PaBIA's eBlast February 24, 2021

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Volume 13 No. 2

Greetings!

We hope everyone is surviving winter - that if you have experienced the cold or the snow or both, that you are able to take advantage of the sun wherever you are!

Please, everyone, stay safe and healthy! Summer is coming!

In this eBlast:

PaBIA Membership Dues Deadline approaching - March 15^th
PaBIA Winter Cottage Patrol Ongoing
Libby Hunter - PaBIA Photo Contest Category WINNER!
PaBIA Winter Picnic Cancelled
GBA/GBF Water Level Symposium Findings
Check out New 2021 Calendars
GBLT - Landmark Speaker Series
Lake Michigan-Huron Water Levels - February 22, 2021
In Memoriam - Bill Rhodes, ‘Alix’ (Hall) Whalen

Of Interest

Membership Dues Due

by March 15th

Please remember that March 15th is the deadline for your membership dues to be into Nancy so that you can be included in the Yearbook membership listing.

There are 3 ways to pay:

through the website with credit card
by e-transfer from a Canadian bank account to Nancy Rogers
by cheque payable to PaBIA, mailed to PaBIA C/o Nancy Rogers, Unit 1 - 38 Elora Drive, Hamilton ON L9C 7K3

Questions? Check with Nancy!

Winter Cottage Patrol 2021

The patrol is presently ongoing with mostly just minor damage or open windows/doors that were easily closed. Outside of one downed tree causing damage, and another tree just missing a cottage, all is well and beautiful. Seven reports thus far have been reported and the owners notified...

GBA and GBF 2020 Water Levels Symposium-

Water, Water Everywhere!

Dave Sharpe, Mark Gwozdecky

PaBIA Directors and sitting GBA Board Members.

As background, PaBIA is the largest Residents Association of the 19 Member associations that make up the Georgian Bay Association (GBA).

The GBA advocates directly to governments at all levels on behalf of its member associations, and as part of that, works with Georgian Bay Forever and other NGOs, to voice the interests of GBA members on water levels and water quality issues.

On October 24, 2020, GBA and Georgian Bay Forever (GBF) brought together leading scientists, engineers, academics, and policymakers to lay the facts on the table about high water levels in the Great Lakes. Over 700 people registered for this inaugural online event with 432 in attendance.

Helen Bryce, our current PaBIA Director leading the Education portfolio on the Board, and also a Director with GBF, played a key role again in 2020 to help bring this latest Water Symposium to life.

For a brief overview of the primary issues and action plan, featuring the Top 10 questions & Key Takeaways, see Water Levels Web Symposium Summary.

For a full overview on the October 2020 Water Symposium including the presentation slides, other pressing water-related issues, and initiatives being shouldered by the GBA, visit the GBA website.

Photo Contest Winner - Wildlife Category

Down by the Pond

Photo by Robyn Holysh

During a week back in the city I woke up early to explore some local parks. I was waiting at a small pond hoping to see some wildlife and this beautiful frog emerged from the water. It stared into my lens, a flower resting between its huge eyes, as I took the picture.

PaBIA Winter Picnic

Unfortunately, due to the current COVID-19 situation, PaBIA has decided not to host the 2021 Winter Picnic. Although we would love nothing more than to host this great event, we do not want to encourage any non-essential travel at this time. We remain hopeful for the summer and can't wait to be able to host another PaBIA Winter Picnic event in 2022!

The Bay Needs Your Help Now!

Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Norm Miller’s private member’s bill is due for its second reading on February 23, and you can help move it forward. This important legislation to ban the use of unencapsulated dock foam needs your support to help keep this pollutant out of our Bay.

The especially high winds and surging water levels over the last few years have made the environmental damage of dock foam brutally apparent. Up and down the Bay, and certainly across Pointe au Baril, the evidence of this pernicious plastic pollutant is ubiquitous.

Our MPP Norm Miller, has introduced the Keeping Polystyrene Out of Ontario’s Lakes and Rivers Act at Queen’s Park. This private member’s bill is designed to reduce polystyrene pollution by requiring any foam used in the construction of new docks and rafts to be fully encapsulated.

This important initiative to ban the use of unencapsulated dock foam is due for its second reading on Feb 23 and GBA, and PaBIA, hope that Ontario MPPs will agree to support Bill 228 on a non-partisan basis given its importance in protecting all our waters from plastics pollution. Read the GBA letter to Ontario MPPs here.

How can you help?

Bill 228, being a private member’s bill, means it may need some extra help to become law. GBA has sent letters to all Ontario MPPs requesting their support. Your voice, as a PaBIA Member, will help. Clicking below will allow you to send an email to your local MPP to ask them to support this important piece of legislation to keep this pollutant out of our Bay.

WANTED:

Marine Patrol

Applicants for 2021

Do you, or someone in your family, have an interest and ability to serve your community? Protect the environment? Participate in scientific testing? Promote boating safety and the interests of a dynamic community association?

The Pointe au Baril Islanders’ Association (PaBIA) is seeking students currently enrolled in grade 12 or university/college with a strong interest in the local environment, protecting community quality of life, and promoting better boating safety.

The employment period is Saturday, June 21 to Monday, September 2, 2021. Training will be provided from June 21st—June 30th.

The Marine Patrol position demands maturity, dedication, and teamwork. Individuals will be required to work autonomously, follow well-defined protocols, and demonstrate sound decision-making in advancing PaBIA’s agenda and those of its partners: Georgian Bay Land Trust and Canadian Coast Guard. It is a ‘resume-worthy’ position with attractive compensation for students that are looking for a demanding position with serious responsibilities.

A detailed job description can be found here or at PaBIA's website . For those students interested in a Marine Patrol position, please apply for the 2021 Summer Program by email with:

a cover letter,
resume
references

to both: Bill Culp, Marine Patrol Supervisor, and Nancy Rogers, PaBIA Secretary-Treasurer.

US citizens are welcome to apply!

The DEADLINE for receipt of all resumes is February 26, 2021.

Telephone interviews will be conducted March 8th – March 12, 2021.

Successful candidates will be notified by March 22, 2021.

Sustainable Development Goal #4

Education is at the heart of Georgian Bay Biosphere (GBB), and we have many ways that we have promoted ecological literacy, sustainable lifestyles, and land-based cultural learning. There are many ways we advance Sustainable Development Goal #4 Quality Education.

Since 2009, our Lessons-in-a-Backpack program has reached thousands of students in area schools. We recognize there are limited resources for field trips by bus, and so we promote wider use of natural areas adjacent to schools for walking field trips, where lesson plans can be taught by a teacher or Biosphere staff member. Lesson plans engage students in making personal connections with nature and in thinking critically about human impact.

Outside of the classroom, the Biosphere’s education programs are numerous, diverse in topics, and reach people of all ages. In our 17 year history, we have hosted hundreds of workshops that have engaged people in the region to learn how they can contribute to sustainability. From composting to climate change, from helping wildlife to reducing energy consumption, and even from water quality to nature photography, there is something for everyone. These workshops provide participants with the information, materials, and confidence to help them continue to make sustainable lifestyle choices in their own lives.

Learn More

LANDMARK Speaker Series

Our virtual LANDMARK Speaker Series returns for 2021 with monthly presentations from 10:00 - 11:00 AM on conservation and Georgian Bay topics. Mark your calendars with the dates below, and register to attend each session here.

March 20th: Migratory Bird Research with Stuart Mackenzie
April 17th: Fish of Blackstone Lake with Andy Metelka
May 8th: Shipwreck Tales of Georgian Bay with Cris Kohl & Joan Forsberg

P.S. Did you miss any of last year's LANDMARK talks, or would you like to share them with others? Recordings of all past presentations are available to watch anytime on our website or YouTube channel.

Lakes Michigan/Huron Water Levels February 22, 2021

To better read the charts, please click on the chart for the

Daily or Six Month Forecast Water level chart and the corresponding websites

Yearbook Update

With each eBlast, we will provide you a list of names for those who provided updated information. The details of all the changes since the Yearbook's came out in April is provided in a printable format for you to print out and insert into your own Yearbook copy!

In Memoriam

Bill Rhodes, A413 - 1 'Belle Isles', husband of Wilma, February 2021

Alexandra ‘Alix’ Whalen (nee Hall), wife of David Whalen, mother of Connor and Mackenzie, sister of Doug Hall, Betsy Hall-Findlay, Hugh Hall, Harry Hall, Martha Hall Findlay, cousin of Nancy Rogers and Libby Hunter, February 2021.