O.F.A.H. Zone J Quarterly Meeting Summary Jan. 7, 2007
Hosted by: Western Ontario Fish & Game Protective Association
38 members present
Stan Gibbs, president of Western Ontario Fish & Game
Protective Association (WOFGPA) welcomed the OFAH.
Doug Elliott received a round of applause in appreciation
of his long-standing OFAH membership.
Chair Report by Felix Barbetti
Membership
in the Zone is dropping from a high of 23,000
Last year’s Cross Bow incentive brought in new faces and increased meeting attendance
Increasing traffic accidents with wildlife specifically moose and deer
Agricultural Liaison Committee has been formed to assist with settling the issue of land-use fees – see the OFAH
HO Website for info on matching farmers with nuisance wildlife to hunters willing to assist
The wet fall may impact wildlife due to elevated levels of toxins and fungus
MNR still lacks adequate funding
Municipal small game licenses will be discussed later today – some see it as useful, others see it as unnecessary
Bruno and Yolanda Vanden Berghe continue to fly the OFAH flag at most outdoors and agricultural events around the Zone.
Len McPhail manages the Zone J website
Grand River Conservation Authority update: Every municipality that partners with the watershed can send a representative – most choose to send
a political leader so it ends up to be mostly politicians. This is a common trend. Non-political appointments are decreasing.
Big Game Report by 1st Vice Chair Tony Jackson
Deer poaching needs to be reported. Any incident that seems wrong should
be reported to MNR TIPS line or Crime Stoppers. Both are anonymous.
Trespassing is still a problem – some people just don’t get it
Myotoxins (from fungii) are prevalent in corn crops in SW Ontario – deer tend
to have a diverse diet so it will probably not impact them. Mills have rejected
tons of corn this year. Swine and poultry can’t eat it and we don’t
know where it’s going. Possibly into Wild Deer Feed. If you do purchase Wild Deer Feed, buy a high quality feed.
We need eyes and ears everywhere – Outdoor Canada ran an ad for Humane Society of US. This was very embarrassing to the magazine.
Most animal rights groups have mega funding to assist their massive movement to stop all angling and hunting
Alternate Director Report by Len McPhail
Tell your MP’s that you don’t like Resolution 42 of the Liberal Platform wanting to ban semi-automatic
firearms
Trespassing is an issue with Sunday Hunting
Secretary/Treasurer reminds everyone to: sell his or her
Lottery tickets.
Updates on OFAH Annual Wildlife Conference March 14 to 17,
2007
Updates on OFAH Zone J Annual meeting September 15, 2007
at the Brant Rod & Gun Club
Copies of Zone J Winter Newsletter are available to anyone
who hasn’t received one.
Chair Felix Barbetti welcomed guest speaker Dave Reid, Norfolk Stewardship Council
biologist.
Alternate Land Use Services (ALUS)
is fundraising to launch their pilot and are seeking $10,000 in funding from OFAH Head Office Fish and Wildlife Fund. Zone J has committed $2,000 from the Zone J Fish and Wildlife Fund.
This idea of Alternate Land Use is rather new in Canada – also called Environmental Services
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provides incentives to landowners to create/improve ecological goods and services
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this is the only pilot project in Ontario even though
it is a nationwide program
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Norfolk County sees this as a grassroots
originated program – water fowlers, anglers, hunters, farmers, etc,
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The pilot proposal of a 9 year program with budget of $5.7 million did not fly with the government so they’ve
revamped the pilot program to 2 ½ years at $1.9 million
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Currently waiting funding from Government coffers for $680,000 and Trillium foundation for $380,000. This leaves $40,000 from Conservation groups. So far committed:
NWTF Ontario Chapter $10,000
§ NWTF Central $5,000
§ OFAH Zone J $2,000
Possible funding to come from:
§ NWTF Ontario Superfund $10,000
§ OFAH HO F&W $10,000
Chair Felix Barbetti welcomed guest speaker Jeff Brick, Upper Thames River Conservation
Authority www.thamesfishplan.ca
Thames River has 94 species of
fish including 13 Species at Risk
Fisheries Management Plan: to provide current watershed based
direction for management
To gather info from stakeholders
To co-ordinate activities of various stakeholder
The current Draft Plan will be ready this Spring with a 2nd
round of public input probably Fall 2007
Potential Benefits – guide community efforts
Enhance and protect fisheries
Raise the profile of the river
Promote river and fisheries for recreation and tourism
The press and rumours say that property owned by Conservation
Authorities are being sold. The TRCA owns 6500 ha around large reservoirs –
right now TRCA is not selling and land
One farm parcel of 130 acres near Pittock was sold to Oxford County to relocate a golf course from the Toyota land area. TRCA
was told to sell this
The Memorial Forest at the east end of the reservoir is being annexed into City of Woodstock. The Board is asking this Forest be left and not changed to light industrial use.
Chair Felix Barbetti welcomed guest speakers Pud Hunter and Holly Simpson of the
Ministry of Natural Resources
Pud and Doug Elliott gave us a historical account of Municipal
licenses. Tony Jackson explained how these licenses work in Perth County.
The status quo is not satisfactory. Pheasant municipal licensing seems supported but not rabbits
Property posted as “No Hunting” can be hunted
with owner permission.
Fisheries Report by Past Chair Alf Marinelli
OFAH Biologist Jeremy Holden is holding workshops for Walleye hatcheries. Tentative
schedule is March 10th in Sudbury and March 24th in Cloyne, ON
Cedar Creek Provincial Park in the Essex
area is seeking comments on becoming a nature reserve. This will reduce the number
of uses
Holly Simpson says the area is rather land locked and offers
many Carolinian species. There are access concerns as farms and private land
surround it. The ERB (Environmental Bill of Rights) is posted on the Internet. Members are asked to respond. There are
concerns because the Essex Conservation Authority manages this area and they are known to decrease hunting opportunities
The initial allocation of walleye and perch – Commercial
harvesters are asking for increases in the numbers
Lake Eire manager is tentatively
setting an increase of 50% in the Central basin (#3) - #2 will see an increase
of 16%.
They are relying almost 100% on the 2003-year class. 2004 thru 2006 have seen poor spawning so there is no follow-up to this 2003-year
class. We need to decrease the numbers of 2003-year class being taken –
we must leave them to spawn
Perch are strong – seem to be leveling off
No Ice Fishing report
Small Game Report by Wilf
Cassidy
Wilf reports that Pelee
Island Wild Turkey bird count at Christmas counted 35 wild turkeys – wild turkeys have not been seen there in 100 years
Seasoning Shot –
someone has developed shot shells containing spices instead of lead/steel shot. Remington
and Federal are looking at the viability of such an item. Seems successful on
quail and grouse. Season your bird when you shoot it!!
The first Wild Turkey
Seminar will be held February 24 & 25th at Brant Rod & Gun Club
Youth Campout will be held
at the Port Colbourne and District club on June 2 & 3 this year
Don Fairbairn moves that the
Zone J membership support donating $10,000 to ALUS and to make a favorable recommendation to OFAH HO Provincial Fish and Wildlife
Fund.
2nd Doug Elliot
carried
The WOFGPA presented Zone
J Chair Felix Barbetti with $125.00 raised on the draws.
Please Note: The Western Ontario Fish & Game Protective
Association has offered to host the first Zone J Quarterly meeting of 2008 on Sunday, January 5th, 2008.
