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Events
To members and friends of the Friends of the Jock River Happy New Year to all. We hope that you had a great holidays. 1. Memberships for 2011 have expired and the new ones are due. Attached is the membership form. 2. Our January meeting will be held this coming Tuesday, January 17th at 7:30pm in the staff meeting room at the St.Joseph Roman Catholic High School in Barrhaven. The school is located at 3333 Greenbank Road (about 1 km south of the Greenbank/Strandherd intersection). Parking is available on the north side of the school. Enter through the doors nearest the parking lot (N side), proceed straight along the hallway and take the first hallway to the right. Continue to the main office, which will be on your right, and enter the door to the immediate right of the office. (NB the door is inset into the wall and hard to see.) The meeting room is along the hallway and to the left. Do not use the main doors facing Greenbank as they are locked. Signs will guide you to the meeting room. The agenda is attached. 3. Please circle February 22, 2012 on your calendars as the tentative date of our annual general meeting. Confirmation of date and location will be sent later. The annual report for 2011 will be presented and 2012 board will be elected. If you are interested in serving on the board, please contact the chair of our nominations committee Niel Barrington at niel.barrington@sympatico.ca, telephone 613-823-3643. Please note that several key executive members of the Friends of the Jock River will not be seeking re-election in 2012. Without key board positions such as president, treasurer and secretary, the organization cannot survive; the AGM in February will be critical. Richmond Fen Wetland Excursion 2011
The Friends of the Jock River will be leading afternoon canoe/kayak excursions on Sunday, May 1st, 2011, and Thursday, May 5th into the Richmond Fen Wetland, the largest provincially significant wetland in Eastern Ontario. The Fen is an incredibly diverse wetland populated by many birds, aquatic mammals (beaver, otter, muskrat) and plants. At this time of year, the leaves will be emerging so the trees, ferns and grasses will be electric green. Also, some trees will be in flower. This is a special place. We will be canoeing/kayaking up the Jock River from the Richmond Centennial Golf Course into the Richmond Fen Wetland and will be returning to the same site about 4 hours later. A map of the area can be found at: http://www.jockriverrace.ca/Map.html (link is not hot). There are no rapids on the route and there is only a mild current; however, there are submerged hazards such as logs and old beaver dams. Further, there are usually at least one active beaver dam and a few logs that must be hoisted over, so participants must be comfortable and capable of exiting canoes onto/over potentially slippery and unstable logs and branches. When: Meet at the noted meeting site at 12:00 noon for departure at 12:30PM on either Sunday, May 1st or Thursday, May 5th. Expected return is about 4 hours later. How to get there: Take the main road through Richmond (NB, from Ottawa, Richmond Road becomes Perth Road once in the Village of Richmond; then it becomes Franktown Road) and continue about 1 km. Turn left at Joys Road. At Ottawa St. jog right then immediately left and continue on Joys Road past the Centennial Golf Course. The road becomes very rough near the river so do not attempt to drive all the way to the river. Park to one side of the road. DO NOT BLOCK THE ROAD. Carry your canoe or kayak the short distance to the river. Who may participate: Anyone interested in the Jock River or in the beauty of the Richmond Fen Wetland. This excursion is not limited to members of the Friend of the Jock River. Advance registration is not required. There is no cost for the excursion but a donation to support our environmental work is appreciated. What to bring: Participants must supply their own canoes or kayaks, safety gear and transportation to the launch site. (NB: Trailhead, a corporate member of the Friends of the Jock River, rents canoes and kayaks.) Dress appropriately to the forecast (hat; rain gear) and the activity (potential for wet feet). Sun screen and bug repellent may be appropriate. Bring your camera, water and snacks. Conditions: A waiver must be signed. Participants are responsible for their own safety and must be comfortable and reasonably competent in a canoe or kayak. They must be able to deal with submerged water hazards, and to traverse logs and beaver dams safely. Please note that Canadian Coast Guard regulations require the following in every canoe or kayak: Contact for further information: Brian Finch, tel. 613-825-8029 See you there. Pass it on. Brian Finch
Ron Hay's photographs of the Jock River
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