Home 2018

Ticks and Lyme Disease

A recent edition of the online newspaper, Barrie Today, reports that active surveillance in 2018, by the Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit, has found blacklegged ticks in the Amos Tract, part of the Copeland Forest.  Blacklegged ticks may be infected with Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

The Amos tract runs west off the 5th Concession of Oro-Medonte, and is literally in our back yard!   Please take appropriate precautions if you are walking, hiking, birdwatching, hunting, or mountain biking, etc. in the Copeland Forest or other areas within a 20 Km radius.

Here is the link to the most recent edition of an excellent 8-page brochure, on ticks and Lyme disease.  It is written by John D. Scott, one of Canada’s foremost Lyme disease researchers:  http://lymeontario.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Lyme-Disease-In-Ontario-Brochure-Sept-2018.pdf

 

Ganaraska Hiking Club 50th Anniversary Copeland Forest Hikes

Everyone is welcome to join in on any of the following hikes.  Please bring drinking water on all hikes.  Hiking boots are recommended.

1. Saturday April 21  Time:  1:30 pm.  Moderate or Easy – 2 hours in length.

Meet at the Copeland Forest P2 parking lot on Ingram Road just east of Line 4 North.  Hike on part of the local Ganaraska Trail in the scenic Copeland Forest.  Some hilly terrain.                        Must contact Bob 705-728-8985 or Christine 705-733-3825.

2. Sunday April 22  Time: 9:30 am.  Moderate – 4 hours in length.

Meet at the Copeland Forest P2 parking lot on Ingram Road just east of Line 4 North.  There will be lots of hills and a variety of forest environments.  Contact:  John Sloan 705-715-6994.

3. Sunday April 22  Time:  10:00 am.  Easy – 2-3 hours in length.

Meet at the Copeland Forest P2 parking lot on Ingram Road just east of Line 4 North. Hike on relatively flat terrain on the Ganaraska Trail and other trails in the Copeland Forest.  Contact:  Brian Vink 705-728-5718

Guest Speaker at our AGM – Kristie Virgoe from Kawartha Conservation

“There is something about the smell of the damp forest floor, the sound of the birds singing and leaves jostling in the wind.  We slow down, we breathe deeper, we feel our mind slowly release the tension of the day.  This is forest bathing.”

Kristie Virgoe, Director, Stewardship & Conservation Lands at Kawartha Conservation is coming to our AGM as our guest speaker to give us a peek in the world of Shinrin-Yoku or forest bathing.  Kristie is a Certified Forest Therapy Guide.  “It is more than just a walk in the forest, it is about deepening our relationship with the more than human world.  The health benefits are well documented in scientific study, but more importantly, you will FEEL them simply by participating.  Shinrin-Yoku is the practice of immersing yourself in the natural environment.  This art is centuries old, but became a formal program in Japan in the 1980’s as a response to an ailing population.  Through this gentle wandering we boost our immune systems, reduce our stress hormones, lower our cholesterol and improve our mental health.”

Come out and enjoy Kristie’s presentation and take part in our 3rd AGM.

DATE:  Saturday March 24, 2018

TIME:  Doors open at 12:30 pm, meeting starts at 1:00 pm until about 3:30 pm.  Light refreshments served at 2:00 pm.

PLACE:  W.R. Best Memorial Public School, on the Old Barrie Road, about 1 km east of the village of Dalston

Elections will be taking place for three positions on the Board for the following user groups:  Snow Sports, Naturalists and Horse Back Riders.  If you are not currently a paid member and wish to have a vote in the elections, please purchase your 2018 membership by February 24, 2018.  You can do this on our website.

Here is a copy of the minutes from our 2017 AGM:

AGM MINUTES 2017 web

A CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS FROM OUR ECOLOGY & SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE

Do you love to step out into Copeland Forest and admire the trees, adorned in lichens and mosses, their branches swaying high above you?   Hear the gentle bubble of water as it emerges from a hidden spring? Listen to the chorus of birds in the canopy above you?  Inhale the rich aroma of the soils, where earth and water and plants come together in a combination that is absolutely rejuvenating?  If you share this feeling about Copeland, then our Ecology & Sustainability Committee is seeking your help.  We are in need of volunteers like you to help us take care of this special place.  Why not join other like-minded Copeland enthusiasts and join the E&S Committee and use your passion to help us keep this Forest healthy.  Please contact Pat Woodford at strix.woodfordii@sympatico.ca for more information.  We look forward to hearing from you.

 

WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US AT OUR ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

DATE: SATURDAY MARCH 24, 2018
TIME: 1-3 PM (Doors open at 12:30 pm)
Coffee and refreshments served at 2:30 pm
LOCATION: W.R. Best Memorial Public School, Old Barrie Road, about 1 km east of the village of Dalston.

Come on out and see what’s been happening with the Friends. Renew your membership and have your say in the voting of representatives to the Board of Directors. The Board is made up of 11 voting members, with one member representing each of the 9 user groups and 2 Directors-at-Large. The 9 user groups are: Anglers & Hunters, Horse Back Riders, Hikers, Mountain Bikers, Naturalists, Business, Snow Sports, Residents and Horseshoe Resort.
Each year at the AGM, elections are held for 3 of the 9 user groups for a representative on the CFFA Board of Directors. This year, the 3 user groups are: Snow Sports, Naturalists and Horse Back Riders. The two Director-at-Large positions are appointed annually by the Board.
Each paid member of the Copeland Forest Friends has one vote in the election within the user group designation. When you become a member you indicate which user group you wish to be a part of.  If you are not already a member and wish to join and also have a vote at the meeting on March 24, 2018, you must purchase your membership before February 24, 2018. As mentioned, the voting this year will be only for the Director positions representing Snow Sports, Naturalists and Horse Back Riders.
Updates on the agenda and details on our guest speaker are coming soon and will be posted on our Facebook page.
We look forward to meeting you on March 24th.

Here is a copy of the minutes from last year’s AGM:

AGM MINUTES 2017 web

Winter Parking Is Now Available All Winter Long at P2

We are pleased to announce that our winter parking plans have expanded. We have a signed agreement with a local contractor to plow Parking Lot #2 (on the south side of Ingram Road, just east of Line 4 North). When there is a snowfall of 10 or more centimetres, the lot will be cleared of snow for your parking convenience. The lot has been plowed over a dozen times this winter, and it’s only mid January!
Thank you to the Township of Oro-Medonte for their financial assistance with this project. The snow removal contract represents a sizable portion of our budget and we have plans to install a donation box at the parking lot. In the interim, any donation would be greatly appreciated and can be done on our website.