David Myles – Page 2 – Copeland Forest Friends Association

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.

Join Us For Our Annual General Meeting

DATE: Saturday February 18, 2017

TIME: 12:30 – 3:00 PM

LOCATION: W.R. Best Memorial Public School located on Old Barrie Road, about 1 km east of the village of Dalston, (To read more, click on title above) which is at the corner of Simcoe Rd 93 and Old Barrie Road.

We look forward to you joining us for fellowship and discussion about what’s been happening in the forest and plans for the future. The proposed agenda is:

12:30 – 1:00 pm Membership table & browsing information booths

1:00 – 1:30 pm Break out to user group meetings for ELECTIONS & discussions.

1:30 – 2:00 pm Refreshments in the gym

2:00 – 2:30 pm Guest speaker, Carl Lesperance from Severn Sound Environmental Association

2:30 – 3:00 pm Annual General Meeting – Reports from the President, Treasurer, Membership Chair and Committees, Election of new Board, reports from user group meetings.

We welcome Carl Lesperance as a guest speaker. Carl is from the Severn Sound Environmental Association and he will speak to the ecological health of the region and water quality issues. This is of great importance to us, as Copeland Forest is the source of three rivers in the region, two of which flow into the Severn Sound.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT ELECTIONS

Elections will be held for three of our user group director positions which are up for renewal.

Business
Hunters & Anglers
Mountain Bikers

Each of these positions is for a 3-year term and the newly elected user group reps will serve as Directors on the Copeland Forest Friends Association Board of Directors. CFFA meets monthly on the third Wednesday of the month, 6:30 pm at Horseshoe Resort. According to our Constitution, persons wishing to put their names forward for these positions are required to be a paid member of the Copeland Forest Friends Association. If the candidate is not already a member of the CFFA, they must purchase a membership at least one month prior to the Annual General Meeting. The Board consists of 9 user group directors representing Snow Sports, Hunters & Anglers, Hikers, Mountain Bikers, Horse Back Riders, Naturalists, Residents, Businesses, and Horseshoe Resort. There are also two members-at-large who are appointed by the Board on an annual basis, for a total of eleven voting members. Executive positions on the Board, namely President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary are elected by the Board.

We’re Launched!

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On our first official day as an organization, we raised $3,000 and took in 96 memberships. Not bad for an unseasonably cold and windy day that had a few of us reaching for our parkas.

Big Thank You to the businesses and organizations who helped sponsor our event and came out on launch day: Horseshoe Resort (Couldn’t have done it without you), Napoleon Grill, Maple Lodge Farms, Bikeland, Ride Guides, Copeland Hills Stables, Ganaraska Hiking Club, Orillia Naturalists Club, Brereton Field Naturalists, Severn Sound Environmental Association, The Couchiching Conservancy, Sojourn, Orillia Fish and Game Conservation Club and of course The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

Photo album from the launch here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/copelandforest/sets/72157659361305026

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Join Us for the Launch of Copeland Forest Friends

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Support a New Community with the Forest at its Heart. Join us for the launch of the Copeland Forest Friends Association and find out how you can support our efforts to preserve and protect one of the last tracts of Deep Woods forest in Ontario.

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Saturday October 3 from 10 am to Noon
Horseshoe Resort X-C Ski Lodge & Parking Lot

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Barbecue. $7 per person or take out a membership and get a free lunch.
Presentation on Horseback Trail Riding
Mountainbike Skills Training with Ride Guides Noon to 1 pm *
Horseshoe Resort Mountainbike Joyride Course will be set up and open 10 am to 2 pm
Tethered Hot Air Balloon Rides ***Cancelled*** due to winds.
Nature Walk with Brereton Field Naturalists and Orillia Naturalists’ Club
Hike with Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association)
Horseshoe Resort’s Special Events Trailer will be on-site.
Memberships will be available for $25

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Thanks to generous donations from local businesses, the majority of proceeds raised at the event will be used to fund the work of Copeland Forest Friends.

Additional Information:
*Bring your bikes (the kids bikes too) and have some fun: Ride Guides will be doing a bike skills workshop from noon to 1 pm. The workshop is open to all who would like to learn more about bike handling. There will also be some riding obstacles there to practice your new skills. From 10 am to noon there will also be short guided rides out into the Copeland Forest, another good reason to bring the bikes.

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Copeland Forest Friends Official Launch

Tethered balloon rides will give you the chance to view Copeland Forest from a whole new angle when The Copeland Forest Friends Association holds its official launch Oct. 3rd with a barbecue and other recreational activities.

The event represents a precedent-setting partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests (MNRF) to bring greater stewardship to the Copeland Forest, which is facing increasing pressure from recreational interests. The goal of the new non-profit is to conserve the natural integrity of the forest while facilitating compatible recreational opportunities.

The organization arose out of an initiative of the Couchiching Conservancy, which, with the blessing of MNRF has been working to develop community stewardship for Copeland Forest with recreational user groups and members of the public since 2011.

The governance model for Copeland Forest Friends, developed by the founding Board members, places the health of the forest first, and gives each of nine recreational user groups equal say in decisions regarding the forest. This model was developed after a series of well- attended public meetings in which users of the forest overwhelmingly expressed the need to protect this natural gem as the highest priority. The organization has been carefully crafted to ensure that all user groups are involved and heard.

The Copeland Forest is a 4,400 acre Resource Management Area under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. The forest contains headwaters for three watersheds draining into the Georgian Bay. It is the largest mature forest within commuting distance of the Greater Toronto Area.

The enterprise has enjoyed the support of The Ontario Trillium Foundation, Mountain Equipment Co-op, the Township of Oro-Medonte, Horseshoe Resort, the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority, The Couchiching Conservancy, and of course the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.