Canada South Land Trust Activities, 2004
The following is a summary of the activities of the Canada South Land Trust during the past year.
- The Canada South Land Trust took its new table top display board to several events early in the year, the Ojibway Nature Centre's Winter Festival on February 1, 2004 and the Friends of the Detroit River's Shiver on the River at the Belle Isle Casino. CSLT board member David Anslie provided organic baked goods for sale during the Ojibway Winter Festival.
- Guest speaker at the first annual general meeting of the CSLT on March 4, 2004 was ERCA staff biologist Dan Lebedyk who spoke on the Essex Region Biodiversity Conservation Strategy.
- Bill and Jack Balkwill notified the Canada South Land Trust on April 14, 2004 of their wishes to donate a conservation easement on their woodland, restoration site and laneway. Please see article in this newsletter for details.
- CSLT's display board was on display during Earth Day April 15, 2004 at Ojibway Nature Centre with volunteers on hand. Work is underway for the development of a website with Phil Aylesworth in charge of the design. Volunteer Nancy Murray kindly designed a charitable income tax receipt for the CSLT.
- During April 2004 graphic artist Scott Hughes provided the CSLT with letterhead, note paper and business cards, all funded through a generous grant of The Ontario Trillium Foundation. Gerry Waldron is preparing the CSLT's strategy document while artist Mary Celestino is sketching scenes of natural heritage sites which will be included in the completed strategy document.
- CSLT's table top board was on display at Carolinian Canada's spring symposium entitled Natural Heritage Planning: Restoration Ecology for the Big Picture which was held on May 11, 2004 at King's College, London, ON
- A woodland walk in Balkwill Woods was enjoyed by over twenty persons on May 16, 2004. On June 5, 2004, eighteen persons enjoyed the Picnic and Prothonotary Warbler Gathering and fund raising event at Holiday Beach Conservation Area. Please see articles in this newsletter for full details of each event.
- An Ontario Land Trust Alliance workshop was held in Brantford, ON on June 21, 2004 which was attended by CSLT director Betty Learmouth. A useful workshop entitled More Than Meets the Eye which dealt with monitoring conservation easements was presented by Kim Gavin, executive director of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservancy.
- A draft of a CSLT brochure was presented at the directors' July 2004. Director Terry Anderson suggested a second brochure should be developed that would focus on Balkwill Woods.
- The CSLT's table top board was on display at the 20th anniversary conference of Carolinian Canada held at Port Franks Community Centre, October 1-2, 2004.
- A funding raising event was held at Holiday Beach Conservation Area on October 9, 2004 with CSLT members enjoying banding demonstrations and lunch. Please see article in this newsletter for full details of this event.
- On Thanksgiving, October 11, 2004 the CSLT table top board with its accompanying bucket raffle was on display at Ojibway Nature Centre's Fall Festival.
- At the invitation of the Wetland Habitat Fund, a short presentation was provided about the CSLT by director Betty Learmouth at a workshop held October 16, 2004 at the meeting room of For the Birds. The table top display was on hand with a new display of photographs related to Balkwill Woods.
- Directors Patricia Rhoads and Betty Learmouth attended the Ontario Land Trust Alliance Gathering (OLTA) at Chaffey's Lock north of Kingston, ON held in the Opinicon Lodge from October 22 through October 24, 2004. This conference provides useful workshops for OLTA members.
