Annual General Meeting for 2018

It will be held Thursday 26 April 2018 at the Church of St Andrew 2 Circassion Drive just off the Forest Hills Parkway. The doors will open at 6:00pm with a meeting start at 6:30pm. A reception will follow. For our local politicians and trails staff - RSVP to chairchpta@gmail.com or by text or phone to 902-435-3952.

The AGM will be quite busy therefore the Board opted to not have a guest speaker for the meeting. CHPTA intends to host presentations dealing with issues of interest like the HRM Green Network Plan, changes to park and trail regulations and the upcoming negotiations with DNR on a Park and Trails Management Agreement over the next year.

For current members: please fill out a membership form with the latest information, circle the renew option and mail it in or bring the form with you along with your membership dues ($5.00 per person per year)  For those interested in joining, please fill out the form and send it in by mail. If received before the end of March, you will be able to vote at this AGM. You can bring in the form to the meeting, but will not be able to vote until the next members' meeting.

A reminder to our members: we will be discussing and voting on a Special Resolution aimed at updating our current By-Laws. A separate email with the details and background documentation was sent out 18 March 2018. Just to refresh your memory here is the resolution you are being asked to consider:

that CHPTA approve the revised By-Laws as presented to the members 26 April 2018 (document “Proposed CHPTA by-Laws AGM2018.pdf”) and file the new By-Laws with the Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stock Companies immediately.

Please bring your own copies of any documentation being used at the AGM either in electronic or hard copy format. There will be a very limited quantity of documents available at the meeting.

Please feel free to pass this invitation to anyone who is interested. The more public involvement we have the better we can achieve our objective as laid out in our Memorandum of Association (a founding document):

To encourage volunteer membership in the Cole Harbour Parks and Trails Association for the purpose of promoting and coordinating the construction and maintenance of parks and trails in the Cole Harbour area of Halifax County.

Hope to see you there.

Michael McFadden
Chair
Cole Harbour Parks and Trails Association
902-435-3952
www.chpta.org

More on pollution

Watch CHPTA Chair Michael McFadden talking about the pollution coming our way from the Dartmouth Clay Target Association.

The Department of the Environment is meeting with the skeet club this week and promises action.

The skeet range (blue marker) is a five bay open air facility. Shooters face the main tidal channel, which is about 300 yards away. The route to the Salt Marsh Trail, about 7/10 of a mile away is obvious. 7,500 waddings transported such a distance implies the existence of many more. There is every likelihood that large quantities of clay fragments and shot have found their way into the environment.They are clearly a threat to the abundant bird life and should be cleaned up. The skeet club needs a pollution abatement program.

Unenthusiastic Fantastic Plastic. DRASTIC!

Long story short:

If we want the Salt Marsh Trail cleaned up

we have to do it ourselves.

Message from the Chair

You are all invited to come out this Sunday 25 February to the Salt Marsh Trail to help pick up the waddings (and any other small garbage).

This will not be fancy. Sorry no Tim's or other incentives other than my thankful smile

1. Date Sunday 25 Feb 2018
2. Time: 2:00 to 4:00pm
3. Place: 1 km in from Bissett Road by the kiosk and picnic area
4. You bring: a friend or two, lawn rakes, pick up gear, knee pads, clothes you do not mind getting dirty, a smile
5. CHPTA will supply large plastic bags, some tools (rakes and shovels, pails), work gloves.

The Plan

1. Pick up your gloves, a bag or pail, and any tools that are available
2. head down the trail to the neared pile of waddings. You won't have to travel far!
3. pick out the waddings and other garbage
4. stuff any sea grass/weed that also blew over the trail into the nooks and crannies of the rocks. Use whatever is available (rake ends, sticks, hands and feet) to jam the material
5. bring back the bag/pail of wadding to the start point when you are finished (you decide when)
6. Accept our thanks and head off home with a sense of accomplishment

And before I get a bunch of reply emails - Yes I know it is short notice but this Sunday looks like it might be the best time weather wise to get some clean-up done.

Watch the video

An interesting blog

2018-19 budget

 Here are some figures for our Operations Plan for Fiscal Year 18/19 - Total budget is $455,050.50:







Find the detail on this spreadsheet and this pdf.

CHPTA by the numbers 2017

In 2017  20,665 people tripped the automatic counter on the Shearwater Flyer from June thru October.  4,133 per month or about 137 per day.  The Salt Marsh Trail had 17,234 visits (January thru March included) for an average of 2,154 per month or 72 per day.
Good people working hard to share their beautiful park..........

In 2017, volunteer trail Wardens spent 1,942 hours in 1,486 outings walking the trails.


And hours by trail and month (Click a heading to expand)