General

Chance of Aurora Friday June 13, Evening

Link
http://www.spaceweather.com/
Go to the aurora gallery and some shots have what the photographer did.
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ovation/

Well there is a chance so hopefully something will pop up.
Even though there is also a full moon there is still a chance you can see a good show.
My aurora Agawa pics from 2012 was during a full moon too.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ej_l6uulTosefTkKvIriJtMTjNZETYmyP…
Even with a small camera depending on the settings you should be able to get a shot.
You will need a tripod or at least an area where your camera is not going to move or be bumped.
Make sure your settings are on for noise reduction, and long exposure.
Use a remote if you have one or use the self timer.
If you don’t have a mirror lockup on your DSLR “hug” your camera after you press the shutter button, after the mirror has gone up you can slowly release your grip, this will help with camera vibration. (to a certain point the camera I used in 2012 didn’t have the lockup feature, so sometimes the hugs worked and sometimes I was the problem.)
Even though you may not see the aurora your camera will, and that is a good sign things are about to begin. Take an image just after the sun goes over the horizon and you might see some pink/red/green/ or blue colouring on your viewer. The pinks red will not look like sunset colours.

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TOMMrLl-Or9SYHDw6dlNY9MTjNZETYmyP…
When it is darker sometimes the aurora will start as a glowing cloud or a line in the sky, or as in the case of 2012 on the Agawa it started as weird haze or fog and it was blocking out the stars. And then it just exploded from the sky and it can last various lengths of time.
With any luck we will get a good show.

Well this just slipped in in May...
Just so you know how the Feds are doing...
Here are a few links to help you on.....
(Gee do you sense hesitation on my part...)

http://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/ncp/index.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/national-conservation-plan-ignores-na…

And this just in from my daily reading of House of Commons announcements..
http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?DocId=6630988&…

And my favourite quote was near the top from Minister Agluakkaq

[quote] As you are aware, Environment Canada is a science-based department[/quote]

Jeff

You actually use it online, you don't have to download the program.
Lots of fun to play with.

http://www.photoshop.com/tools

Some work, some... well.
But you can also convert to B&W

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-U1JmscBPB6c/U5JC_6fGOsI/AAAAAAAAJMI/…

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-w6ROKDtRVss/U5JDAEDrc4I/AAAAAAAAJMI/…

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aEYYuv0ShAs/U5JC8gGzXMI/AAAAAAAAJMI/…

Jeff

 Symposium will take place on 20-21 February at Monarch Park Collegiate. Forward your program suggestions to aleks.gusev@gmail.com

Hope to see you there. 

Aleks

I thought I would share this, The Montreal River Harbour facebook shared a posting from the US Coast Guard. I thought those visiting this site could use the warning.

[quote]Water temperatures on Lake Michigan and Lake Superior remain extremely cold even as we enter June! Even strong swimmers are in danger after just a few minutes in the unusually cold water. Be careful and always wear a life jacket![/quote]

Here's a Link to the Coast Guard facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/AIRSTATVC/posts/300595296773809

And my experience to share.
[quote]f your body is hot you may not even last that long if you are a strong swimmer. You will sink like a rock as every muscle seizes.! Happened to me at the end of a 8K kayak race and the water was very warm over 25c in the river. Good thing it was shallow and they pulled me out very quickly. and oh yes I was showing off came in close 2nd, Stood up after I crossed the finish line and jumped out.....And I was in my peak physical shape back then, I was racing Internationally.....didn't do that again.[/quote]
Race was on the Credit down by the Missy canoe club, Reed Oldershaw, Uncle to Olympian Mark Oldershaw beat me by a hair.

Just show some caution when out there, and remember warmer water coming in from the rivers will cause strange waves and water temperature sheer lines.
Which could keep an unconscious victim from floating to the surface.

Saw this on the myccr site and I thought it was well worth sharing.
As a community we need to let other groups that are interested in the same things as us have the support from a larger family.
Jeff
This from poster terracebay on myccr.

Quote "Back in 2012, a big chunk of pristine Lake Superior land near Terrace Bay was put up for sale. It's a truly spectacular piece of property and it was the subject of a very slick marketing campaign - check out the video at http://vimeo.com/51242413.

A conservation group, the Thunder Bay Field Naturalists (TBFN), has now struck a deal to buy the most exciting section of the property. The club is purchasing 1200 acres of the mainland, plus 15 small islands just offshore. Total frontage on Lake Superior is 11 km, and it's all undeveloped, natural, and incredibly beautiful.

The deal is expected to close in mid-July and TBFN is now actively fund-raising. Take a look at their webpage for the Terrace Bay property at http://tbfn.net/terrace-bay. This is an expensive purchase and they could use some help! They're a charity and do provide tax receipts if you're inclined to donate." unquote
Link to myccr
http://www.myccr.com/phpbbforum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=42845&p=394750#p39…
Link to Thunderbay Naturalists.
http://tbfn.net/terrace-bay

For the Canadian paddlers out there there has been some updates on the language/definitions on "Minor Waters" on the Transport Canda pages.
This is a change since the heartbleed bug closed the site.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/marinesafety/tp-tp14838-3098.htm

The Q & A section has more clarifications . Question 11 is one.
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/programs-622.html

Quote"Question 11: How is navigation protected in non-scheduled navigable waters?
Answer: The public right of navigation, the right to use navigable waters as a highway, is protected in Canada irrespective of whether the navigable water is listed on the schedule to the NPA or not. Interferences with the public right of navigation in navigable waters not listed on the schedule to the NPA could be subject to court proceedings. Transport Canada will issue reference material to assist builders in addressing navigation-related impacts of their works."

Some of the clarification is the "vessel" must be able to fit in the turns of a meandering minor water.
Which is important to us who like to pond hop.
Some of you may like what you read on the private lakes section.
Just remember it may take a court case or two.....

For those of us who have followed this since 2008 we have been waiting for clarification for a long time.
Did they take our pictures and reports/letters to heart?
We may never know since we never received feed back.
But you always got to watch this stuff, you never know what may pop up.
Jeff

(sound of can opener opening can of worms... ;) )

With the PC's announced proposed cuts of 100,000 civil service jobs you know the parks have to be in the cross hairs.
Privatizing Prov. Parks ( ooooh that buzz word again) that and selling off of crown lands and heritage lands and unregulated parks to pay for "infrastructure" and to pay down the debt.
As with the Harper government the warning where there.
And many groups such as "friends of park" will be gaged by rules.
So get involved, ask tough questions demand answers.

One of the limbo moves they use at these question sessions is if they don't have an an answer they might say so, but they will say give my assistant your email and we will get back to you..... :(
And the second they do that, call them on it, saying answer now or publicize the response in 24 hrs to you and on their web site.
Tell them you know of this tactic and you want everyone to hear the answer.
So fight for your special places now or fight harder for less later.
I seen this play, and I don't like the ending.
Jeff

And just for fun:

Last summer I bought this canoe, a Mad River Flashback. Google those 3 words and you get a catalogue from 1986, I don't expect to ever encounter another example.

It has been set up for tandem, and was designed for racing slalom. Would anyone like to try it out with me? It has not been in the water yet.

Dear WCA Members;

We are in serious need of members of the paddling community to be more involved in issues that affect our rights and access to our canoe routes.

You do not necessarily have to be involved in the issue below. Getting involved also means help making paddle activities (sport or rec) much more visible by just being an entrant in a public activity.

Phil Cotton is our most knowledgeable person on jumping through the hoops of various Ontario regulations on maintaining/protecting and retaining access to our canoe routes on crown lands.

Some of you already know that Phil is the driving force behind the Wabakimi Project. http://www.wabakimi.org/project/
If you look at the few people that have been involved and the work they have done it is amazing what they have done for your paddling enjoyment. There are too few involved and they are being overwhelmed. Our conscience sometimes will not let us back away from another issue we may encounter even though we know we cannot do the job justice.

There is a special need for some help. Here is a quote from Phil's post on Myccr (Voyageur):

This is a call to all CCR members to help improve mapping of canoe routes in one of the most popular paddling areas of Ontario, i.e., the Spanish Forest. Please take the time to read this post and lend any assistance you may be able to offer.

Ontario's forests are divided into forest management units (FMU's) each of which is managed by a 10-year forest management plan (FMP). Each FMP includes a set of "values maps" on which important features that lie on the FMU landscape are depicted. These include canoe routes, portages, campsites and access points.

Each FMP is divided into two five-year "phases". Preparation for Phase II of the Spanish Forest 2010-2020 FMP is currently underway. Canoe route information is woefully lacking on the appropriate values maps.

The MNR maintains a website which shows all related documents related to FMP's. Follow these steps to access the values maps related to the Spanish FMP:

1. Access the MNR forestry website to locate a FMP such as the Spanish FMP.
http://www.efmp.lrc.gov.on.ca/eFMP/home.do?currentFmu=&language=en

2. Either choose Spanish Forest from the drop-down menu on the left or point and click on the map to select a particular FMP such as Spanish Forest. As you point and click on each FMP on the map, the name will appear.

3. Scroll down on the same screen and choose the most recent FMP for the Spanish Forest, i.e., "Spanish Forest Final Plan Phase I (2010-2020)". A new menu will appear listing the components of the FMP.

4. Choose "Maps" from the FMP menu.

5. Choose "Values" from the "Maps" menu.

6. Choose both the "Resources Uses" and the "Resource-based Tourism" values maps. Put them up on your computer screen side-by-side by adjusting the size of each window. These are .pdf files with adjustable magnifications. Set the magnifications to the same setting, i.e., 100%.

NOTE: The "Resource Uses" values map shows all recreational trails (i.e., snowmobile, hiking, canoe routes, etc.) as a solid green line; the "Resource-based Tourism" values map shows canoe routes as a separate, red, dashed line. It is this latter values map that needs improvement in its depiction of canoe routes and portages.

If you have any information about canoe routes that lie on (or adjacent to) the Spanish Forest, please contact me (Voyageur). I really need your help!
pjcotton@tbaytel.net

Or you can follow the link to the thread in myCCR http://www.myccr.com/phpbbforum/viewtopic.php?f=107&t=42560

Jeff McColl
Conservation Chair