Annual General Meeting

 

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Click below to view current financials & other documents

NBTC 2026 AGM Documents

 

NBTC 2026-2027 AGM Agenda

2026 NBTC Balance Balance Sheet

2026 NBTC Profit and Loss

2026-2027 NBTC Board Nominations

NBTC AGM Minutes from May 2025

2025 Director's Reports

 

Ellen Savoia, President

PRESIDENT - Ellen Savoia

This past year has been another successful one for the Niagara Bruce Trail Club. I’ve had the privilege of working with an outstanding Board of Directors and group of volunteers.

Thank you all for your commitment to the Bruce Trail through your ongoing membership.  Thank you to the team at Bruce Trail Conservancy for their help and guidance.

Thank you to Janet Davey, Past President, who is retiring from the Board. She has been my guide and mentor as I navigated my first year as president. Sadly, Marinus Koole, also stepped down from the treasurer role due to illness. We miss him.

We welcomed a new director Susan Auty as Director at Large to the board.   We were also fortunate to have Robin Garrett continue as our club’s director on the Bruce Trail Conservancy board.

Thank you Badge Committee for your commitment to creating new beautiful badges as we are always excited to earn a new badge. The Badge Committee is:
Lauren Doig
Karen Couch
Alan Laver

Thanks to the Biodiversity Committee for continuing their work with plantings, weeding  in the seed garden, invasive species pulls, nature hikes and more. They are:
Margaret Northfield
Michele Altobelli
Susan Gammage
Sarah Phillips
Mary-Lyn Hopper
Janet Rutherford
Helen Hermansen
Rob Stevens
Ken Martin
Vince Zvonar

The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging committee continued its work within our club and the greater community. Thank you:
Angela Lyttle
Kristin Hanson
Dian Wright
Jeanne Lewis
Johar Singh
Greg Shupe

Please see the Directors’ reports for more details on the great things we have done this year.

 

Kristin Hanson, Vice President

VICE PRESIDENT – Kristin Hanson

In my role as Vice President, I have the responsibility and the pleasure of supporting our President, and the rest of the Board of Directors.  Monitoring the club email account and responding to enquiries is another function of the VP. 

Over this past year I have had the true pleasure of serving on the club’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) committee, as well as the BTC’s DEIB committee.  Our club’s DEIB committee, chaired by Angela Lytle, is building on last year’s survey of hike leaders to address potential barriers to the club attracting more diverse hikers from the community.  The Committee is focussed on three key areas this year:

• Develop outreach/partnership strategy/plan targeting other community groups/clubs with aims to connect diverse communities & individuals with the trail/and NBTC, some examples we are working on include:
  1. PFLAG Niagara and Bridges Niagara Immigrant and Refugee Services (LGBTQIA+ inclusion and connections to newcomers/immigrants)
  2. Niagara Native Regional Centre Pow Wow
  3. Lincoln Museum Indigenous cultural park, Sho’arishon Park in Jordan
  4. Libraries in the region – starting with Niagara Falls and Lincoln-Pelham libraries
• Support hike leaders with information and community connections for diverse hikes and learning opportunities; and facilitate communication amongst hike leaders (develop a strategy) 
• Review our hike schedule periodically and give input on what is missing with respect to hike diversity (range of difficulties and distances, offerings on a wide variety of days and times)

The DEIB committee holds open meetings that any member may join.  Our last open meeting was held March 29^th at Cave Spring winery. Meetings usually include a hike and are posted on the hike schedule.  Come join us!

Finally, the VP is responsible to review the club by-laws and bring any proposed changes to the membership.  After such a thorough review last year by our then VP, Ellen Savoia, no changes are proposed this year.  If members would like to identify changes to be considered, they can email the club at niagarabrucetrailclub@gmail.com and I will respond.

 

Janet Davey, Past President

PAST PRESIDENT – Janet Davey

In the past year, my role has transitioned from President to Past President, providing support to the board where needed. The board is in great hands with our new President, Ellen Savoia.

I chaired the 2025 Annual General Meeting planning committee and the 2025 Volunteer Appreciation event committee. We are always looking for volunteers to sit on the club’s committees! If you are interested, please contact us. I also organized the 2025 Laura Secord Special Event hike. Check the hike schedule for information on this year’s hike, where we will have a new badge!

 

Treasurer - Vacant
(Acting David Kelly)

ACTING TREASURER - David Kelly 

Due to the sudden departure of Marnius Koole from the Board due to illness, the year end financial statements are being prepared by the staff at the  Bruce Trail Conservancy. Special thanks to David Kelly, Amanda Baatz, Katharine Albrecht, Donna Miljic, Laura Tuohy, and Michael McDonald.

Thank you to all who donated and volunteered this year. We had another great year and could not have done it without you.  Primary fund raising was through our event hikes, merchandise and badge sales as well as donations including donations from the Trail Angel program.

We continued to have great success with our event hikes. For example the End to End generated $6635 while Laura Secord Hike netted over $3000.

We again received a significant donation, this year $10,000 from the St. Catharines Roadrunners & Walkers, Thanks so much!  Other exceptional donations included $5,000 from the Estate of Merica Noray in Memory of Paul Noray and $1,450 from Mark Cestnik. Our sincere gratitude to all of the donors for their generosity and commitment to preserving a ribbon of wilderness forever.

As of the end of February donations from the Trail Angel program totalled $974 plus, a bottle of maple syrup, a handful of Tim's cards and a lot of wonderful feedback!  Many thanks to our team!

Amy Woelfle
Lauren Doig
Ineke Brinkman
Jan & Peter
Irma Giese
Marcia Monaghan
Marinus Koole
Susan Gammage
Marion Hanover
Jennifer Roberts
Mary Ann Enns & Vince
Gary Cherniak
Roberta Black
Bobbi Watkinson
Margaret Northfield
Judy Crockett

The detailed year end statements will be posted as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Robin Garrett, BTC Representative

BTC REPRESENTATIVE – Robin Garrett

It continues to be an honour to serve as your Niagara Club–nominated Director on the Bruce Trail Conservancy (BTC) Board. It is inspiring and gratifying to work with the Board and members of our fantastic Niagara Club as we make significant progress on our goals.

Land securement remains our highest priority with 72.1% of the Trail now permanently protected. Notably, the acquisition of the Talisman property marked one of the most complex and significant land securement achievements in BTC’s history, protecting sensitive Escarpment land and critical sections of the Optimum Route. We remain focussed on getting the Trail off the road, and had a major success this year in rerouting the Trail off Airport Road in the Caledon Section.

Restoration and conservation efforts are expanding in scope and sophistication.
We are seeing measurable ecological impact through restoration initiatives, including increased native vegetation and ongoing tree planting and invasive species management across the Trail. BTC continues to strengthening its science-based approach through partnerships, including working with Niagara College students on a year-long eco-restoration project, and the Vineland Research Centre on a climate change impact study to guide future restoration and land management practices.

Enhancing the Trail experience through the Thru-Strategy.
A major strategic priority is the development of BTC’s Thru-Hiking Strategy, created in collaboration with Clubs. This initiative aims to: establish a network of overnight rest areas and partner accommodations; improve access to planning tools and navigation resources; reduce ecological pressures such as unauthorized camping; and position the Bruce Trail as a model for sustainable long-distance hiking. End-to-End hiking continues to grow significantly, with participation increasing steadily each year.

Demonstrating our impact with new research. Recent economic impact research highlights the Trail’s importance beyond conservation: 674,000 destination visits annually; $90.2 million in visitor spending; 729 jobs supported; $78.4 million contribution to GDP. This data strengthens BTC’s ability to engage governments, landowners, and partners in support of our mission. In addition, remarkable new research using anonymized cellphone data that tracks usage of the Trail shows that 1.4 million hours were spent in nature in 2024.

Governance and Board priorities.
The Board has remained focused on strong governance, financial stewardship, and emerging risks. I serve on the Governance Committee and am responsible for Board Education. Together with fellow Board members and management, we have explored key topics including Indigenous relations, cybersecurity, best practices for overnight rest areas, economic impact, and conservation strategy.

Sharing my passion for the trail. This year, I had the opportunity to bring BTC’s mission to life as a guest lecturer at Niagara College, leading students on a hike while exploring strategy, conservation, and visitor experience. It was inspiring to connect future leaders with the importance of preserving and stewarding.

Thank you to all who join my hikes!  

Our Impact

• 72.1% of the Bruce Trail permanently protected
• 1,375 km of Trail maintained and ready to be explored
• 18 new protected areas established within our conservation corridor
• 93 species of conservation concern recorded

Our Growth

• Record fundraising year: $32M donated
• 12,103 members across nine Clubs
• 685 maintenance notifications were sent to Bruce Trail Clubs
• 54 legacy gifts confirmed

 

 

Lynne (Lynskie) Mitchell,

Marketing Director

MARKETING DIRECTOR – Lynne (Lynskie) Mitchell

This position helps organize booths and or tents to promote Niagara Bruce Trail Club. It also delivers said tents and tables to Event Hikes around the Peninsula. If you know of an event that you think will help promote our club please reach out to me at btcniagaramedia@gmail.com.

We have historically attended the Lincoln Active Living Fair in Grimsby, St Catharines Active Living Fair and NOTL Newcomers Event. We also attended Lincoln Earth Day, Thorold Earth Day and we were slated to attend the Earth Day celebration in Pelham (but it's an outdoor event so due to weather cancelled that event).

We investigated attending Summerfest in Pelham but the cost was in excess of our budget. We try to promote the club via free methods. Last year we decided not to attend the Balls Falls Thanksgiving weekend event. Feedback indicated that we are away from the main thoroughfare. We will reassess that decision this fall.

Bruce Trail Day (first Sunday of October) was held at Niagara College. We had 146 people hike with us on one of our 5 organized hikes. This event was a huge success as we also signed up 12 new members. None of these events can happen without the help of our wonderful volunteers. So thank you for being proud members of this amazing club.

Another important aspect of the role is promoting the club online via Facebook and Instagram. With the help of Elaine Low Aldridge we have interesting “posters” to be shown on FB, Instagram, on our website and in our Grapevine Newsletter. Thank you Elaine! We also have many authorized
contributors to our FB page, your pics are a big reason for our amazing FB stats. So many of you, and the public at large, like to see our hiking pictures. A big thank you to the FB editors! Our FB views for the Quarter ended Dec 31 was 615,446. This is the number of times our content was played or displayed. Content includes reels, posts, and stories. Our interactions during the same timeframe were 11,699 (likes, shares, comments fall into this category).

We still have green shirts, bumper stickers, cooling cloths and beanie hats for sale. Please consider buying them as gifts for your family and friends.

Thank you for being engaged with our club!

 

Alan Laver, Hike Director

HIKE DIRECTOR - Alan Laver

Every season, the Niagara Bruce Trail connects us. On average, 125 hikes per quarter, offering a vast diversity of experiences.

I would like to express a huge thank you to all of our amazing hike leaders, whose passion, inspiration and expertise guide us—from history hikes, night hikes, series hikes, serene forest treks and geology hikes. Our successful Hiking 101 program offered by Lauren and Margaret have introduced countless newcomers to the trail, and this vibrant program has helped grow our membership. Hiking is an amazing activity that keeps us fit relaxes our minds and lets us immerse ourselves in nature.

Our event hikes, including the renowned Fort to Fort, the annual End-to-End, the Laura Secord and the Merritthon , are always well attended—thanks to our incredible volunteers who staff checkpoints, provide refreshments, and offer guidance.

We remain committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment for all and as part of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion focus we’re proud to host Rainbow Hikes, ensuring everyone feels welcome. Whether under the summer sun or along a snow-covered path, we stay connected, inspired, and always moving forward.

Sam Rutherford, Landowner Relations

LANDOWNER RELATIONS DIRECTOR – Sam Rutherford

Our annual Landowner Appreciation Celebration was held to connect with our
landowners to express our thanks for allowing trail access across their private
properties. An open house social/drop-in event with a hiking theme and decor was
held in the Glen Elgin room of the Balls Falls Conservation Centre on Sunday
September 7, 2025 from 2-5 pm. The celebration was a showcase of many club
activities such as the biodiversity table, landowner stewardship, nature hikes, NBTC
merchandise and raffle draws. Each landowner was presented with a native
tree/plants to take home. Joanne Krupa, NBTC Social Convenor, and her team put
on an amazing baked potato bar and our talented baking volunteers provided many
delicious desserts for all to enjoy. Of the 140 in attendance, nearly 50% were
Niagara landowners! The celebration was another overwhelming success and we
look forward to our next one in the fall of 2026.

Many thanks to our hard working planning committee, all the volunteers, BTC staff and the NPCA for making this day a special one for our landowners.

This year our team of Landowner ambassador volunteers were able to confidently
connect with landowners, distributing the 2026 Bruce Trail wall calendar packages to
Niagara’s approximately 130+ landowners, whether private, business, institutional or
municipal:

• Landowners allowing access to the Main Trail, Side Trails, and/or on the Optimal
Route all received calendar packages.
• Thank-you letters and handwritten cards expressed our deep gratitude for
continuing to provide Trail access.

Many thanks to this year’s team of Landowner Ambassador volunteers, without
whom these crucial relationships with landowners would not be maintained:
• Michele Altobelli
• Jim Arcangeletti
• Ineke Brinkman
• Janet Davey
• Debbie Demizio
• Mary Ann Enns
• Elaine Kelly
• Anne Kubu
• Robert Maclellan
• Terry Mactaggart
• Vince Mayne
• Fran Mortiboys
• David Munford
• Judy Pihach
• Lorraine Rodrigues
• Graham Summerhayes
• Jean Wong

This past year we continued to build on our past successes and connected with our
landowners through three to four touchpoints; Spring biodiversity visits; Summer
landowner appreciation invitation delivery; Fall at the Landowner Appreciation
Celebration and Winter calendar delivery. Clearly our focus is on building positive
relationships with landowners, with the immediate goal of maintaining good relations
and the long-term goal of land securement.

Finally, miscellaneous activities included: responding to landowner queries, requests
and concerns; working with others to understand local trail issues; working with
Conservancy staff on various matters; and other outreach activities.

David Kelly, Land Acquisition

LAND ACQUISITION - David Kelly 

The last year was very successful for the Bruce Trail Conservancy as a whole with 4.7 km of the
Optimum Route (OR) being secured. A total of 613.5 acres of Niagara Escarpment land was secured as a natural wilderness corridor for the Conservancy. This means that 72.1% of the Bruce Trail is now on permanently protected land. The chart below summarizes the excellent progress in securing conservation land along the Bruce Trail for the Conservancy*. Significantly in the Niagara section, a road allowance was transferred from the Town of Pelham to the Bruce Trail Conservancy, thus securing 0.4 acres of forested land. Several other properties in the Niagara section were added in 2025-2026 for active consideration to be secured by the BTC.

Thank you to the NBTC Board, volunteers and members for your continued vision, hard work and collaboration.

*Chart taken from the BTC 2024-2025 Annual Impact Report

Trevor Price, Land Stewardship

LAND STEWARDSHIP DIRECTOR – Trevor Price

 

 

Trail Development & Maintenance - Vacant
(Acting Rick Waters)

ACTING DIRECTOR TRAIL MAINTENANCE & DEVELOPMENT – Rick Waters

Trails

• Total distance of the main Bruce Trail Queenston to Grimsby in 2025 - 81.8 km
• Total distance of the Side Trails in 2024 - 47.4 km
• Sections of Main Bruce Trail 29
• Number of Side Trails 24
• Number of Main Bruce Trail and Side Trail Captains 38
• Trail Monitors 4
• Trail Status Reports for Spring and Fall 2025 100% complete

A new Job description was created in 2025 “Zone Coordinator”

• There will be two Zone Coordinators in Niagara. The North Zone Coordinator will look after the Trails from Swayze Falls in Short Hills PP to the Niagara Terminus in Grimsby. The Southern Zone Coordinator will look after the trail from Swayze Falls to the Terminus at the Cairn in Queenston Heights. This will be a more efficient way to look after the Trails in Niagara.
• The Southern Coordinator is Diane Wyman. There is interest for the Northern section and that position should be filled by the day of the AGM in May.

 New Trails 2025/2026

• Twelve Side Trail extending from Sho’arishon Park ( Jordan Hollow) to 21st Street 1.9km total.
• The Rockway Lower Falls side trail connects to the main Bruce Trail at both ends.

New Trail Captains

• Diane Wyman Section 1 Queenston Heights
• Vic Gammon Section 1B Queenston Heights
• Neal Harvey Section 12 Effingham to Rockway
• Allan Davies Section 17 Victoria Ave to Balls Falls
• Michael Fromnet Section 11A Gilligan Rd to Effingham

The NBTC welcomes the new Trail Captains and thanks them in advance for their effort to maintain a safe, clean trail for hikers to experience.

The NBTC appreciates all the time and effort put in by the retiring Trail Captains and we thank them for all the work they have done.

Projects 2026/2027

• Review the Optimum Route recommendations from the BTC which will allow us to get the main Bruce Trail off of Roadways and reduce the number of private properties that we cross
• Rockway Falls St Trail will be a loop trail crossing over the new bridge at 15 Mile Creek that the NPCA built connecting the trail at both ends to the Main Bruce Trail.
• Repair Bridges, Boardwalks and Stairs as required

Kathleen Orth, Newsletter Editor

NEWSLETTER EDITOR – Kathleen Orth

The Grapevine appears quarterly: Spring 2025, Summer 2025, Fall 2025 and Winter 2025.

NBTC’s Board of Directors supports the newsletter by providing updates and photos that keep members informed of BTC and club activities, awards, maintained. Regular include the President’s Message, Trail Maintenance by Rick Waters , Hiking 101 by Margaret Northfield, and the Volunteer Awards Nominations and AGM Report.

The Grapevine runs ads in every issue for Brown Rabbit Cabins and DeNure Tours. Both advertisers will continue for 2026.

Special events in 2025:
- Fort to Fort Hike, April 12 & 13, 2025
- Laura Secord Hike, June 25, 2025
- Sunday, May 25, 2025: NBTC AGM, not just a business meeting, but also a Cornhole Competition.
- Sunday, September 7, 2025, the Landowner Appreciation Event, organized by Sam Rutherford, held at the Balls Falls Centre for Conservation.
- November 30, 2025: The St. Catharines Museum & Welland Canals Centre was the location for the second annual Volunteer Appreciation Event, with keynote speaker Adrian Petry. NBTC presents three annual volunteer awards: Lifetime Achievement Award (Rick Waters), Volunteer of the Year (Joanne Krupa), Unsung Hero (Lauren Doig). See The Grapevine, Spring 2026 issue on this page for more.

Front page photos:
- Spring 2025: Rick Waters, Woodend Conservation Area
- Summer 2025: Lauren Doig, Sunrise at Kingsbridge Park
- Fall 2025: Janet Davey, Checkpoint at the Laura Secord Hike,
- Winter 2025: Karen Couch, Shorthills. October 2025

Starting with the 2026 Summer issue, The Grapevine will feature a different photo on the back page. Inspired by updates to the NBTC website initiated by Tammy Morris, who was looking for more photos, and by the wonderful photos submitted by club members, each issue of The Grapevine will have a new photo on the back page.

In 2025, in addition to regular features, contributors included NBTC members, hike leaders and board members: Sharon Corcoran, Karen Couch, Janet Davey, Lauren Doig, Helen Hermansen, Marinus Koole, Angela Lytle, Sheila Massey, Margaret Northfield. Ellen Savoia, and NBTC member Suzanne.

The Editor thanks the board members and all contributors to the newsletter for their support that ensures the success of The Grapevine. The informative stories and many great photos show a dynamic and incredibly productive club. Congratulations on a successful year!

Jessica Ranalli, Membership/Volunteer Coordinator

MEMBERSHIP/VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR – Jessica Ranalli

The Niagara Bruce Trail Club now has 1149 members, compared to 1136 from last year. This marks a 1.1% increase in membership for the NBTC, compared to the BTC average of a 5.7% decrease across all clubs. New members receive a welcome letter from the club and are added to the club email distribution list to keep them informed with news and special events. The BTC continues to offer the member referral program, which awards referring members with badges to collect and comes with a free set of digital maps for the newly referred members.

The past year there were 169 active volunteers across the club, filling 248 individual roles. The NBTC are very grateful to each and every one. This is up from 163 volunteers last year, marking an 3.6% increase. Many of the club’s volunteers hold multiple roles, volunteering at club and community events, on various committees, leading hikes, and contributing to the successful operation of the organization through trail maintenance, landowner relations, land stewardship to name a few.

On November 30 the , the club held its second annual Volunteer Appreciation event. The event was held at the Welland Canal Museum in St. Catharines. The event served as an opportunity to bring volunteers together to thank them for their contributions to the club. Attendees enjoyed a presentation by guest speaker Adrian Petry of the St. Catharines Museum. Everyone enjoyed an Italian themed meal, along with custom Bruce Trail treats.

Each year, three volunteers’ outstanding achievements are recognized through the annual Volunteer Awards. The recipients are chosen from nominees submitted by current club members. The Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to a member(s) who has made a significant volunteer contribution to the organization at the club level over many years. The Volunteer of the Year Award is awarded to a member or committee whose volunteerism has gone above and beyond in the year just completed. And the Unsung Hero Award is awarded to a member(s) who can always be counted on to lend a hand and volunteer at the club level over many years. This year’s awards were presented at the Volunteer Appreciation event in November.

I am pleased to announce this year’s winners:

• Rick Waters for the NBTC 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award
• Joanne Krupa for the NBTC 2025 Volunteer of the Year Award
• Karen Couch for the NBTC 2025 Unsung Hero Award

Joanne Krupa, Social Events Director

SOCIAL EVENTS DIRECTOR – Joanne Krupa

It has been my pleasure to volunteer in 2025 alongside Sharon Summerhayes in the capacity of Social Convenor. A few specific events kept us busy in 2025.

Niagara End-To-End Hike - On May 19th we celebrated the ambitious hikers who completed the Niagara End-To-End with a lunch & treats awaiting them at the Queenston Cairn.

AGM - Almost immediately thereafter, on May 25th, we hosted our Annual General meeting at Queenston Heights Park. We came together for our AGM formalities and also to enjoy a friendly Cornhole competition, a lovely lunch, a bounty of member baked goods, and an afternoon of laughs & camaraderie.

Laura Secord Hike - On June 22nd we (well Laura Secord) welcomed the ambitious Hikers who followed in Laura Secord's steps at the end point of their 32km hike in the annual Laura Secord Hike. The hikers enjoyed a well-earned lunch including Diane Marlatt's famous egg salad sandwiches.

Landowners Appreciation Event - On September 7th we invited the Niagara Bruce Trail Landowners to "Hike on Over" to Ball's Falls so we could express our appreciation to them at the 2025 NBTC Landowners' Appreciation Event. A casual afternoon of friendship, including a baked potato bar with chilli plus lots of toppings and a baked treats table from talented members marked the day.

Volunteer Appreciation Event - On Nov 30th we acknowledged the incredible efforts of our Volunteers at the St Catharines Museum & Welland Canals. The Italian themed event was entitled Mangia & Mille Grazie! where our 2025 volunteers were invited to enjoy an Italian feast. At the event, the winners of the 2025 Volunteer Awards were announced and the attendees enjoyed a guest speaker presentation of the history of the Welland Canal by Adrian Petry, the Visitor Services Coordinator with the Lock 3 Museum.

Unfortunately, I must report that Sharon Summerhayes, although still actively engaged in volunteering with the club, resigned from the Assistant Social Convenor. I thank her for all her efforts, patience, good humor and friendship.

Thankfully Jennifer Roberts has picked up the baton and was instrumental in making Mangia & Mille Grazie a huge success.

I look forward to another full and fun year with the club. Please approach me with any suggestions to build on our wonderful community.

Tammy Morris, Member at Large/Archivist/Website

MEMBER AT LARGE / ARCHIVIST / WEBSITE – Tammy Morris

The Archives for the Niagara Bruce Trail Club are housed at Brock University Library in Special Collections and Archives. Anyone can access them, and an appointment must be made to view the collection. The archives are updated every two years, the next update one being this coming May, 2026. 

The NBTC website is updated regularly including latest news, hike information, and blog posts with the goal of keeping members and non-members up to date on NBTC happenings. A plan to modernize the website has been in place for some time now, waiting on branding guidance from the BTC. At long last, the update is under way, and the site is currently being re-created with a brand new look. It will be available soon. 

 

Susan Auty, Member at Large

MEMBER AT LARGE – Susan Auty

As a new Director at Large and recent transplant to Niagara region I am looking forward to an exciting year. I am sure the role will be varied and provide me with new experiences as the position takes on special non-recurring projects. It will be exciting to see what the year brings to my role.

I joined the club within one week of moving here from Regina Saskatchewan. I have met a lot of great people and seen many parts of the trail and side trails between Grimsby and Queenston.

Although new to the area, I have experienced the trail as a child. Living in Halton region, my mom and I would go out for weekend hikes. I believe this is where I started to experience my love of hiking, nature and meeting new people.

I hope to meet and speak with many people along the trails this year, and successfully complete many projects. My ultimate goal is to say "I have walked the entire Bruce Trail" (one section completed already).

Marion Hanover, Secretary

SECRETARY – Marion Hanover

The Board of Directors of the Niagara Bruce Trail Club meets monthly with the exception of July and August. Minutes of all meetings are shared with the BTC. The Niagara Board stores club documents including meeting minutes on its own Google Drive. This allows for greater access for board members and succession planning.

Hikers achieving goals and being awarded with badges (as set out in Niagara Bruce Trail website) continues to be popular. In the last fiscal year 557 badges were issued. The secretary along with assistant, Mary-lyn Hopper inventory the badges, and process the badge requests by mailing or hand delivering to hikers.