THE NEXT GENERAL MEETING, REMEMBER THE DATE, THURSDAY FEBRUARY 2 ND, 7:30 PM, AT THE CLUB HOUSE, LINCOLN PARK ROAD, IN THE TOWNSHIP OF GEORGIAN BLUFFS .

The speaker for our February General Meeting will be Jason Ritchie of the MNR. Jason will speak about the Stewartship Program and the Get OutDoors for Youth Program.

NEW MEMBERS!!

The SSA welcomes the following new members:

• Norman Kurck senior
• Sam Buzza Senior
• Tom McCartney Adult
• Arnold Heft Family

Youth Activities Program

There will be a free draw for Junior members in attendance at the general meetings.

THINGS TO REMEMBER!!

2006 Memberships are now due.

Return any sold OFAH Lottery tickets to get in on the first early bird draw.

Gate keys available at the general meeting.

Social Committee

Please mark your Calendar for the following dates for 2006.

• Thursday June 1, 2006 Hot Dog and Beer Night
• Sunday June 4, 2006 Annual Beef BarBQ
• Wednesday August 16, 2006 Corn Boil and Weiner Roast
• Thursday December 7, 2006 Wild Game Nibble Night

Further details relating to each of these events will be provided in future newsletters.

Carol Barfoot, Chairperson

Property Gates

All SSA Members and accompanied guests are reminded that the club property gates are to be closed on exiting the club property by the last person to leave. Recently the gates have been left open which provides access to non- members and persons who may vandalize the club property. During the winter months, please ensure the gates are closed at both the top of the hill to the ranges and at the main road.

The locks have been removed due to temperature fluctuations and freezing. During the warmer weather months (after April 1st) the locks will be placed at these locations and must be secured prior to leaving the property. It is your responsibility to help protect your club's assets.

THE PRESIDENTS CORNER

I would like to express my appreciation for being re-elected as your SSA president for 2006 and look forward to taking an active part and participating in the many activities and events in the coming year.

On behalf of all the member of the Sydenham Sportsmen ’ s Association, I would like to thank all the 2005 Officers and Committee Chairs who have worked so hard and diligently to carry out their duties and expand the activities we are all so proud of. Lastly please join me in extending a warm welcome to our

newest Directors, Chairpersons, and Coordinators as I know they will bring there unique talents and professionalism to carry on their individual programs at the highest levels.

We truly have one of the premier conservation and outdoor sportsmen ’ s clubs in Ontario, so lets all work together to continue this great tradition and make 2006 a very enjoyable and productive year.

Bill Douglas, President

2006 Board of Directors and Committee Chairs

• Bill Douglas, President and Archery Co-ordinator
• Fred Geberdt: 1st Vice President and Co-chairperson Salmon Spectacular, and O.F.A.H. Delegate
• Jim Weir: 2nd Vice President and OFAH Delegate
• Blake Smith: Past President, Forestry, Wildlife & Wetlands Advisory Committee Co-Chairperson, O.F.A.H. Delegate
• Dennis Wiseman: Recording Secretary
• Murray Smart: Treasurer
• Ken Noble: Correspondence Secretary
• Carol Barfoot: Director and Social Committee Chairperson
• Bill Beamish: Director, Shooting Sports Ranges Committee Chair and Shot Gun Sports Co-ordinator
• Terry Christie: Director and Co-chairperson Property Committee
• Jack Doherty: Director, Phone Committee Chair and Meetings Program Chair
• Chris Geberdt: Director, Fund Raising Chairperson and O.F.A.H Alternate Delegate
• Bob McKay: Director and Handgun Shooting Sports Co-Chairperson
• John McNamara: Director, O.F.A.H Alternate Delegate and Youth Activities Program Co-Chairperson
• Doug Murdoch: Director and Forestry, Wildlife & Wetlands Advisory Committee Co-Chairperson
• Mike Prevost: Director and Fisheries Advisory Committee Chairperson
• Dave Arnold: Gord Maher Memorial Centre - Coordinator (appointed, )
• Ken Cowtan: Property Equipment Repair/Maintenance Co-ordinator (appointed, )
• Coy Currie: Fish Hatchery Coordinator (appointed)
• Grant Ferris: O.F.A.H. Delegate (appointed, )
• Geoff Ford: Co-chairperson Salmon Spectacular (appointed)
• John Ford: Membership Chairperson (appointed )
• Joe Grey: Handgun Program Co-Chairperson (appointed, )
• Dave Hartrick: Gord Maher Memorial Centre - Assistant (appointed,
• Ray Hoffer: Firearms Safety and Hunter Education Examiner/Instructor (appointed)
• Steve Lustig: Youth Activities Program Co-Chairperson (appointed)
• Cliff Springer: Club supplies Chairperson (appointed )
• Bill Thompson: Newsletter Editor/Chair (appointed)
• Stew Wallace: Firearms Safety Instructor and Handgun Program Co-Chairperson (appointed)
• Rob Wilson: Co-chairperson Salmon Spectacular (appointed)
• Fish and Game Contest Co-ordinator – To be confirmed
• High Power Rifle Range Co-ordinator – To be confirmed .22 Rifle Range Co-ordinator – To be confirmed
• Clubhouse Bookings: Audrey Smart 519-376-3346
• Clubhouse Custodians: Audrey Smart, June Hartrick

FORESTS -WILDLIFE -WETLANDS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Shallow Lake planning is under way. We have the property. Now it is time to overcome several development obstacles that have come up. Some may be expensive, such as the matter of water leaving the wetland and what would happen if we block the flow. We will need outside help to finance this sort of project.

This has been a relatively open winter so far and two game species appear to be benefiting...deer & turkeys.

We are getting reports of huge flocks of turkeys in many Grey/Bruce locations. We are also hearing that one or two over wintering eagles are managing to take a few of these birds. Don't get carried away and take it out on the eagles. Turkeys are plentiful, while eagles are very scarce, as well as being fully protected by the Endangered Species Act.

Deer definitely are having a good winter. This year, they never really yarded in traditional areas and are able to move about quite well. Note...they are not doing so well in the upper Bruce Peninsula due to deep snow.

In past winters, I walked, snowshoed and skied most of the major deeryards around Grey and Bruce counties attempting to get a rough estimate of deeryard use, deer numbers, etc. I can't do much of this now. Old age and infirmities have me mostly sticking to open roads.

Perhaps some of our club members might be interested in making some winter yarding observations and passing them on for MNR and club information.

If you are out and about in the yards, you might record your location, forest cover and browsing evidence whether heavy or light and species browsed. Remember that rabbits make a clean, diagonal cut whereas deer make a right-angled, crushing cut that leaves a rather ragged or fuzzy twig end.

For your information, I've included some winter deer\Facts from an August 1997 MNR technical publication by Voigt, Broadfoot and Baker called Forest Management Guidelines for the Provision of Whitetail Deer Habitat. If enough club members indicate an interest in this information, I will include more for our March bulletin.

From the MNR publication The identification of winter concentration areas or yards is necessary before determining stand level prescriptions for winter habitat. Winter concentration areas (yards) vary considerably in cover species, browse species, winter severity and deer use patterns.

Deer show a strong traditional use of winter yards and are reluctant to change their migration habits. Within the principal range of deer in Ontario, traditional yards represent 10 to 15% of the summer range area. Winter range conditions are an important limiting factor to deer populations in Ontario and the further loss of suitable conditions within yards should be avoided.

Hemlock and cedar are the best interceptors of snow and often grow in association with preferred browse species. In the absence of hemlock or cedar, a mixture of spruce, pine and/or balsam fir may be used by deer for yarding purposes.

Yards should have a mix of under stocked conifers or mixed woods where browse is abundant, and an interspersion of heavily-stocked and relatively pure conifer for movement to food areas, bedding and refuge during winter storms. Known migration and travel routes and suitable bedding areas such as hemlock ridges and "knobs" should be avoided when deciding road locations. Tree removal should be limited to leave a residual stand that provides an 80% crown closure.

Higher stocking levels are preferred where the cover species, other than hemlock or cedar, and in yards where good conifer is already scarce. Outside of bedding areas and travel corridors, conifer stands should be reduced in stocking, in order to encourage browse production. In hemlock or cedar stands, an average conifer crown closure of 60% is often adequate if the conifers are ideally arranged. A patchwork of small openings and clusters of conifers with branches touching is effective to achieve the proper conditions. A general guideline is that the average stocking should be

approximately 60% based on trees 10 metres or higher.

In mixed-wood stands where the conifer content is low, it is desirable to retain all of the conifers and to confine tree removal to the hardwood component. This is especially true where the silvicultural prescription is geared towards regenerating hardwoods rather than conifer.

Blake Smith., Co-chairperson .

NATIVE AFFAIRS

We are still trying to find out what the local MNR/Indian fishing agreement specifies. The MNR still will not release the agreement information as they had promised to do some time ago. The Lake Huron Fishing Club has been trying to obtain this information under the Freedom of Information Act and is being stonewalled. The Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters has arranged a meeting with top MNR brass to see if they can get the specifics of the agreement for us.

As you are aware; the Meaford Anglers became quite upset when the Indian tugs came around the point to begin gillnetting in their area. Now, under the new agreement, the Indian tugs are fishing off Craigleith with their nets tied practically on shore. The near shore area of Craigleith provides a remarkably good near shore migratory route for rainbow trout. Gillnetting in this area could decimate an excellent population including that of the Beaver River spawning run.

We have been warning that the fishery by means of Indian gillnets would be spreading out to other areas, but this did not seem to get too many people concerned. The Collingwood anglers are going wild. It seems that the action has to be in one's own backyard in order to get a reaction.

Your club members and the OFAH are still following up on major issues, such as the native efforts to stop the stocking of Pacific salmon as well as their major push to claim the Canadian waters of Lake Huron. We will continue to monitor this and oppose it wherever possible. We will keep you informed.

Blake Smith.