The Orillia Fish & Game Conservation Club has fought for conservation for over seventy-six years, right from its first meeting in March of 1947. The Club strives to live up to its motto of “Wild Life Unlimited” and to be wise in our use of our natural resources. Now in our seventy-sixth year, our over 100 members are celebrating our past achievements and looking forward to maintaining continuing projects and developing new avenues to reach our conservation goals. The Club is a proud member of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and, through our activities and our membership, promotes our fishing and hunting heritage. We have our “Orillia Fish & Game Conservation Club Deceased Members Bursary” for graduating high school / college & University students continuing their Environmental / Conservation education.

Each year our members work on stream rehabilitation on a tributary of the Coldwater River. During the winter months our club buys and transports feed for deer and Wild Turkeys in deer yards in the surrounding townships. An annual Kid’s Conservation Day is hosted each year by Club members at our Tree Farm where we educate our youth in the sports of Archery, rifle shooting, fishing, Trapping, Falconry and walking our trails identifying various wild plants.

 Fund raising is an important effort for our members to ensure we have adequate funds to continue conservation efforts in our region. We have hosted an annual Wild Game Dinner each winter for the past several years. We have experienced some difficulty in mustering sufficient volunteer assistance to reinstate our Wild Game Dinner due to the recent Pandemic Our Wild Game Dinner has been a major fundraiser for our Club so we hope we can successfully reinstate this important event. Currently another major fundraiser is selling 50/50 tickets at Burl’s Creek Automotive Flea Market which takes place during a Spring Show in early June and again every Fall following Labor Day in Early September. These events require 30 – 40 volunteers each day of the event to successfully cover the entire Burls Creek Event. This is an event where a member may attain many of their required volunteer club hours and have a great time doing so. Meeting and working alongside fellow club members and meeting many great members of the public attending the event. It is really an enjoyable time.

At the 60-acre Langman Sanctuary on the Bass Lake Side Road, we maintain a wetland area for birds and aquatic life and a Conservation Education Centre. Trails for walking, skiing and snowshoeing are open to the public on a year-round basis. Many groups from Scouting and Guiding organizations use the Langman Sanctuary and Education Centre for their outdoor programs. In the past, the OFGCC has promoted conservation with youth through a junior conservation club, Art and Essay Contests and Science Fairs in the local schools. The Club has a ninety-acre tree farm on Bass Lake Side Road where we grow and sell Christmas trees. The property also has a picnic shelter, ponds and both coniferous and deciduous forest for use by our club members and guests. Over the years our Club has proudly been involved with the reintroduction of Wild Turkeys, Hungarian Partridge, and Rainbow Trout fry into our surrounding area. During the 1950’s our members were Deputy Conservation Officers protecting the pickerel run at Gamebridge. The OFGCC successfully fought to keep the lamprey eel out of the Severn River system. We continue to monitor our environment for pollution that requires action.

We are continually monitoring both Provincial and Federal initiatives that are not in the best interests of our environment or sound Conservation practices. Our Club in presently joining voices with fellow sportspersons over the heavy handed and unfair Firearm issues within the Federal Governments Bill 21. We as a club are quite aggressive when we see or hear of issues that may compromise the pledge that we as members jealously protect.