THE NEXT GENERAL MEETING, REMEMBER THE DATE: THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 11TH, 7:30 PM,  AT THE CLUB HOUSE, LINCOLN PARK ROAD, IN DERBY TOWNSHIP.

September General Meeting

Grant has been negotiating for a guest speaker for the September General meeting, but due to the busy time of year, has not been able to get a firm commitment from anyone. However, plan to attend and get caught on the summer happenings with your fellow members. 

New Members Passed During the Summer Months

The following new members have joined the S S A during June, July or August:
 

Geoff Arnold---Senior  Jeff Guillet ---Adult Ken Becker---Adult Andrew Bromaine---Adult Mike Briggs---Adult Doug Rivard---Adult Tom Buckley---Adult

Ryan Simpson---Student Frank Burrows---Adult Tom Sloan---Family Tom Carbert---Adult Joe Struthers---Student Brian Farquharson---Adult Norman Wareham---Family

Craig Geberdt---Adult  Katherine Welch---Adult  Kirk Gibbons---Adult  Tim Westover---Adult Jim Graham---Senior  Karen Lassen---Adult

THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Here we are at a turning point in the year. By the time our September meeting rolls up, the fishing derby will be over, and hunting during the early goose season will be just about done. It will be time to look over our annual activities (September 16/02 to September 15/03) , for the Durland Valley Zone H Best Club Competition. Project co-ordinators, please get your hours/days worked up for our compilations.

Some points of interest from the past summer months: Among other things, Dave, Dave, Dave and Gary turned out feeding corrals for the shrike project...storage bins and benches for the Clean Water Festival...and stairs for the Derby trailer...Ken picked us up a dandy riding mower..notice how good the grounds look...Fred oversaw a new hatchery agreement with the Weavers...Murray participated in a breakthrough for the Shallow Lake project...Bill and Gord redesigned a crackerjack course for sporting clays, and paved the way for a skeet range...the Derby Committee managed to wend its way through a multitude of obstacles, and have wound up with an A-l program...a very professional group. All in all, the summer has Been busy, and our club rolls on with its usual style and efficiency.

Everyone, take a running jump into a great autumn, and get involved with the great outdoors in the best time of the year. 

Blake Smith, President.

NATIVE AFFAIRS

Our club members have met with the OFAH, the Cape Croker band, the MNR and the Grey-Bruce Conservation Coalition, in order to keep up to speed on Indian issues.

By and large, we have not had any major problems with the Indians, since the agreement between the MNR and our local Indian bands took place. Our sport fishery continues, and conflict is at a minimum. The present agreement runs out on December 3lst, and negotiations to work out anew agreement are under way.

Blake Smith.

Youth Activities Program

Thanks to all who participated in our summer events.  We will be calling for egg collecting in September and will let you know the dates for shooting program.

Anyone wishing information on future events can call Sarah Stephenson at 363-9845 or Mary Stephenson at 363-2893. 

Sarah Stephenson YAP Chairperson

ARCHERY UPDATE:

As you may be aware, our club is setting up a new Skeet range beside the High Power Rifle range and where the first three targets of our Archery Course were situated. This move and the results from the Archery survey which was issued the early part of this year are the main reasons for us to change the location of part of our Archery Course.

Starting the last week of August the new Archery Course will be located totally on the right hand side of the road. It will start with target #1 down near the river where the old #11 target used to be and will continue up that side of the road and end with targets # 19 and 20 in where the shooting platform is. The course will be well signed with the trails clearly marked and all the shooting lanes will be numbered accordingly. 

We have build some new butts and recovered some of the older ones so we hope you like our new 20 Target  Course and will make good use of it. Hunting season is just around the corner so now is the time to get out there and practice and have some fun.

Good Luck

Bill Douglas
Chairman Archery Committee

HUNTING SHOW SPECIAL

Ontario Out-of-Doors is putting together a special package for OFAH clubs that attend this year's 22nd annual Hunting Show at the International Centre, 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga, on September 5, 6 & 7.

If our club has a minimum of 35 people who attend, we will receive a discounted admission, show hat and an assortment of hunting stuff that we can raffle off at one of our meetings.

Please contact me, or leave a message for me, at 371-3827 if you are planning to attend, the number of people in your group and date you are planning to go. Leave your name and phone number. Someone will get back to you for details.

Please phone the above number after August 23rd, as I am away on holidays.

Thanks.
Mike Prevost.

FORESTS & WILDLIFE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
.
Forestry work has been mostly of a maintenance nature. The rainy, comparatively cool weather has been a real godsend for our planted up areas. This year's planting was a success.

Some of our game wildlife is doing very well. Deer, ducks and geese are having an excellent year. Grouse are doing very poorly -seems no one knows why. The rabbit and hare population is medium-low at best. Woodcock are generally down, but the wetter ground may bode well for stopover feeding of migrating birds. Our turkeys do not appear to be raising large broods. This may be a result of females coming through a hard winter in poor condition, thereby contributing to a poor hatch. Club members are participating in a turkey workshop to be held in Markdale in November. The workshop is geared to answering questions and planning programs regarding alleged turkey depredations. It would be appreciated if club members would provide accurate, usable information on any reported turkey depredation that they encounter.

Our provincial refusal to participate in the enforcement of the hated gun registry legislation is good news indeed. When will the federal government take its head out of the sand, and put this loathsome legislation out of its misery?

Blake Smith, Chairman,
Forests & Wildlife Advisory Committee

FISHERIES ADVISORY COMMITTEE

The summer has been good for our growing brown and rainbow trout fingerlings. We owe a big thanks to the Bruce Peninsula Sportsmen's Association for their assistance with our program, by giving us approximately 24,000 of their rainbow trout fingerlings, which we picked up from them near the end of July.

The executive decided in July to sign the hatchery agreement with the Weaver family, and proceed with engineering studies towards acquiring the necessary permits for the dig in the big pond. All of this progress has been due to the hard work of Fred Geberdt and others who have given him advice, like Coy Currie and Richard Manley. Negotiating is never fun, and Fred now faces the cumbersome task of dealing with all the bureaucratic red tape.

There are a number of volunteers who do a lot of work that isn't always realized. Speaking of volunteers, another successful salmon derby is being anticipated. Thanks to all the club members who helped, and especially the Derby
Committee.

Mike Prevost, Chairperson
Fisheries Advisory Committee.