Minutes of the Annual General Meeting - November 17, 2011

President Kathy Somers convened the GHTC's 40th AGM with Jane Shifflett (secretary) taking the minutes. Thirty-threemembers were in attendance at Zehr's Community Room, Imperial Road.Bill Hamilton moved to accept last year's AGM minutes, seconded by Gord King. Carried.

President's Comments: Kathy Somers reported: Welcome to the 40th Annual Meeting of the Guelph Hiking Trail Club. It is my pleasure to welcomeyou here tonight to receive the reports of the executive and directors, and elect the executive for next year.

I am pleased to tell you that our membership has continued to increase. If you have ideas which would encourage newmembers, or retain current members, please speak to us. Twenty-five to 30 people attended New Members Night onOctober 5 and we registered three new members there. The presentations that night were on topics requested at last year'sNew Members Night – how to warm up/cool down your muscles before and after hiking, how to walk with poles, and whatfoods & snacks are best to pack for a hike.

The other good news is that our third party liability insurance fee has significantly decreased after Hike Ontario found a morecompetitive rate for us with a new insurer in May. We are pleased that the insurance fee will be less of a drain on ourresources. This insurer requires that our Club adopt a policy that a certified hike leader be on each hike (for coverage to beeffective on that hike). As a result, Hike Ontario requests that we draft a risk management plan that includes our plans tocertify hike leaders. We have some certified hike leaders but the majority are not certified. We have begun working on therisk management plan and early in the new year we will offer a one-day certified hike leader course that will begin to fulfillthese requirements. There will be a cost to us to put on this training. As an incentive for leaders to use this training that wewould provide them, we plan to refund a $25 fee to leaders who become certified and then lead 3 or more hikes for our Club.

A second printing of the current Handbook of maps to give us 100 more copies to meet requests until revision is printed.

This spring we opened a special area in our website's forum section as a way for members to set up impromptu hikes amongthemselves. A handful of people requested access to this members-only area, but it has been infrequently used to date. Weencourage you to contact our webmaster if you would like to use this feature to go on impromptu hikes with other members.

In the coming year we will be testing a new feature on our website to give people with smart phones the ability to scan QRcodes on trail signs that will link them to our website and some interpretive and Club information there. We plan to pilot thison Starkey Trail where 11 interpretive posts will be reinstated by the GRCA, displaying a number and a QR code.

Fall 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of the completion of the Radial Line Trail. We organized special monthly hikes fromApril to October to celebrate and showcase this trail, and had a BBQ party on September 25 that was very well attended. Thank you to those who planned and organized these special events.

My special thanks go to the Club executive and directors who share a passion for this Club and make it function. Jane Shifflettour secretary has completed a 3 year term and will be stepping down after tonight. Susan Bard has been our HikeCoordinator for 9 or more years and she is also stepping down from her position.

Membership: Reported by David CulhamReport on Membership and Merchandise Inventory, as at August 31, 2011As at August 31, 2011, the different categories of membership stood at:Individual memberships, paid up to August 31, 2011 81 (55 last year)Individual memberships, paid up to August 31, 2012 21 (39) Family memberships, paid up to August 31, 2011 92 (46)Family memberships, paid up to August 31, 2012 40 (55)Organization memberships, paid up to August 31, 2011 1 (1)Organization memberships, paid up to August 31, 2012 0 (0)Total paid memberships 235 (196)Life memberships 3 (3)Grand Total Memberships 238 (199)Complimentary listings on mailing list 42 (43)

84% of membership at August 31, 2010 renewed their membership through August 31, 2011.Total membership numbers grew 20% between August, 2010 and August, 2011.

New memberships taken out in the year:From September 1, 2010 to August 31, 2011 71 (62)There was a 14.5% increase in new memberships compared to previous membership year.

Inventory of membership supplies in care of David Culham:Guidebooks (previous printing) 0 (102)Guidebooks (interim printing) 77 (0)Club badges 164 (183)End to End badges 31 (40)One Day badges 2 (4)

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Jim Hoare extended a special thank you to Dave for getting letters of invitations to the 40th anniversary out to landownersand special invitation letters to other people.

Treasurer's Report:Henry Graupner presented the Guelph Trail Club Financial Statements for the year ended August 31, 2011.Net Assets are up $4,000 and allow us to plan for future expenses; for example, providing money for hike training, printing ofguidebooks and increasing publicity budgets.Nick Wenzler and the company Embree & Co. LLP Chartered Accountants did the review report for the club.Bob Fanning moved to accept this report as presented and signed by the president and treasurer, seconded by Dave Wallace. Carried.Henry Graupner moved that the firm of Embree Co LLP, be appointed to carry out the review of the Club's financialstatements for the current year, subject to their convenience. Seconded by Bill Hamilton. Carried.Henry Graupner made a motion of thanks to Nick Wenzler and Embree Company for their support of the GHTC. Seconded byMike Curtis.

Radial Line Trail: John Fisher reported: The Radial Line Trail (RLT) is in good shape. More feet on the trail makes maintenance much easier.40th Anniversary CelebrationsOur main event of the year was of course our 40th Anniversary Celebration of the founding of the Trail. We had a series of 7hikes through the summer months recognising the best parts of each of the sections and culminating in a barbecue attendedby members, section leaders, landowners, past presidents and local political dignitaries.It was a great success! We are showing a slideshow at the conclusion of the AGM.Trail Re-Routing/Maintenance: Section 7 - Waterbars have been added to some of the steeper sections of the trail for erosion protection and ease ofclimbing.Section 5 - A small reroute was made on Scout property that effectively reduced the necessity to walk on Sixth Line by about150 meters.Section 2 - The club enjoys good relations with the city of Guelph waterworks department and was included in meetingsconcerning the potential for reopening the dam on section 2 back in 2010. The Waterworks submitted plans to governingagencies, but are still waiting for approvals. They missed their construction window for 2011 and we are concerned that theirplans may not be approved. Time will tell.Section 1 - We have been actively engaged in the establishment of a loop trail which will run from Stone Rd to York Rd alongthe river past the Cargill plant and Reformatory lands. We are very close to conclusion of the administrative details. BillMungall was instrumental in getting approvals for the trail and may want to add some comments. Bill commented that thereis an outstanding fee of close to $3,000 required by the province and service provider. We are trying to get that fee waivedbut the issue is not resolved and a meeting with the MPP has been set up.Starkey Hill - The Club played a key role in the establishment of this trail but gave up any formal responsibilities a number ofyears ago to the GRCA. Over the last couple of years, member and section leader, Jim Hoare has maintained the trail as a "concerned citizen" and has carried on a dialogue with GRCA about improvements needed. The Board felt there would besome benefit to the Club in engaging in a more formal agreement along the lines of the one we have with GRCA and theSmith property. GRCA agreed and we are in the process of signing a formal agreement. Benefits include publicity, guidebook, increasing the GHTC trail network and having more influence with GRCA on opening up other trails.Landowners: - We would like to acknowledge and thank the landowners for their permission and ongoing trail support. Trail maintenance captains: - I would like to acknowledge the efforts of our trail maintenance leaders, who take the initiativeto maintain and keep the trail way safe and deal directly with the landowners. Trail captains are very appreciative of theresponse received from members when they have advertised "maintenance help requests" on the web site. We added a"walk behind" weed whacker to our equipment inventory this fall which will hopefully make maintaining the trails easier forour section leaders.Thanks to,Section 2/Arkell Side trail: Dave Hull /Wayne Hillman Section 3: Jim Hoare Section 4: Gusti Matteis Section 5: Phil KidstonSection 6: Henry Graupner/Bob Fanning Section 7: Joe Jany Section 8: Mike Curtis Blue Springs and Sugar Shack trails: Andy Cann Smith Property Trail: David Scott Thomas (New)Section 1: Special thanks to Ann Middleton who has been Section Leader for close to 40 years and is now asking to pass thebaton. GHTC are extremely grateful for her contributions to the club and the community.We believe we have a replacement for Ann and are recruiting other section leaders.

We appreciate any input on trail conditions by hikers so that we can address concerns promptly.

Speed River Report: Bill Mungall reported:- Many thanks to trail captains, for long hours of hard labour this year mowing down weeds bordering the trails to make for

very pleasant walking on all sections this year:- Section 1: Jana and Stan Stanek - Section 2: Bill Mungall- Section 3: Paul and Florence White, Norma and Gord King, Terry Spittles, Dave Culham, Al and Marilyn Couture- Connecting Link into Guelph: Lynn Glover- Heavy, repeated floods in spring meant impassible trails for short periods, and added more of the usual flotsam from

Guelph for trail captains to remove- Section 1 hosted 2011 trails open in April as integral part of Doors Open…10 hikes and 130 hikers behind the wastewater

plant

GHTC Newsletter - October 2012 - Page 5

- City of Guelph has tentatively lined up major capital funding for 2014 to link section 1 to Imperial Road and Silvercreek Park,and to assume our trail from the humane society to close to the Imperial Road drain

- Section 1 (humane society to Sideroad 10) - two short "workaround" sidetrails created in section 1 to bypass floodedsections. One footbridge rebuilt due to vandalism. City hall requiring an engineer to design Imperial Road drainbridge on city property. Niska trailhead staying 98% garbage-free!

- Section 2 – Puslinch council voted to remove closed Stroy's bridge that accesses our trail from the south; council heard astrong consensus in a prior public meeting for a replacement pedestrian bridge in future years

- Section 3 – boardwalk and bridge completion over big wet spot last November (19 participants!); removal of the visible oldgarbage and Renault 12 at Cambridge end of trail, with financial support for tipping fees coming from landowner;adjacent gravel pit to open in 2012…no effect on the trail. Noticeably heavier use of the trail since trailhead signsmade more prominent, boardwalk completed, and weeds mowed, plus "Wellington Walks" distributed widely,increasing awareness of trail

Kissing Bridge Trailway: Mike Curtis reported: Our section of the trail way continues to be well utilized by walkers, bikers, cross-country skiers and snowmobilers. This yearroad signs were posted at road crossings so users would be aware of where they are along the trailway. Some hazard treeswere removed and the County cleared a flooded ditch west of Hopewell Creek. The County maintains the verges of thetrailway in Wellington and there are plans to do the same in Waterloo.

The newly formed Ariss Lions Club has offered to assist in trailway development and we continue to talk with them. It may bepossible to reapply some stone dust in sections of Wellington, depending on budget availability.

Our Spring on the Trail event raised some $4,000 for trail way development with the hope of raising enough money to "bridgethe Grand". The weather was not pleasant, and the event will run again in 2012.

We are still pursuing options of extending the trailway to connect to the Trans Canada Trail section in Guelph.

Hike Ontario: Mike Curtis reported: Hike Ontario is the volunteer organization representing over 20 trail and activity groups in the province. The directors meetthree times a year and I attended these meetings on behalf of the Club. The annual meeting, called the Summit was held inearly October in Elliott Lake and Vice-president Bill attended on my behalf, as I had a family commitment. Bill has becomepart of the Policy and Advocacy Committee and will co-chair a Risk Management Workshop in the spring of 2012.

Hike Ontario was able to find an insurance broker who was able to offer us a reduced liability insurance policy, but we willhave to have certified hike leaders on our hikes starting in the spring. Our Club will be offering Hike Leader Training in 2012.

Publicity: Susan Atkinson reported:This year I have continued my in role as Publicity Officer, by posting posters for special events, for example our Kids Hikes,(which have been extremely popular), in various places around Guelph. This process was assisted by Dave Culham. I also putnotices in the local newspapers, to publicize all our regular hikes, and any special activities, such as, this year we had our 40thbirthday celebrations. Special events are also sent as news releases to the local radio & TV stations. Also, I compile and send to Pat, our webmistress, the biweekly emails which everyone receives, giving updates and remindersof upcoming hikes and club activities.

Newsletter: Gord King reported:Three issues were published again this past year and mailed out to all members except for those opting for the Internetversion. Copies were also sent to the landowners allowing us access over their properties, advertisers and a few relatedorganizations. An e-mail was sent to many other Ontario hiking clubs providing them with the Internet link to the latest issue. The same schedule and distribution format will be followed for 2012, with newsletters again coming in March, July andOctober.

Mailing charges are a substantial component of the total newsletter cost and so, if Internet access is available, please considerinforming the club's Membership Secretary of your wish to receive a message providing the link to future newsletters on-line,rather than a mailed copy. (Mail outs are 97% this year.)

Our club still needs volunteers to assume responsibility for contacting and pursuing potential newsletter advertisers. Anyonewilling to undertake this task should contact a member of the club executive. Activities: Susan Bard reported:2011 GHTC hike leaders continue to present over 150 various hikes, welcoming new leaders' contributions. There is alwaysthe unforeseen to interrupt a hike happening. Any desired area or trail you wish to hike, let us know. Someone, or maybeyou, could offer it as an upcoming hike!The Kids Hike and Trails Open hikes, offered at two levels, along with the New/All Members Night are well received. GHTCwish to maintain these presentations. 2011 also presented the Radial Line Trail 40th Anniversary with a successful series of hikes on its sections and a closingcelebration on the afternoon of September 25, 2011. Thank you, RLT Captain John Fisher for organizing this along with thesection managers, to present this wonderful contribution for GHTC membership and trail surrounding communities' pleasure.

GHTC Newsletter - October 2012 - Page 6

For more hikes go to other Clubs website:Maitland Trail Association - maitlandtrail.ca/upcoming.htmHalton Hills Bruce Trail Chapter - on a link at media6.magma.ca/www.torontobrucetrailclub.org/indexhttps.phpHalton Outdoor Club - outdoor.spectranet.ca/index.htmlIroquoia Bruce Trail Club - iroquoia.on.ca/hikes.htmlThames Valley Trail Association - tvta.caDufferin Bruce Trail Club - dufferinbrucetrailclub.org

2012 Organized Bruce Trail End-to-End Hikes For more hike details visit hosting club's websiteThere is a registration fee to participate in most of theseorganized hikes. For most of these hikes pre-registration isrequired.IroquoiaOctober 20-21 and 27-28, 20124 hikes over 2 weekendsDetails at www.iroquoia.on.ca/end-to-end.html

CaledonSat – Mon Oct 6-8, 2012 (Thanksgiving WeekendDetails at caledonbrucetrail.org/endtoend.htm

Dufferin Hi-LandSat Oct 20th & Sun Oct 21 Sydenham E2E Hikes 9 & 10Details at dufferinbrucetrailclub.org

GanaraskaSat Nov 10 – GVT Black Walnut Section E2E Hike 3 of 7Sat Nov 24 – GVT Black Walnut Section E2E Hike 4 of 7Sat Dec 8 – GVT Black Walnut Section E2E Hike 5 of 7Sat Dec 15 – GVT Black Walnut Section E2E Hike 6 of 7Sat Dec 29 – GVT Black Walnut Section E2E Hike 7 of 7Details at gvta.on.ca

Invitation to a Celebration

This year the Hike Ontario Summit is paired with the40 Anniversary of the Grand Valley Trail Assoc. Itth

will be held in Kitchener at beautiful BingemansPark on Saturday, November 3 There will be therd

traditional Pub Night for Hikers on Friday and threehikes offered on Sunday which bracket the HikeOntario Annual Summit. The Saturday Summit willbegin with a the Hike Ontario Annual Meeting,continue with a daylong conference of interest tohikers and trail associations with the eveningcelebration of 4 decades of achievement of awonderful 275 kilometer trail that runs from PortMaitland on Lake Erie to near the source of theGrand River in Alton.

The Saturday morning program will feature topics ofinterest to Hikers and Trail Associations: A VirtualHike Across the Volunteer-Managed Hiking Trails ofthe province, Hiking and Health and the EverestExperience.

The afternoon program will allow participants tochoose from participating in Sessions that featureSocial Media and Trails, Volunteer Recruitment andManagement, Risk Management, Trail Maintenance,Landowner Relations, Strength and Conditioning,Encouraging New Hikers, GPS and Geocaching,Urban and City Trails and Hike Leadership.

The celebration of the Grand Valley Trail's 40th

Anniversary will begin with the evening dinnerfeaturing a presentation by Kevin Callan, a wellknown outdoor enthusiast, author and adventurer.Kevin's presentations have left audiences laughingand shaking their heads in wonder at his daring andsense of fun. Presentations on behalf of GVTA and

Hike Ontario will include Volunteers of the Year andLong Distance Awards as well as for significantcontributions to the Grand Valley Trails Association.

This event will be a highlight of the year for manyhikers. The early bird draw will be held forregistrations received by Monday, October 1 .st

Registration closes on Friday, October 26. Don't bedisappointed. Register on line today at:www.gvta.on.ca/40/

Bill Wilson, President, Hike Ontario.

Fitness Thought

Trails.com points out that exercise routines aren't onesize fits all. By tailoring your workout to personalfitness goals, you will be on the road to great results! Read their list of the most common goals and learnwhat you can do to achieve them.

http://www.trails.com/facts_8728_effective-exercise-routines.html

Things I’d Like To Know!

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin?

Why is it that doctors call what they do "practice"?

Why don't you ever see the headline: "Psychic WinsLottery"?

Why is "abbreviated" such a long word?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called"rush hour"?

GHTC Newsletter - October 2012 - Page 17

PLEASE PRINT THIS FORM AND MAIL WITH CHEQUE PAYMENT TO:

David Culham

GHTC Membership

19 Munroe Crescent

Request for Membership G^, ON N,G 5E5

Guelph Hiking Trail dub

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