From the 2009 Newsletter:
Spring is here and we’re all looking forward to another wonderful season on Birch Island. The Birch Island Property Owners’ Association (BIRPOA) is once again planning for 2009. Projects such as the Birch Island Branch Library, trail maintenance and marking, the marina bulletin board, rights of way to common trails, the loon count, keeping on top of township and provincial issues affecting Birch Island cottage owners, the annual dock Trash to Treasures day, the annual general meeting, etc. are all on our list!! We hope you'll consider volunteering to lend a hand with any one of these projects and attend the annual general meeting/get together in August. Please check the marina bulletin board regularly to keep on top of Birch Island activities and events. more

See the minutes area for the most recent meeting reports, with a summary of 2008 activities, plans for 2009, and other executive changes. Comments welcome!

The Birch Island Library is Open . . It is on the path behind #57 (photo right). Read all about it.

Bear sighting . . . Orland French writes: "Here's a bear Sylvia and I encountered on the Rock Dunder trail recently. Seems there have been a lot of bear sightings in the area this year: a mother and cub in Morton, a cub sleeping on a porch near Jones Falls, a large bear near the marina, two bears in a field, and now this. . . .Maybe we should have a "Bear Day" presentation at our next annual meeting. It's only a matter of time until we have a bear on the island; in fact, Art Horton is convinced there was one last summer, digging up the lawn in his field, looking for grubs.

"This particular bear was encountered on the Rock Dunder trail near the parking lot off Highway 15. It was no more than 30 feet from us when we first saw it. That's too darned close! We backed away slowly and then walked quickly ahead of it, but it was not afraid of us. It ambled along the trail, gradually falling further back but still approaching us. He finally scrambled off into the bush. I'd say he was probably a two-year-old, not a cub but not yet fully grown. Some people who know bears say the ones that don't run away are the most unpredictable, so maybe we were really lucky."

More bear facts: "On the Thanksgiving Weekend (glorious!) we learned of a bear sighting at Davis Lock. Someone there has a cottage with a long stairway leading up to it. They heard heavy footsteps on the stairs and assumed a visitor was coming to see them. Sure was...a three-hundred-pound bear was soon on the deck. The cottager shouted and the bear departed."

The 32nd annual Birch Island Canoe race took place Sunday, 31 August. Here are some photos from Brad Cantelo, titled Cottagers gone wild!

For the first time in three decades, major work was carried out on the road network. Many paths were widened or cleared. Many thanks to Bill Johnson and John Feltmate for arrangements and supervision. Member response has been mostly positive, but some have concerns about overzealous side trail clearing. Your input will help future plans for the paths. Keep in mind that this is a rough cut, and volunteers are urged to follow up with trimmers and mowers. See the Gallery for more pictures.

See the AGM 2008 minutes, the Spring 2008 Newsletter, the most recent executive meeting. The documents page has useful phone numbers, a fire safety document, MPAC information, the Island surveys, TV reception issues, and more.

Send in your Sand Lake photos for the photo gallery. We currently have contributions from Michael Butler, Orland French, Bob Cavenagh, Pierce Bounds, John Feltmate, and Keith Lennon.

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