THE NEXT GENERAL MEETING: THURSDAY JUNE 6TH, 7:30 PM,  AT THE CLUB HOUSE, LINCOLN PARK ROAD, IN DERBY TOWNSHIP.

Note the following agendas for the June General Meeting:
 

June General Meeting:	June's meeting is our last regular SSA meeting until September and will be marked with traditional hot dogs and cold beverages. The guest speaker, back for the beginning of summer fishing will be Steve Brunke, proprietor of the Real Pro Sportsfishing. Steve and wife Helene supply the widest range of mail order fishing tackle and tackle components in Canada. Steve is back by request for the third time in three years and has an exciting line of new and traditional tackle to demonstrate. If you want some great lure-making tips bring your questions to our June meeting. Grant will be off to his annual Americade motorcycle tour in the Adirondack mountains and has left word that all draw prizes in storage must be given out for this meeting so don't miss out.

The S.S.A. welcomes the following new members!!! 

DATES TO REMEMBER!
 

Opportunity to Challenge the Boating License Exam

Some members have expressed an interest in challenging the Boating License exam this summer. Fred Geberdt and I are willing to spend an evening with members and nonmembers in a teaching session ending in writing the exam if enough interest is shown. This would result in you obtaining your boating license. The cost would be $35.00 for members and $45.00 for non. 

Contact John Ford at 372 0410 or Fred Geberdt at 376 2369

Tenders Requested for Surplus SSA Property

The SSA Executive at their May Meeting declared the two items, as noted below, surplus and have offered them for tender to the members of the SSA and the general public. 

The first item is one only stainless steel sink unit WITHOUT drawers.

The second item is a one only stainless steel sink unit WITH drawers. Both items are no longer required by the SSA. These sink units may be viewed at the club property by interested parties by contacting Ken Cowtan, SSA Property Chair at 372-2957 or may be viewed at your leisure in the gravel storage area on the club property by the river.
Both items are offered on an "as is, where is basis" with the successful bidders required to remove the items at their own expense. The sealed and marked "surplus offer" tenders are required by no later than June 17, 2002 to the club correspondence secretary Rob Wilson either in person or to the club mail box and will opened at the June Exec meeting on June 20th. Please mark your bids as to whether you are bidding for the sink unit "WITH" or "WITHOUT" drawers.

The highest or any tender will not necessarily be accepted.
Submitted by Murray Smart

O F A H Awards Nominations

The Board of Directors has decided to accept club member nominations at the June general meeting and up until the August directors meeting for the following O F A H awards:

-Os MacArthur Conservation Award -presented to a deserving individual deemed to have contributed the most to conservation in O F A H Zone H
-Russ and Edith Piper Junior Conservation Award -presented to the top Junior member in Conservation in O F A H Zone H
-Larry Wallace Memorial Youth Educator Award -presented to the individual deemed to have made the most significant contribution to O F A H youth education in the province.

The directors will decide on the successful applicants at the August directors' meeting and the president will provide a S S A letter of support to accompany the application submitted by the applicant.

It should be noted that only one submission for each award will be submitted from the S S A.

Youth Activities Shooting Program

The Junior shooting program will take place June 2, 9, 23, and 30th at the S.S.A. .22 range. All paid up Junior members, 8 and older, may participate. Eye and hearing protection is required, bring your own or use ours. All shooters MUST know and be able to demonstrate the "VITAL FOUR AND ONE MORE" before being allowed to shoot. Adult supervisors welcome.

1. Regard every firearm as if it were loaded.
2. Control the muzzle direction at all times.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to fire.
4. Open the action and check to ensure the firearm is empty.
5. Check the barrel for obstructions.

FISHERIES ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Plans for the treatment of water at our hatchery have been finalized and sent to M.O.E. These plans indicate our need to use a lot of water in the fall &: winter but very little in the summer. Having received this plan a representative from M.O.E. is arranging a meeting with the engineers and the S.S.A. to view at the hatchery why and how we control the water flow from the creek. This on site appraisal should be a good approach to allowing us to regulate our own water.

As mentioned at the May 2nd meeting, this years fin clipping went very well. In a little over four days 201,169 fish were double fin clipped and 10,000 nose tagged .Of these, the mortality rate was only 420 fish, a huge improvement from past years. Our thanks to the fin clipping crew and the volunteers who supervised them.

• Rainbow egg collection at the mill dam finished on May 15th. Vigilant and cold efforts of a few committed volunteers were not overly rewarded this year. They collected about 14,000 eggs when we were hoping for a target of 120,000.
• Contacts have been made with the Bruce Peninsula Anglers & Hunters club for their assistance. Once they get a handle on the results of their egg hatch and if passed by their membership, we hope to get their surplus of around 30,000 fry. Obviously we are still under our allocation.
• Their are many factors that combine to result in a favorable or poor egg collection. One of the prime reasons is the operation of the Mill dam. Recent discussions between the S.S.A. and Grey Sauble C.A. have resulted in a letter from Doug Hill, director of operations for the C.A., requesting a on site meeting to discuss alternatives. If members have any suggestions please let us know.
• On May 6th, junior and senior volunteers helped stock 184,000 salmon that went into Harrison Park. About 15,000 salmon were picked up by the Wiarton club for Ox:yden and Colpoys creek. We are presently holding 30,000 brown trout for the Wiarton club until they can complete the hydro work on their new hatchery .Coy Currie says it is worth the drive to see this small but very efficient hatchery.
• There is a proposal by a Mr Elders to build a golf course abutting the Rocky Saugeen river on the 8th concession of Glenelg township. On behalf of the S.S.A. a letter has been sent to the Township of West Grey requesting they support our opposition to this development or in the very least press for stringent controls regarding the taking of water and use of chemical agents.

Mike Prevost, Co-Chairperson,  Fisheries Advisory Committee

Archery Committee

The second Archery Competition for this season is the "SSA TURKEY SHOOT" which is planned for Sunday August 11, 2002. It has a 10 am. shotgun start and is open to all SSA members and guests. This will consist of 2 rounds of 20 - 3D targets, with Divisions of "Traditional", Bowhunter Unlimited", & "Crossbow", for Men's and Ladies, plus Junior and Bantam divisions for the younger set. No Binoculars allowed.

This should be a fun shoot for the whole family, at reasonable prices and with great prizes. Hope to see you there.

Bill Douglas, Chairperson

Youth Activities Program

May has been busy for the Youth Activities Program. Early in the month, some work was done at the dump site, mainly tree planting. Some general clean-up was also done around the Demonstration Wildlife Management Area. A large crew showed up for fish stocking the following Monday, even in the rain and mud.

Following that, however, was a dismal showing for the YAP at Pitch-In Day. Mike Anderson had a great time.

The retriever trials held on the May long weekend were amazing, but, again, we only had a small crew. They were very successful, with 20 dogs in finished, 8 in seasoned, and 4 in started. On the 26th of May there will be a workday at the clubhouse at one o'clock to spread some seed in the DWMA. There will also be a meeting on this date. In June, the shooting program will be held on the first, second, fourth and fifth Sundays of the month. This will be at the clubhouse. The one weekend that the shooting program is not held will have the juniors building bird boxes at Grey county's Anniversary celebration. THERE WILL BE NO SHOOTING ALLOWED ON JULY 5, 6, AND 7. The junior program's summer campout will be on this weekend, and there cannot be any shooting. Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks.

Laura Stephenson Co-Chair, YAP Committee

Forestry and Wildlife Advisory Committee

The following is the write up I submitted to Jack Qsadzuk for the wildlife segment of the Derby tabloid. Some of our members, who don't attend the Derby, might be interested.

WILDLIFE 2002

There can be many reasons for planting trees and shrubs. Benefits can vary from raw materials for wood products, food and shelter for wildlife, stream flow and temperature control, water table augmentation to enhancement of air quality, as well as for just pure aesthetics.

The standard way of planting promoted by governments and conservation authorities consisted of monocultures of spruce or pine, planted in rows of 6 X 6 feet spacing. This has been the norm for many, many years. The public was generally unaware that such reforestation was designed for timber production only. People who were primarily interested in wildlife were led to believe that planting of this nature would lead to significant gains in wildlife populations found in the reforested areas. Many wondered if this type of planting was really beneficial for wildlife.

It has been seen that initially, the small planted trees promoted some increases in some wildlife populations. However, it has been seen that, over time, approximately 5 to l5 years, wildlife began to decline. Then, as the trees got bigger, their branches grew further sideways, touched and intermingled, and the life-giving sunlight no longer reached the forest floor. Ground vegetation died off. The forest floor was barren, and there was no wildlife food to be found. Other than a few species of birds living in the tree canopies, or transient mammals seeking shelter, animal life virtually vanished. The next hundred years r so would see such areas as silent, lifeless, biological deserts.

Now he general public is beginning to realize that here must be another way, a better way, that will enhance wildlife populations. People who are interested in the health of our wildlife are now more knowledgeable and better-informed, and now that a proper mix of food and shelter is an absolute necessity. Another way of reforestation, taking wildlife into account, had to be developed.

The Sydenham Sportsmen and the Sydenham Conservation Foundation have combined to foster the conversion of relatively barren landscapes into what will become prolific producers of various species of wildlife. The plan is to offer various kinds of wild creatures a mix of cover, combined with a self-sustaining variety of food items. The following will illustrate some of the projects that we have undertaken.

Our Demonstration wildlife Management Areas at the clubhouse are designed to show improvement techniques for the whole spectrum of wildlife, from deer through rabbits and songbirds, to reptiles, amphibians and insects.

One area is an abandoned hayfield, and we are converting it to hardwoods, conifers, shrubs, brush piles and openings featuring butterfly gardens and prairie plantings, etc. Although the planting is quite new, wildlife is already beginning to respond.

The other demonstration area is a dwelling lot that will illustrate, in time, an attractive, wildlife-friendly alternative to the artificial, sprayed, mowed, pruned, sterile landscapes that are now so prominent on housing lots along our country roadsides. Many tree, shrub and ground cover species have been planted ...many more will be in the future. All the while, we will be providing maintenance and care on both properties.

Forty acres of abandoned farm fields owned by the Sydenham Conservation Foundation, at the south end of Con.8 in Sullivan Township, have been planted in cedar, white pine and white spruce. The spacing is 12 feet by 12 feet, rather than the usual 6 feet by 6 feet, that would eventually evolve into the usual biological desert. This spacing has been adopted in order to let trees branch out laterally right to the ground for wildlife cover, without shading out all the intervening ground cover. Also, this more open spacing will have conifers standing as a nurse crop to provide protection against the elements for future plantings of more delicate, wildlife-promoting hardwoods and shrubs.

A Sydenham Conservation Foundation property on the llth Con. of Derby Township is being planted to hardwoods, conifers and shrubs. Doug Murdoch is carrying out a heavy mulching program, designed to show that it is possible to provide wildlife cover and food in an area that has literally been choked out and smothered by reed canary grass.
Also, on this property, John Ford is participating in the grand, North American experiment to bring back the magnificent American Chestnut tree from virtual extinction. This species was renowned not only for its value as a timber producer, but also as a beautiful and prolific provider of chestnuts consumed by many species of wildlife. John has been privileged to receive extremely valuable planting stock from-a very rare stand of living chestnut trees, located on the Grand River Conservation Authority property near Burford.
The Sydenham Sportsmen's Association has entered into an agreement with the City of Owen Sound to manage the old city dump adjacent to the clubhouse property. This management is a bit of a challenge because of poor, stony soils, and the fact that deep-rooted trees cannot be planted as they would cause damage by penetrating the clay cap that seals the dump.

Mike Prevost has taken on the very challenging dump project, and a fine start has been made towards the rehabilitation of a rather ugly, quite barren, wildlife-poor site. This will be an ongoing project over many years.

John Bittorf has taken on a dual-purpose planting on the Sydenham Conservation Foundation property known as the Douglas Reid Memorial property on the Sunny Valley road.
Part of this property will be given an initial planting of widely-spaced conifers, to provide a nurse crop similar to that discussed for the Sullivan township property. John is also attempting fisheries management by means of tree-planting. There is a small semi-permanent cold water spring stream that rises on this property, and feeds into a tributary of the Sydenham River. It ceases flowing during normal summer months. John will plant white spruce and white cedar in several tight rows around the source area, and along both sides of the stream, in an attempt to retard runoff, trap snow and delay its melt, in order to provide shade and enhance water percolation into the stream system. This is all designed to convert this little stream to a permanent flow that will provide cold water to the Sydenham River right through the hot, summer months. If this little stream can be made to run year-round, it will have excellent potential as a brown trout spawning and nursery area. We wish John success on this project.

A thought for those of you who would like to do some good for the environment through the planting of trees and shrubs. First of all, forget it if your makeup requires instant gratification. Tree and shrub growth takes a long time. Many of us, most certainly, will not see the end results of our efforts. However, just think of what these areas we have just discussed would be like now, if someone had done 30, 40 or 50 years ago what we are doing today. So, if you would like to leave the world a little better place for those who are coming after, give it a try.

Blake Smith, Co-Chairman, Wildlife Advisory Committee.

We pretty much wrapped up the planting for this year on Sunday, may 19th. Fred Hunt, Gerry Powers, Mike Prevost, Matt and Ben Diebel, Don Lobban, Gord Maher and Linda Smith pitched in to finish up the two Demonstration Areas and the dump. It was a good crew and the job was done right.

As Co-chair of the forestry and Wildlife Advisory committee, I'd like to acknowledge the efforts of our Property Managers, Ken and Nancy Cowtan. The co-operation they have extended the Wildlife Committee, has been above and beyond the call of duty. Many thanks to Ken and Nancy.

Brian Kinchen and Stew Wallace just finished up a Firearms Possession course and we'll be following up with the Hunter Ed part in June. Just a reminder to those gun owners who haven't yet qualified for a Possession and Acquisition License, Get it!! Whether you agree with it or not, please believe that the consequences of not having one can be quite severe. Also, it is time to start thinking about what one is going to do about firearms registration. The deadline is December 31st, 2002. We don't seem to be able to elect a party that will cancel the registration requirements, so it appears that we are stuck with this abomination for the foreseeable future. We just have to keep trying. In the meantime, we must deal with it.

I hope to see a big turnout at the June meeting, as we won't be seeing many of your sunshiny faces till we meet again in September. So to all our members, "Have a great summer!!!!"

Blake Smith Co chairperson, Forestry and Wildlife Committee