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 2011 / Rapport du président 2011
I've just come in from a spot of trail-clearing and am happy to report that
there are not too many trees down across the trails. We'll have to see what
the winds do during hunting season, but with luck we won't have much more to
do than picking up and ribboning. Except for the bridges. The summer's storms
(and Irene wasn't the worst) have washed all the bridges on Errol Brook and
other brooks many yards downstream and they've had to be rebuilt. Ed Markwell
will be calling on us in November for the final clearing and ribbonning.
Then we hope there will be a big freeze before the snow falls, because the
summer's excessive rain has left most trails soggy underfoot.
Last year's season started with trail clearing by Richard Bourassa, Jean-Paul
Clermont, Kip Cobbett, Bill Eakin, Tom Kovacs, Jean-Pierre Lefebvre, Nancy
Layton, Guy Lord, Ed and Francine Markwell, Wayne McTavish, Tim Merrett, Mary
Ann Mongeau, Dave Pascal, Tanya Rhodes, Joe Stairs and David Stanger.
Some 70 people benefited from the resulting trails and enjoyed outings during
the year, many several times. As well as Ski Day, Fun Ski and a Nature Walk on
our own trails, GNS was welcomed for a fun ski on the Cedarville trails, and
for nature walks at our traditional locales (Ile du marais / Katevale Marsh
and Marlington Bog) as well as a well-attended walk on the land of the late
Michael Dunn, newly acquired by the Quebec Ministry of Natural Resources for
administration by the Ministry of the Environment, Parks sector---although
the ultimate management body for the property has yet to be defined.
In addition to our scheduled outings, GNS sponsored a couple of extras this
year. Bill Eakin and Michael Hayes organized a kayak trip on Cherry River in
response to suggestions made by GNS members. They have written it up elsewhere
in this newsletter. Penny and Wayne McTavish hosted an informative walk on the
Inverugie golf course followed by a delicious soup-and-bread-and-coffee-and-
cookies lunch in the GNS toonie-basket tradition. See below for this, too.
In the spring, an ad-hoc task force consisting of Bill Eakin and Heather and
Tom Kovacs prepared a detailed survey and circulated it among GNS members
seeking feedback on our activities. The headings were (I) Outings (A. Barbara
Clift Ski Day, B. Seasonal Walks), (II) GNS Speaker Events, (III) GNS
Newsletter, and (IV) Member Participation. The 18 respondents (25% of our
members: this is a high level of response---thank you!) made many useful
suggestions which we have started to follow up, especially where you offered
your own time and involvement. I hope you have noticed some differences.
We have the pleasing news that Ile du marais, the wonderful bird and nature
sanctuary in Little Lake Magog, which GNS co-founded and which we visit on an
outing almost every year, has reconstituted itself with a new and younger
executive and the very welcome involvement of members of the local community.
Jean-Pierre Lefebvre, who has represented GNS on the Ile du marais board for
the past seven years, has been instrumental in effecting this transformation,
as well as in organizing repair and replacement of much of the walkways on the
causeway leading to the island. Ile du marais continues to depend heavily on
the generosity of its members.
The Barbara Clift Ski Day, last Feb. 5, brought 28 skiers and 4 snowshoers onto
the GNS trails and more than twice as many out to Nancy Amos' usual scrumptious
dinner and John Boynton's usual elegant and intellectually challenging table
centrepieces. The 2012 Ski Day, our annual highlight, will take place a week
earlier this year, on Jan. 28.
The GNS season started last year with a delightful talk, "Murder for a Living",
by Louise Penny on Nov. 27. GNS shared this event with Studio Georgeville. The
partners were happy with the event, so this year we are co-sponsoring a talk on
"Raptors of the Eastern Townships" by Bob Carswell. This is on Nov. 19, a
Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m., when darkness is starting but we are not quite
ready for supper. Thanks to Barb Wolf who has ably taken charge of the annual
GNS lecture.
All these activities reflect strenuous efforts on the part of the GNS executive,
who are always happy to bring you events which are fun and informative. We owe
them thanks and lots of attendence. And we owe you thanks for your enthusiastic
support and many suggestions. 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.
Photos from our year's outings can be found on the GNS website. It has a
complicated URL, but you can
also find it by Googling "GNS SNG".
I hope to see you at many GNS activities this year!
Tim Merrett