|
|
April 2018
Volume 10 No. 3
|
|
|
|
Thanks, Gary, for PaB Harbour pic, April 11
|
|
Think Spring!
The ice may not be out for another few weeks…but we are getting closer, despite the snow in PaB and the ice which is still thick, some places 2 feet!
|
IN THIS ISSUE:
Funding Victory for the Great Lakes
Georgian Bay Run May 27th
GBBR Kids in the Biosphere
Habitat for Humanity Update
In Memoriam
NEW! PaBIA Octoberfest in July
PaBIA’s New Marine Patrollers!
PaBIA Yearbook
PaBIA’s April 2018 Director Mtg Minutes
The Death and Life of the Great Lakes
Water Levels April 2018
Winter Cottage Patrol Report
|
|
|
|
2018 Yearbook Due in Your Mailbox by Mid May!!!
|
|
2018 Georgian Bay Walk, Run,Pole – Do It For Life on May 27th
Pointe au Baril Cottagers Team (PaBC) and
the Desmasdon’s Marina Team
are gearing up for the 2018 Georgian Bay Walk, Run, Pole – Do It For Life
in support of the West Parry Sound Health Centre.
Last year the Pointe au Baril Team (PaBC) raised 10K and the hospital was truly thrilled. Helen Bryce, as Team Leader for PaBC has issued a challenge to the other cottager associations to compete for the “top cottager team” fundraiser prize (which PaBC won last year). And we DO have a challenger – Lake Rosseau North Association has thrown down the gauntlet, so with your support, we can win the fundraising competition in aid of this critical health centre!
We are looking for more team members so please email Helen if you or someone you know might be interested. Click on PaB Cottager Team and type in a participant name on the team to donate.
Desmasdon’s Team raised over 5K and then matched that in sponsorship for support totaling over 10K in 2017! We are hoping to exceed that this year with your help. Please consider supporting our team as we all do our part to invest in strong health care here in the Parry Sound area. We have made this a priority as good health care is essential to all our families both local and seasonal alike. We have a large group of staff members and their families coming together for a very important cause, and really hope you will join us with your financial support. THANK YOU! Click on Desmasdon’s to donate to Desmasdon’s Marina Team
There are TWO Teams from PaB worth supporting!!!!
On May 27
For WPSHC
Let’s support them both – for a very worthy cause!!!
Or sign up to run as an individual here !!
|
|
US Budget a Victory for Funding Great Lakes
The U.S. House and Senate have passed the fiscal year 2018 budget which contains strong funding for core Great Lakes restoration priorities.
Todd Ambs, campaign director for the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, of which GBA is a member said, “The budget is a victory for the 30 million people who depend on the Great Lakes for their drinking water, jobs, and way of life. We thank Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress who have stepped up to make Great Lakes restoration and protection a national priority. This budget keeps federal Great Lakes restoration efforts on track.
“Strong funding for federal agencies, like the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Park Service, provide a solid foundation for the successful implementation of Great Lakes restoration efforts in communities across the region. Despite the progress we’re seeing, serious threats remain. We look forward to working with bi-partisan leaders in the U.S. House and Senate to continue this tremendous state-federal partnership that is producing results for the environment and economy.”
The fiscal year 2018 budget contains:
- Great Lakes Restoration Initiative: $300 million, the same funding as current fiscal year.
- Clean Water State Revolving Fund: $1.693 billion, a $300 million increase
- Drinking Water State Revolving Fund: $1.163 billion, a $300 million increase
- Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act grants: $63 million, a $53 million increase
- Environmental Protection Agency: $8.821 billion, a $763 million increase
- National Park Service: $3.202 billion, a $270 million increase
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: $1.595 billion, a $75 million increase
- U.S. Geological Survey: $1.148 billion, a $63 million increase
- $50 million for three new grant programs authorized by the Water Infrastructure for Improvements to the Nation Act to address lead in drinking water, including $20 million for a Voluntary School Lead Testing grant program.
- Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study: $1.85 million.
- Chicago Electric Barrier: $16.7 million for operations and management.
- U.S. Sea Grant: $65 million
- Coastal Zone Management Act Grants: $75 million
- $8 million for the International Joint Commission
- $33.29 for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission
|
|
Winter Cottage Patrol Report
|
Bruce Tiffin, PaBIA’s Off Season Patrolman, has completed his winter rounds; and if a problem was found, Nancy would have already notified you of an issue!
|
Put July 14th
on your Calendar NOW
for Oktoberfest in July!
|
Dave and Stacey Sharpe have offered their cottage for a succulent
BBQ at the Rendezvous
after the July 14th PaBIA Sailing Race!!
The idea is to invite ALL PaBIA and non PaBIA members to come enjoy:
- Great friends (old and new)
- Tasty food AND
- Ice-cold Norse Brewery Draft Beer & Ale
fresh from the kegs of their Nobel brewery
for a nominal $10/person
as a fun(d)raiser for PaBIA’s mission!
They will be serving beef, pork and turkey sausages with homemade salads and ice cream treats!
So mark your calendars now for this special event and watch for more detailed information in subsequent eBlasts!
|
|
Welcome our New
2018 Marine Patrollers!!
|
Abigail Sorensen has been a Pointe au Baril cottager for many years and loves spending the summers on the water with her family, which is one of the reasons she is looking forward to being a Marine Patroller. She is eager to experience protecting and promoting a safe, clean and quiet water access for the community of Georgian Bay. She is currently studying Outdoor Recreation Management at Capilano University in North Vancouver. For many years Before moving out to British Columbia, she worked as a ski coach at Mansfield Ski Club and has always enjoyed spending her time outdoors in both winter and summer and cannot wait to continue doing so.
|
Jennifer Boughton is presently a Masters’ student studying Environmental Science and Policy at the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. Her family is from Cincinnati, Ohio, and together they cottage in Pointe au Baril every summer. Her favorite activities are rock-climbing, fishing, and reading, and she is very excited to be a Marine Patroller for the Summer of 2018!
|
|
The Death and Life of the Great Lakes by Dan Egan
Shelagh Grant, PaBIA member and past PaBIA Naturalist Chair and Environmentalist, recommends this book by saying, “This book is a must read for all of our cottagers. It not only covers history and development, but the chapters on invasive species, rising and falling water levels, and toxic blue green algae are the best I have ever read. The book was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and NY Times notable book of the Year.
As described on the website, Our Great Lakes—Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Superior—hold 20 percent of the world’s supply of surface freshwater and provide sustenance, work, and recreation for tens of millions of Canadians and Americans. But they are under threat as never before, and their problems are spreading across the continent. The Death and Life of the Great Lakes is a prize-winning book written by reporter Dan Egan’s compulsively readable portrait of an ecological catastrophe happening right before our eyes, blending the epic story of the lakes with an examination of the perils they face and the ways we can restore and preserve them for generations to come.
|
|
Update on the Pointe au Baril Habitat
Adopt-A-Home project
- The Archipelago Area Planning Board meets on April 26 with all expectations that the donated land can be transferred to Habitat for Humanity soon.
- Plans are underway to schedule volunteer activity. Visit the PaB community website to find out why the village and islanders want to be a part of this joint effort.
- We are required by Habitat Gateway North to have a substantial percentage of donations of the house cost in hand before construction and before the family search can begin. Please visit the PaB community website to make your generous donation.
- Contact Britta Gerwin at (705) 646-0106 ext 205 or Rob Muir if you have questions.
|
|
Kids in the Biosphere Activity Kits
Available for ALL Families
|
|
- Do you spend most of your time outside in the summer?
- Do you often find mud on your knees and sticks in your hair?
- Do you want to know more about the nature around us?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, the Kids in the Biosphere program is right for you!
To celebrate six years of outdoor adventure in the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve, the Kids in the Biosphere program is EXPANDING! This summer it will be available to across the entire Township of the Archipelago.
How does the Kids in the Biosphere program work?
Simply register online to receive a free Activity Kit: a reusable bag containing outdoor games, crafts, materials, a nature notebook and a Kids in the Biosphere Activity Booklet. After you register, GBBR will be in touch by email with details on where to pick up your Activity Kit.
If you wish to track your progress, you can use the Summer Scorecard included in the Activity Kit. At the end of the summer, or your stay in the Biosphere, bring your Scorecard to the Biosphere office (11 James Street, Parry Sound) or to one of the program volunteers near you to receive a prize and be entered to win one of three grand prizes!
We also offer a Kids in the Biosphere blog where you’ll find weekly information on nature’s happenings, fascinating facts, and answers to your questions by our local nature nuts. Plus, Biosphere staff will be on location at events throughout The Archipelago with crafts, games, and even our species at risk friends!
For more information or to volunteer with the program contact Delaina. Visit GBBR to find information about other programs, subscribe to Biosphere News, or to become a Biosphere Member.
Thank you for your support – see you outdoors!
|
|
|
|
In Memoriam
Ella Higman, former owner with her late husband Francis John Higman of Higman’s Store, Pointe au Baril, April 2018.
Jerry McIntosh, February 2018 and Jane McIntosh, March 2018, past members of longstanding, A490 ‘Fredericksruhe’, parents of Erin McIntosh.
Jim Riches, husband of Patti Riches, Nurse Practitioner at the Pointe au Baril Nursing Station, April 2018.
|
|
Water Levels – April 12, 2018
|
|
The Pointe au Baril Islanders’ Association
Unites Together Our “Water Access” Community To Promote, Protect and Preserve This Unique and Natural Region.
38 Elora Ave, Unit #1 • Hamilton, ON L9C 7K3 • 905-383-6726
|
|
pabia.ca | Pointe au Baril Islanders’ Association | PaBIA @ rogers.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
