On March 3, 2005, nineteen Canada South Land Trust members and friends gathered to enjoy supper in the cafeteria at the Essex Civic Centre. The menu included wild rice with mushrooms and apricots, cannelloni with tomato eggplant sauce, sweet potatoes and carrots with chickpea topping, cheesy rice and mushroom casserole with spinach, succulent succotash, vegetable stroganoff, bowtie whole wheat rolls, and desserts including homemade cookies and carrot cake.
A special thank you to the volunteers who "set up" for the supper, including Marie Deneau, Shirley Grondin, Betty Learmouth and Heidi Plante. Helen Moore kindly acted as receptionist as everyone arrived. Christine Gross donated a selection of door prizes. Candace Anderson baked homemade cookies for the dessert table.
At 7:20 p.m., MC and Canada South Land Trust director Patricia Rhoads welcomed everyone to the Land Trust's second Annual General Meeting. Patricia introduced the Land Trust's directors and thanked those who had assisted with the setup for the dinner and those who contributed to the dinner through their donations.
The minutes of the Land Trust's first Annual General Meeting held on March 4, 2004 were distributed. Director Terry Anderson made a motion that the minutes be accepted. Director Bill Balkwill seconded the motion.
Tom Hurst, the Land Trust's Treasurer, provided a financial report covering the time period of January 1, 2004 to December 2004. Treasurer Hurst commented that Land Trust expenditures were $2,264.00 more than it took in during 2004. Expenditures were for the Land Trust's operation such as its newsletter and structural organization including its website, letterhead and fax machine which were provided through an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant. Revenues were from memberships and donations. The Conservation Easement Fund received $5,500.00 in donations while special events raised $1,284.00.
Betty Learmouth, the Land Trust's President, provided an update on Land Trust activities during 2004. The highlight of the past year has been the donation of a conservation easement by Bill and Jack Balkwill of their woodland, prairie/pond restoration and old logging road/laneway lined with old growth Sugar Maples, located on the Balkwill farm in the Town of Kingsville, Essex County.
Gerry Waldron has completed the writing of the Land Trust's guiding/strategy document which has received funding for its publication from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Mary Celestino has provided a series of pen and ink sketches which will grace the pages of the guiding/strategy document. Graphic artist Scott Hughes is engaged in the design of the docunent.
Two attractive brochures have been designed by graphic artist Scott Hughes, one a general Land Trust brochure describing the work of the Land Trust and the other is devoted to the Balkwill Woods.
Canada South Land Trust directors attended events sponsored by the Ontario Land Trust Alliance including a June 2004 workshop on conservation easement monitoring held in Brantford and the annual October 2004 Ontario Land Trust Alliance Gathering in Chaffey's Locks.
A special thank you is extended to volunteer Nancy Murray who designed the Land Trust's charitable income tax form as well as formatting the Land Trust's two newsletters that were distributed in 2004.
Land Trust events in 2004 included a walk in the Balkwill Woods on May 16, 2004 attended by over twenty persons. Fund raising events included a picnic and walk at Holiday Beach Conservation Area during June 2004, a banding workshop and lunch held again at Holiday Beach Conservation Area, and a supper and followed by a presentation by Allen Woodliffe during December 2004. Details on this fund raising event appear elsewhere in this newsletter.
Following the reports, Land Trust member Christine Gross read an inspiring tribute to Kenyan activist Wangari Maathai, which appears elsewhere in this newsletter.
The evening's guest speaker, Ben Porchuk, is a wildlife biologist who had studied Pelee Island's Blue Racer snake population for over ten years. Ben is the founding director of The Wilds of Pelee Conservation Centre which provides environmental programs for young persons. Ben presented a program entitled The Animal in You: Past, Present and Future of the Human Species and Its Relationship with Biodiversity. Canada Trust director Terry Anderson thanked Ben for his thought provoking talk.
The evening concluded with a door prize draw. Thank you to everyone who supported this fund raising event and a special thank you to Land Trust member Ben Porchuk for his contribution to the evening.