Woolwich Trails Group

Wednesday March 26, 2008

Meeting Minutes

 

Chair person: Gloria Yeung

 

Those attending: Mark Bauman, Joyce Cummings, Alf Lemp, Lisa Nadon, Inga Rinne, Ann Roberts, Clint Rohr, Nancy Stayzer, Gloria Yeung (and Emily).

 

1.      Guidebook Distribution: Eleanor reported by email that there are no updates since the last meeting.

2.      School Hike Day: Wed. April 30, 9 am.  6 groups of students will participate and start at 5 to 10 minute intervals.  Volunteers needed: one at trail head at kiosk, one at the steel bridge to hand out book marks to each group, and a few more along the trail to help students.  Clint and Gloria will be there to help.  If anyone wishes to help please let Gloria know.  Nancy will contact the press.  Nancy is suggesting that the scavenger hunt be done with a bingo card format.  Nancy will bring her camera.

 

3.      Membership report:  Brenda was not present to report.

 

4.      March hike: Paul reported by email that 11 people attended the hike. 

 

5.      April hikes: See list of April hikes below.  Inga asked Ted Spieker if he would lead the June geocache hike in John’s absence.  He has agreed. Inga is unable to lead the May 25 hike (wildflower identification on the GVT at Rosendale).  Judy is still available to do the wildflower identification.  Joyce suggested that Ruby Isobel might be interested in leading as this section of trail used to be her responsibility w.r.t. maintenance.  Ann to call Isobel.

     

6.        2008 Healthy Communities Month:

The following is a list of events:

Hikes:

Thurs. April 10, 9:30 am to 12 noon: Hike-on-a-bus.  

Learn about Woolwich trails on a bus!  Please call Ann at 519 669-1647 x 265 to reserve a seat on the bus.  Cost is $2.  Meet in the Woolwich Community arena parking lot, St. Jacobs (29 Parkside Dr.) at 9:15 am. 

Sunday April 20, 2 pm: 2 hr hike on the Health Valley Trail, St. Jacobs.

Join Mark Bauman for birding and hiking.  Meet at the kiosk at the trail entrance behind the fire station in St. Jacobs.  Take King St. north to Albert St.  Turn right or east on Albert and follow to the back of the parking lot to the kiosk.  Trail rating: first half is stone dust; second half is natural pathway.

Wednesday April 30, 9am: School hike day with St. Jacobs PS on the Mill Race Trail St. Jacobs

 

Other Events:

There are several events being planning by the HC working groups (trails, clean waterways and TWEEC) and the coordinating committee for April.  The following is a list of events. 

-Film Night: Sat. April 12, 7:30. Cost $2. “The End of Suburbia". Trinity United Church, Elmira.

-Taste of Woolwich: Monday April 14, 5 to 8 pm. St. Jacobs Community Centre.

-Alternative Energy Tour (1 to 4 pm) and Technology Fair (11 to 5 pm): Sat. April 19, St. Jacobs Arena.

-Clean Waterways Tree Planting: April 22, 23, 25

-Community clean-up day: Sat. April 26, 8:30 am until noon. Please contact Ann if you would like to help.  669-1647 x 265

-Yellow Fish Road with the Girl Guides in Elmira (Barb Taylor organizing): Sat. Ap 26

- Canoeing the Grand: Sun. April 27, 2 to 4 pm

-Grand Valley Trail Clean-up Day: Tues April 29.  Please contact Joyce Cummings if you would like to help out.  742-5197

For more information, call Joy at 664-3534 x 230 or check out our website at

www.woolwichhealthycommunities.org

 

7.      Hike on a bus: Thursday April 10, 9:30 until noon. Shirley and Warren will be leading the tour.  Hand-outs will include: composite trails map, local food map, hike schedule, trails membership brochure.  Guidebooks will also be available for purchase.  Eleanor to deliver some books to Shirley.  Please contact Ann if you wish to reserve a seat on the bus- 669-1647 x 265.

 

8.      Spring Work Parties: 1- Clint and Alf have a spring clean-up party planned for Tuesday April 29, 9:00 am on the Grand Valley Trail north of West Montrose.  ALL are invited to attend.  Please call Joyce for more info 519 742-5197.  Blazing will be the main focus of this work party.  Alf asked if it would be possible to drive along the KBT east of Middlebrook Rd to access the GVT at the river.  This would make it much easier to bring in tools and supplies.  Ann to contact Pete Scheuring and Al Murray to see if this is a possibility.  Clint to let Ann know if his group requires any hand tools.

 

9.      Schaner park pathway: No new information available from TWEEC re the pathway.  Clint received a $100 donation from Harold Schaner for the park renewal work. Clint wondered if there were plans for some sort of plaque or sign to name the park.  The group liked the idea of a having a large stone/bolder engraved with Schaner park.  Ann to call Shirley and Joy for more information.

 

10.  CW Optimist Report:  Pete was not available to report. 

 

11.  Grand Valley Trails Update:  Joyce provided the following report:

 

  II. Upcoming events:

   

                        A.  Trail Maintenance Workshop: - Saturday, March 29, 2008 

 

    B.  Learn to Hike:

Saturday April 12, 2008, Centre Wellington Sportsplex (formerly Fergus Community Centre),  550 Belsyde Ave. East, Fergus. Registration required by March 30.

 

     C.   The AGM: Sunday, April 20, 2008 - GVTA Annual General Meeting
Location: Trillium United Church, 450 King Street, Cambridge
Agenda: 3:00 p.m. AGM , 5:00 or 5:30 p.m. pot luck dinner . Walter S. will provide a presentation of a trip down a northern river.

 

D.     GVTA Hiking and Trail Information Nights;  for the Public and GVTA members:

 

Monday, April 21, 2008  at Centre Wellington Sportsplex,  (formerly Fergus Community Centre) 550 Belsyde Ave East, Fergus, Ontario at 7 p.m. No cost.

 

 E. Upcoming Work Parties:

 

      1. Thursday April 3, 2008. Trail Maintenance.

          Leader: Dave Martin, (519) 880-1623, dgmartin @rogers.com

      Meet at 9:00 a.m at the Grand River Walter Bean Trail parking lot off of   

     Homer   Watson Blvd. at Doon South. We will do trail maintenance from km.  8.3 to   20.8,  Map 10. Bring loppers, paint kits, etc.

2.      Tuesday April 29, 2008. Trail Maintenance Day Contact: Alf Lemp  (519) 896-6766,   alemp@sympatico.ca or  Clint Rohr: (519) 664-2661,     clintrohr@auracom.com   Meet at 9:00 a.m. at the parking lot in West   Montrose. Help new Trail Captain Alf Lemp and Woolwich Trails Group  member Clint Rohr do spring clean up on Alf’s new section, from Highway 86 to Middlebrook Road. Please bring loppers, saws, and paint kits. We will work until 12:00 p.m.

 

12.  Breslau Update: Lisa had the following updates: 1- a clean-up day is planned for the Hopewell trail on Sat. April 19. 2- there are still problems with off road vehicles using the trail.  Lisa requested that rocks be placed along Flanders Drive between the gate and the lot to the east. 3- she noted that people haul in off road vehicles and then park along Fountain Street regularly on week-ends.  Sat. and Sundays are the most popular times for off road vehicles.  Ann and Lisa to chat more on the 19^th.

 

13.  Distance markers at trail heads: As discussed and agreed upon in 2006.  Ann contacted a shop in Millbank that has a CNC router and is able to produce signs.  Cost estimate: $21 to $23 per sign: cedar, 2 x 6 wood at a 48” length.  The group agreed on mounting the signs with 2 metal t bar posts vs wooden posts due to cost and labour requirements.  The group agreed to order the signs.  The group needs to decide on paint and finishing at the next meeting.  The group will drill the holes for hardware, likely on-site.   Ann to look after locates.

 

14.  New Business: Looking for a new chair person: After several years in the chair person position Gloria has decided to step down at the end of the season.  We thank Gloria for her dedication to this position.  ALL: please be thinking about a person to fill this role.  To be discussed at the next meeting along with brain storming about possible changes for the group, e.g. do we need to meet monthly, perhaps 4 times per year is ok?

                      

15.  Next Meeting: Date to follow.

 

Dates to Remember:

 

Next Hike: 

See #6 above.

 

2008 Hike Leaders:

 

March 16, KBT: Paul Miller

April 10, hike on a bus: Shirley Craig and Warren Stauch

April 20: birding on the HVT: Mark Bauman

April 30: hike day at St. Jacobs PS: Nancy Stayzer

May 25: wildflower walk on the GVT: Inga is not available. Could someone lead this hike with Judy to identify wildflowers?

June 22: geo-caching at Floradale: Ted Spieker will lead this hike.

June 22: HVT: Lisa Nadon

Sept. 21: GVT with Gloria Yeung

Oct. 19: Schneider’s Woods with Joy Finney

Nov. 16: Mill Race trail with Shirley Craig.

 

Contact Ann Roberts at 519 669-1647 x 265 or aroberts@woolwich.ca for more information.  Please note my new email address.