Muskoka Conservancy

2013Annual General & Special Meeting

June 8, 2013Huntsville

Muskoka ConservancyAnnual General & Special Meeting

Program10:00 Annual General and Special Meeting

10:45 Awards Presentation Ceremony

11:30 Lunch

11:45 Guest Speaker; Robert Dick

Anyone wishing to join us for a guided tour of the night sky at Torrance Barrens is welcome. Robert has graciously offered to lead us on a tour of the night sky on Saturday night, and emphasise the importance of darkness to our natural environment. We have arranged for a number of telescopes to be on site so people can view the stars up close and from afar!

Admission to this unique event is by donation.

Cover Photo: Torrance Barrens Dark Skies Reserve - Tom McCabe

Muskoka Conservancy Board of Directors 2012 - 2013

Officers

Allyn Abbott - President Dan Brooks - Past President Isobel Heathcote - Vice President Rob Purves - Treasurer

Staff

Kristie Virgoe Kristen Callow Christina Bossart

Directors

Chris Blaymires Tom Clark Bill Dickinson John Finley Cecil Hayhoe Heather Kaye Marg McLaren Rob Milligan Kathy Ristic Cynthia Smith

Honorary Directors

Russ Black William Clark Peter Goering Phyllis Parker Eliza Nevin George Snider

Muskoka ConservancyAnnual General and Special Meeting

June 8, 2013

Agenda

1. General Welcome and Call to Order

2. Adoption of the Agenda

3. Minutes of the Meeting held October 20, 2012

4. Treasurer’s Report and Audited Financial Statements at December 31, 2012

5. Appointment of Accounting Firm

6. New By-law for Muskoka Conservancy

7. Nomination of Board of Directors

8. Annual Report

9. Other Business

10. Adjournment

Muskoka Heritage Foundation2012 Annual General Meeting Minutes

President Dan Brooks determined that a quorum was present and called the meeting to order.

1.0 Minutes of the Previous Meeting

Moved that the reading of the Minutes of the 2011 Annual General Meeting be dispensed with, as they had been avail-able for review. Clark/Thompson

Carried

Moved that the minutes of the 2011 Annual General Meeting be approved. Clark/Abbott

Carried

The issue of notice of meeting was raised by Anna Mallin with concern that appropriate notice was not given to members. John Finley indicated that the meeting was properly constituted and that the MHF by-laws allowed for electronic notification of the AGM a minimum of 14 days prior to the meeting. It was noted that electronic notification was sent out on September 18th as well as a notice in the newspaper on September 24th. President Brooks called for other comments from the floor to determine if there was an issue or concern with proceeding with the meeting. Hearing none, the meeting proceeded.

2.0 Financial Statements

Dan Brooks, President, made a brief presentation, reading the notes from BDO the Auditor, and proposed that the 2011 Fi-nancial Statements be approved.

Moved that the Financial Statements of the Muskoka Heritage Foundation for the year ended 2011 be approved. Milligan/Blaymires

Carried

Moved that BDO be appointed as the Foundation’s accoun-tants for the forthcoming year and that the Board of Directors be authorized to approve the accountants’ remuneration. Blay-mires/Thompson

Carried

3.0 Election of Directors

Dan Brooks as President thanked outgoing Directors Nancy Cox-Godfrey, Catherine DeFrancisco, Ray Love, Nancy Thomp-son, and Lyle Steep for their generous contributions of time and talent during their tenure.

As Chair of the Nominating Committee, Dan Brooks read a list of nominees for Directors of the Foundation, as follows:

Allyn Abbott Chris Blaymires Dan Brooks Tom Clark Bill Dickinson John Finley Cecil Hayhoe

Heather Kaye Marg McLaren Rob Milligan Rob Purves Kathy Ristic Cynthia Smith

The President asked for further nominations and, receiving none, asked for a motion to close the nominations.

Moved that the nominations be closed. McDonnell/Tripp

Carried

The President declared the nominations closed and directed the Secretary to cast a single ballot electing those nominated as Directors of the Foundation until the next Annual General Meet-

ing or until their respective successors be elected or appointed.

 4.0 Articles of Continuance

John Finley introduced the requirement under the new Canada Not-for-profit Act for all charities to undergo a continuance with Industry Canada. As such a special resolution approving the articles of continuance is required. The proposed resolution was read to the members:

Special Resolution of Members

continuing the Corporation under the provisions of the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act and authorizing the

directors to apply for a Certificate of Continuance

Whereas the corporation was incorporated under Part II of the Canada Corporations Act by Letters Patent dated the 19th day of May, 1987; and

Whereas it is considered to be in the best interests of the Cor-poration that it be continued under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act (the “NFP Act”) pursuant to section 297 of the NFP Act;

Be It Resolved as a Special Resolution That:

1. The directors of the Corporation are authorized and di-rected to make an application under section 297 of the NFP Act to the Director appointed under the NFP Act for a Certificate of Continuance of the Corporation;

2. The Articles of Continuance (transition ) of the Corpora-tion, which have been submitted to this meeting and are annexed to these minutes as Schedule A, are approved;

The undersigned, being the duly appointed Secretary of the Corporation, certifies that the above is a true and correct copy of a special resolution of The Muskoka Heritage Foundation, passed at a meeting of members held on the 20th day of Octo-

ber, 2012, by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the votes cast by the members of the Corporation who voted in respect of the resolution, and the resolution is in full force and effect, unamended, as of the date below. Dated: October 20, 2012. Finley / Heathcote

Director Abbott proposed an amendment to the motion as fol-lows:

3. Any one of the officers and directors of the Corporation is authorized to take all such actions and execute and deliver all such documentation, including the annexed Arti-cles of Continuance ( transition ) and the notice of registered office and of directors in the forms fixed by the Director, which are necessary or desirable for the implementation of this resolution. Abbott / Mallin

Carried

5.0 Adjournment

As there was no further business, the President asked for a mo-tion to adjourn.

Moved that this meeting be adjourned. Abbott/ Dickinson

Carried

Nomination of Directors 2013

Three Year Term (2013 - 2016):

Carl Corbett Isobel Heathcote Kim Horrigan Marie Janisse Lori Sild

Two Year Term (2013 - 2015):

Tom Clark Marg McLaren Norm Moffat Rob Purves Kathy Ristic

One Year Term (2013-2014):

Allyn Abbott Chris Blaymires Bill Dickinson John Finley Cynthia Smith

President’s ReportThis is the first Annual General Meeting under the newly merged Muskoka Conservancy. While it has only been 7½ months since our last AGM as the Muskoka Heritage Foundation, we have achieved a lot. We have finalized the amalgamation details and officially launched the new Muskoka Conservancy. We are building on the original mandates of both the Muskoka Heritage Foundation and Muskoka Heritage Trust to provide land protection, stewardship, and educational programs to our community. We hope that moving the date of our AGM from the fall to the late spring will make attendance easier for both year round and seasonal residents, members, and supporters of the Muskoka Conservancy.

Over the last 7 months we have added 8 more properties to our Nature Reserves and Conservation Easements. This brings the total land protected by Muskoka Conservancy to over 1,800 acres including over 34,000 feet of shoreline, and makes us the fourth largest land trust in Ontario based on properties pro-tected. These properties could not have been acquired without the generous donations of our landowners, the countless hours that our dedicated volunteers provide in evaluating, monitor-ing, and reporting on our properties, and the financial support of the Ontario Land Trust Alliance, our members, donors and sponsors. On behalf of the board, I want to thank you all for helping protect Muskoka`s precious natural heritage.

Managing a portfolio of this size brings special legal and moral responsibilities. In April this year we were awarded a $33,200 capacity building grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation in support of our efforts to establish new property monitoring pro-tocols. This funding will allow us to dedicate staff and resourc-es to streamlining our program, training our volunteers, and testing our new protocols in the field. We are excited about this opportunity and deeply grateful for the support provided by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

In March, we finalized a project done in collaboration with the Township of Georgian Bay to protect Species at Risk and their

habitat. This project was generously funded by the MNR’s Spe-cies at Risk funding and helped to develop a pre-screening tool and support materials for the Township’s Building Department. This tool will help building officials and Township staff provide information to residents, when they apply for building permits, on how to determine if there is Species at Risk habitat on their site.

In April, the Muskoka Conservancy stepped back from its in-volvement in the Muskoka Watershed Council. While we are proud of our contribution to establishing the Muskoka Water-shed Council in collaboration with the District of Muskoka over 11 years ago, we recognized that the time had come for the Muskoka Watershed Council to have autonomy. Separating the two organizations removes certain barriers to funding for projects and programs. It also allows the two groups to pursue separate mandates, while continuing to collaborate from time to time. We wish the Watershed Council and the new Friends of Muskoka Watershed all the best and look forward to future opportunities to work together.

Late in 2012, the Muskoka Conservancy launched a capital campaign to purchase the Perry House at 47 Quebec St. in Bracebridge, one of the oldest structures in town and an im-portant piece of Bracebridge heritage. While our effort to pur-chase the building was not successful, the new owner of the building has offered Muskoka Conservancy the ground floor for office space, and we are delighted to be relocating to the Perry House on June 17th. We hope that you will join us for a grand opening reception on the afternoon of July 12th.

As we look ahead to our first full year as the Muskoka Conser-vancy, I am delighted to report that our organization has never been stronger or its future more promising. I look forward to another exciting year supported by our amazing team of volun-teers, staff, and of course our outstanding members.

Executive Director’s ReportIt has been just over a year since I joined this team and I am so pleased and impressed by how far we have come. As I re-ported back in October, much of our work has been focused on the amalgamation and laying the ground work for Muskoka Conservancy. The future direction of Muskoka Conservancy is one that will honour the history of both the Muskoka Heritage Foundation and the Muskoka Heritage Trust. Over the coming months we will be announcing new and renewed projects that will build on our roots of stewardship, educational outreach, and land protection.

Built and Cultural Heritage: As in past years, we are excited to present our annual Summer Cottage Tour this year on July 19th. This tour explores the built and cultural heritage of Muskoka by visiting a variety of properties. This year, we will be gathering at Windermere House and visiting two wonderful cottage prop-erties on Lake Rosseau.

Our Built and Cultural Heritage programs will be expanded this year as we work with local artists and artisans throughout Muskoka. Muskoka Conservancy supports a cash award to a local artist each year, and we are pleased that Elizabeth John-son was this year’s winner. In addition, our silent auction on the Summer Cottage Tour will feature the artistic work of some of Muskoka’s most popular artists and artisans.

Stewardship: Over the past few months we have been working closely with the Muskoka Lakes Association to develop a col-laborative project that will build on their successful water qual-ity monitoring program and link it with a stewardship program aimed at shoreline naturalization to be delivered by Muskoka Conservancy. This new collaboration is one that will benefit our communities and our environment by supporting healthy, clean lakes.

In 2012, the Province cancelled the Ontario Stewardship pro-gram. Our local Stewardship Council, the Parry Sound Mus-koka Stewardship Network (PSMSN), has joined us to ensure

that their longstanding programs continue to service our area. Muskoka Conservancy is proud to be continuing their legacy of Envirothon, the Children’s Water Festival, Nature Quest, and the Charlie Esson Bursary. These programs fit well within Mus-koka Conservancy’s mandate as they are important in fostering a stewardship ethic within our community.

Educational Outreach: Our Nature Quest series of hikes con-tinues this year, providing people with opportunities to learn about the natural environment and experience some of our na-ture reserves first hand. This evening’s guided tour of the night sky kicks off our outdoor series this year, followed by birding by ear, a wildflower walk, and a mushroom walk in the fall.

Earlier this year we worked with Kids for Turtles to help support their Turtle Guardian program. Over the next year we hope to strengthen this partnership and provide education and training to landowners interested in protecting our sensitive turtle pop-ulations.

Land Protection: The grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation is a great boost to our Property Monitoring program this year. We’re very pleased by their support and excited by the oppor-tunity to streamline our process while making it both rigorous and sustainable. In addition, our Land Acquisition Committee is already hard at work with interested donors as we work through the process of acquiring new properties this year.

Soon after the AGM, Muskoka Conservancy will undertake a Strategic Planning Session that will outline our goals and objec-tives for the next 5 years. This process will help us identify new areas for programming and is being supported by a generous grant from the Ontario Land Trust Alliance.

There is no shortage of work to be done, and we are excited by new partnership opportunities that will allow us to have a greater impact in our community. It’s going to be a very busy year and I look forward to reporting back to the membership next year about all the wonderful things we’ve been able to accomplish.

Joint Built & Cultural and Natural Heritage Award

Margaret MoffatShadow Rock

Margaret Moffat and her late husband, Norman D. Moffat, purchased a waterfront property on Wolf Bay, at the east end of Peninsula Lake in 1947. They loved the area so much that they purchased several more adjacent properties, acquiring the last one in 1985. These purchases over almost 3 decades led to the acquisition of a significant amount of acreage, extending from the shores of Wolf Bay across S. Portage Road. The prop-erty includes fields, woodland and shoreline and the beautiful look-outs, called Wolf Mountain and Strawberry Mountain.

Mrs. Moffat, inspired by the reflections in the water of the high rock faces and hills surrounding Wolf Bay, named the property Shadow Rock. It qualifies for a Joint Built and Natural Heritage award, meeting every criteria for such awards.

Local builders constructed the family’s first log cottage on that first waterfront lot in 1949, very much in the Muskoka simple rustic style. In 1955, noted builder Knud Petersen built the Moffats a second, larger cottage of spruce logs. It is known for its stonework and the animal carvings set into each of the cot-tage’s interior doors, done by Knud’s father Erik Skat Petersen.

In 1966 the Moffats acquired the elegant stone Georgian farm-house, built in 1907 by Robert Meredith for his bride-to-be who, alas, never arrived from England. The property had been in the Meredith family since Robert’s father, William, obtained it as a free land grant in 1877. The original smokehouse with its rough stone chimney remains. The sugar shack was built with logs from a settler’s cabin. The main house is beautifully proportioned with six bedrooms, an elegant centre hall, wide staircase with walnut railings and a Palladian window. The spacious third floor, with its vaulted ceilings, was rare in Mus-koka in 1907. The gables are shingled and the tin roof is orig-inal. William Proudfoot of Huntsville, assisted by itinerant Scot-

tish stonemasons, built the house. In 1967 it was extensively restored to its original condition by the Moffats and has since remained well maintained.

Aside from the areas around those buildings, most of the land that Margaret owns is still in its natural state. Margaret went the extra step of donating conservation easements on two of the parcels of land, ensuring that they will remain in their natu-ral state forever.

The first conservation easement was a joint donation with her son, Norm Moffat, on a parcel that includes Wolf Mountain, with rock cliffs that rise more than 300 feet above Wolf Bay. In 2012, Margaret donated another conservation easement on an adjoining piece of property, that has another scenic cliff, almost as high as Wolf Mountain, called Strawberry Mountain. Together, the conservations easements protect more than 70 acres of mixed hardwood forest and more than 1700 feet of frontage on Wolf Bay, ensuring that shoreline will be natural forever.

Margaret Moffatt deserves this award for her far sightedness in the acquisition and preservation of this beautiful area at the east end of Peninsula Lake, and the restoration and mainte-nance of the wonderful old buildings. Her love of her property and her desire to protect it from further development has pre-served some of our built heritage as well as a large area of beautiful wild Muskoka.

Joint Built & Cultural and Natural Heritage Award

Jane WelchArdencaple

This summer home, constructed in 1905 by civil engineer John Stevenson of Sharon, PA, sits high on a rock at the southern tip of Tondern Island, bordered by six acres of forest and natural beaches. The owner designed it; legendary local builder Peter Curtis built it. The large amount of rope–mortared local, flat, uncut stonework was a unique feature of the cottage and was laid by the Smith family. The cottage meets all the criteria for a joint built and natural heritage award.

It is also unique in Muskoka for its use, at that time, of imported steel supporting girders, so heavy that columns of stone had to be added to the construction in order to sustain the weight, giving it a castle-like appearance uncommon in Muskoka. It is well positioned high above the water on a rocky hill facing west above a natural shoreline with a small beach. The exteri-or siding and stone blend with the natural setting. The interior differs somewhat from that of its peers in the area as it has coffered ceilings with interesting corner joins and two original dioramas in the principal rooms. Like many Curtis-built cottag-es, it has classic basswood walls and fir floors; some bedrooms boast sleeping porches, still used today. It has had only 3 fam-ilies of owners. The present owners have retained its historic integrity while making necessary modifications to conform to the current building code. Dark interior basswood and antique furniture have been lightened but the feeling is very much that of 1905. A majestic verandah overlooks the channel known as Millionaire’s Row and the woodland to the south of the cottage, remains as it was. There is an original steamboat stack in the boathouse to vent the smokestack of a former Stevenson yacht.

The over four-acre area back from the shoreline of this property is well treed with species native to Muskoka. The density of the forest of mature trees results in a minimally developed understo-ry. The area immediately in front of the cottage near the funic-

ular and stone steps has a series of stone walls originally built to contain gardens. There is a natural beach by the boathouse and a very rocky shoreline, with a very low dock to shoreline ratio. Property development has been minimal; there are paths of natural materials leading to lookouts. All exterior lighting is downward-directed, hooded and dark sky friendly.

Good stewardship, the responsible use of land emphasizing environmental values is exemplified in the built and natural her-itage of this 108 year old property, a fixture in the Beaumaris community.

Built & Cultural Heritage Award

Lea SimondsSolid Comfort

Solid Comfort was the name initially given to one of Ontar-io’s very first fishing camps, established in 1883 by Americans from the Pittsburgh area. The setting, next to the present Beau-maris marina, was a beautiful south facing point. Originally the camp consisted of tents on platforms and eventually a large dining hall with a screened porch was built. The property was sold to private owners in 1905. The camp dining hall became the core of an expanding cottage right up until it rotted and was replaced in the late 1950s or early 1960s. The area, known as Hillman’s point, remained in the ownership of the Hillman Hilliard clan, the largest of the Pittsburgh families in the Beaumaris area until 1950, when it was sold to Canadians.

After a more than fifty-year interval of being owned by four successive families, it was bought back by the Hillmans and re-turned to the family compound. It was again razed and recon-structed as a modified reincarnation of the original camp-dining hall. Owner designed, it employs new materials in a heritage style, blending the best of the past (cove wooden siding stained dark brown, shaped rafter tails, extensive use of basswood on

interior walls, a large Muskoka stone fireplace, large verandah and beautifully proportioned rooms) with amenities for summer enjoyment. It is understated and elegant in the manner of the other family cottages on that point but slightly different.

Local tradesmen built the cottage and the hope is that it will remain in the long established family for a second century. It is subtly sited-- back from the water and doesn’t intrude into the beauty of the landscape. The property includes a boathouse, sleeping cabin and several small outbuildings at the water’s edge. Unlike many contemporary cottages it does not over-whelm the site nor is it overly landscaped. Everything is in pro-portion. The old trees remain as a natural buffer and there is a small, vernal pool; the hundred-year-old flag stone paths’ direc-tions have been determined by the natural rock outcroppings. The property is accessible only by golf cart along crushed stone access paths. This property reflects the long established cultural and design tradition of one of Pittsburgh’s oldest families in Muskoka; the name has been retained for 130 years.

Although the building is relatively new, it retains the historical feeling of the original camp built in 1883 and honours the built heritage of Muskoka and is deserving of recognition.

Built & Cultural Heritage Award

Stewart Memorial ChurchDwight (1887- )

Stewart Memorial is one of four historic churches in the Lake of Bays pastoral charge of the United Church of Canada. It is an excellent example of 1887 white painted rural frame eccle-siastical architecture, it meets all of the criteria for a Built and Cultural Heritage Award.

The Reverend Alexander Stewart came to Dwight in 1886 from Durham, Ontario to act as a missionary to some of his parish-ioners who had come to the area seeking free land grants. His

was a large family and over the years, succeeding generations of Stewarts arrived in Dwight. He built the first two buildings in Dwight, a cabin which became Alderside (1886) and then the next year the church (1887). It is the church that is nominated for this award.

Originally Baptist, it became part of the United Church pastoral charge in 1936 and at that time was renamed the Stewart Me-morial Church. It is located in the village of Dwight just across the Boyne River at the end of the 2 km Dwight Beach trail in a beautiful natural setting. It plays an important cultural role in the community, is well maintained and the church officers applied for and received designation under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Its original exterior wood cladding is painted white, the origi-nal board flooring, likely pine, has been carpeted and in 1973 the interior walls were insulated and paneled in Algonquin oak by a team of parishioners. Its original benches were first re-placed by chairs, then by the present pews; seating also exists around three of the exterior walls. At capacity, the church can hold 100 people.

Huntsville artisan Charles Knapp made the exquisite nature-ori-ented stained glass windows that were installed at various times from 1987-1990. These were doubtless a challenge to make because of the age of the church and the unusual frame shapes. Although these stained glass windows are not ‘old’, they are unique in a village church of this age.

The Stewart Memorial Church reflects its cherished role in the community.

Robert J Boyer Award

Gary DennissBob Boyer was a local historian with a life-long commitment to the unique cultural heritage of Muskoka. We award the Robert J Boyer award to honour individuals who demonstrate significant commitment to the cultural and historical heritage of Muskoka and Gary Denniss definitely meets these criteria.

Gary Denniss has lived almost all of his life in Macaulay Town-ship, where his paternal ancestors pioneered in the late 1860’s. He was a teacher, including in Bracebridge, Huntsville and Macaulay. He retired from teaching in 1998 but he appar-ently had an innate talent as a historian. In 1967, he was in teacher‘s college in Peterborough; students were given an as-signment to do a small case study on a historical person, place or event in their local area. In Gary’s words, he undertook the assignment “lackadaisically“, simply to fulfill the course re-quirement. But when the teacher returned the assignment, he praised Gary’s work and told him he had quite a knack for do-ing “this local history research stuff“. In February, 1971, that project - Macaulay Township in Days Gone By - went on sale as Gary’s first book. Since then he has written 30 more books about Muskoka history, carefully checking facts and pursuing stories through interviews and his extensive personal archives.

He writes a heritage column called “A Titch of Muskoka” for Muskoka Today News and is always researching various his-torical themes about Muskoka’s past. It would be difficult to find a heritage structure, road or community in Muskoka that hasn’t been the subject of Gary’s thoughtful analysis.

A few of his best known books are:

A Brief History of Schools in Muskoka (1972) Muskoka: Ontario’s First District Municipality (1995) A Brief History of the Churches Of Muskoka (1998)

Historical Routes of Bracebridge (2012)

Gary is also the president of the cemetery board for the com-munity cemetery near Macaulay, established by the Langford family in 1873. He oversees the restoration of historical monu-ments, organizing community efforts, including an annual work bee.

Gary deserves recognition for educating us about our heritage and in sharing his enthusiasm and so we are honored to award him the Robert J. Boyer Award.

Wayland Drew Natural Heritage Award

Marlene McBrienWayland Drew Natural Heritage Award is given to individu-als who have demonstrated environmental leadership by pro-moting stewardship, conservation, environmental education or awareness of Muskoka’s natural heritage.

Marlene McBrien is an ecologist, environmentalist and environ-mental educator. She has been teaching environmental studies for 27 years. She started her career as a co-op student at Camp Wanakita Outdoor Education Centre in Haliburton and hasn’t stopped teaching since.

Marlene has a B.Sc. in Environmental and Resource Studies from University of Waterloo and is currently completing her thesis for her Masters of Education from Nipissing University.

Marlene moved to Muskoka in 1990 as a naturalist with Parks Canada, where she delivered natural and cultural heritage pro-gramming for park visitors, school groups, and children from three local children’s camps. She was promoted to Educational Specialist for Ontario Region, in charge of environmental edu-cation for five national parks in Ontario and later to manage-ment positions at Pukaskwa National Park and Georgian Bay Islands National Park in Muskoka.

Marlene was the coordinator of the first certified Earthkeepers program in Muskoka, at Camp Kitchikewana in Honey Har-bour. She also managed an Outdoor Education Centre for the Waterloo Region District School Board, where she taught Environmental education at all grade levels from kindergarten to OAC.

Marlene is known for her dynamic, interactive and diverse en-vironmental programming. She ensures that there are 3 edu-cational elements in her programs - teaching about ecosystems

and sustainability and ensuring there is an experiential aspect.

Marlene also lives sustainably, on a beautiful forested lot in Huntsville. The family rarely uses their one car, choosing to walk, ski, kayak or ride their bikes to school and work. She works on other environmental initiatives in her spare time, vol-unteering to lead nature walks, art classes and canoe trips for various groups and being a guest speaker at various work-shops and schools. She has co-written 9 books for children with environmental messages. Over 20 school boards have purchased copies of the first 4 books for every primary class. Recently she published a book called Frank Saves the World.

Marlene has volunteered with Bird Studies Canada and many other monitoring programs; she is genuinely concerned about the impact we’re having on the Earth.

Her work as an educator and her volunteer activities that help to inspire others made Marlene McBrien an ideal candidate for the Wayland Drew Natural Heritage Award.

Charles Esson Stewardship Bursary Award

Jacob ParliamentThe Charlie Esson Stewardship Bursary Award is given to a Muskoka student entering post secondary education related to the natural sciences and technology sector.

Jacob Parliament is from the Huntsville area, and will be grad-uating from Huntsville High School this year. Jacob has been accepted to the University of Guelph, where he will be studying Environmental Sciences.

Jacob has a passion for the outdoors and a great respect for the environment. His hope is to find employment in the field of wildlife research and protection. Jacob’s vision and passion for the environment are a perfect fit to the legacy of Charlie Es-son. Muskoka Conservancy and the Charlie Esson Family are pleased to provide this $1,000 bursary to help Jacob realize his goals of ensuring safe interactions between humans and

nature.

2012 - 2013 Significant Donors to Muskoka Conservancy

BenefactorRobert & Allyn Abbott

Paul L. Barnicke Brian Cartwright

Chisholm/Thompson Family Fund Peter & Catherine Clark Collombin Family Fund Delta Bay Holdings Ltd.

Irv Edwards William & Barbara Etherington

Michael Foster & Lola Bratty Robert G. Jennings

Vahan Kololian Lake Joseph North Association

Elizabeth Mason Peter McBirnie

Peter & Margaret McLaren Margaret Moffat Alexander Pyper Elizabeth Pyper

Ian Pyper John & Pamela Rennie

The Schneider Family Foundation Ken & Anne Selby

George & Carole Snider Mary Stuart Gilmour

Tony & Caley Taylor Family Fund

PatronKen & Beth Black

Joey Brown Andy Chisholm & Laurel Thompson

Esson Farms Ltd. Cecil & Joan Hayhoe

Helmut & Gertrude Hofmann Donald & Karen Lang

Jon & Nancy Love Don McVittie

Mark & Donna Naylor John Offutt & Jane Ferguson

Mark & Catherine Orcutt Susan Ridgway

William R. & Susan Ringo Kathy Ristic

John & Sheila Shaw Elspeth Woods

Susan & Mary-Lou Woods

Corporate MembersAquaterra Designs

Brackenrig Nursery & Maintenance Ltd. Browning Island Cottagers Assoc.

Bruce Lake Family Association CH2M Hill Canada Limited Muskoka Lakes Association

Riverstone Environmental Solutions Inc. The Clark Companies Inc.

The Real Muskoka Experience

Corporate Sponsors (Programs and Events)Clublink

Muskoka Magazine Muskoka Roastery Coffee Co

Project Funders and PartnersAmerican Friends of Canadian Land Trusts

Canadian Land Trust Alliance District Municipality of Muskoka

Environment Canada Freshwater Futures Land Trust Alliance

Ministry of Natural Resources Ontario Land Trust Alliance Ontario Trillium Foundation

RBC Foundation Town of Bracebridge Town of Gravenhurst Town of Huntsville

Township of Georgian Bay Township of Lake of Bays

Township of Muskoka Lakes Township of Seguin

Walmart-Evergreen Foundation

47 Quebec Street, Box 482Bracebridge, ON P1L 1T8

P:705-645-7393F: 705-645-7888E: info@muskokaconservancy.orgwww.muskokaconservancy.org

Muskoka Conservancy