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FMF, FCM et Covid 19

Chers amis et supporteurs,

Nul ne peut prédire ni le temps ni les effets que la quarantaine que nous nous imposons, la distanciation sociale, le stress économique, les directives gouvernementales ou les fermetures de commerces auront sur nos vies ou sur notre travail à la Fondation Massawippi et la Fiducie de conservation Massawippi.

Notre Conseil d’administration a récemment établi un Plan B pour nos activités à venir dans les prochains mois.  C’est ce que nous aimerions partager avec vous.

• Notre AGA est planifiée pour se tenir comme à chaque année au Hall Vachon le 27 juin 2020. Si cela ne s’avérait pas possible, elle se tiendrait à distance en utilisant Zoom. L’Avis et l’ordre du jour pour la réunion seront envoyés électroniquement et vous recevrez à ce moment là les instructions pour participer à distance à la réunion.
• La conférence de presse du 29 juin pour annoncer la finalisation de l’acquisition de la propriété Eberts a été reportée à une date ultérieure
• La Fiducie travaille actuellement sur l’acquisition de deux propriétés détenues par des propriétaires différents   . Les deux transactions seront finalisées  au cours des prochains mois. Une première propriété d’une superficie de 7 acres située en bordure du lac au cœur de la montagne du côté ouest du lac est adjacente à  2 propriétés déjà détenues par la Fiducie Massawippi. La seconde propriété ayant une superficie de 4 acres est adjacente à une propriété de la Fiducie Massawippi dans le secteur Checkerberry. Les fonds nécessaires  sont disponibles. Les deux transactions  devraient être conclues d’ici la fin de l’année civile  Nous avions espéré introduire cet été un programme éducatif lié aux propriétés de la Fiducie Massawippi mais l’échéance a été reportée en 2021.
• L’inauguration de la Plage Ethan est prévue pour le 1^er août 2020. Le Conseil d’administration décidera un mois avant si la célébration d’ouverture est maintenue ou reportée à une date ultérieure. Vous serez avisés quand une décision aura été prise.
• Nous sommes conscients   que l’impact de la COVID-19 sur les marchés financiers pourraient  avoir pour conséquence de réduire votre capacité à contribuer financièrement à notre cause  cette année  À cet égard nous avons ajusté notre budget annuel à cette nouvelle réalité et prévoyons contrôler nos dépenses en conséquence. Malgré tout nous avons besoin de votre support, tant financier que moral, et nous espérons pouvoir compter sur vous pour les deux.
• Nous allons continuer à construire des sentiers au cours de l’été mais nous allons réduire la cadence, c’est-à-dire une saison écourtée et moins d’employés. Nous considérons que nous avons une obligation  vis à vis nos formidables constructeurs de sentiers qui ont travaillé pour nous ces 5 dernières années. Toutefois considérant  que l’aménagement de sentiers n’est pas une activité essentielle, ce travail ne sera peut-être pas autorisé.
• Lors de la réunion du Conseil d’administration du mois de février, le Conseil a décidé d’embaucher un employé à temps partiel pour occuper le poste de Directeur  communautaire .Son  principal mandat sera de constituer une  banque de données électroniques et de faire de la sollicitation en ligne pour fins de collecte  de fonds. La description de poste est jointe. Si vous  connaissez quelqu’un qui a le profil pour se joindre à l’organisation veuillez l’encourager à   postuler.  En bref, nous voulons vous dire que nous sommes désireux de poursuivre notre mission et  travail par tous les moyens possibles durant cette période assez exceptionnelle. Nous espérons que vous resterez en sécurité et en santé jusqu’à ce que nous nous rencontrions à nouveau en personne.

Sincèrement

Patterson Webster, présidente du Conseil

Margot Heyerhoff, présidente et directrice exécutive

_____________________________

Dear Supporters and Friends,

    None of us knows the timeline or the effect that self-isolation, social distancing, economic stress, government regulations or business closures will have on our lives or on the work of the Massawippi Foundation and Massawippi Conservation Trust.

    Our Board of Directors recently set up a Plan B for our activities over the coming months that we would like to share with you.

• Our AGM is planned to take place as usual at Vachon Hall on June 27^th, 2020 but if that is not possible, it will be held remotely using Zoom.  The Notice and Agenda for the meeting will go out to you electronically and you will be given instructions at that time on how to attend the meeting remotely.
• The June 29^th Press Conference to announce the completion of the Eberts acquisition has been postponed until a later date.
• The Trust has two conservation projects in the works that will be completed as planned.  One project consists of 7 acres with lakefront in the heart of the mountain that connects two previously conserved properties on the west side of the lake.  The second 4 acre property is located above and contiguous to our conserved property on Checkerberry. Committed funds are in place and the two properties should be under conservation before the end of the calendar year. 
• We had hoped to introduce an educational programme on our conserved lands this summer but this has been deferred until 2021.
• The opening of Ethan’s Beach is scheduled for August 1^st, 2020.  The Board will decide a month in advance whether to hold this celebration then or to postpone for another time.  We will advise you once a decision has been made.
• We are very sensitive to the fact that the economic impact of Covid 19 may reduce your capacity to make a donation this year, and we are controlling our expenditures accordingly. We need your support though, both financial and moral, and hope we can count on you for both.
• We will continue trail building this season on a reduced scale, with a shorter season and fewer employees, fulfilling what we think is an obligation to the outstanding trail builders who have worked for us for the last five years.  Since trail building is a non-essential activity, work may not be permitted. 
• At our February Board Meeting, the Board agreed to hire a part-time employee to serve as a Community Engagement Manager.  We still plan to do so, with the job’s priority to inform and build our constituency electronically and use on-line approaches for fundraising.  The job description is attached in case you know of someone who would be a good fit with our organization and whom you might encourage to apply.

    In short, we want you to know that we are open for business and continuing our work in every way possible during these quite exceptional times.  We hope that you all stay healthy and safe until we can meet again in person.

Yours truly,

Patterson Webster, Chair                                                                    

Margot Heyerhoff, President

(Une traduction française informelle apparaît dans un post ultérieur. Bien qu’il n’ait pas reçu l’approbation explicite de l’auteur, ce dernier souhaite que le document soit largement diffusé. – administrateur)

As an infectious disease epidemiologist (albeit a junior one), I feel morally obligated to provide information on what we are seeing from a transmission dynamic perspective and how it applies to the social distancing measures. Like any good scientist, I have noticed two things that are either not well articulated or not present in the “literature” of online media. I have also relied on other infectious disease epidemiologists for peer review of this piece.

Specifically, I want to make two aspects of these distancing measures very clear and unambiguous.

First, we are in the very infancy of this epidemic’s trajectory. That means that even with these measures in place, we will see cases and deaths continue to rise globally, nationally, and in our own communities. This may lead some to think that the social distancing measures are not working. They are. They may feel futile. They aren’t. You will feel discouraged. You should. This is normal in chaos. This is the normal epidemic trajectory. Stay calm.

The enemy we are facing is very good at what it does; we are not failing. We need everyone to hold the line as the epidemic inevitably gets worse. This is not an opinion. This is the unforgiving math of epidemics for which I and my colleagues have dedicated our lives to understanding with great nuance, and this disease is no exception. Stay strong and in solidarity knowing that what you are doing is saving lives, even as people continue getting sick and dying. You may feel like giving in. Don’t.

You should perceive your entire family to function as a single individual unit: if one person puts themselves at risk, everyone in the unit is at risk.

Second, although social distancing measures have been (at least temporarily) well received, there is an obvious-but-overlooked phenomenon when considering groups (i.e. households) in transmission dynamics. While social distancing decreases contact with members of society, it of course increases contact within a group (i.e. family). This small and obvious fact has surprisingly profound implications on disease transmission dynamics. The basic mechanics of this mathematical principle dictate that even if there is only a little bit of additional connection between groups (i.e. social dinners, playdates, unnecessary trips to the store, etc.), the epidemic likely won’t be much different than if there was no measure in place. The same underlying fundamentals of disease transmission apply, and the result is that the community is left with all of the social and economic disruption but very little public health benefit.

You should perceive your entire family to function as a single individual unit: If one person puts themselves at risk, everyone in the unit is at risk. Seemingly small social chains get large and complex with alarming speed. If your son visits his girlfriend, and you later sneak over for coffee with a neighbor, your neighbor is now connected to the infected office worker that your son’s girlfriend’s mother shook hands with. This sounds silly, it’s not. This is not a joke or hypothetical. We as epidemiologists see it borne out in the data time and time again. Conversely, any break in that chain breaks disease transmission along that chain.

In contrast to hand-washing and other personal measures, social distancing measures are not about individuals, they are about societies working in unison. These measures also require sustained action before results are evident. It is hard (even for me) to conceptualize how on a population level ‘one quick little get together’ can undermine the entire framework of a public health intervention, but it can. I promise you it can. I promise. I promise. I promise. You can’t cheat it. 

People are already itching to cheat on the social distancing precautions just a “little”- a short playdate, a quick haircut, or picking up a needless item from the store. From a transmission dynamics standpoint, this very quickly recreates a highly connected social network that undermines much of the good work our communities have done thus far.

This outbreak will not be overcome in one grand, sweeping gesture, but rather by the collection of individual choices we make in the coming months. 

This virus is unforgiving to unwise choices. As this epidemic continues, it will be easy to be drawn to the idea that what we are doing isn’t working and we may feel compelled to “cheat” with unnecessary breaches of social distancing measures. By knowing what to expect, and knowing the critical importance of maintaining these measures, my hope is to encourage continued community spirit and strategizing to persevere in this time of uncertainty.

Written by

Jonathan Smith

Infectious disease epidemiologist at Yale University, focusing on the dynamics of disease transmission.