TETC meeting Minutes

January 5, 2010

 

 

Present: Madeleine Florent, Sylvia Warkentin, Terry Sanford, Evan Edinger, Helen Spencer.

Apologies: Ralph Tapper

 

Review of Minutes of December 2009 meeting

Terry suggested an amendment concerning #6 Dominion Hill Update to make it read that all councilors were present for the vote. Madeleine will amend and send a copy to Sylvia for the website

 

Business arising from the minutes

Gazebo

Helen will confirm with Jim Sinnott at the school board that a new gazebo is to be built despite loss of the original wood.

 

Rock Garden

There has been no response from the email sent to Todd Boland concerning a quote to make a plan for the rock garden. Helen will follow up.

 

Giving Tree

$50 was donated to the giving tree

 

Trail Map Update

Beth Spencer was paid $700 for walking and marking all, but one of  the trails with GPS and collecting waypoints. Helen attempted to meet with Megan Healey (who is updating the maps) before Christmas to give her the data, but missed her. She will try again this week. Evan suggested marking the way-pointed trail junctions where they are confusing with a simple wooden disk (slice of a log) that has been branded or carved. Signs should be clear, but unobtrusive.

 

Date for TETC meeting

Helen is still trying to clarify whether the meeting room is available before 9pm on Thursdays. Also need to clarify there is still a need to move the meeting day.

 

New Business

East Coast Trail Association (ECTA)

Since the ECTA is planning on working on the Torbay section of trail in 2010 and they are also looking for a director, Madeleine suggested that we try to find a TETC member who is also an ECTA member to offer to become a director of ECTA. Sylvia says she may be interested and will get more information on the position.

 

TETC Budget

No word yet on what council will approve for TETC budget for 2010

 

 

 

Trails

Terry reported that Council is no further on with the Jones Pond trail dispute. However at the Federation of Municipalities meeting in the fall, Council members brought up a request that the Federation of Municipalities ask the Province to legislate that municipalities have control over trails in their boundaries. This proposal was amended to read that specific request need be made for individual trails. This needs to be approved by the province, but seems like a step in the right direction . Terry will follow up on this to try to keep the issue of the Jones Pond Trail on the table.

 

Coyote trapping in Torbay

Concern is mounting over the use of leg hold traps and snares for Coyotes in areas that dogs are walked. Two incidents of dogs getting caught in baited Coyote snares near trails in Torbay have been reported in recent weeks and one of a dog getting caught in a rabbit snare. It has been decided to document the cases and to invite someone from the provincial department of wildlife to come to a meeting and educate us about trapping for Coyotes and how much of a problem coyotes are in the Torbay area. Although TETC members are not against hunting of Coyotes we are concerned for the safety of pets and feel a reasonable balance needs to be found in built up areas. Madeleine will follow up on this.

 

Conservation Zones around Ponds

Terry voiced a concern about the number of adverts he sees for lots that have pond frontage. He wonders why it is not made clear to potential home-owners that almost all ponds have public access around them and a conservation zone. In this way home owners won’t be disappointed when they discover they don’t have sole right to the pond frontage. Madeleine recommended he keep clippings of such ads and if the problem continues it be reported.

 

Torbay Tree Day

Helen suggests TETC order native tree seedlings from the provincial nursery to be planted around Torbay. The goal would be to mitigate some of the loss of habitat from development by encouraging as many people as possible to plant trees in their own gardens and to plant in public places where permission is granted. We would hope to get Scouts, Guides, Junior Forest Wardens and schools involved in the tree planting as well as other groups and individuals. Although TETC has done this in the past and many of the trees that were planted are now a nice size (some trees are at the Kinsmen Centre, The Gully, elementary school and opposite the post office), it has been several years since TETC did it. Helen will look into the cost, species available and suitable dates for bringing in trees. We could ask Ross to help us make a planting guide to be given away with the trees and give people a list of the advantages to themselves, the environment and wildlife of having trees.

Terry reported that some areas of Torbay are actually greener now than 50 years ago when many more local trees were being harvested for firewood etc. Evan assured us that the elementary school would want to be involved and that his 9 year old son would probably want to plant at least 50 trees.

 

The meeting concluded at about 9.45 pm. Helen took minutes.