We are passing on a message from Nikki May, Saugeen Nature
A week ago Monday, West Grey Council approved Sunday hunting in the municipality with no public input, other than a deputation of hunters. A prepared motion was brought forward to council after hearing the hunting deputation, voted on and passed.
The Friends of Camp Oliver Forest, who are alert for issues that affect the public enjoyment of the forest, learned of this issue when the agenda was released the previous Friday. They attended the council meeting and saw this proceed, but were unable to make comments until the end of the meeting.
The concerns are two-fold – Sunday hunting now means that there are no days on weekends when forests are potentially free from the presence of hunters, so those who enjoy the forests for their natural features and tranquility have to be aware of the potential presence of hunters in public forests in all hunting seasons – there are many. This issue will soon be true in West Grey. It is already true in some other municipalitie in Grey. The second concern in West Grey is the surreptitious method by which council brought this forward, without allowing input from the public.
The broader issue in Grey County is that hunting is allowed in many County Forests. In municipaliites where Sunday hunting is allowed, this means that there are no days free from potential hunting activities in the County Forests. For those of you who use the County Forests, there is a new recreational trails plan being prepared by Grey County. Hunting has not been raised as an issue in the discussions of this plan, but it is not too late to express your concerns.
Write to Scott Taylor at scott.taylor@grey.ca to express your concerns about hunting in the Grey County Forests.
Next Steps:
- To those who live in West Grey – email West Grey Council – make it unique and personal http://westgrey.com/municipal-council.cfm
- Everyone – email Grey County Planning – Scott Taylor, Senior Planner, wants to hear any concerns about hunting – it’s not too late to influence the Recreational Trails Master Plan – you can choose to fwd your West Grey email to Scott or craft a new email
- Everyone – spread the news to friends
Thank you
Nikki May
Saugeen Nature
