Scout Biathlon

Apr 22, 2019

Scout biathlon

Barrie District Hunters and Anglers Conservation Club is a proud supporter of our local Simcoe Phoenix-Shining Waters-Scout Troops.

We have for 15 years, and continue to be honored to coordinate and conduct the annual Barrie and area Scout Biathlon, held on our club ranges. First and foremost is our paramount effort to teach firearms safety.

Before attending the biathlon day, each participating Scout must attend a firearms safety briefing. During this briefing, conducted by a club member, range safety officer and former law enforcement officer with Metro Toronto P.D., and supported by dozens of club members as safety mentors, each Scout will learn and most importantly demonstrate an understanding of firearms handling safety.

Once they have successfully completed this safety briefing, they are invited to attend the actual biathlon day.

THE VITAL FOUR ACTS OF FIREARMS SAFETY

Assume every firearm is loaded.
Control the muzzle direction at all times.
Trigger finger must be kept off the trigger and out of the trigger guard.
See that the firearm is unloaded – PROVE it safe.

PROVE

Point the firearm in the safest available direction.
Remove all cartridges.
Observe the chamber.
Verify the feeding path.
Examine the bore.

On Biathlon day, each Scout Troop will proceed through 4 unique shooting stations. Club members participate as mentors providing a one-to-one mentor to shooter ratio, maintaining responsible and safe supervision, of each participating youth, throughout the “on range” time. Scouts are able to participate in 4 events. Sitting .22 bolt-action rifle, Standing .22 bolt action rifle, Recurve and compound bow Archery and either 20 gauge or 410 gauge shotgun target shooting.

This event has consistently provided Boy Scout youth with a rare opportunity to experience sport shooting firsthand. Member volunteers are continually rewarded by the grateful smiles and exuberant thanks of these boys and girls, who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to experience this exciting and safe sport. A highlight for our club and membership, it is our hope we may continue to provide this valuable experience to Scout youth, well into the future.

Creek, watershed and roadway cleanup

May 11, 2017

Cleanup Conservation Project

Each spring and summer, the membership of BDHACC engages in multiple cleanup projects around our community. Whether it be roadside trash pickup, attacking debris and overgrowth of spawning areas or locating and working with local townships to clean up areas which have been used as dumping grounds by callous residents and contractors, this simple but time consuming act is an exceptional “first step” to improving our local forests and wetlands.

Turtle Nesting Project 2017

Apr 30, 2017

Turtle nesting project

During 2017 and moving forward, BDHACC is investing considerable effort to establishing new turtle nesting grounds throughout Simcoe County. Currently with locations in Innisfil, Springwater and Barrie, this effort is well underway. Negotiations regarding additional locations in Sprinwater and Oro are ongoing.

Many will have seen Ontario turtles on the sides of roads and highways. The sand/gravel we line our roads with is a preferred nesting material, providing an ideal substance for turtles to lay their eggs. Turtle crossing signs abound throughout the province, warning us to take care in areas that these animals frequently traverse during laying season. Despite this, a significant number of turtles are injured and killed on roadways, as they cross to and from nesting areas to their primary habitats. The purpose of this specific effort, is to provide optimal nesting material in those areas which A) have existing and active turtle populations and B) which will help prevent migration across a roadway in order to reach optimal nesting material.

Turtle nesting project

Young Conservation Champion Award 2017

Apr 27, 2017

Young Conservation Champion Award

The Young Conservation Champion award went to the Barrie District Hunters and Anglers Conservation Club Youth Program.

Based in Springwater Township, this group has been very active in conservation efforts, making and install bird and duck boxes, planting vegetable gardens and sharing the fresh produce with local shelters, conducting roadside and streamside clean-ups, and planting flowers to support declining bee and monarch butterfly species, among other initiatives.

Mary Pickford Trophy 2017

Mar 31, 2017

For the fourth time over the past 57 years, the Barrie District Anglers & Hunters Conservation Club has won the Mary Pickford Trophy.

In 2016, with the help of the Rotary Club of Barrie, they were able to purchase and plant 10,000 trees throughout the club’s 247 acres of land. The Youth Program planted an additional 150 trees. Along with spending over 160 man-hours working on deer feeders, duck boxes, bat boxes, bird feeders, and mineral blocks, they also organized numerous conservation events.The club spent countless hours working on stream improvements on Aunt Maggie’sCreek that helps improve Brown Trout and Speckle Trout habitats.They helped with the Rotary Fish Festival, Teach-a-Kid Fishing Day, a Scout Biathlon and a Pitch-In clean-up day and continue to be committed to conservation in Barrie and the surrounding area.