Category: Other News

Couchiching Conservacy

Posted on by Heather Briant

The Couchiching Conservancy is offering a number of self-guided events that can be downloaded at any time throughout the year – mostly related to hiking, birding, and nature. They are free to download, you just need to register at the links on the conservancy website. 

– Conservancy Trails 101: Download this digital download from The Couchiching Conservancy to get all the details on some of the trails that the Conservancy manages (in Orillia, Severn, Carden, and more!). https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/523888042237.

– Experience Carden Road Trip: Discover a globally rare landscape, just outside of Orillia, home to over 250 species.https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/615215916367.

– Experience the Wildlands Road Trip: Did you see that? Was it a Great Blue Heron? Or maybe it was a Belted Kingfisher!? You never know what you will discover in the Black River Wildlands, just outside of Orillia. https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/615212927427

– Birding by Ear: A big part of being able to identify birds is your ability to ID by song! https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/523870158747.

QE2 and Our Partnership with Ontario Parks – An Appreciation

Posted on by Heather Briant

The end of one year and the beginning of another is traditionally a time for reflection. In that vein, it is noteworthy that the Wilderness Club of the GHTA enjoys a special and treasured relationship with the Ontario Parks staff that manage the Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park (“QE2”) – the park that encompasses about 95% of the Wilderness section of the Ganaraska Trail. With an area of 33,505 hectares, QE2 is the second largest park south of Algonquin Park with 100 habitat types and is a vast biological engine renowned for its rock barrens, and beaver fens. Hikers and canoeists can enjoy a true wilderness experience in QE2 that is not typically available so far south in the province.

The flavour of a true wilderness experience is nicely captured by the lead article of the Winter 2023 GHTA newsletter (https://ganaraska-hiking-trail.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/GHTA-Newsletter-Winter-2023-online-compressed-version.pdf) in which Kate Kostandoff describes a 3-day/2-night “cross-over” hike through the interior of QE2 completed in October. Later in the newsletter is an amusing epic poem penned by Ruth Patterson in the style of Robert W. Service. These appreciative contributions illustrate the significance of QEII to the hiking community in general and to the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association in particular, while underscoring the importance of the work undertaken by the Parks staff.

Looking back over the past 12 months, the following is a top-of-mind random sampling of highlights for 2022:

* The seasonal floating footbridge over Montgomery Creek installed by Ontario Parks in collaboration with the GHTA continues to be a great success, much appreciated by Ganaraska members as well as the general public.

* Park Biologist Phil Careless was a big hit with his enthusiastic participation as a panelist in the Wilderness Club’s overnight Zoom call hiking clinic in September.

* Trail maintenance, thunder boxes, visitor monitoring & management: we at the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association appreciate the effort it takes to manage QEII, and we know there is a lot of work behind the scenes, much of which we are only vaguely aware.

Fall Hunting Season

Posted on by Heather Briant

Be Safe Be Seen: Hikers should be aware that hunting is taking place all year round, but is especially busy during the fall between early September and mid-December.  The exact dates vary across the Ganaraska Hiking Trail as it passes through different Wildlife Management Units.

To be safe, hikers should:

– Know when it is hunting season in the area you will be hiking in. Consult this website for exact information:

https://www.ontario.ca/document/ontario-hunting-regulations-summary

– Wear bright colours, preferably hunting orange

– Put bright colours on your pets and keep dogs on a leach

– Avoid hiking at dusk and dawn, i.e. typical times when hunters are in the forest

– Stay on established trails and avoid bushwhacking

– Make noise, so hunters know you are nearby

And finally, note that hunters and trail users both have the privilege to pursue their chosen outdoor recreation. Therefore, be courteous and respectful of all outdoor enthusiasts, hunters and non-hunters alike. Do your part to share the woods safely and respect each other and the land we share. 

More information is available on 

https://www.nvca.on.ca/Shared%20Documents/Be%20Seen%20Be%20Safe%20Pamphlet.pdf

Frieda Baldwin, President

What3Words App

Posted on by Heather Briant

Barrie Police put out the following 
What3Words Technology Available for Use by Barrie Police | Barrie Police

Besides being an extremely useful tool in case of emergency, in the Midland Ganaraska Hiking Club, we also use the What 3 Words app to give hikers directions to a trailhead. What 3 Words is linked to Google/Apple Maps to get specific driving instructions. It really works well and our hikers love it. Example: If you want to come and hike at the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre in Midland, type compressed.lantern.rotate in the What 3 words app and click on Navigate. Super easy.

The app is also very useful to report trail maintenance issues, such as fallen trees, bridge out, etc. 

Frieda Baldwin, Association President