Protocol for Visiting FOMB Sharp-tailed Grouse
Observation Blind
The Friends of Misery Bay (FOMB) provide opportunities for the public to
view a long-standing Sharp-tailed Grouse (S-t G) lek at the Gore Bay-Manitoulin
Airport. They have installed a permanent wooden observation blind (OB) on
the leased property to continue the popular observation program initiated
many years ago by Reta and Steve Hall. The Airport is approximately 9 km
southwest of Gore Bay, Manitoulin Island, Ontario, off Highway 540 in the
direction of Barrie Island, as marked by roadway signs. The observation
blind can only be accessed when accompanied by a designated guide from the
FOMB. Arrangements for viewing access cannot be made through the Manager of
the Airport or other Airport staff, only through FOMB. The blind has rough
wooden benches and burlap curtains over the viewing ports. We recommend that
visitors bring a bean bag for the ledge of a viewing port to steady cameras,
lenses or spotting scopes. The grouse commonly are active within a few feet
of the structure. The OB structure can serve only 10 visitors at a time.
Groups larger than that will have to divide into smaller groups and take
turns of about one to two-hour intervals each in the OB. A leader will
accompany each group to the OB where visitors will remain quietly inside
with the leader until time to walk to the shuttle vehicle for return to the
Airport Terminal Building (ATB).
Arrangements for Use. Reservations for use of the OB should be
made on or before March 10, 2012, by email or telephone with Tom Moore, Ann
Arbor, Michigan, 734-665-0276 (temoore@umich.edu).
Access will not be granted without prior reservation. For questions
regarding your reservation after March 10, contact both Local Coordinator
Sylvia Kemp, Gore Bay, 705-282-3023 (smkandjmf@gmail.com)
AND Tom Moore. The days available for observing the grouse in 2012 will be
the weekends (Sat. & Sun.) of March 31-April 1, April 7 8 (Easter
weekend), April 14-15, April 21-22, and April 28-29.
Times of Operation. The OB will be available for use by groups
and individuals for only limited hours during those designated weekends,
plus perhaps a selected one or two other days by special arrangement.
Sharp-tailed Grouse normally are lekking in this area between mid March and
the end of April. The times of day for using the OB will be approximately
5:30 to 9:30 AM, and only during supervised hours depending on weather and
the activity of these grouse. The peak activity of lekking behaviour and use
of the OB are anticipated to occur most years during the middle two or three
weekends of April. The specific days and hours of operation will be as
announced annually on the FOMB website (www.miserybay.org).
Arrival and Parking. Visitors should arrive at the Gore Bay
Manitoulin Airport parking lot by 5:30 am, park their vehicles, and remain
in the parking lot, the immediate area around the Airport Terminal Building
(ATB), or inside it. Visitors must not enter the active air traffic space
beyond the gates and fences on their own. A member of the FOMB will arrive
by the announced beginning time and open the Air Terminal Building where
washrooms, a warm beverage, and a complimentary light continental breakfast
will be available while waiting for ones turn in the OB. There will be FOMB
volunteers present to assist visitors.
There are no warming or washroom facilities at or near the remote
unheated OB. Come prepared. Visitors can expect to be at the OB for about
one to three hours before returning to the ATB.
Shuttle to the Observation Blind. The OB is quite remote from the
ATB and hangar areas, east of a paved auxiliary landing strip. It is not
permissible for individuals to walk or drive there beyond the ATB on their
own. A designated driver and vehicle (with magnetic-mounted amber strobe
light, active whenever moving), will be available to shuttle visitors in
small groups from the ATB to the edge of the auxiliary landing strip within
walking distance to the OB. The terrain between the landing strip and the OB
is uneven, rocky and grassy and may be snow- or water-covered in places. The
walking distance is about 280 m. So that the birds are not disturbed,
visitors should be as quiet as possible while in the OB, or walking to and
from it.
Waiting Your Turn or for Group Departure. Visitors should remain
in the ATB and its immediate area and outside of the fenced active air
service areas, or in the public parking area adjacent to the ATB while
waiting for their turn in the OB or for departure from the ATB.
Fees and Acknowledgment. The fee for use of the OB for whatever
period available each day is $26.00 per day per person. This fee must be
paid to the FOMB before transportation by shuttle to the OB. Materials
published as a result of use of our facility should acknowledge the Friends
of Misery Bay Observation Blind, Gore Bay, ON, and we would appreciate
receiving notification of the published reference. If visual or audio
records of breeding activities recorded here are later sold by visitors,
FOMB will appreciate receiving an additional payment for the commercial use.
Garbage and Refuse, Lost Items. There are no public garbage or
refuse facilities at or near the OB or in the ATB for S-t G lek visitors to
use, so visitors need to carry out everything brought into the ATB and OB.
Whatever is to be discarded must be managed elsewhere to protect flight
operations safety. The FOMB and the Airport staff are not responsible for
items lost or left behind.
Visitor Accommodations. Restaurant and overnight accommodations
in the Gore Bay area can be found on the web at
www.gorebay.ca. Visitors should make their own overnight and regular
meal arrangements.
Donations. The Friends of Misery Bay welcome contributions toward
maintenance and continuation of this observation program. A donation box
will be available in the ATB, or contribution checks payable to FOMB can be
forwarded directly to the Treasurer, Friends of Misery Bay, P.O. Box 114,
Gore Bay, ON P0P 1H0, ON, Canada. The FOMB is a registered non-profit
charity, eligible for income tax deductions in both Canada and the United
States (www.miserybay.org).
Acknowledgments. The FOMB is grateful to LAMBAC for a grant to
help initiate this project, to Rob Saint for constructing the observation
blind, to Bill Oldenburg for alterations to the observation blind, to Robby
Colwell, Gore bay Airport Manager, for assistance on many aspects, and to
other FOMB supporters for advice and for financial contributions that have
helped make this project a success.
