Friends of Hibou Conservation Area – Ontario, Canada
Goal: To enhance the recreational and natural appreciation of Hibou Conservation Area
Join Bob Knapp for an informative hike on the the Interpretive Trail. Learn more about the trail from the person who inspired and worked hard in its remaking. Plus you will see the beginning signs of spring.
YOU MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE
Join Bob Knapp for an informative hike on the Interpretive Trail. Learn more about the trail from the person who inspired and worked hard in its remaking. Plus you will see the beginning signs of spring.
When: Tuesday March 16th 1pm till 3pm (weather forecast looks good so far)
Where: meet at the pump house parking lot southern end of Hibou
Details: be prepared for wet areas. Boots and hiking poles would be helpful
YOU MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE. Click here to register
Friends of Hibou are excited about the new year coming up. We developed a Newsletter which we sent out to a few people. Now it is time to share that information more on our web site, Face Book Page and LinkedIn! Certainly we will be sending out more information over the next few months as our plans solidify. Are you 
curious? You have to read about it in the Newsletter. Click on the link below to read it.
If you are interested in volunteering in any of the things 
we talk about in the newsletter, please let me know. marieknapp@rogers.com
Want to know more about things we have done? Go to our website www.friendsofhibou.com and check out the project photos.
Happy New Year
When: Thursday April 25th 9:30 till noon or so
Where: meet us at the beach parking lot.
What to bring: Pitchforks and Wheel barrows are most useful. Rakes help you pull the debris up and onto the shore as much is still in the water this year. You will need rubber boots as often you will be at the water’s edge. Work gloves can also be helpful. Bring water and a snack.
If heavy rain, we will postpone. We will work if only drizzling.
Please let us know if you plan to join us. Your help would be much appreciated.
rmknapp@yahoo.com or 519-371-1255 (can leave a message)
We would like to thank all who have supported Friends of Hibou volunteering your time, and energy since we began our work in 2013. Celebrating the completion of this project was a great event. It was a sunny warm day. We enjoyed seeing all those who attended. Thank you to Carol Harris for these photos.
People gathered at the entrance to the trail. Sonya Skinner, CEO of Grey Sauble Conservation Authority (GSCA) greeted people arriving.
Kate McLaren is past President of OSFN, one of our donors.
Krista Mckee, retired from GSCA, contributed significantly to the design of the signs abd brochure.
Don Sankey, a member of the Friends of Hibou Steering committee is also Chair of the GSCA Foundation, another donor.
Catherine Little, Chair of the GSCA Board of Governors brought greetings from the GSCA and complimented Friends of Hibou on the work that went into 
the trail as well as the outcome.
Bob Knapp, Co-Chair of the Committee, spoke about the history of Friends of Hibou and introduced the speakers.
Dick Hibma, past Board Chair expressed his support for this project. He introduced Larry Miller MP who said he will be bringing his grandchild to walk the trail when they come to visit Owen Sound.
Bill Walker MPP spoke of the value of the Interpretive Trail in educating as well as in promoting and supporting general health and well being.
Don Sankey thanked the Funders: Kiwanis Club of Owen Sound, OSFN, Community Foundation, Bob and Marie Knapp Family Endowment Fund (Community Foundation), GSCA Foundation, TD Environmental Fund. Marie Knapp expressed the vision seeing a future where parents and grandparents bring their children to the Trail. She also invited teachers to bring classes there for the many ways the trail supports the curriculum at several levels. The brochure is available in the box below the signs at both entrances and on line if someone wishes to review it in advance.
The Trail was officially opened when the ribbon was cut by Stewart Reid of Community Foundation with Kate McLaren of OSFN and Kevin Dandeno of the Kiwanis.
Following a short meet and greet with light refreshments, Bob Knapp led a walk around the trail loop.
We hope you will find an opportunity to walk the trail. Pick up a brochure at the large sign and read the interpretive comments related to each number as you reach the appropriate post. Wetlands serve a valuable purpose in preventing flooding and helping to filter surface water. They also provide habitat for plants and animals not found elsewhere. Enjoy your walk through this wetland.
Happy New Year everyone,
Here are the events we have planned for 2018. We will post any changes or additional details closer to the date.
Feb 4th, Sunday, Carol Harris will be leading a Bruce trail snowshoe hike at Hibou. With the cold weather and lots of snow, this will likely be a beautiful hike. Meet at 1:15 at the south parking lot (Pump House) at Hibou Conservation Area on Grey Road 15. Enjoy this 2 hour snowshoe hike along the inland trails. Contact Carol at carol_harris@icloud.com
April 19th, Thursday, Bob Knapp will be leading an interpretive spring hike. Please check back for details re time and meeting place or changes related to weather.
April 25th, Wednesday, We will have our annual beach clean up of debris. We are pleased with the work volunteers do every spring to help remove the available debris to make the beach more pleasant in the summer. Meet us at the main beach parking lot at 9:30. We will work till noon. Mostly we will need pitch forks and wheel barrows if you can bring them.
May 9th, Wednesday, we will have our annual trail clipping afternoon. Join us at 1:00 pm at the south parking lot. Bring clippers and work gloves if you have any. We will work till about 3:30.
May 31st, Thursday, we will do our annual shoreline cleanup. This involves the rough shoreline south of 
the beach and the main beach if it is necessary. Meet at 9:30 at the main beach parking lot (north lot) and we will work till noon. We will have garbage bags. Bring work gloves, water and appropriate clothing for weather along the shore. We mainly seem to pick up old lighters, plastic lids from bottles and other plastics. It is easier when we do it every year. Hope you can join us.
Thank you to everyone who helps make Hibou Conservation Area a place to appreciate our natural environment.
Friends of Hibou Committee
Watch for new date.
We hope you have enjoyed this summer. Unfortunately we are postponing our work day tomorrow for two reasons:
Watch for our next notice for the new date.
Chris Hachey is no longer with the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority. We enjoyed working with Chris.
We are pleased to have Jason Traynor as our new liaison. He is quite experienced with the area and GSCA and has been good to work with.
Marie and Bob Knapp
GSCA will have boardwalk and cement blocks on the trail ready to place and attach with screw drills. On the 29th, we will put in place 18 to 20 eight foot lengths of boardwalk on the wet land trail and attach as needed.
If you can help please meet us:
When: at 9:00 am till 12:30 Tues. Aug. 29. We will use Wednesday if we need a rain day or if the work has not been completed Tuesday.
Where to meet: by the road at the main gate to the Hibou Conservation Area beach on East BayShore Road.
What To Bring: work gloves, drinking water, boots for wet land and a battery operated drill if you have one.
RSVP: marieknapp@rogers.com It would be helpful to know if you think you can make it. We hope to have 6 to 8 volunteers along with workers from GSCA.
Friends of Hibou is grateful for your volunteering assistance.
Postponed Trail Clipping that was scheduled for Tuesday May 9th. We will plan to do it on Saturday morning May 27 and combine it with the shoreline cleanup.
Due to the excessive wet in the wet land area we decided to postpone the Trail Clipping that was scheduled for Tuesday May 9th. We will plan to do it on Saturday morning May 27 and combine it with the shoreline cleanup.
Meet us at 9:30am at the first parking lot after the Hibou Entrance when you are coming from Owen Sound.
Bring work gloves and clippers if you have them, water, hat, sun screen and “bug stuff” may be helpful too. It would be helpful if you let us know if you are coming. But just showing up is fine too. Hopefully the sun will be shining.
Volunteers can help us improve the trails.
When: Tuesday May 9/17 at 1:oopm till about 3:30
Where: Meet us at the first parking lot after the Hibou Entrance coming from Owen Sound.
What to bring: large branch clippers, work gloves, water and hat etc.
Giving the trails a good clipping in the spring keeps them in good shape for the rest of the year. It would be helpful if you could let us know if you are coming. But just showing up is fine too.
Our Website: We are feeling really good about enhancements we have made to our web site. Click here to look around the site. You may even see your picture on it somewhere.
Note: Committee members meet briefly at 12:30 same location.
When: T
uesday morning April 25th at 9:30 till noon
Where to meet: at the beach parking lot
What to bring: work gloves, tools such as rakes and pitchforks plus a wheel barrow if you have one. we simply have to move the sawdust debris from the shore and dump it back a little so that the GSCA tractor can pick it up.
It is getting to be that time again. Sometime in the last century there was sawmill and they dumped the sawdust into Georgian Bay. The current picks up what lies on the bottom and takes it to be dumped along the shoreline at the Hibou beach area. By getting rid of it a little at a time, it makes the beach area much more pleasant for swimming through the summer. We are hoping that by doing this in early spring this year we will catch more of the sawdust before it is washed into the water.
It is so helpful for us to know roughly how many will be there to help. If there is significant rain that morning we will have to reschedule. Many hands make lighter work.
let us know by email at friendsofhibou@rogers.com
Friends of Hibou Conservation Area - Ontario, Canada 