Meeting Minutes, 24 June 2011 General Meeting, HOCP
Host, Robin Reilly, Quetico Provincial Park
Overview:
When and Where: The next meeting of the HOCP will be on June 24 (Friday) and June 25 (Saturday). It will be held at the Mink Lake Ranger Camp which is at the north-east corner of Quetico Provincial Park. This is approximately 50 kms/35 miles east of the Town of Atikokan.
Food and Lodging:The camp has a cook and a commercial kitchen. Food and cost details will be determined but will be modest. The camp has beds for 24 people and a meeting hall. It is immediately adjacent to the park’s main campground, so some might prefer to camp. In either case, bring a sleeping bag, pillow, towel….that sort of thing.
Indoors and Out: With our summer HOCP meetings, one of the goals is to allow everyone to gain some familiarity with the local public land……in this case Quetico. As a result not all of our time will be devoted to “meeting”!
On-site phone contact: For emergency contact, there is a phone at our campground desk…..which is next door and operates until about 9 in the evening: 807-929-2571 extension 223.
RSVP: We’ll need to know how many are coming as we plan for food and various parts of the agenda. Again, the only cost to participants will be food costs, which will be determined. Lodging options are at no charge, courtesy of Quetico Provincial Park. Please click here to RSVP.
Preliminary Agenda
Friday, June 24, morning: Pre-Meeting Sessions:
A pair of committees will be meeting before the general meeting begins.
- Park and forest agency staff (Quetico, Superior, Voyageur, La Verendrye, Grand Portage) will meet as they continue to plan details for some staff projects over the coming year. For this reason park and forest staff should arrive on the preceding evening (June 23rd). The Agency staff meeting will be held in the Quetico Park Office in Atikokan so as to allow a conference call.
- The Science Committee will also be meeting to continue its efforts. Details on this will be coordinated by Brian McLaren.
Friday Lunch will be provided at cost to all participants at noon.
Friday, June 24th afternoon: HOCP General Meeting Begins
1:00p – 4:00p: HOCP General Meeting, Part 1.
The full meeting will start at 1:00 pm. That afternoon the group will discuss various topics, including:
- The ‘Sister Sites’ collaborative agreement being led by Voyageur National Park
- A presentation on America’s Great Outdoors Initiative.
- A presentation on Quetico’s Stewardship Program
- An update on the Boundary Waters Canadian Heritage River Program
- A discussion and last minute plans for HOCP’s involvement in the new headquarters building for Voyageur National Park on July 2nd.
- An update on HOCP funding challenges.
5:30p – 6:30 Supper will be provided at cost to all participants.
7:00 Public Exhibit Opening: Traditional Ethno-botany of the region. The program will focus on the traditional foods harvested by local aboriginal people, and will include the opening of a special exhibit in the main park visitor centre.
7:30 Public Science Lecture: “Boreal forest succession: what to expect with or without stand replacing disturbances.” Dr Han Chen, Professor, Lakehead University, Faculty of Natural Resources Management. Time: 7:30 pm Location: Ranger area (Mink Lake Ranger Camp)
Saturday, June 25: HOCP General Meeting Continues
8:30a – 10:00a Service Project. A short service project at the Mink Lake Camp
10:30a -Noon General Meeting, Part 2
An update on the International Congress including:
- an update on the selected teams
- a discussion of pre-work assignments for the teams
- an exploration of potential ‘share-fairs”.
Noon-1:00p Lunch (provided at cost to participants)
Afternoon: HOCP Participants Enjoying the Splendors of the Region.
If the weather is fine, early afternoon would include a swim at one of the parks excellent beaches. Later in the afternoon the group would travel into Atikokan to set up some displays of public attractions around the Heart of the Continent.
Saturday Supper: Outdoor Bar-B-Q at the Museum’s Legion Point. The Atikokan Museum has a display area available to display scenes from the Heart of the Continent. Everyone is requested to bring something from their corner of the region to add to the museum display.
Saturday evening, public presentation: Preparing food for canoe tripping….including the use of a food dehydrator and other techniques and cautions.
HOCP Meeting Concludes
Sunday, 26 June: Post Script
The HOCP program will be over on Saturday night. However, Sunday June 26th in Canada is National Canoe Day and for anyone interested in staying around, we could arrange some canoe instruction and a short voyageur canoe paddle…..perhaps to a remote beach. On Sunday evening…..for any keen stragglers, the Quetico Foundation will be hosting a dinner (at no charge) for anyone interested in meeting their senior Board Members.