Sydenham Sportsmen's Association

Note the following agendas for the September General Meeting:


September General Meeting:	For this General Meeting we have an avid hunter and MNR official as guest speaker. Name to be announced later.

Ken Burrows, Student
Anne Frost, Spousal
David Hartick, Senior
David Juneau, Family
Spencer Langford, Junior

Jim McDonald, Student
Kristine McDonald, Student
John Moralis, Student
Sophie Moralis, Student
Charles Neath, Senior

Gordon Price, Family
David Smith, Family
Doug Stevenson, Family
Fred Wilcke, Adult

The Board of Directors of the Sydenham Sportsmen's Association set the membership fees for 2003 at their July meeting. The fees have increased due to ongoing increases in the electricity market, property taxes, property andliability insurance, as well as, increased maintenance costs for the club property.

A portion of each membership fee is forwarded to the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) for individual and family memberships. The OFAH has seen a large increase in its expenses including a sizable increase since September 11th in its club member liability insurance. Please be assured the OFAH Directors are working for you to keep future increases down.

STUDENT (Age 13-16 or in full time study; (no magazine) $20.00 (no change from 2002)

The SSA Board of Directors has and will continue to take every effort to control costs so we can hold the line on future membership fee increases. You can help by volunteering your time to assist with property maintenance and improvements so we don't have to hire outside contractors. Please talk to any of your club directors if you are interested in helping out at the property.

The summer activities for the youth program included bird box building at Grey County's 150th anniversary celebration and for the Harrison Park daycamp. Our campout in early July went very well, as did our kids fishing day. Prizes were given out for biggest bass, biggest perch, biggest sunfish, and biggest catfish. In August there will be a work day to remove the heads from the black-eyed susans in the DWMA to use for seeds next year. We also look forward to hosting kid's day at the derby, as well as volunteering around the derby site.

The MNR's Stewardship Rangers did a bangup job for us in the two demonstration wildlife management areas. For three days they clipped, pruned, mowed, dug, raked and mulched. They were very conscientious, followed instructions to the letter and are a credit to the Stewardship Program.

We recently prepared a forest management plan with a view to obtaining a tax rebate for 46 of the 85 acres of Sydenham Foundation Property on the Lot 29, Conc. vii, Sullivan Township. The 46 acres was recently planted to cedar, spruce and white pine to act not only as wildlife cover, but as a nurse crop for future wildlife friendly hardwood plantings.
A recent issue of "On Target", The Canadian Firearms Safety Newsletter, had some editorial comments by Sharron Pelletier regarding firearms registration. They read as follows: "There are still those who say they will wait until the very last minute to register. This action will have no consequences to the Canadian Centre but could have severe consequences for the firearms owner if the individual gets caught (i.e. having their vehicle, firearms, ammunition, etc. confiscated)".

The foregoing threats from some puffed up little civil servant who's thimblefull of authority has caused her head to swell and bile to issue from her mouth makes it somewhat difficult to remain associated with an organization that appears to be dedicated to the effective disarmament of Canadian citizens.

Like many other firearms owners, I certainly agree with having gunowners demonstrate a basic knowledge of firearms, firearm safety and the legal aspect of firearm transportation and storage. However, I most emphatically disagree with the Government's registration program. It appears to have little purpose other than to act as a prelude to the eventual confiscation of our guns. I have said it before and I say it again - "First find out who owns the guns, then confiscate these guns category by category". So, when I see such onerous remarks by Ms. Pelletier, Manager, Firearms Safety Services, my stomach turns and I find it very difficult to remain part of such an organization. Perhaps if they (the CFSS) read my comments, they will may dump me. And that would be Fine by Me!

The Canadian Government obviously has little regard for gunowners. However, we may have a more comfortable relationship with other groups. Case in point - the "Nature Conservancy". Over the years, I have had several people express concerns about property purchases by the Conservancy. The question always was "would such purchase automatically rule out hunting on the property?" So I wrote the Conservancy and requested information as to their position on hunting. Their answer indicated that they had no position. In a nutshell, they buy land for organizations concerned with protection and conservation of significant wildlands. The organizations in question may or may not permit hunting. I now of some local Conservancy purchased areas in partnership with the FON. I have not seen any no hunting signs. I would suggest that people hunting these areas use reasonable discretion so that hunting does not become an issue.

And finally, from the July 2002 issue of Outdoor Life, Steve McCormick, President of the Nature Conservancy, was quoted as saying "I find (hunting) immensely thrilling. Hunters and Anglers have done incredibly important things for conservation. In many ways, they are more genuinely naturalists than armchair environmentalists".

So how about that for a nice pat on the back from one of the largest most influential and effective conservation bodies in North America?

There is no construction at the hatchery yet but plans are progressing. A representative from M.O.E. viewed the site with club members and after watching Fred almost being washed away by the stream flow agreed that the club could regulate the water flow to the needs of our individual projects.

With the help of the M.N.R. Junior Ranger Stewardship program a lot of clean up was done around the grounds.

Discussions with Grey Sauble C.A. regarding the mill dam have not occurred as yet. Work on the sluishway channel below the dam continues and covers for the fishway were completed. A special thanks goes out to the Thunder Bay Salmon Association and the Bluewater Anglers of Sarnia for their generous financial support towards this work.
A workshop for fin clipping was put on by the M.N.R. in July which was attended by some of our members and some twenty other clubs. This will be the last year for clipping salmon. The M.N.R will be concentrating their studies in the years 2003 and 2005 for salmon clipped in previous years. Anyone catching a salmon with an Adipose fin clip should take the head to the M.N.R. because it will have a micro nose tag in it. Also write down other pertinent information like where and when you caught it and the size.
The M.N.R. has agreed to watch for chemical marking of salmon, which is often done in the states, when they do their sampling so that there will be a truer representation of whether the fish was reproduced in the wild or hatchery raised.

There has always been a lot of controversy about clipped salmon but it seems that eight studies have shown that their is a high survival rate for clipped fish.

Also this July another 30 people passed the boating test helping to make it safer for everyone out there on the water.

In regards to the S.S.A big fish contest members should know that they do not always have to take their fish to a weigh in station. There are forms at the club that you can fill out to record and enter your fish.

I am sure we will all be seeing one another at the fish derby so have fun and good luck. The big tent goes up on August 21st at 8 o,clock for those that can help or just want to watch this momentous event.