Newsletter: President's Report

NEWSLETTER

This past year our Association has taken steps to follow-up on the priorities of our membership as identified by our previous surveys. We applied for, and received, a South Frontenac Township grant to help determine the viability of a boat washing station to prevent the invasion of aquatic invasive species. We legally changed our Association’s name in order to address the concern that the name appears to not include those members in the West Basin, and after two years of restrictions we are hopeful that we can finally have our AGM in person at the wonderful Loughborough Heritage Orchard. We are also in the process of re-establishing our community events including the Flotilla and are discussing organizing new social events such as a morning coffee and snack meet and greet, a water paddling race, or arranging opportunities to learn new skills such as archery or kayaking. If you have suggestions about an event you think we should consider or if you would like to help out, please let us know.

Along the lines of including everyone, earlier this year I received a phone call from one of the purchasers of a building lot on Johnston Point who was interested in joining the Lake Association but was concerned that our members would not be welcoming due to the controversy over the development.  We talked about the fact that the issue for the Lake Association has never been one of opposition to individual purchasers but rather exasperation with the lack of oversight by authorities responsible for ensuring that the special legal protections which should have been in place for Species At Risk were not respected. We are also very concerned with the repeated refusal of the developer and their biologists to even acknowledge the existence of the numerous Species At Risk on site despite the substantial amount of irrefutable evidence.  Unfortunately, the responsibility for the protection of these species now defaults to the purchasers and we are most grateful for the anticipated new owner’s efforts on behalf of these vulnerable plants and animals.

Above and beyond the covenants already in place, the purchaser also wanted to know what actions their family could additionally take to enhance the environmental protection of their property.  This became a subject of discussion at the following Board meeting. Not surprisingly, we quickly concluded that while uniquely positioned adjacent to not one but two provincially designated significant wetlands, Johnston Point’s delicate ecosystem is in need of particular vigilant attention. However, the measures we would suggest could just as easily apply equally to all cottage and/or homeowners on the lake regardless of the level of sensitivity of their own property.  To that end we are in the process of drafting an information package on our website with practical steps that individuals can take to improve or maintain their properties. This package will be updated on an ongoing basis as needed.

We wish to thank this new owner for reaching out to us and we would like to make it clear that we welcome anyone who is genuinely interested in protection of the lake, whether they are new to the lake or have been here for multiple generations, to join and participate in the Lake Association.

The willingness of lake residents to establish a community that wishes to reduce their impact on the land and water helps to ensure that the beautiful wildness which first drew us to this area will continue to exist for all inhabitants, wildlife and human.

Trees (Do we understand how important they are?)

Do you remember as a child, sitting under a big tree safe from the sun? Perhaps reading, maybe playing with friends, or just sitting and listening to the breeze as it rustles the leaves.  Do you recall the wonder you had as you watched this tree and those around it grow, change colors in the autumn, fall dormant in the winter and come back to life the next summer?

As children we see trees differently.  We see them as majestic beings who allow us to climb them and rest between their branches.  As children we view trees with wonderment. We do not always understand why, but we know they are important. 

Trees are living beings of this planet.  They are the guardians of the soil and the air.  They provide shelter and homes for the birds and animals, not to mention the shade and fascination they provide to little children.

We may understand that trees convert carbon dioxide to sugars and as a biproduct produce oxygen.  We may understand that human impact on this earth has been to create excessive amounts of carbon dioxide thus impacting our climate. But do we view trees as the answer to our climate crisis?  Ok maybe not the only answer but they are an important part of the answer.

 A typical tree can absorb approximately 21 kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year. Over its lifetime one tree could absorb approximately a ton of CO2. So, it is true that if a single tree absorbs approximately 21 kilograms of CO2, then every tree we remove reduces the carbon absorption by the same amount and we now must find alternate ways to deal with that carbon.

Trees also enhance soil health by drawing nitrogen from the air and transferring it to the soil through their roots and leaf litter, replenishing exhausted soils with rich sources of organic nutrients. They can also bring nutrients from deep in the soil to aid crops with shallow roots. Farms that are surrounded by trees require less chemicals to help our food grow.

Trees have a family structure and in a single forest, a Mother Tree can be connected to hundreds of other trees. The Mother Tree sends carbon to other seedlings in the neighborhood as well. Additional research has shown that large hub trees (that we call Mother Trees) transmit carbon through the mycorrhizal network to young seedlings in need.

So, while planting one tree may not seem like it makes much of a difference, keep in mind that it is the beginning of something bigger.  Once upon a time no one recycled and some thought how can one person make an impact on waste reduction – but we have – most communities, individuals and more importantly industries use recycling programs to cut down on waste and reduce pollution.   Although we, as individuals, are not solely responsible in clear-cutting forests, we can all take time for thought regarding what it is that trees can do for our planet.  And yes, plant a tree for your children and your children’s children and every future generation.

Manicured lawns are a thing of the past. Biodiverse properties will help save our planet.

References

The Mothertree Project. Org, https://mothertreeproject.org/about-mother-trees-in-the-forest

https://www.nwf.org/Trees-for-Wildlife/About/Trees-Make-a-Difference

Be #WakeAware

(Reproduced with permission from FOCA)

Cottage country boaters, lake associations, and marinas from Lake Erie to Sudbury to the Thousand Islands are all pledging to Be #WakeAware this boating season.

You can too.

Closed borders and isolating away from urban centres led to huge increases in the use of Ontario’s waterways over the past two years, and new ‘staycationing’ incentives will keep the heat on cottage country this year. There were nearly 200,000 new Pleasure Craft Operator Cards (PCOCs) issued in 2021, after a peak of 237,000 issued in the first year of the global pandemic! That is a lot of new boaters on our waterways. We all can’t wait to be back on the water this season, but let’s do it safely and responsibly. Let’s all pledge to Be #WakeAware.

Why is wake an issue?

Boat wakes can be a danger to swimmers, canoes and paddleboarders, and can swamp loon nests at the shore. According to a University of Windsor study published in the North American Lake Management Society’s journal, Lake and Reservoir Management, wake generated by recreational boats has the potential to erode the shoreline, damage infrastructure like docks, and disrupt aquatic ecosystems. Over one summer season on Whitestone Lake in Ontario’s cottage country, the authors wrote, “recreational boat wakes accounted for ~61% of total wave energy” at the study site.*

How to be #WakeAware when boating

Potentially damaging wakes are caused by plowing boats leaving a boat launch or marina, or sudden  deceleration or turns near shore. Look behind your boat to ensure you minimize the impact of your wake on shorelines and docks. Always travel at a safe speed near shore and when approaching narrows, and watch your wake to minimize the impacts to others.

Boaters need to be aware of the size of their wake during displacement (travelling low in the water) and transition (with the bow up) to getting on plane (coasting with little drag). Position passengers throughout the boat to reduce the time spent in transition and get on plane as soon as possible. Take waterski, surf and wakeboard fun 200 metres or more away from shorelines. These are small changes that have a big impact and are at the core of what it means to  Be #WakeAware.

About the Be #WakeAware campaign

The Be #WakeAware campaign was launched in 2021 as a joint initiative of the Muskoka Lakes Association (MLA), Safe Quiet Lakes (SQL), and the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations (FOCA). The campaign prompts boaters to watch their wake impacts and move any ‘big wake’ fun to an appropriate area of the lake, far away from shorelines.

This year, marina operators across Ontario are coming on board as #WakeAware Marine Ambassadors to spread the word at the water’s edge to new and long-time boaters. Dawn Campbell of Balsam RPM in the Kawarthas was one of the first to sign on to the campaign. “A lot of people don’t realize when they whip out of here,” she says, “how much damage their wake does to docks and other boats.” All marina operators are encouraged to join the campaign, and pledge to spread the word by signing up here: https://www.bewakeaware.com/#marine-ambassadors.

Here’s where YOU come in

Everyone who loves Ontario cottage country is encouraged to  learn  more  about  wake  impacts  in  a quick one-minute video posted to the campaign webpage:https://www.bewakeaware.com/. Then, share the news with your fellow association members and friends. Use the hashtag #WakeAware on social media, and remember to thank your local marina when you see them proudly displaying their Marine Ambassador sign. If your local marina is not on the Marine Ambassadors list yet, talk to them about why they should be!

Together, we are all part of the solution for waterfront Ontario.

* journal citation above: “Relative importance of recreational boat wakes on an inland lake”, C. Houser, A. Smith, J. Lilly, Lake and Reservoir Management, 2021, Vol. 37, No. 3, 227-234.

The Lake Association Needs Your Help!

My husband and I joined the Lake Association very soon after we built our retirement home on the rocky shore of the East basin of Loughborough Lake.  It was the beginning of a period of discovery – learning about septics, water quality, wildlife and how blessed we were to live in such a beautiful semi-wild spot in Ontario.  As city dwellers in the past we had a lot to learn!

The Lake Association members welcomed us and we gradually learned the ropes.  We have made life long friends and have learned how we are all part of the lake environment which is ours (briefly) to protect and preserve.  Our little part of the planet that we are looking after.

I am hoping you might be encouraged to join the Lake Association executive.  Our time on the Board is coming to an end and the Board needs new members to carry on the work of the Association.  Board meetings are virtual so you can be almost anywhere in the world and still interact.  Your life and your appreciation for your great fortune to spend time at the lake will be magnified.

Please give joining the Board some serious thought. Contact us at presidentblla63@gmail.com if you would like to talk with a Board member about what you would like to see or could offer as a Director.

Turtles, turtles, turtles!

One of the wonderful things about living on the lake and driving the road in the month of June is seeing the turtles. They seem to have an amazing way of knowing when we are going to have a good rain and so out they come to lay their eggs. A couple of weeks ago, as I drove along the North Shore Road, I saw several turtles – as you can see, the Snapping Turtle was busy laying her eggs, and another more relaxed painted turtle was just out for a little walk…..of course, it was right in the middle of the road so I got out and gently persuaded it to continue across to the safety of the grass.  A neighbour carefully put a cover over eggs that were laid on their driveway – This way, rain and sun can get to the eggs, but no raccoons will be able to dig them up! With luck in a couple of months we will have some baby turtles.

Camping on Crown Land

Loughborough Lake is home to several Crown islands - this is land owned by the federal or provincial governments. Authority for control of these lands rests with the Crown, hence their name. In Ontario, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) is guardian of Ontario Crown land.

About 77% of Ontario's land is made up of Crown land managed under the Public Lands Act. An additional 10% of Crown land is held as provincial parks and conservation reserves. More than 95% of northern Ontario is Crown land. There is very little Crown land in southern Ontario due to high levels of population settlement.

Under Ontario's Public Lands Act, all Canadian citizens are allowed to camp on Crown land for free for a maximum of 21 days. After that you must move your camping equipment a minimum of 100 meters from your previous site to be entitled to another 21 days. You are not allowed to camp on your previous site for a year. Not all Crown land is available for camping so you should check with MNRF before heading out as you can be fined for camping on prohibited Crown land.

Fines can be hefty if you leave camping equipment on a site for longer that 21 days- up to $15,000(!) with an additional fine of $1,000 for each day the offense continues.

Over the years the Lake Association executive has placed privies on the camping approved islands and most of these islands are busy in the summer. The Lake Association also does some fall clean-up on the busiest sites.

This consists mainly of picking up garbage and broken glass. Recently we were informed of an informal campsite that had sustained a lot of damage, as shown in the picture.

We are reminded that some people are not respectful of this gift of free camping on an island on our beautiful lake. Relying on people’s good nature to leave a site tidy and nature unharmed sometimes does not work. Thankfully they are in a minority.

Water Quality in Loughborough Lake

Name Change

How complicated could it be to remove the name “Battersea” from our corporate name of Battersea Loughborough Lake Association? It turns out that for the simple change intended, it was not a quick process. Your Lake Association got caught up with all the hoopla and rigmarole of the corporate – government interface. 

The Lake Association has been known by various names over time. It started as “Battersea Loughborough Association” in 1963. It was changed to the current name “Battersea Loughborough Lake Association” in 1983. During the year 1994/95, the Board did a survey of the membership regarding deleting Battersea from the Lake Association name. A result in support of changing the name was obtained but it not acted upon – for unrecorded reasons. 

There continued to be more discussion over the years. The latest, back in October 2019, was in response to another Membership survey. The directors were assigned the task of establishing what had to be done. At first, we felt that we should proceed with the help of lawyers to assist us with getting this change made. The information provided by them was that all Lake Association members had to be contacted with the details and that they would sign, supporting the idea (or not) and return their vote to the Lake Association. 

This wasn’t going to be easily done. The members of the Lake Association are a wide spread group, some of them living at the lake but also a large percentage living away from the lake and some not even in the same province or country. Some could be contacted through meetings of neighbours by board members but many would have to be done by post. The potential difficulties – including those for the return of the signatures and the collection of the vote - were going to be complicated. We needed another way to collect a vote more in keeping with the diversity of our membership. For lack of understanding how this was going to be done, the 2020 AGM passed by without being able to advance the name change process.

Meanwhile another problem had cropped up. The Lake Association is required to inform the province of the make-up of the board of directors and the executive of the corporation. The association had been sending off forms annually of the current board to meet this requirement. The expectation was that the government would discard the prior year board information and use the new list. Well, it doesn’t work this way. Although it is not clearly stated, the government is more interested in the changes to the board – Joe has left and Jane has signed up. A side effect of this recording method is that Joe might have been on the board for three years. Different people would have filled out this annual form and they could have used the name Joseph in place of Joe. The Ontario government took this information and processed it to show that we now had two “Joes” on the board, differing only by the formality of the first name. The same happened if Jane moved to a different address – again there were two board members created when the new address was submitted. Of course, not appreciating how this was done, an announcement of a retirement of a board member would only remove one member from the list of directors – the other would live on in the records of the Ontario government. The records still took a couple of attempts to clear up, even after our improved understanding of the process.

Since the original proposal to get the votes of all Lake Association members was not going to be feasible, it was decided, somewhat desperately, to review the Ontario government Corporations Act to see if a vote could be collected differently. After some looking, we found that the Lake Association could make a “special resolution” to have the name changed at a meeting “duly called for that purpose”. Our annual general meeting could be used to do that, getting away from the need to get and gather every member’s signature. Notices were sent out to every member for whom we had valid addresses. The members who attended the 2021 AGM voted on the name change proposal during the meeting. After some discussion, the resolution passed unanimously.  

The last hurdle was that the government was going to an on-line system for corporations to interact with the government. Our paper based name change submission was summarily returned to us saying that we could resubmit on-line after setting up an on-line identity. There was a silver lining to this process; because this was a new system there was extra help available to see how the public would interact with the process. We were able to talk to a person (!) about what we needed to do; this helped to remove potential missteps. Our proposal was submitted on-line in late November 2021 and after talking to another person again (!) in January 2022 to see if there was some hold-up, we learned that the name change had been accepted.

Welcome to the new/old Loughborough Lake Association!