Welcome to the GNS web page! It is under construction. Please email corrections, suggestions, and new material (photos as jpeg attachments; under 200K, please; please date event and identify people if you can) to Tim. (For the moment, though, aesthetics take second place to content.)
Bienvenu au site SNG! Il est en construction. SVP envoyer par courriel des corrections, suggestions et du nouveau matériel (les photos comme attachements jpeg, toujours moins de 200KO svp, et svp identifier le gens et les dates d'événements si vous le pouvez) au Tim. (Pour l'instant, cependant, l'esthétique prend la deuxième place au contenu.)

President's Report 2010 / Rapport du président 2010

Well, we had four inches of snow up on Boar's Hill for Hallowe'en, so I guess it is time to write the seasonal letter. Besides, David Stanger gave me a deadline.

We started off last year with a fascinating and informative talk by Tom Kovacs on the national parks of Croatia and Macedonia. Tom's 30-year career with Parks Canada saw the number of parks grow from 18 to 40 or so, and he retired as Director of Operations for Ontario and Superintendent of Pointe Pelee National Park and of the Rideau Natonal Historic Waterway. His talk on his subsequent advisory roles in Croatia and Macedonia was as good as a holiday there.

This year we will start with "Murder for a Living", a talk by the Townships writer Louise Penny, whose sixth Chief Inspector Gamache mystery has just appeared. GNS will be joined by Studio Georgeville in sponsoring Louise, who is winning international awards and will soon appear in French translation, as well as being a scintillating speaker. See www.studiogeorgeville.com for more. Friday, Nov. 27, 4:00 pm at Murray Memorial Hall.

Last December's Peter Landry Audubon Christmas Bird Count was fun and productive. Thanks to John Hoblyn, again, for putting it together. This year's will be Monday Dec. 27, with Tuesday Dec. 28 being the fallback for bad weather. John will once again organize it and host the reportage party, with the kind indulgence of Sarah. For more information: trevecca@axion.ca

The Barbara Clift Memorial Ski Day 2009 saw 29 skiers and two snowshoers brave the quite benign weather. John Boynton classic Ski Bird medals went to Dave Pascal, Allan Smith, Jean-Pierre Lefebvre and Lucille Delorme. Nancy Amos provided another wonderful meal, for which our appetites were whetted and our inhibitions (what inhibitions?) suppressed by Jean-Paul Clermont's (Barbara Clift's) excellent punch. Ski Day 2011 will be Feb. 5. Don't worry about global warming: we have planned first-rate skiing all winter. (Maybe not starting on Hallowe'en, though.)

GNS Family Fun Skis were hosted last winter by Barb Wolf and by Francine and Ed Markwell. Join us this year on Jan 22 and Feb 26 for an unchallenging toot around some easy but attractive terrain, and for a roll-and-soup lunch (cost 1 doubloon) following.

GNS Nature Walks attracted a typical dozen and a half people each time and we visited the Mueller inuksuk, Katevale Marsh and the Stanstead Stone Circle. We are grateful to Fred and Denise Mueller, Louise Cousineau and L'Ile du marais inc, and to Kim Prangley for permission and, in the latter two cases, for guiding us over the sites. L'Ile du marais (Katevale Marsh) is written up separately in this newsletter and is in need of members and volunteers despite a heroic effort on the part of Jean-Pierre Lefebvre and the other board members which replaced much of the walkways and bridges. Write to L'ile du marais inc, C.P. 121, Sainte-Catherine-de-Hatley, J0B 1W0: you can join for 10 dollars.

Our own trails were helpfully kept clear last year by Francine & Michelle Caron, Jean-Paul Clermont, Guy Lord, Wayne McTavish, Mary Ann and Tim Merrett, and Dave Pascal under the attentive eye of trail boss Ed Markwell. We'll be clearing trails again this year as soon as hunting season is over: stand by to help on Nov. 20.

I hope you caught the GNS float again on Canada Day: Mary Ann Mongeau's large ski bird was flanked by really old skis courtesy of Gael Eakin and Barbara and Erroll Clift, and by some enthusiastic young Georgeville-Nature-Skiers. Thanks again to Ed Markwell for putting it all toghether and to Steve Hamilton for providing motive power.

Once again, I would like to thank our Executive members, who infallibly say "I'll do that!" and who make the presidency a pleasure.

This newsletter includes membership and waiver forms for your continuing membership. Please fill and return them early and think about who else might like to join (or re-join) GNS, especially among the younger generations.

I hope to see you at many GNS activities this year!

Tim Merrett