ambassador program, Bob Hann delighted everyone with techie talk and Lera Ryan spoke about the Landowner Ambassador role from an LA perspective.
Our 19-member Landowner Ambassador team met in May to discuss the initiatives for its second year of activity.
The Valley East Nature Reserve is the latest land acquisition in the Valley and will conserve 35 acres and 670 km of Bruce Trail Optimum Route.
Manual and Policy Updates Club Board Directors were asked to revisite their portfolio descriptions in our Club’s Manual and make updates to reflect any changes in the organization of their team. The updated manual will be completed by November 2019.
Parking Review Our Club has undertaken an internal review of the parking along the length of our Trail. Road side parking along some of the paved roads is no longer possible as a result of recent road work involving curb changes and new bicycle lanes. Erosion in some areas means fewer cars can park. We will be advising the BTC of changes to be made for the Bruce Trail App and the next edition of the Bruce Trail Reference Guide.
Treasurer Our Operating Surplus for the 12 months to 31 May 2019 is significantly better than the plan we set out with. The results are heavily influenced by: Generous donations E2E Income and the overall success of the hiking program as a source of funds Various savings across the piece and the non-spend of the contingency amount which was baked into the plan.
The surplus is being carried forward through the currently inflated cash balance which will be used to fund the ambitious 2019/20 TD&M plan.
Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 Our financial activity continues to be tracked using our Quickbooks system which is closely aligned with our local needs, but we also have begun to report through the BTC SAGE system in accordance with Head Office requirements. In the fullness of time we will consider a full cutover, such that only one set of records is maintained.
Members & Volunteers Our Club’s membership hovers around 600 members with a continued emphasis on signing up new members and reconnecting with lapsed members. We currently have 229 volunteers with 23 new volunteers since our last AGM.
September 8, 2019 Respectfully Submitted by Jill Smith-Brodie, President, Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club On behalf of the Volunteers of the Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club
Beaver Valley Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 Sydenham Bruce Trail Club Report to Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting - September 21, 2019
It’s been another great year for Sydenham Club! Our membership continues to increase steadily, reaching 540 members on June 30, fiscal year end; the highest it’s ever been. We credit our outreach efforts (various local Health Fairs, community presentations, Mosaic magazine, Facebook, improved website being kept current and relevant, etc.) as well as renewal calls to lapsed members for this success. Almost 40 members enjoyed our annual Spring Social in May, at Woodford this year, with 3 different hikes and the usual delicious potluck supper.
Volunteers: We held an Appreciation BBQ on June 1 attended by 40 of our Land Stewards and Trail Captains. Thanks to all of them for taking good care of our Trail section and conservation lands! At our Club AGM this past weekend, our Board of Directors welcomed a new Hike Coordinator, Maureen McFarland, she’s taking over from Peter Harris after 4 years of great service. We inducted long-time volunteer Don Richards into our Club’s Honour Roll book. Don passed away this year. He had volunteered for 23 years with our Club, as well as the BTC Board, doing a broad variety of jobs and serving on many committees. His broad smile and friendly welcome will be remembered by all! Our Volunteer of the Year is Trail worker Paul Dixon. He worked tirelessly clearing trail all over Sydenham section, it seems his chainsaw and weedwhacker were constantly operating throughout the year!
Hikes: Our Club End-to-End hike series is back this year (it’s every other year). We sold out all available spaces during the first weekend of registration. Thanks to our organizing committee Doug Cumming, Bill Snel, Franziska Edney, Judy Mapleson, and all their helpers who organize parking, provide drinks and snacks, and make these hikes run smoothly so they are enjoyed by all. This is a great fundraiser project for our Club. We also continued to have a good variety of regular hikes throughout the year. Thanks to our Hike Leaders!
Land Securement: The BTC secured a new property this past year in Sydenham Club – MapleCross Ridge up on Kemble Mountain. This 100-acre property is across from our Kemble Rock and Kemble Wetland Nature Reserves, and these 3 properties add up to 440 acres of contiguous protected land. This large uninterrupted habitat is great for wildlife movement and ecological diversity. And together they have allowed us to remove a 4-kilometre stretch of Main Trail off the roads in that area! The new property had been heavily logged before we acquired it, and our Trail workers and Land Stewardship team have spent a lot of effort to restore the Trail, clean up logging
Sydenham Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 debris, and block entrances off Coles Sideroad and install No Trespassing signs so that ATVs cannot get in.
Trail: Several areas of activity this past year: We created a new side trail (the Mystery Cabin Side Trail) at Kemble Rock We’ve reduced the cattle grazing and built some boardwalks at Kemble Wetland, so as to open the Main Trail re-route there A Main Trail re-route at Big Bay, onto our new property purchased a year ago, allows us to remove 1 km off roads, east of the Slough of Despond On the west side of Owen Sound, we recently lost a handshake agreement at Indian Acres Road, and had to move 700 m of Main Trail onto roads. You win some, you lose some. We also spent a lot of effort as usual clearing fallen trees throughout the year, not to mention miles & miles of weed-whacking the extremely prolific vegetation this year! Many thanks to our Trail Captains and Trail Director Ron Savage & his crews of trail workers, for all their efforts!
Land Stewardship: We now have 42 properties and 4 easements to care for in Sydenham (totalling about 2,660 acres). 6 of those properties have active farmland. Thank goodness for our large crew of Land Stewards volunteering for those jobs. Thanks to Bob Knapp, our Director, and the whole Stewardship team for taking good care of these BTC properties, completing more boundary staking this year, planting trees, removing garbage, and dealing with encroachment, illegal camping, and other land management issues.
Finances: Finances are generally in good shape, and showing a ‘profit’ at fiscal year-end. We completed a fairly expensive ‘special project’ to replace the aging Rocklyn Creek bridge (with huge help from the Canadian military – the 32nd Combat Engineers Regiment). The supplies and materials were paid for by the BTC, however our fundraising has been good this year, and so we’re confident we’ll be able to donate that money back to the BTC this year.
Fundraising: Our Trail Director Ron Savage published a book called ‘Sydenham End to End’ last year, with tales and stories about the Bruce Trail in the Sydenham section. Sales have been good so far, and Ron is donating the proceeds to the BTC. Thank you Ron! Bruce Power continues to be a good corporate sponsor for our Kemble Wetland Nature Reserve. This year they donated $7,700 for boardwalks and interpretive signage for that property. Thank you!
Submitted by: Frank Schoenhoeffer President, Sydenham Club
Sydenham Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019 Peninsula Bruce Trail Club Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting - September 21, 2019
The Peninsula Club is growing in Membership, active in Hiking, Land Management, Stewardship and Trail Maintenance/Development. A “Century Tree” conservation initiative was started with the long term goal of providing 100 majestic trees for BTC’s 100th anniversary. All these activities are due to the involvement of about 150 volunteers. We thank you!
This year we provided exciting new trails and reroutes that will knock your boots off! The first is at Dunks Bay where a 200 metre reroute to the edge of the lake has unveiled a marvelous geological formation, a natural bridge through which there is a wonderful view of the Islands off Tobermory.
The Club provided significant funds to help the creation of the Barrow Bay Cliffs Nature Reserve that conserves nearly 400 acres of forest. With the completion of a staircase sometime later, the dream of removing about 7 KM of trail from roads will be achieved. No more long treks down CR9! This land is the connection to BTC lands along the shore and down to Cape Dundas providing a day’s worth of hiking in a near wilderness environment. The reserve now hosts two side trails honouring BTC members.
With the acquisition of the forest at Barrow Bay our stewardship responsibility increases 10% to 70 properties, 37 parcels, 44 Land Stewards and 4,023 acres.
The Beth Gilhespy Side Trail was officially opened with a tribute to Beth’s dedication and leadership as Chief Executive Officer from 2004 to 2018.
Submitted by: Walter Brewer President, Peninsula Bruce Trail Club
Peninsula Bruce Trail Club – Report to the Bruce Trail Conservancy Annual Meeting, September 21, 2019