THE NEXT GENERAL MEETING:  THURSDAY JANUARY 3RD, 7:30 PM,  AT THE CLUB HOUSE, LINCOLN PARK ROAD, IN DERBY TOWNSHIP.

General Meeting

Lloyd Muir, Biologist with the Upper Lakes Management Unit of the M.N.R. will be our guest speaker. Lloyd is extremely knowledgeable and will provide information on a variety of fisheries subjects. If you recall, Lloyd spoke to us about Sturgeon, which gave us a in-depth insight into this fish species. Plan to attend and learn more about our fishery from a very knowledgeable professional.

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Nominations for the 2001 Executive were received at the November and December General Meetings.  Nominations will be opened again at the January 3, 2002 Annual and General Meeting 7:30 PM  SSA Clubhouse. Once nominations have been received from the floor an election will be held for the available 12 positions with the five members receiving the most votes to serve two year terms.  Those standing for election are in random order: Fred Geberdt, Gord Maher, Terry Faulkner, John Ford, Mark Porter, Ken Cowtan, Doug Murdoch, Rob Wilson, Mike Prevost, Blake Smith, Fred Hunt, Dave Tebbutt, Dan Laxton and Carol Cowtan.  Nominations will be accepted verbally provided the person nominated is present at the meeting to accept or refuse the nomination. If you wish to run for election to the 2001 Executive but are unable to attend the meeting you must send a dated and signed note indicating your willingness to stand for election.

Richard Manley Sr., Grant Ferris, Murray Smart, Bill Beamish, and Stewart Wallace. will be serving the second year of their two year term to expire on December 31, 2002 as directors. All other present directors and general members shall be eligible for nomination and election provided they are members in good standing.

Please plan to attend this important meeting to nominate and vote for the members who will manage your club.

The year 2001 in the life of the S.S.A. is now drawing to an end and once again it has been a tremendous year for the Sydenham Sportsmen's Association. A great deal has been accomplished such as Zone and Provincial recognition's; extensive Fish and Wildlife management projects; the Owen Sound Salmon Spectacular; completion of negotiations towards a management agreement regarding the former Owen Sound Derby landfill site; extensive renovations to the high power range and the list of achievements could go on and on!

I, on behalf of the Directors, offer my thanks and appreciation to all those members who offered their time and talents in working so hard and so long to make the S.S.A. once again the top Conservation club in Ontario, if not in all of Canada.

Our January meeting will be the last opportunity to place nominations for the 2002 S.S.A. Directors. I would encourage those folks who have the interest and the time (and it does take some time) to stand for election. I can guarantee it is a rewarding experience being involved in the policy decision making process of this fine organization.

Both Ivah Lois and I give our thanks for all the help and guidance we have received over the past year and do wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best in 2002.

Richard Manley:  President

The SSA Executive at their November Meeting declared the two items as surplus and have offered it for tender to the members of the SSA and the general public. The first item is a riding lawnmower, which is no longer in operating condition and would be suitable for parts only. This may be viewed at the club property by interested parties by contacting Ken Cowtan, SSA Property Chair at 372-2957.

The second item is the chain link fence and gate previously surrounding the "kidney pond" on the Weaver property "fish hatchery site". The Weaver family requested that the fencing be removed from the "kidney pond" as they wish to beautify their yard. The fencing and gate have been removed from the Weaver property and are presently available for viewing at the SSA property. Please contact Fred Geberdt, Fisheries Advisory Committee Chair at 376-2369 for further information as to condition of the fence and viewing.

Both items are offered on an "as is, where is basis" with the successful bidder required to remove the items at his/her own expense. The sealed and marked "surplus offer" tenders are required by no later than January 14, 2002 to the club secretary Mark Porter either in person or to the club mail box and will opened at the January Exec meeting on January 17th. The highest or any tender will not necessarily be accepted.

Murray Smart

The youth activities program has had a very successful month. At Harrison Park, for the Festival in the Park, we built 140 robin roosts with some very enthusiastic children. We'd like to thank all of the volunteers who came out and worked their butts off that day.

Our Christmas party/meeting was fun. We watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and ate cake and drank pop. We also discussed the winter campout, which will be held February 2nd and 3rd.

We held our elections for the new executive, which consists of:

• Laura and Sarah Stephenson - Co-Chairs
• Ayla Kinchen - Secretary
• PK and Sarah McCallum - Directors
• Mike Turner - Director
• Heather Johnson - Director.

Anyone interested in the winter campout is welcome to call Sarah or myself at 363-2893.

Laura Stephenson  YAP Co-Chair

The old year is over and what did the Wildlife Committee do? Some of the highlights included helping out with last winters feeding programs for both deer and turkeys. Something must have worked, because we have reports of high numbers of both species in our area.

Lorne and Gerry once more ran a very successful Bluebird program. They are way out front in the trials of new and improved nest boxes, feeders Etc.. As well, they are involved with Bats, Wood Ducks, Mason Bees, Bumble Bees and Raptor feeders. Club members monitored Conservation Authority Wood Duck boxes in several locations.

Our foray into the Peregrine recovery program drew a terrific manpower response from S.S.A. members. Even though the owl beat us, our members demonstrated once more that we are willing to go the extra mile for a worthwhile conservation project.

We continue to do vegetation control, as well as to plant wildlife friendly trees, scrubs and vines in various settings. We entered into an agreement with the City of Owen Sound for future management of the old City dump, adjacent to the north boundary of the Club property. Mike Provost has drawn up a preliminary planting plan, that should see a start this spring.

We attended meetings with many local organizations to: a) ensure that activities affecting wildlife were acceptable and b) ensure that the interests of outdoors sportsmen were protected.

The Wildlife Committee pretty well did what it set out to do in 2001. Now, the Committee is scheduled to hold a meeting in the S.S.A. Boardroom on Sunday, January 6th at 7:00 PM, to discuss plans for 2002.

The Ontario Government had an all party agreement that would have permitted the quick passage of the Hunting and Fishing Heritage Act. However, the NDP reneged on the agreement and this long awaited bill, if not dead, will have to wait for the spring session and undergo full debate.

And, speaking of opposition to the above noted Act, Ralph Akiwenzie from Cape Croker, wrote a long diatribe to the Sun Times that, among other things, came out strongly against non-Indian hunters and anglers having legislated rights. His letter and statements were so wrong that a reply from this writer will be forthcoming in the near future.

There is a new year coming and what will it bring? On behalf of the Wildlife Advisory Committee, I wish all our members great outdoor experiences and a happy and safe 2002.

Blake Smith, Chairperson;  Wildlife Advisory Committee

All the Chinook Salmon and Brown Trout are stocked and we are holding over the year class of Rainbow Trout.
Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year to everybody from the FAC.

Fred Geberdt, Chairperson;  Fish Advisory Committee

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