Friends of Wabakimi

01/16/2025

Nine days until the Hamilton Adventure Expo! FOW will be there along with 50+ other vendors/exhibitors, and guest speakers and musicians.
Saturday January 25th, 10am - 6pm, Ancaster Fairgrounds.
https://www.hamiltonadventureexpo.com/

01/13/2025

Lots more information about Year 2 of the FOW Woodland Caribou Survey Project.

Caribou Conservation in Action: Kickoff to Year 2 of the FOW Caribou Project.Sunday, January 12, 2025Presenter: Kate Prince (FOW Caribou Project ManageLearn ...

01/12/2025

Join us for a webinar tonight! See details below.

Join us for the Year 2 kickoff of the Wabakimi Boreal Caribou Citizen Monitoring Project! You'll learn about the project’s goals, and activities planned for 2025. Discover how you can contribute as a paddler—whether by joining a survey trip or sharing your own observations from personal canoe trips in Wabakimi. Hear firsthand experiences from previous volunteers and enjoy videos showcasing caribou surveys in action.

We’ll discuss what’s involved in volunteering for survey trips and how you can help document caribou in the Wabakimi area. We’ll also cover the application and training process and detail what to expect during a caribou survey trip.

Whether you're new to the project or looking to continue your involvement, this is your chance to ask questions and learn about getting involved in 2025!

Caribou Conservation in Action: Kickoff to Year 2 of the FOW Caribou Project.
Time: 6:00 pm CST / 7:00 pm EST
Presenter: Kate Prince (FOW Caribou Project Manager)

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81411269055
Meeting ID: 814 1126 9055

01/10/2025

https://www.wabakimi.org/current-newsletter.html

January 10, 2025 FOW Newsletter,, please use link above.
---
In This Issue
--Caribou Project Applications Open!
--Upcoming Shows!
--Two Upcoming Webinars!
--Park Project Fundraiser Success!
--Kevin Wild Wabakimi Video Highlight!

01/10/2025

Happy New Year! Our first Newsletter of 2025 is out now.

In this Edition:
• Caribou Project Applications Open
• Upcoming Shows
• Upcoming Webinars
• Park Project Fundraiser Success
• Kevin Wild Wabakimi Video Highlight

Don't forget to subscribe to receive our newsletters if you haven't already!

November 19, 2024 Friends of Wabakikmi Newsletter

12/28/2024

2024 Wabakimi Highlights

* Caribou Survey Project Year 1. After receiving a large Ontario grant, a project manager was hired and the first group of volunteers conducted three surveys. More surveys are planned for 2025 and 2026.

* Flindt River Portage Improvements, were made by park rangers, and expanded with FOW donations, following the 2023 wildfires.

* 2024 Webinar Series: The Winisk River: A Great Northern Adventure. Fires in Wabakimi 2023. Caribou Chronicles-Year One. I-Naturalist in the Field.

* 2025 Outdoors Shows. In 2024 we were at Canoecopia, Toronto and Iowa Paddlefest. In 2025 we'll be at:
Iowa PaddleFest – Jan 4
Hamilton Adventure Expo –Jan 25
Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show – Feb 21-23
Quiet Adventures Symposium (Lansing, MI) – March 1
CanoeCopia – March 7-9
Ottawa Outdoor Adventure Show- April 26, 27

See us there in person to talk about Wabakimi, wilderness paddling, and our conservation efforts!

Four new Canadian FOW Board members: Petra Nikolau, Corey Dagenais, Lindsey David, Kristen Setala.

Sept. Board Planning Meeting...more to come on this!

2024 Photo & Video Contest. Our third contest once again produced stunning images and videos. See them all here!

Photos
1st Place: Derek So / The Incoming Storm (above)
2nd Place: Maggie Bennedsen / Smoothrock Falls
3rd Place: Rick Galezowski / Early Morning Sun on the Kopka River

Videos:
1st Place: Derek So_WABAKIMI / Experience Boreal Forest Magic
2nd Place: Andrew Ross / Self-guided solo canoe trip through Wabakimi
3rd Place: Alex Kvanli / The Boys

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2024 FOW PHOTO/VIDEO CONTEST WINNERS!! Thanks for all the entries! So many great photos and videos. Photo Winners 1st Place: ...

12/19/2024

https://youtu.be/3837j4Ks_6U

Fundraising and Volunteer help needed!(More info at www.wabakimi.org) --Wabakimi Provincial Park to clean up the mess at Shultz’s Trail, a popular entry poin...

12/09/2024

🌟 Thanks to everyone who has donated to our 2024/2025 Park Project so far! This fundraiser will continue into the new year, so please consider donating if you haven’t already done so.

⚠️Here are more photos from the Schultz’s Trail entry point. This debris is an eyesore and a hazard to paddlers beginning or ending their trip here.

✈️We are partnering with Parks staff to send volunteers in to help clean up and remove this debris. Due to the scale of the mess, it is not possible to haul this garbage out by rail. It will require at least three large capacity Otter float planes to haul out.

🌟Our goal is $10,000 CAD. Help us reach our goal by donating today!

📍Have you been to the Schultz’s Trail landing? We’d love to hear your experience.

DONATE HERE: https://www.wabakimi.org/donate-2024-project.html

11/24/2024

2024/2025 Park Project Fundraiser Request!

Giving Tuesday is coming up soon on December 3rd. Please help us support Wabakimi Provincial Park. This is our main donation request this year!

We're asking for your donation to help support Wabakimi Provincial Park’s and FOW’s ongoing debris clean-up efforts. Our initial goal is to raise $10,000 CAD.

The target this year is the mess at Shultz’s Trail, a popular entry point just off the Via Rail line and Onamakawash Lake (pronounced Oh-na-maw-kay'-wush). A complex of three abandoned structures with debris, broken glass, metal fragments along this portage is a visual eyesore and a hazard to paddlers beginning or ending a canoe trip.

It is not possible to haul this garbage out by rail. It will require at least three large capacity Otter float plane flights to bring out a significant amount of the debris along the trail. These flights will cost $2,500 (CAD) each. We’re also discussing a FOW volunteer effort to assist the cleanup.

Eligible Canadian donors can receive a charitable donation tax receipt for donations over $25 by contributing through Canada Helps. See our Donations page for more details!

Members, check your email inbox for the full fundraiser request!

Dear Wabakimi friends, Your Donations to FOW support the following: ​ 1) 2024/2025 Shultz’s Trail Cleanup. Park Project in cooperation with Wabakimi Provincial Park 2) KZ Lodge...

11/22/2024

Ken Babinchak has shared his collection of Phil Cotton and The Wabakimi Project memories. It's time for a check-in. Please if you were on the Project, say something in the comments. If you weren't we welcome those too. There's a vigorous Friends of Wabakimi because of Phil's vision. Phil left us in May 2018, but our efforts go on; and especially now with our Caribou Project and our efforts with Wabakimi Provincial Park. Much thanks to Vern Fish and our Board of Directors.

A video dedicated to hardworking people who contributed to the efforts of The Wabakimi Project, and its founder Phil Cotton. From 2005 through 2018 teams of ...

11/20/2024

Please take a look at our FOW Newletter:
November 19, 2024 Issue
https://www.wabakimi.org/current-newsletter.html
In This Issue:
--2024/2025 Park Project Fundraiser: Schultz's Trail
--Photo and Video Contest Results
--Wabakimi Caribou Citizen Monitoring Project: Year 1
--FOW and Wabakimimaps.com

11/18/2024

Caribou Chronicles: Year 1 Insights, Achievements and Results
Nov. 17th Webinar. Presenter: Kate Prince, Caribou Project Manager. Photo collage at the beginning. Webinar starts at 4:33. Go to www. wabakimi. org for more info about the project. 24 participants are needed for Year Two.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6y6UMjv8rw

11/17/2024

Join us tonight for our first webinar of the season! See the details for the zoom meeting below.

​Zoom Details:

Meeting ID: 813 7241 5875
Meeting Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81372415875