West Nipissing ATV Club

Please check your email for the downloadable map and gpx files.  This is the first ride of the season!  Hoping for a good turn out, rain or shine.  See the “Next Ride” sidebar for details, or see the email from the Club. Let’s go ATVing!

Finally good news. Daily covid-19 numbers are decreasing, the Province is in phase 2 of reopening and the future looks promising. The Directors would like to inform you of some of our discussions and concerns: A tentative ride schedule has been made with 8 rides planned. The first ride, Holdridge Creek, could be held before the end of the month depending on the limits to outside gatherings. Of course social distancing and wearing of masks will be required. An email will follow as soon as the day of the ride can be confirmed. It is imperative that the club hold an annual meeting to approve the last two years of…

To all 2020 WNATV Club Members Here’s hoping that all members and their families are healthy and safe during these stressful times. Life sure has changed with all the restrictions and challenges due to Covid-19. Your Board wishes to keep you informed on its discussions and decisions that have taken place in the past week. 1. Because last year was so disappointing, with so many planned rides being cancelled, a motion was passed by the Board that all 2020 regular members automatically become 2021 members. No payment is required. This letter/email that you receive is to confirm that you are NOW officially a 2021 member. 2. Members can see the…

Unfortunately due to the COVID regulations limiting the number of persons that can gather, all rides for the rest of the season are cancelled. Hopefully we can meet next Spring and start a fresh schedule!.  

Well, here we are, definitely in the middle of the Dog Days of Summer. But, what really is meant by the Dog Days of Summer?  The dog days of summer are the hot, sultry days of summer. They were historically the period following the heliacal rising of the star system Sirius, which Greek and Roman and Roman astrology, connected with heat, drought, and sudden thunderstorms, lethargy, fever, mad dogs and bad luck. (I certainly can relate to the heat and lethargy!) They are now taken to be the hottest, most uncomfortable part of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Although Sirius is the brightest proper star in the night sky, it…

The white trillium (Trillium grandiflorum) is the official flower and emblem of Ontario, our province. It is an official symbol of the Government of Ontario. (The large white trillium is also the official wildflower of Ohio). The beautiful trilliums start to appear in early spring, and is noted for it’s three-prong white flower.  It is a delicate flower, so please be careful with it.  It takes 2 years to germinate! There is a “legend” that the RCMP or OPP will arrest you for picking the Trillium.  This is not true — at this time — but because it is a special flower that takes a long time to come back,…

The Board has decided to cancel the  Annual General Meeting at this time, due to the precautions being taken surrounding the COVID-19 situation.  It will be rescheduled at a later date.  Take care, wash your hands often, and stay healthy!

Darker earlier, lighter later, wet and slippery on the trails!   Be careful.  Look twice.  Wear all your safety gear and warm layered clothing. Click Here! Be safe! And enjoy the most beautiful time of the year outdoors!  

Here’s a recent article from CBC News that highlights as a reminder why you should bring the good old paper maps with you while hiking.  It is equally important to bring these when you are ATVing too….maybe more so as the bouncing up and down on trails could render your GPS less than useful! Read this! https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/bring-a-paper-map-and-compass-on-a-hike-says-halifax-search-and-rescue-1.5252636    

This is to notify all that the ride on Saturday, July 27th has been cancelled.  Yesterday Marcel Lafreniere, Art Constantineau and myself went out to scout the Tilden Lake Alterative ride leaving from the Sandy Falls Road. 7 kms. Into the ride we met with a 1 km. section that was very rough and we had to reclassify the ride to a 4 on our difficulty scale. Then 1 km. before Riding Stable Road the trail was blocked by a water barrier. Marcel mistakenly with his Commander side by side started across and just made it to the other side with water over his seat. He decided to return through…

At last!  The blueberries are ready! Well, lets start off with some fun facts about blueberries: Blueberries are perennial flowering plants that have either blue– or purple–colored berries when matured. They are in the same class as cranberries, bilberries, huckleberries and Madeira blueberries. There are generally two types of blueberry bushes; the wild (‘lowbush’) and cultivated (‘highbush’) blueberries and all are found in North America. Blueberries usually grow close to that ground, with a woody stem system, and a plant can vary in size from 10 centimeters to 4 meters in height. The leaves can be either deciduous or evergreen, and 1–8 cm long and 0.5–3.5 cm broad. The flowers are bell-shaped,…

Here is an article from CBC, this July, which discusses the possible future regulatory impacts on the ATV community related to ATV rollovers and possible mandatory safety devices. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/atv-rollover-safety-1.5197959 The article discusses one type of device.  Here’s a link to another which is also interesting. ATV Lifeguard Rollover Bar and yet another called a Quadbar…. Quadbar What do you think?  Are rollovers really only due to irresponsible riders?  Should such safety devices be mandated?  Or, should the devices simply be an add-on option available to riders? Some interesting material for discussion on our rides!  

Summer is hot, and so is the ATV season!  In addtion to our WNATV Club rides, there are other ATV events planned through the summer. Here a listing of events from the www.northernontario.travel website.  Please ensure you verify the event is still on by checking with their particular website before travelling! If for some reason you are not going to our own Club ride, Tilden Lake, on July 27th, but find yourself south of West Nipissing, I would recommend the July 27th event in Kearney.  I have had the opportunity to ride some of the trails in this area, and it is a beautiful place. This is put on the…

Did you know that the Common Loon is the provincial bird of Ontario?  Most of you know that is the namesake of our $1 coin…..the “loonie”, which sports an image of the common loon.  But do you also remember that the loon was also proudly displayed on a previous series of $20 bills? The loon is also known as “the great northern diver”, and anyone who has spent time on the local waters in the evening will most likely have seen this bird diving and staying submerged for quite some time. To read more about this crazy laughing bird, check out the link to Bio Expeditions discussion here:  Common Loon…

“He rocks in the tree tops all day long Hoppin’ and a-boppin’ and singing his song All the little birdies on Jaybird Street Love to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet Rockin’ robin, rock rock Rockin’ robin’ Blow rockin’ robin”    –Rockin’ Robin -Bobbie Day 1958   Four feet of snow in the front yard. Three feet of snow in the back. Flurries today bringing more snow (albeit, wet and melting). …..and what to my wondering eyes should appear? (not St. Nick) I nice, colourful, plump looking Robin, in the one patch of grass where the neighbour’s sump pump is draining. Yes…….It’s official, Spring has arrived. Our friends at…

So, what is sublimation?   Sublimation is: “the transition of a substance from the solid phase directly to the vapor phase, or vice versa, without passing through an intermediate liquid phase.” Well, what I want to mention, is that at this time of year, a lot of the snow starts to disappear via sublimation.  That means the snow can evaporate, even though the temperatures are below the freezing point! Yes, a lot of the snow we have now will not “melt” away, but will go away because of the process of sublimation.  It goes directly from a solid to a gas, without turning into a liquid.  And with more sunshine,…

I like February.  Not because it’s cold and snowy; like November, December, and January, but because it’s the shortest of the winter months.  I really don’t mind winter, but there is less to do outside in the extreme temperatures, and there isn’t as much wildlife running around. (Although I have spotted coyotes in the neighbourhood!). February is a great month to catch up on some reading.  For a quick read, and a nice distraction from the cool winds, I like to have a hot coffee and read The Old Farmer’s Almanac.  It is chock-full of little tidbits, weather forecasts, and short articles of all kinds. I was reading the Almanac…

Here we are —- mid January already —- and no doubt many of us are looking forward to Springtime and a little bit warmer weather. I was thinking about the poor ol’ Moose that live here in Northern Ontario.  Winter must be a pretty tough time for them.  Cold, less to eat, less mobile because of the snow, and maybe poor ice conditions.  And when the  ice is good, it’s tougher for them to find something to drink. Moose may not be able to see all that great, but they sure have the ability to smell things.  I remember one time while moose hunting with my Dad and he said,…

Well, here we are now into January.  Most of us are probably still hanging on to our New Year’s resolutions, still saying good by to 2018, and wishing a merry hello to 2019. So, why do we do this in January? Well, maybe the Greeks have the answer, and it’s one of their gods ….. Janus. According to www.crystalinks.com, it might be because of the ancient Greek belief in Janus. “In ancient Roman religion and mythology, Janus is the god of beginnings and transitions, thence also of gates, doors, doorways, endings and time. He is usually a two-faced god since he looks to the future and the past. The Romans…

Now that we are into January, and the days are getting brighter and longer, I hope all our WNATV Club members take care of their eyes while outdoors in the snowy conditions. What is Snow Blindness?  The folks at ThoughtCo say…. “Snow blindness, or photokeratitis, is a painful eye condition caused by too much exposure to the sun’s UV rays. Those most at risk for snow blindness are those traveling outside in snowy terrain, across a snowfield or in a high-altitude winter environment, without proper eye protection.” And I suppose you are wondering about what the symptoms might be? Well.. “Symptoms of snow blindness may include increased tearing or watering…

Many of you will recall our WNATV Club ride to Paradise Lagoon Wolf Mountain. If you do not remember, check out the photos of the Paradise Lagoon ride in the WNATV Club photos for 2017. I found some new friends which seem to be trying to do some “good deeds” in preserving the wilderness for all to enjoy.  They are “The Friends of Temagami”, and you can find them on Facebook by clicking on “Friends”  The Friends of Temagami are part of a coalition of groups that are trying to save the pristine nature around Wolf Lake.  Have a look at the coalition site at http://www.savewolflake.org Along the WNATV Club ride…

Here’s a little bit of info on the Downy Woodpecker from the folks at Audubon.org…… The smallest woodpecker in North America, common and widespread, although it avoids the arid southwest. In the east this is the most familiar member of the family, readily entering towns and city parks, coming to backyard bird feeders. Its small size makes it versatile, and it may forage on weed stalks as well as in large trees. In winter it often joins roving mixed flocks of chickadees, nuthatches, and other birds in the woods.   To see the rest of the information, click here on Downy Woodpecker.

  From the files of “Hinterland Who’s Who” The Gray Jay is indelibly associated with Canada’s great northern forests. Quick to learn that humans can be an excellent source of food, the Gray Jay often visits lumber camps, kills made by hunters, and the campsites of canoeists, looking for scraps of anything edible. The bird’s fearless and venturesome behaviour has amused and irked those who work in the forest and earned it many colloquial names such as “meat-bird” and “camp-robber”. Another familiar name, “whiskey-jack”, was taken from Wiskedjak, Wisagatcak, Wisekejack, or other variations of a word used in the Algonquian family of aboriginal languages of eastern Canada to designate a…