Winter 2015-2016 THE QUARTERLY OF THE TORONTO BRUCE TRAIL CLUB Vol. LII No. 4 www.torontobrucetrailclub.org | 416-763-9061 | [email protected] Welcome to Winter! by Brent Michaluk Winter will soon be upon us, and, for some, that means an end to outdoor activities until Spring. But it need not be so! Snowshoeing and cross-country skiing offer the chance to enjoy that most Canadian of seasons, and keep one’s self in great shape throughout the year. I took up snowshoeing last winter, mainly due to my interest in earning the Dufferin Hi-Land Bruce Trail Club’s winter badge (yes, I’m one of those people). I thoroughly enjoyed the series of four hikes (two in the day time, two at night); we were rewarded with an amazing moonlit night on our last hike which made braving the snow and cold well worth the effort. I won’t go into very great detail about gear: skis, boots, bindings and poles for cross-country; snowshoes (with a heel lift bar if available; they really help on uphill sections), winter hiking boots (which I heartily recommend) and trekking poles with snow baskets (also highly recommended by yours truly) for snowshoeing. Put on those gloves and toques, dress in layers (made from synthetics or wool ideally), wear nice thick socks, and you’re all set! Many clubs offer snowshoeing and cross-country ski- ing opportunities over the winter months, including your own Toronto Bruce Trail Club; see page 4 and the activity schedule in this edition of Footnotes for more details. Conservation areas and provincial parks are other places to look if you so choose. I wish everybody the best of the winter season as I mark my first year (so to speak) as editor of Footnotes. Winter Fun! Photo of the author taken by Brent Melanson www.torontobrucetrailclub.org Table of Contents Footnotes Toronto Bruce Trail Club is published quarterly by the Board of Directors Welcome To Winter! P1 Toronto Bruce Trail Club President: Hike Leader Training P1 PO Box 597 ToddBardes, [email protected] 2938 Dundas Street West Vice-President: President’s Pen P3 Toronto, Ontario M6P 4E7 John Grandy [email protected] Hiking Director’s Notes P3 [email protected] Past President: www.torontobrucetrailclub.org Peter Leeney, 905-822-1877 2016 Ski and Snowshoe Program P4 ISSN 0380-9354 [email protected] A member of the Bruce Trail Conservancy BTC Director: General Information P5 Marlis Butcher, Many thanks to all the volunteers who [email protected] Activities Calendar P6 helped in the production of this issue. Hiking Director: Wayne Crockett, Looking Forward P16 Send address changes to: 647-786-4537 The Bruce Trail Conservancy [email protected] Other Hikes P16 PO Box 857, Hamilton, ON L8N 3N9 Secretary: www.brucetrail.org 1-800-665-4453 Melanie Bissett, 416-987-1775 Winter Scenes (photo collage) P17 [email protected] For missing copies of Footnotes Treasurer : Hiking P18 call 1-800-665-4453, Malcolm Sanderson, Monday to Friday 8:30 am - 4:30 pm 905-294-5866 Award News P20 [email protected] Opinions expressed in Footnotes are not Public Relations & Education: necessarily the views of the TBTC unless Magdalena Van Der Kooy stated as such. Advertising does not Log in to the Members 647-983-7938 imply endorsement by the TBTC. [email protected] section of the Club website Trail Maintenance: using your BTC membership David Paape, 416-445-9028 number and your own Footnotes Resource Support [email protected] password (not members of the Board) Land Owner Relations Footnotes Editor: Brent Michaluk Paul Vanhanen, 905-877-1294 Proofreaders: Marilyn MacKellar [email protected] Kathryn Emirzian Land Stewardship: Publication Deadlines Advertising & Mail Coordinator: Vladimir Bosnar, 905-273-7569 Jude Keast [email protected] ISSUE: ADVERTISING/EDITORIAL Activities Editor: Victor Ramautar Fundraising: Webmaster: Stephen Kamnitzer Patricia Peel, 416-436-2710 Spring 2016: Dec.15/Dec.20 e-Notes Editor: Brent Michaluk [email protected] Summer 2016: March 15/March 24 Archivist: John Drew Land Management Committee Chair; Fall 2016: June 15/June 24 Information Line: Judy Leeney Land Securement Secretariat BTC Winter 2016-17: Sept. 15/Sept. 24 City of Toronto Liaison: Representative: John Hough David Tyson, 416-966-1379 Send advertisements to: Halton Hills Chapter: [email protected] [email protected] Janet Le Lievre Volunteer Co-ordinator: Kevin B. Warburton, 416-717-4163 The Toronto Bruce Trail Club is one of nine clubs [email protected] Membership: making up the Bruce Trail Conservancy, which Sima Patel, 416-844-5640 is dedicated to the conservation of the Niagara Members at Large: Escarpment. You are invited to visit the Toronto Tanya Cora Club’s website at www.torontobrucetrailclub.org Oonagh Maley 2 Winter 2015-2016 Club Info Line: 416-763-9061 www.torontobrucetrailclub.org President’s Pen by Todd Bardes The Bruce Trail is a great source of wisdom In an article by Robert Bateman, he stated were able to identify the Bruce Trail. In a and knowledge about nature which is that he was told that the average young June 2014 survey conducted by Ipsos Reid important for the preservation of the person today can recognize more than a Marketing, for the TBTC, we found out wildlife of southern Ontario for future thousand corporate logos, but they’d be that 33% of the respondents were aware generation. It’s up to all of us to carry hard pressed to name even a relatively small of the BTC but only 14% knew about the on a tradition of conservation for our number of wildlife species. In addition TBTC. We have progressed over the past 15 children and grandchildren so they may to our youth, new residents to southern years, but we have a real endeavor to share enjoy this wilderness that is so close to our Ontario need an opportunity to develop the the knowledge of the Escarpment, nature homes. Children need to be able to learn knowledge and education about the nature and the love of the wilderness along the and understand about wildlife in a natural along the Escarpment. Bateman goes on to Bruce Trail if there is any hope to pass this setting. As they go to schools which are say, “This ‘oh wow’ appreciation of nature biosphere onto future generations. If we faced with cut-backs, reduced nature study, is OK, but you cannot protect biodiversity hope the experience and understanding of and very limited field trips, it is difficult to if you don’t know the names of the species nature will be part of our children and our develop a strong understanding of nature you want to protect”. It’s kind of like when grandchildren’s lives, we need to develop an and an appreciation of conservation. Along Ronald Reagan, as the story goes, said, “A educational process to meet the challenge the Bruce Trail there are more than 400 rare tree is a tree. How many more do you need of maintaining biodiversity. Maybe you can species that need to be protected. In a recent to look at?” with reference to the protection help? field survey, 68 species at risk were identified of the California Redwoods from a proposed on Bruce Trail managed properties. I would development project. be willing to bet that most of us would not Philip Gosling said, “The Bruce Trail didn’t be able to identify many of these plants and just happen. It came about because the early animals, much less conserve them for the We in the Toronto Bruce Trail Club need vision of protecting…the escarpment, not future. to bring the Trail and nature to life for our just for a few but for future generations.” whole population including our youth. Back in the late 1990’s York University conducted a study that concluded that less than 10% of the residents of Ontario Hiking Director’s Notes by Wayne Crockett It has been an interesting first few months thanks to Deborah Brander, there will be If you have any questions or concerns in the chair of the Hiking Director for the major changes to the ‘back’ of the website regarding a hike you have been on and you Toronto Bruce Trail Club. I particularly to make it more intuitive and user friendly would like to discuss the matter with me want to thank the members of the Board of both for hike leaders in creating events and please email me at either of the addresses Directors for nominating and confirming our members and the interested public in above. me in the position in the period between getting information on them. AGMs and John Grandy for helping to I’ll keep it short and just wish you all convince me to take this on. And I want In addition to this I would like to involve a happy and safe holiday season and a to thank the many members of the Club the members to a greater degree in the prosperous new year in 2016. I hope to see who have offered their congratulations and development of the hiking program. I my many friends and loads of new hikers support since then. am seeking advice from you about what on the trail. you would like to see in the kind of hikes As I write this I am still getting a handle on that interest you and how you would Wayne Crockett, TBTC Hiking Director. the ins and outs of the position but I hope improve the way we do our ‘business’. to make a difference in the way we manage You can write me at wayne.hikes@gmail our hiking program.