Events – Page 2 – Copeland Forest Friends Association

Call for Volunteers – Water Testing

Copeland Forest Friends are beginning a new initiative this summer to monitor watershed health using a citizen science approach. We have room for a few volunteers who will be assigned a permanent site along a stream in Copeland Forest to monitor. No experience is necessary and you will be provided with all the training and equipment required to conduct water tests.

Why it matters
The Copeland Forest is the headwaters for three major rivers/watersheds: The Coldwater, Sturgeon, and Willow.

Headwaters are like the foundation of a building, and if they are compromised, so is the entire watershed. If the headwater stream stays cold year-round, it is of primary importance because it provides the larger, lower portions of the river with a steady base flow of clean water. In turn, they are fed from groundwater originating from glacial formations such as moraines and drumlins.

Some of the sources in Copeland Forest are as clean as water can get, and it is important to monitor them to ensure they stay that way. This data can also be used to provide a comparison to the water downstream.

Volunteers test for eight water quality “parameters” right on-site. The tests include Depth, Temperature, Turbidity, pH, Phosphates, Nitrates, Dissolved Oxygen, and Alkalinity. Other tests, such as Chlorides, will be added if deemed necessary.

For a complete volunteer job description, click here.

To sign up, contact Pat Woodford at strix.woodfordii@sympatico.ca or call (705) 835-0002. Next training session is this Sunday July 17th from 9:30 to 5 pm.

Copeland Friends AGM Saturday Feb 20th

Please join us for the Annual General Meeting and User Group Meetings of Copeland Forest Friends. The event will run from 1 to 4 pm at W.R. Best Elementary School on the Old Barrie Road east of Dalton. Doors open at noon.

The deadline to become a voting member at this AGM is Sunday January 24th at midnight. If you miss the deadline, you are still welcome to come to the meeting where we will be selling memberships. Read More…

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.

Copeland Forest Spring workshops

Many people leave Copeland Forest with a lot of unanswered questions: “I’ve never heard that bird song before, I wonder what it was?”; “Are any of these plants rare? Do they have any medicinal uses?” People who can answer those questions are becoming as rare as some of the unique species found in Copeland Forest.

This May we’ve invited three very experienced naturalists – Bob Bowles, Margaret Kennedy, and Dave Lord – to share their knowledge with you and answer your questions. They have generously offered their time for free. Come celebrate spring’s arrival with us and take away a deeper understanding of this important forest. The number of participants are limited for each workshop, so please make sure you register in advance.

Click here for a full list of our workshops