January/ February Newsletter 2021

Hello Members! What an incredible Winter we have had so far - hardly any snow to shovel, but just enough to enjoy "Winter"! And the temperatures have been generally great! The lake ice is thick now and we can snowshoe, snow machine, crosscountry ski or just walk there as well as on the numerous trails in town and in surrounding parks. Lucky us to live here! With the lockdown, people are in different situations; some of you may have been able to accomplish some jobs (or crafts) around the house, while others have been too busy working and supervising virtual learning to have time for leisure. All of us do have a common bond though and that is a love of "Gardening" and we hope you and your loved ones are healthy and safe during this trying time. The executive has still been having meetings (thank you to Zoom!) to handle business that comes up despite Covid-19, and hopefully this Newsletter will fill you in on some of the things we have to share:

The Results of the AGM VoteWe had a great response to our AGM via email project. All motions passed, and your Board for 2021 was accepted as presented. We look forward to working together and coming up with some creative ideas for meeting the general membership this year. We were the first Society in our District to hold an AGM. Our method, while not ideal, was so well accepted that we have been asked by other Societies to pass on our process for them to follow. Now, there’s a feel good ending – Thanks to everyone who participated! 

Our Local Youth Update on Environmental Initiatives at FF High School "Hi! My name is Anna and I am a former member of Langton's Green Team, the youth program supported by the Fenelon Falls Horticulture Society. I am very interested in saving the environment and I began taking action against climate change in primary school. I am currently a member of the Ontario Nature Youth Council, the Bringing on Biodiversity team of Fenelon Falls and the Fenelon Falls High school Eco Club. Last year, thanks to sponsorship from the Kawartha Field Naturalists, I got the chance to participate in the Virtual Youth Summit for Mother Earth organized by the Ontario Nature youth council. I was able to interact with other youth that are as passionate about saving the environment as I am. Through the summit, I became a member of both the Ontario Youth Council and of the Bringing on Biodiversity team. The Bringing on Biodiversity team aims to "preserve provincial biodiversity by inspiring citizens to accomplish a set of initiatives that promote, preserve, and maintain biodiversity in their own community". We plan to organize community events, preserve native species and educate others on the importance of their natural surroundings. Although Covid-19 is a major obstacle in planning, there are still many things we can do: for example, planting native species around Fenelon Falls, have garbage cleanups and keep up social media posts. Fenelon Falls High School has various flowerbeds and this spring the plan is to add native species to one flower bed as a first step to increasing biodiversity.

"Thank you to Anna for reporting happenings at the FF High School. The Fenelon Falls Horticultural Society supports the work of our Youth members and we look forward to providing them with native plants for their planting project. ​​​​