Category: Events

Beach Clean-up Tues Apr 25, 2017 9:30am

When: Tuesday 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

 

Thanks to our wonderful volunteers!

A big THANK YOU to all the volunteers who pounded nails on Wednesday morning so we could complete the boardwalk building. We now have 39 eight-foot boardwalk pieces stored in the garage ready for the GSCA to place in specific spots on the Hibou trails. It was a great work morning.

New Boardwalks For Hibou

Oct 2013aWe are very grateful for all the help we get from our volunteers.  Thank you so much for your contributions of time and energy.  The pictures show well the success of work teams in the past.  You are great.

We have scheduled two mornings when we plan to build boardwalks again.  We need volunteers.  Can you help?  Please let us know ahead.  Email Bob Knapp rmknapp@yahoo.com

Date and Time:  Wed July 27 and Thurs July 28,  9:00 to 12:30.

Location:  meet at the garage at the left parking lot at main beach.

Bring: hammer, work gloves and ear protection if you have it and a bathing suit if you want to swim.Oct 2013 e

Plan:  There will be pre-cut wood on the site.  We will work in teams to build 8 ft sections.  They will be stored in the garage until a later date when we use them to replace some of the older sections in the wetland.

Please contact Bob Knapp ahead if you plan to come:

rmknapp@yahoo.com or phone 519 371 1255

Hibou Beach Cleanup May 17th

IMG_4925Reminder:  Help us get Hibou Beach ready for kids and adults to enjoy this summer.  Last year the beach was significantly improved when several volunteers came together for a morning  to work at removing sawdust and wood debris along the shore. Let’s do it again!

When: Tuesday May 17th from 9:30 till noonish.

Where:  Meet at the beach.IMG_4923

Bring rakes, pitch forks, wheelbarrows, work gloves if you have them.

Please RSVP if you can join us.

Email: marieknapp@rogers.com

or phone us at 519-371-1255 and leave a message.

Hope to hear from you.

For more information about Friends of Hibou go to www.friendsofhibou.com

Marie and Bob Knapp

First Work Party, Thursday, May 5 at 1:00 p.m.

Early Spring

Just a reminder that our first work party will be:

Thursday, May 5, 1:00 p.m.

We will meet at the South Parking Lot, do some trail clipping
and put up some bat boxes.

The next work party will be:

May 17, 9:30 a.m. We will be working on beach clean up until noon. Meet at the beach parking lot and bring rakes, pitch forks, wheelbarrows, etc.

Hope to see you there!

 

Fire Pits Dismantled

fire pitsIt was a beautiful morning on July 20, 2015 when volunteer Bob Knapp joined GSCA staff Lee and Neil.  They walked along the shore south of the Hibou beach area and took apart several large fire pits, picking up all the associated garbage left behind by their users.  The area is getting cleaned up well.  It is a beautiful area to be enjoyed in its natural state as much as possible.

Would you like to be a volunteer?  We have cleanup projects about three times a year.  If you are interested and available during the week let us know and we will be sure to be in touch next time a work party is organized.  Thank you.

friendsofhibou@rogers.com

Getting the Beach Ready for Swimming

IMG_4888Do you remember how popular the Hibou Beach was in the 80s?  The sandy shore line was so filled with families that new parking areas were established. Now that the water level is back up to that level, we are ready to clean up the beach area so people can once again enjoy swimming there.

We need your help.

When:  Tuesday June 2nd, 10am till about 2:30 but come when you are able during that time.

What to bring: If you can, bring a wheelbarrow, rake, pitch fork or shovel.  GSCA will have a tractor there to assist with removal of the debris that washes up on the beach. Bring water and lunch.  The weather forecast looks good at the moment.

We would love to have your help.  Let us know if you are planning to join us.  friendsofhibou@rogers.com   

Grand Opening of the Hibou Boardwalk Trail May 10, 2015

Opening 1The new boardwalk trail is ready to be officially opening.  Marie Knapp talks about how it was a community that brought the Conservation Area into being, a community that began Friends of Hibou and now a community of volunteers that built the Boardwalk.

 

Opening 2The Trail is officially opened when Evelyn Holley who is on the Friends of Hibou Committee, and Susan Tuohy, Bank Manager from TD Canada Trust, the funder of the materials necessary to build the Boardwalk, cut the yellow ribbon.

 

Opening 3Bob talks about how the Boardwalk makes an area passable that would otherwise be underwater due to Beaver activity and nature.  In spring the wetlands come to life.

 

 

 

Opening 4 The group enjoys walking along the 200 feet of Boardwalk built by volunteers and laid down late fall 2014.

 

 

 

 

Opening 5Marie shows Susan where we walked in and how the trail system works.  There are maps at all junctures on the trails and each map is placed so the reader is facing North to simplify map reading.

May 11 at 12:30 Grand Opening of the Hibou Trail Boardwalk

Oct 2013 eIn the Fall of 2014, an enthusiastic group of volunteers built and placed about 200 ft of boardwalk over a wet portion of trail.  That trail had been impassible for a good portion of the year.  Now we will celebrate by officially opening this new boardwalk.

Come and join us Monday May 11 at 12:30pm for a brief opening ceremony located in the north east section of the park.

Park on the road by the beach entrance and head north towards Leith to the trail entrance.  Try to arrive at the Boardwalk for 12:30pm opening which should be very brief. Light refreshments will be served.

Anyone who would like to volunteer for trail work following the opening, bring some clippers or a pruning saw and we’ll be making sure the trails are in good shape.

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