On a chilly winter morning, President Joanne welcomed 17 Lincoln Rotarians; exchange student CoCo Chen & her current host mom Lisa Toms; guest speaker Ruth Moffatt; Justin Zegers, friend of Dale Hatch’s son Scott
David Grabbe offered the LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT followed by his INVOCATION inspired by his involvement on the RCL Peace Pole Committee. Through the Rotary Action Group for Peace, he he learned of the 8 Pillars of Positive Peacefrom the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP). He asked that we reflect on these positive peace attributes, which bear great relevance given current events provincially, nationally & internationally, and as we continue our Rotary efforts locally and globally. He invited all to TOAST Rotary International, Canada & RCL
For her POINT OF PRIDE, Brenda Kell-Kotwa followed up on David's thoughts by sharing the good news that the Town of Lincoln is on board with the club’s peace pole initiative and will assist with its installation in a suitable location this spring.
50/50
CoCo won the 50/50 draw but pulled the 6 of hearts...
And, Joanne was the lucky winner of a 2nd draw - her prize, a Bruce Trail Conservancy calendar generously donated by our guest speaker Ruth...
HAPPY BUCKS
Debbie Klassen
Martha made the round to collect the bucks and expressions of happiness...
Maria - the daylight for this morning’s drive to the meeting & in anticipation of her sister’s visit from Poland this summer
Justin - no snow falling today.
Lindsay - off to ski in Ellicottville
Barb - the generator is ready just in case it’s needed for inclement weather
Sue - great attendance at the EcoSeries Session #2 on February 5 & an awesome RYLA 2025 candidate
Nancy - a cleared driveway, thanks to a neighbour, as a welcome home following a week with friends in warmer climes
Alice - escaping to a warm destination next week.
Debbie - golfing & snowmobiling almost in the same day & travelling to South Africa soon
Brenda - brighter mornings
Terry - great skiing trip to Ellicottville
David G - nose surgery is over and equipped with lots of straws for drinking
Bob - upping the ante with Gift of Life hearts for Valentine’s Day
Lisa - technology for regular communications with her son Wolf who is on exchange in Japan
CoCo - acceptance by University of New South Wales in Australia. BRAVO CoCo!!!
Jennifer - a great turnout this morning and appreciation for how we all pull together.
Margaret - a successful Gift of Life Campaign with 750 chocolate hearts sold
Joanne - help extended while recovering from her recent surgery & a Peace Pole to be located in the Calgary Hilton lobby during the RI Convention in June.
Martha - John is coming along after his knee surgery
“There’s no sweeter sound to Ruth Moffatt than the crunch of a fresh trail beneath her hiking boots.”
As an expert hiker, Ruth has served as an inspiration to hundreds of fellow hikers on the Bruce Trail, other trails in Canada & elsewhere in the world. She has held volunteer leadership positions with the Bruce Trail Conservancy and currently serves as hike director with the Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club - one of 9 member clubs that form the Conservancy.
OVERVIEW
Began in 1967
Head office is in Dundas
Powered by 25 paid staff and 1,450 volunteers
Main trail is just over 900km in length marked by white blazes
Side trails make up about 500km marked by blue blazes
Nine Clubs: Niagara, Iroquoia, Toronto, Caledon Hills, Dufferin Hi-Land, Blue Mountains, Beaver Valley, Sydenham, & Peninsula
Starts at the rock cairn at Queenston Heights Park (near Brock Monument) and terminates at the rock cairn at Little Tub Harbour in Tobermory
OUR MISSION
Preserving a ribbon of wilderness for everyone, forever
OUR IMPACT
71.9% of the trail is secured within a permanently protected natural corridor along the Niagara Escarpment
CONSERVATION
91 species (animals, birds, plants, fungi, etc.) of conservation concern have been recorded
MEMBERSHIP
12,573 members across all nine clubs
Following this introduction, Ruth treated us to a series of slides with beautiful photos she has shot to capture the unique characteristics & sights of each of the nine sections of the trail. Her images reflect the terrain, geological features, flora & fauna, insects, birds, wildlife, etc., which she described based on the vast and intimate knowledge gained from her countless hikes in each section during all seasons of the year. Ruth also shared anecdotes about sightings of bears, porcupines and rattlesnakes, an ever friendly dog that welcomes hikers in the Caledon Hills section, and shoe trees in various spots along the way.
Annual membership fee is $75. Click here for Bruce Trail Conservancy membership details & benefits.
To close her exceptional presentation, Ruth shared a poem written by Jody Patfield, member of the Rotary Club of Barrie, upon the completion of his end to end Bruce Trail hike over 30 days in Spring 2024. Jody raised over $45,000, which he divided equally among his club, Hospice Simcoe, & the Bruce Trail Conservancy. For details about his hike - https://30days900ks.ca/#facebook To read Jody’s poem, entitled, “The Trail”, click here.
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