GBA Update Spring 2025

CHAMPION OF THE BAY

2024 Champions Of The Bay Association Winners

By Katherine Denune, Chair, Guardians of the Bay Committee

GBA’s Champions of the Bay Committee is thrilled to announce each Association’s 2024 Champion of the Bay. We are honoured to recognize the outstanding contributions of these 16 stewards representing our Associations from Honey Harbour in the south to the Bay of Islands in the north. We hope you help us celebrate these incredible Champions in your community!

Bay Of Islands Community Association Celesta Bjornson & Sheila Williams

Bayfield Nares Islanders’ Association Anne Stewart

In 2017, Sheila Williams and Celesta Bjornson conceived the “Love Your Bay Day” initiative. This initiative began as a monumental shoreline clean-up effort and has taken root

Anne’s love of the environment is apparent for all who know her. She said it’s her love of clear, clean water and fresh air that is the essence of Georgian Bay. She is deeply involved with many volunteer

efforts including spearheading phragmites removal and management efforts, hosting stewardship parties and educational and cultural cottage association events, advocacy on dock construction and polystyrene, septic waste and hazardous waste advocacy, water testing under the Lake Partner Program and other studies. Anne doesn’t just talk about these projects, she gets involved herself! – Nichola Martin In addition, Anne served as a BNIA board member and volunteer for 16 years and was GBA representative for eight years. Cognashene Cottagers’ Association Sandy Thompson (GBF) to map and support the community in cutting and managing phragmites in Cognashene and Honey Harbour. Sandy promoted cottager involvement by organizing a volunteer program of teams to remove the invasive reed. In addition to her phragmites management, she has led shoreline clean-ups, volunteered as a member of GBF’s Say No to Dock Foam Committee, educated folks about microfibre pollution, spread the word about GBF’s Families for Change program and written articles for GBF’s newsletter. – Heather Sargeant Sandy served on the CCA board for seven years and was a dedicated board member who was passionate about making our part of the Bay a better, more environmentally sustainable place. – Rolfe Jones Sandy Thompson was one of the very first community leaders to strongly recognize that invasive phragmites pose and are a threat to the health of Georgian Bay (more than nine years ago). She helped develop a summer student program in collaboration with Georgian Bay Forever

as an ongoing environmental stewardship program in the Bay of Islands community. In Celesta’s words, “Due to our community’s location at the far eastern end of the North Channel and the prevailing west winds, our Bay collects garbage, mostly in the form of Styrofoam, derelict docks and plastic in our west-facing bays.” Sheila and Celesta applied for and received a grant from the Great Lakes Guardian Trust to help pay for a collection bin on the Whitefish River First Nation mainland for easy collection. Love Your Bay Day continues to be an ongoing stewardship day in the Bay of Islands and has since spread to many associations in the GBA. Blackstone Lake Cottagers Association In Memoriam - Carolyn Rymell Over the course of 30 years, Carolyn Rymell served as a BLCA president, a GBA director, a Georgian Bay Land Trust (GBLT) director and a volunteer steward for GBLT’s Oldfield Lake Reserve, a record that is not likely to be surpassed. – Rob Moos Carolyn’s passion and dedication to the Land Trust properties around Blackstone will always be in my memory. She explained the history with humour and pride to all who had an interest. She would make at least one hiking trip per year around the properties. – Cheryl Ward Carolyn has been our environmental champion for decades. Whatever the environmental topic, she gently invited others to get involved. – Erik Mathiesen

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GBA UPDATE • Spring 2025