2025-May-13

Announcing Your 2024 Champions of the Bay!

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 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!

ASSOCIATION WINNERS

CELESTA BJORNSON & SHEILA WILLIAMS – Bay of Islands Community Association

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 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. 

IN MEMORIAM – CAROLYN RYMELL – Blackstone Lake Cottagers Association

“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 everyone interested. 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

ANNE STEWART – Bayfield Nares Islanders’ Association

“Anne’s love of the environment is apparent to 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. 

SANDY THOMPSON – Cognashene Cottagers’ Association

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 (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

JAMIE DRAYTON – Manitou Association

Jamie Drayton was the first chair of GBA’s Guardians of the Bay Committee, with the initiative to capture the stories and commitment of cottagers to preserving the beautiful Georgian Bay environment. Since his time on GBA, this committee has created a mini documentary series and is starting the annual Champion of the Bay Award. In addition to his service to GBA, Jamie has volunteered with GBF to cut phragmites and always leads and encourages his family in shoreline clean-up efforts. Jamie has served as the president of the Manitou Association and has inspired young people to get involved with the association. 

LAND STEWARDSHIP COMMITTEE – Madawaska Club of Go Home Bay

The Land Stewardship Committee included Doug Grundy, George Lougheed, Barb Zimmerman, Tony Pigott, Patsy Cross and Jim Rusak. “This group of six Go Homers worked diligently for over six years to create consensus within the Madawaska Club to place an easement on our lands to be preserved in perpetuity. This took a massive amount of time, including informing the Mad Club members, preparing endless legal documents, and bringing them to the community for a vote. There was firm community support, and now 1,500 acres of our lands are in an easement with the Georgian Bay Land Trust.” – Jan Wishart

IN MEMORIAM – HARVEY MIERKE JR – Northern Georgian Bay Association

“Harvey’s commitment to preserving the environment and dedication to our NGBA community made him the perfect role model for all. Professor Pat Chow Fraser was among the scientists, along with her graduate students, who spent time researching wetlands and the muskie species in our area. Harvey provided them with accommodation and transportation and encouraged other association members to do the same. Harvey helped establish the NGBA and became our first president. He was a tireless communicator of all things relating to the GBA and ended up a GBA Director from 2005-2012.” – Freda Klassen

TOM SCOON – Pointe au Baril Islanders’ Association

“My primary reason for nominating Tom as a Champion of the Bay is to recognize his energetic leadership of the GBLT. Tom is a past president and member of the GBLT board of directors. By ensuring numerous parcels of land remain undeveloped, including valuable, vulnerable wetlands, Tom has guaranteed future generations can enjoy a Bay filled with wildlife, forests, wind-swept islands and swamps.” – Andrew Willis

Tom has been involved with GBLT for over 20 years and has served as the chair of the Stewardship and Land Protection committees, vice president, president and currently serves as an advisor. In addition to his commitments with the Land Trust, Tom was the president of the Pointe au Baril Islanders’ Association for three years. 

GREGG SCOTT – Sans Souci & Copperhead Association

Gregg Scott has a real talent and passion for encouraging young people to get involved in local stewardship efforts. When Gregg hears that someone has an environmental interest, he speaks up and finds them the right people to connect with. As a member of the SSCA, Gregg eagerly became a founding member of the Sans Souci Islands Stewards, a new community effort to care for and monitor two well-used Crown land islands. Beyond his association, Gregg has been a long-term volunteer for the Georgian Bay Land Trust as a steward of the American Camp Islands. He is always happy to share about his role and describe the beauty of the Land Trust islands.

Gregg has also helped form strong ties between his beloved Iron City Fishing Club (ICFC) community and the GB4 organizations. In 2009, Gregg formed the Georgian Bay Community Liaison Committee at ICFC to support the GB4 and develop educational programming that could be shared with ICFC and friends. Since then, the committee has hosted nature hikes, rock walks, an Indigenous canoe build demonstration, an electric outboard demo, phragmites removal efforts and many other environmental and historical presentations. 

IAN FENTON – South Channel Association

Ian Fenton has been an innovative and dedicated member of the SCA Executive team, serving as Treasurer and with the Environment Committee. Notably, over the past several years, Ian has helped strengthen the SCA’s support of the Georgian Bay Biosphere, resulting in sponsorship of GBB’s State of the Bay publication and an annual community bioblitz in Squirrel’s Cove. Ian is passionate about keeping our shorelines free of Styrofoam and derelict docks. Last year, Ian organized a very well-attended derelict dock clean-up in collaboration with Wasauksing First Nation to remove several large docks. In addition, Ian continues to actively monitor the status of phragmites and volunteers as a steward for the Lake Partners Program, collecting water samples near the Wasauksing Swing Bridge. 

BRETT HARRIS – Twelve Mile Bay Community Association

“Brett Harris is the Twelve Mile Bay Community Association president and a GBA board member. Brett organized a major dock clean-up day to remove derelict docks along our shorelines. He gathered a team of cottagers with boats to collect over a dozen old docks that had been abandoned and towed them to a central location, where he then used a tractor to pull the docks out of the water. His incredible efforts made it possible for the Township of Georgian Bay to come and haul the docks away.” – Jim McPherson

IN MEMORIAM – COLIN DOBELL – Wah Wah Taysee Association

“Colin championed this on our behalf when he founded the Water Level Alliance to raise efforts to stop dropping water levels and stop the invasion to eliminate phragmites. On a personal level, Colin was one of the most beloved in our small community of Wah Way Taysee. He grew up there, he flourished there, and his indomitable spirit and ever-present smile will forever be missed by those of us who knew him.” – Allison Groten

“With his recent passing, the Bay has lost a long-time advocate and volunteer.” – Ann Bowman

RICHARD WILSON – West Carling Association

Several years ago, Richard realized there was a blank space in the phragmites mapping in the West Carling area. Richard took it upon himself to learn all about phragmites and partnered with Georgian Bay Forever to personally boat past all the shorelines in the Carling area. Since then, Richard has organized annual community phragmites cuts on Franklin Island to eliminate several large patches of phragmites. “From his work on the Board of the West Carling Association to his work with Georgian Bay Forever and the Georgian Bay Association, Richard always steps up to the plate with a friendly smile on his face.” – Briana Zur

IN MEMORIAM – DON CLEMENT – West Carling Association

“One of the things that set Don apart from the crowd was that he was a giver. That’s a pretty scarce commodity in today’s society.” – Bruce Davidson

“Don volunteered to assist in finding a suitable location for an osprey platform in the Snake Islands and offered to use his new pontoon boat to transport the materials. His love for ospreys has inspired the WCA board to build a new osprey nest in his honour. Don’s sense of community inspired many others to get involved with the WCA board.” – Allison Needham

JULIA WEBSTER – Wood’s Bay Community Association 

Julia is on the Wood’s Bay Community Association board and has volunteered with the Georgian Bay Biosphere for several years, supporting their Kids in the Biosphere program. This year, she organized a family hands-on workshop with GBB called ‘If Skulls Could Talk.’ Julia has also organized creative events in collaboration with the Friends of Massasauga Park, the Township of the Archipelago, and White Squall. 

In addition, Julia works with a team of WBCA volunteers to manage the association’s 16 fire pumps, many of which are owned by the association. Each spring, they visit each fire pump to ensure it is in working order and has all its necessary components in its boxes, marked and visible from the water. At WBCA’s AGM,​​ each year, Julia and her team demonstrate how to use a fire pump, all of which are the same type and model and allow members of the association to practice using one.

KATHRYN DAVIS – Honey Harbour Association

Kathryn Davis’s initial concern for an aggressive weed on her beach led her to become Honey Harbour’s tireless leader in eradicating phragmites. Kathryn was instrumental in educating her community on the danger of invasive phragmites and spent many summers going dock-to-dock to raise awareness and hours in the water cutting phragmites. Her efforts to help develop a student ambassador program with Georgian Bay Forever (GBF) helped structure the way we manage phragmites throughout Georgian Bay.

Kathryn was selected as GBA’s first ever overall Champion of the Bay.

Read an interview with Kathryn about her phragmites work here.

Join the Celebration!

Do you know someone who is making a difference?

GBA’s Champion of the Bay Award recognizes our outstanding community members who actively steward Georgian Bay and promote environmental well-being.

Anyone can nominate a deserving individual, and no effort is too small, so don’t hesitate to nominate someone who is making an impact in your community!

Learn more about the award and nominate your Champion here.