Angler / scientist Gary Christie joins AWARE Simcoe bloggers

AWARE News Network

AWARE Simcoe is pleased to welcome Gary Christie, an accomplished angler and knowledgeable biologist, to our organization’s lineup of bloggers.

Gary, who has been president of the Nottawasaga Steelheaders since 2001, and a member of this conservation-minded group of anglers since 1996, will share his views on the health of the river, its tributaries and the watershed.

Gary has been actively involved in efforts to preserve the integrity of the Nottawasaga River watershed with the support of and in partnership with various communities, the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority and various Ministry of Natural Resources departments in Ontario including Midhurst, Owen Sound and Thunder Bay.

Receiving a Bachelors of Biology from York University in 1976, Gary has been employed in the biotech industry delivering specialized instrumentation and reagents in clinical diagnostics, academic and DNA-related research to hospital and university laboratories.

He has been fishing the Nottawasaga River since 1967. He has fished for steelhead, rainbow and salmon across Canada and the US and has always had a passion for the Notty and to do something positive.

The Nottawasaga Steelheaders have been working with the NVCA and MNR to improve, rehabilitate and preserve the integrity of various tributaries of the Nottawasaga River watershed over the past 20 years. During this time they have removed numerous barriers to fish migration, undertaken countless garbage pick-ups, tree plantings, stream-bank stabilizations, cold-water delivery projects, spawning ground improvements and commitments to ensure the survival of wild species in this watershed such as wild steelhead and the preservation of the watershed’s unique and interdependent bio-diversity.

The Nottawasaga Steelheaders have also worked with watershed communities to enhance awareness of critical conservation issues. They have also undertaken various projects to tackle the growing challenges of a rapidly growing population and its impact on such a vital watershed as the Nottawasaga River.

Gary’s first blog looks at the high-value fishery in the Pine River, and the threat presented by the Everett Secondary Plan.