It is with great sadness that we have to tell members about the passing of Doug Ratz. Doug was one of the original members of Friends of the Grand River, and he was instrumental in organizing FOGR and Ontario Streams following a separation of members from the local Trout Unlimited chapter. It was Doug who got both groups incorporated so the groundwork was laid for the future. He spent many years in construction before becoming a teacher, and his basement workshop in Elora was the source of bird boxes, garbage kiosks, access signage and all manner of other environmental improvements. Before his involvement with FOGR and following a long campaign against a proposed dam on the Grand upstream of West Montrose, a group of like-minded environmentalists, including Doug, founded the Elora Centre for Environmental Excellence. Doug’s love of the Grand was pursued because it was right. He was an angler, but he would rather be fishing for walleye in the Bay of Quinte. So he organized tree planting – thousands of trees. He looked after the swans in the Irvine and the Grand in Elora, even strong-arming FOGR members into an end-of-season roundup of swans with gigantic salmon nets. As one of the original members of the Grand River Fish Management Plan Implementation Committee, Doug was there when the group was presented with the Province of Ontario’s Amethyst Award of Excellence. He also received MNR’s Bruce Buckland Conservation Award as a result of an FOGR nomination. If you use the access points on County Road 18 – County Road 29 (Hydro Lines) and Cedar Run, thank Doug for negotiating the setback parking areas. Likewise at The Trestle, Doug negotiated that access with the County of Wellington. Doug maintained an interest in FOGR until the end. In failing health, he had to give up on his motorbike some years ago and fishing became a thing of the past. But he was still out to this year’s AGM in April. Doug will be missed by many of us, and he’ll be missed by the Grand River. The Board will send condolences to Gwelda, his wife of 51 years. A celebration of his life will be held at a future date. Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to the Heart & Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Diabetes Association or a charity of your choice through the funeral home website .
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 01:23:23 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015