Mad River has a new President

Hello, all,

To continue the good news, in recent weeks, following a meeting of interested parties including Frieda, Mike Robertson has been elected as the new President for the Mad River section of the GHTA. Mike is enthusiastically looking forward to plotting out the refurbishment of the trail and regeneration of the Club.

Please welcome Mike.

Carol Strickland,
On behalf of the GHTA Inc. Executive.

New Trails and Landowner Relations Director

We are thrilled to appoint John Sloan as our new Trails and Landowner Relations Director. John comes with an excellent background. He has been a member of the Ganaraska Hiking Trail Association since 2011 and is President of the GHTA Barrie Club. He is a member of the Bruce Trail Conservancy and Skyline Hikers of the Canadian Rockies (where he holds the volunteer positions of Chief Hike Leader and Ambassador). He has completed the Hike Ontario “Certified Hike Leader” course and Red Cross “Wilderness First Aid” training. John and his wife Susan have lived in Oro-Medonte since late 2015.

Attached is a photo of John.

According to our bylaws, John also becomes a member of the executive.

Please welcome John.

Carol Strickland,
On behalf of the Executive, GHTA Inc.

Barrie Club trail between Old Second South and Gill Road ready for use

Thanks to recent hard work by a few of the Barrie Club members (Dale & Cheryl Hannah and Jeff Haglund) the trail between Old Second South and Gill Road now has refreshed blazes and some low lying muddy areas have been dealt with. With the cold weather and snow upon us this will be a great snow shoeing venue.

Copeland Forest PARKING LOT P2 NOW ACCESSIBLE ALL WINTER LONG

Thanks to generous ongoing contributions from our membership, the Township of Oro-Medonte and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, we have contracted a local businessman to maintain the parking lot at P2 (south side of Ingram Road just east of the 4th line), throughout the winter months, beginning December 1st, 2017 and ending March 31, 2018. This year, the lot will be maintained as often as required (not just weekends), once the snow exceeds 4 inches.

The lot was cleared on December 8th and is open to all users this winter. Please remember not to park on Township roads during the winter as you may get a ticket. This parking lot provides access to a wide range of outdoor options within the Copeland Forest. Enjoy!

Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit launches tick surveillance program

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has launched an active tick surveillance program to track the prevalence of Lyme disease bacteria in our area. However, Lori Holmes, the unit’s program co-ordinator of health hazards and vector borne disease, advises Simcoe Muskoka is not considered high risk for Lyme exposure.

https://www.simcoe.com/community-story/7287578-simcoe-muskoka-district-health-unit-launches-tick-surveillance-program/?s=n1

Hike Ontario Updates

The registration for the Hike Ontario Summit on the 45th Anniversary of the Rideau Trail Association will be open on the Hike Ontario website tomorrow. Please inform your members. We look forward to having a great time with hikers and trail association representatives from across the province. The registration will close on September 24th.

The Summit is the chance for our members to participate in our Annual Meeting. You can find past Annual Reports on our website at http://hikeontario.com/about/annual-reports/

If you have a nominee for a Volunteer of the Year Award, please submit it using this link:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/KZV3D5R?sm=pZ3RDmZS37mwh7sDvVKuSg%3d%3d

I hope you all continue to have a great summer and that we see many of each other from September 30 to October 2nd in Perth!
Best regards.
Tom Friesen (President – Hike Ontario).

“Hike Ontario Summit 2016” (Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, 2016)

The Hike Ontario Summit is THE EVENT to celebrate trails and hiking across the province of Ontario. Held in Perth this year to celebrate the 200th anniversary of that scenic and historic town, we will also be celebrating the 45th anniversary of the Rideau Trail, one of Ontario’s oldest and most scenic trails.

Come to Canada’s oldest golf course Links O’Tay for a Friday Hiker’s Pub.

Topics will explore: Lyme disease, Bill 100 and landowners, Hike Leadership, Young Hikers’ Program, Urban Poling, Mood Walks, Using Digital Media Technology, Starting an Emergency Fire, Historical Walks, Hiking Trail Associations: Successes and Challenges.

Dinner will celebrate the Rideau Trail, with its founder Doug Knapp presenting, Volunteer Awards will be presented. Breakfast on Sunday will be available as a chance to celebrate Ontario’s Trails and our successes.

Public Hikes will be offered on Sunday morning. Come and celebrate Ontario’s Trails with us!
Summit & Dinner $50
Summit ONLY $25
Dinner ONLY $30

http://hikeontario.com/news/annual-summit/