THE NEXT GENERAL MEETING , REMEMBER THE DATE: THURSDAY JANUARY 5TH, 7:30 PM, AT THE CLUB HOUSE, LINCOLN PARK ROAD, IN   THE TOWNSHIP OF GEORGIAN BLUFFS (FORMERLY DERBY TOWNSHIP).

The January General Meeting will see the floor opened for further nominations for our 2006 Executive. Also our speaker will be Dave Gonder, Biologist for the Lake Huron Upper Management Unit of the M.N.R.. He will give a Power Point presentation on the latest findings on the ever changing ecosystem in Lake Huron/Georgian Bay. He will highlight the latest findings on the forage fish base and the impact this may have on other main prey species.

His presentation will highlight the latest findings from the sonar and acoustic surveys completed by U.S. research vessels and reflect how these changes may effect our sport fishery.

Plan to attend.

The Executive would like to wish each and every member and their families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!!

Gate Key Change in 2006

The locks and keys for the gates at the club property will change in 2006.   The effective date is April 1, 2006 and this is straight, not April Fools.

We have the new keys at the meetings and will exchange a new one for your old key or you can purchase one for $2.00 as long as your 2006 dues are paid (unchanged from 2005).

If you aren ’ t able to attend the club meeting (the easiest way to get an exchange), perhaps you could have a friend pick one up for you.

I plan to choose a couple of nights in March to be at the clubhouse to help you exchange keys and will put the dates in the March newsletter.

The only other way to get a key is to call me at 519 934 0410 and make a trip to Keady.

J. Ford

2006 Executive Nominations Open

The members of the Sydenham Sportsmen are invited to nominate fellow members or themselves for the 2006 SSA Board of Directors. Nominations will be accepted at the December and January General Meetings.   If you are unable to attend either of these meetings and wish to let your name stand for election, please provide written authorization to a club member to present on your behalf.  

An election will take place during the January 5, 2006 meeting with the top five vote recipients to serve for a two year term.   Please consider providing your volunteer time to assist in the management of your club.

S S A Early Bird Membership Draw    J . Ford

Again, this year, we are having an Early Bird Membership Renewal Draw.   This is a draw for renewing members only.  

If you pay your dues at the January general meeting, you will get 1 free chances on this year ’ s draw, which is a Smoker and rod and reel.  

As each month passes, the number of free chances decreases.   For those of you who renew by mail, we will complete the appropriate number of ballots for you.  

We now have a debit and credit card machine at the meetings for your convenience.  

THE PRESIDENT ’ S CORNER

As you are no doubt aware the Federal Liberal Government was forced to call a January 23 rd, 2006 election. The votes we cast on Election day are very important, particularly because of the impact our decisions will have on the   future. We need to make decisions based upon the qualifications of   local candidates and the positions taken by their parties on issues that impact upon our right and ability to hunt and fish.

As in past elections, we are sending all local candidates a questionnaire to obtain their written responses on a number of issues which we feel are important to our members. The questions are ones which may not come up at candidates meetings or in their literature so we should get a targeted response on some key issues. All replies will be published verbatim in a special SSA newsletter that is being sent to all members prior to the Election day. Candidates who choose not to reply will be reported as such, with any reasons for not responding given.

The Sydenham Sportsmen ’ s Association does not endorse any one candidate or party but would like to ensure that it ’ s members are as well informed as possible on each party and candidates stand on critical sportsmen ’ s and conservationists issues.

One other hot topic that hit the press as part on an election promise is the Liberal Governments announcement on December 8 th 2005, where they are proposing a sweeping anti-crime package that would restrict handguns, toughen weapons penalties and pump more than $325 million into law enforcement. In particular Paul Martin announced at a community centre in north Etobicoke “ I ’ ve come to the conclusion that we should ban handguns ” Martin said that his government, if re-elected in the Jan. 23 rd vote, would immediately introduce the handgun ban. I think Mike Reader of the O.F.A.H. summed it up pretty well when he commented on the ban “ The ban announced by the Prime Minister applies to legal firearms owners, and ignores the fact that criminals who use handguns to commit crimes don ’ t register their guns, and aren ’ t affected by a ban. The only ones who are impacted by this announcement are the target shooters and collectors who already register their firearms and own them legally. While we agree and support the other aspects of the announcement, giving provinces and municipalities the right to ban handguns will not remove illegal handguns from the street. ”

There is an item on this topic in the questionnaire.

Bill Douglas, President

NATIVE AFFAIRS

We in Ontario are not the only ones to have some issues with Indians.

The Great Lakes Sports Fishing Council publication -Great Lakes Basin Report says five tribal governments are bringing suit against the State of Michigan to determine whether or not they (Indians) have special rights to hunt, trap, fish and gather in vast inland areas of Michigan and if so, the extent of those rights -whether deer will be hunted by tribal members in the summer, and whether their take will be limited in any way whether the treaty of 1836 permits the tribes to exploit everything from trout to timber without state restrictions on any land or water, public or private that is in the treaty area and not in a city or actively farmed.

Certainly, we Ontario sportsmen can sympathize with our Michigan counterparts because our problems are so similar.

Our upcoming big battles on the Ontario side of the lakes will be with Indians over ownership of Lake Huron and with the Metis over just about everything.

Here in Ontario, we must recognize that there are some pretty desperate conditions on some of the northern reserves. However, our local southern Ontario reservations are certainly not lacking in employment opportunities for those who wish to participate in Ontario's prosperity.

We sportsmen who take our pleasure in hunting and fishing in the great outdoors are going to have to be really on the ball. We will have to stand behind those persons, groups, politicians and political parties who attempt to support the principles of conservation and fair sharing of our natural resources.

Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if our fish and game were under a one-law, all equal, fair sharing, conservation-ruled principle? We will discuss many aspects of this in the new year.

Happy New Year, everyone let's see where 2006 will take us.

Blake Smith, Chairman,

Native Affairs.

Fisheries Advisory Committee

All of our fish are nestled in for the winter and doing fine. Our latest allotment was about 80,000 brown trout were received in November from the Normandale M.N.R. hatchery. We had hoped to have stocked out some of our rainbow trout this past fall but with the hunt on we were not able to do this. We plan to do this in the new year with the location of the stocking dependent on ice conditions. All of the rainbow should have been fin clipped by then.

The brown trout have just hatched out and the chinook have just moved into the raceway trays.

Thanks to all of the help from our volunteers in the past year and we need and appreciate that help in the new year .

Mike Prevost F.A.C. Chairman

Hand Gun Advisory Committee

Another year coming to an close and time to remind our handgun shooters that each of you holding an A.T.T., issued through this club, must use the range a minimum of twice a year to maintain you ’ re

A.T.T.. This is twice a year every year, not just the one in which you ’ re A.T.T. is due. I haven ’ t checked the range book yet, but hope   to see all of your names in there.

Thanks go, once again, to Mark Cordon and Dan Peters for keeping the range in top shape. The grass is always well trimmed, backboards replaced regularly and the shooting positions kept clean and tidy. Thanks both of you.

There will be a restricted firearms course later in the winter and an A.T.T. course after that.

Stew Wallace, Chairperson

Handgun Advisory Committee