The Friends of Laurier Woods will host Jeremy St. Onge, Professor, School of Environmental Studies & Biotechnology, Canadore College as the guest speaker at its Annual General Meeting on Thursday, April 12th, 6-9 p.m at the Rorab Shrine Club, 1260 Brookes Street, North Bay. He will be sharing his presentation “A Year of living off the Land”.
St. Onge enjoys time spent outdoors camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, and rambling with friends and family.
From a young age, he was particularly interested in traditional knowledge, woods craft, and wild edibles. Later this interest focused on edible wild mushrooms. Over the past two years, he has been sharing outdoors experiences on his growing YouTube channel where he is known as One Wildcrafter.
He has collaborated with friends and fellow YouTuber, The Wooded Beardsman on many filmed outdoor adventures including a 5- and 7-day “Wilderness Living Challenge” being outdoors and eating wild foods from blueberries to bear and snails to skunk.
In the summer of 2017, Jeremy extended one of these wild food challenges to 35 days. In 2019 he and his girlfriend, Delphanie plan to bring all of their gained knowledge to bear on a year-long wild food eating experiment. They will focus on traditional food collection and preparation, sourcing seasonal abundance, storing surplus, and exploring flavours with natural spices.
The evening will begin with a reception at 6 and dinner at 6:30 pm. The Friends of Laurier Woods business meeting will run from 7:30-8, followed by the guest speaker. During the business meeting the Board of Directors, consisting of 21 volunteer members, is elected for the year. New members, those interested in the protection of this provincially significant wetland, are always welcome. Board members serve for a minimum one-year term and may also participate in any of the committees established to oversee the planning and development of this 240-acre site.
Laurier Woods Conservation Area, within the heart of the City of North Bay, is owned and managed in partnership by the Friends of Laurier Woods and the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority. The Conservation Area, encompassing a provincially significant wetland, rocky outcrops, and upland forest, is a sanctuary to a broad range of wetland and woodland creatures, including migrating birds. An 8km trail network spans the site offering excellent opportunities for hiking and nature appreciation.
Tickets for the Annual General Meeting dinner are $30/person and must be purchased in advance at the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority, 15 Janey Ave., Mayne Travel, 173 Main St., W., or online at www.laurierwoods.com.