KEN LITTLE Spring 2015 Loon & Turtle Lake Cottage Association www.loonturtle.ca LOON & TURTLE LAKE GRAVENHURST PRESIDENT: Dick Thomas 705-687-0787 ENVIRONMENT: Peter Helston 705-687-0124 Michael Clarke mtclarke27@bell.net MEMBERSHIP: Bruce Earle 705-835-5515 WATER SAFETY: Peter Langer 705-687-4956 David Caruana david caruana@hotmail.com NEWSLETTER: Len Churchill len@lenartdesign.com TOWN LIAISON: Sandi sandi_299@hotmail.com Loon & Turtle Lake Photos courtesy of: Linda Kristen Blix, Kathy and Al Boucquey, Len Churchill, Sarah Hynek, Ted Sykes C O T T A G E L I F E President s Remarks canoe, campfire, coffee on the deck, chipmunks, Canada Geese, cocktails, cruise on the lake owl, oars, oak trees, outdoors, outhouse, overnight guests Turtle Lake, tranquility, trilliums, tadpoles, tanning, togetherness talented wakeboarding, turtles, trees, tackle and bait, tasty BBQ, twinkling stars annual regatta, acorns, ATV, annual general meeting Gravenhurst, granite, ghost stories, grilling, garter snakes escaping the city, embers, echo on the rocks, electricity outages Loon Lake, laughter, life jackets, loons, ladder on the dock, lily pads itchy mosquito bites, islands, inboard motor, insects, incredible views fun, family, friends, frogs, fishing, flashlights evening sunset, evergreens, encountering bears, environmentally friendly Whatever cottage life means to you, ENJOY!! Dick Thomas NEWSLETTER DESIGN BY AERIAL PHOTO COURTESY OF Ken Little MUSKOKA REAL ESTATE SERVICES 810 Bay St., Gravenhurst www.muskokarealestateservices.com
Please Read the Following To maintain the quality of our collective experiences on Loon & Turtle Lakes and in consideration for your neighbours, Please advise your family, your guests and renters of the following: G O O D P R A C T I C E S Do not wash in the lake this includes people, pets and laundry. Use biodegradable soaps and detergents wherever possible Do not throw litter in the lakes. Keep our roads clean, do not throw litter out the window Do pick up litter anywhere and every time you see it. No open fires without a permit. Put your garbage out on garbage day ONLY. Do not leave bags from the weekend. Larger garbage items must be taken to the Township dump ask directions. Pets should not be allowed to run loose off your property It is unlawful to discharge any firearm within one mile of the lake. Slow down when driving on our roads speed kills. The islands are privately-owned or crown land. They are not there for parties. Respect your neighbor s boundaries and the other property surrounding the lake it belongs to someone. Excessive noise disturbs everyone remember sound is magnified over water including dogs barking excessively. Don t start work too early. Hammers, lawnmowers and chainsaws can be annoying. Inform your neighbors if you have contractors doing work around the cottage. Do not allow children to urinate in the lake monitor their habits. Boaters should observe water safety rules and also give way to smaller craft, especially canoes and paddle boats. Boats out after dark should go slow and show a light. Water ski/ wakeboard with care and within a reasonable time before sundown. Any swimmers in open water should be accompanied by a boat or something very visible to boats. Don t speed close to the shoreline there is a legal limit of 10 Kph within 30 m of the shore. For parts of our lakes this leaves only the middle area for faster boating. Be mindful of your wake while boating. Thanks
CALENDAR OF EVENTS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Saturday July 18th Scout Hall on John Street, Gravenhurst 10:00 am -12:00 pm REGATTA Saturday August 1st (rain date Sunday, August 2nd) Registration at 12:30 pm Peter Langer s cottage 62 Loon Lake Drive FIREWORKS Saturday August 1st (rain date Sunday, August 2nd) At dusk On the lake near the channel between Loon and Turtle Lakes CORN ROAST Saturday September 5th (rain date Sunday, September 6th) Start time 7:00 pm (hot dogs and marshmallows will also be served) Peter Langer s cottage 62 Loon Lake Drive Due to popular support, your Board has decided to bring back fireworks this year. We re going to do them the night of the Annual Regatta, Saturday August 1. FIREWORKS Saturday August 1 Come by boat to the fat part of the western end of Loon Lake as in the past. Starts at 9 pm, we re also planning a musical accompaniment, finishing off with our national anthem, so come prepared to sing! FIREWORKS Loon Lake Peter Helston
Canada Geese What kind of problems do the geese cause? There are a number of ways in which geese may cause damage or danger to people. Nesting Canada geese will actively defend their nest sites, and aggressive pairs can sometimes cause injuries, especially to small children or pets. Large flocks of Canada Geese can denude grassy areas i.e. Lawns where there are lakes nearby. Excessive goose droppings can be a concern i.e. degraded water quality Geese may also conflict with the objectives of conservation agencies for other species or sensitive ecosystems. This conflict occurs when geese negatively affect other species directly through aggression or more indirectly through the effects of grazing on habitats. I am currently suffering damage due to Canada Geese. What can I do? First, you should read the information available in the EC Handbook at the following website: The Handbook - Canada and Cackling Geese: Management and Population Control in Southern Canada, which describes the actions that landowners can take to prevent conflicts and reduce the attractiveness of their properties to Canada Geese. It also presents the other management tools that can be helpful to address serious problems but which require a permit from EC. If the damage you are experiencing is so serious that other measures are called for, you should contact the EC Permit Officer in the region in which you live. What management tools are available? There are a number of management tools that are available under the authority of a Environment Canada permit to help reduce conflicts. These management tools are specified in the Migratory Birds Regulations: scare birds using a firearm or aircraft; destroy eggs; relocate birds, nests or eggs, or destroy nests for the purpose of relocating migratory birds; kill migratory birds at airports; kill migratory birds in specific circumstances. Employ a coyote decoy (i.e. Edge Innovative Yote Coyote Hunting Decoy). In all cases, the birds must be causing or likely to cause damage and require a permit from EC-CWS. Do goose droppings pose a danger to human health? EC-CWS worked with wildlife disease experts at the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre to review the diseases carried by and affecting Canada Geese, and their implications for human and animal health. There is no direct evidence that goose droppings pose a danger to human health, and the review concluded that there is not enough data to conduct a meaningful risk assessment. They found large gaps in most of the important factors which are key to determining risk; most importantly, there is virtually no information on the frequency or probability with which pathogens are transmitted from geese to people or livestock. The report is available on CCWHC s website. NO GRASS, NO GEESE Ah, the sounds of an ever-increasing flock of Canada Geese on Loon and Turtle Lakes! You have to love how they feel right at home, with more and more non-native grass to eat. And who doesn t love goose poop all over their property, especially near the water s edge. Along with the geese come some attractive preventative measures: ropes about a foot off the ground, stretched along the waterfront, festooned with colorful flags. And of course, who can forget the sound of a lawn mower whining its way over the water on an otherwise peaceful morning? What s not to like? Back to the goose poop. This from the Center for Wildlife Damage Management on Canada Geese: Unfortunately, this dramatic increase in population has resulted in some negative consequences. First, large numbers of geese leave large quantities of feces. A single goose can defecate every 20 minutes up to 1.5 pounds of feces each day. If large numbers of geese congregate, one must wonder if there is a health risk related to the feces left on ground and in the water. French and Parkhurst (2009) note that beaches and other public areas littered with accumulated goose feces have been closed due to the contamination or the threat of personal injury resulting from falls as people lose footing on the slippery material. Research has shown that the excrement of geese contains a wide variety of pathogens capable of infecting humans. Yet geese can also be a means of transmitting other diseases in ways unrelated to their defecation. As goose numbers continue to increase, concerns have been raised regarding the negative impact Canada geese may have on water quality and disease transmission. I m not sure if it is as simple as No GRASS, no GEESE, but if you take away their food source, this is probably a logical conclusion. The simplest thing for our members to do is let Mother Nature do her work. She has a whole retinue of plants that grow ideally in thin, sandy soils like those around Loon and Turtle lakes. For more information on this, see: http://www.muskokawaterweb. ca/waterfront-living/gardening-and-landscaping Leaving a natural buffer along your waterfront of native bushes, grasses and wildflowers is critical to maintaining our water quality. It is also the law: By-law 5.23.1 states that A minimum 75% of the area of land 20.0 metres wide abutting and running parallel to the Optimal Summer Water Level shall contain a Shoreline Buffer. I realize that to some people a natural buffer might not look as nice as manicured grass, but, then again, this isn t Toronto. Keep in mind that nothing is more destructive to our small, enclosed-system lakes than using fertilizers, pesticides and our lake water to keep that grass growing. And I m sure everyone agrees that water and water quality are what makes cottaging on Loon and Turtle Lakes so special. Do everyone on our lakes a favour and ditch the grass. REMEMBER, NO GRASS, NO GEESE! Peter Helston 705-687-0124
Thursday June 26 th, 2014 Michael Clarke, Peter Helston & Volunteers First off I want to thank you for your help with the benthic monitoring on Loon Lake. It s great to see people getting together who are all interested in learning more about their lake. Each year we sample our established sites to determine which benthic macroinvertebrates are found. These benthos indicate the health of the riparian zone (section between shallow water and dry land) and the littoral zone (shallow water nearest to dry land). These two zones are especially important to lake health as they are impacted by snowmelt, runoff, sedimentation, etc. Collected benthos are grouped into seven (7) different categories, in which three (3) are really focused on: EOT, Chironimids, and Richness. The % EOT includes mayflies, dragonflies, and caddisflies, which are benthic macroinvertebrates who are intolerant to pollution. % Chironimids is focused on the invertebrate named a Midge (or blood worm) which are tolerant to pollution and can survive in harsh environments. Richness is the biodiversity of species found within the sample, and with biodiversity, the more the better. The other four (4) categories are more used as reference, in that if one year a number drastically jumps or falls, further investigation might be required. With these numbers alongside the Muskoka Average*, we are able to understand the direction the lake is heading in regards to shoreline and lake health. If the % EOT (intolerant) is low, and % Chironimids (tolerant) is high, this indicates that the environment may not suitable for the intolerant benthic invertebrates. This indicates to us that this section of the lake may be impacted by sources such as development, runoff, or other anthropogenic sources. Test results have showed a slight change from the original sampling date in 2009. To start; Richness has increased a fair amount from 13 to 19. This is particularly interesting as the sample location is predominately bedrock, with a few small pockets of sand and gravel. Having a large abundance of species in such a small area is often a good trait. %EOT has increased slightly, hopefully moving towards the Muskoka average. %Chrionimids has also risen, though it is not an issue of concern as it is still well below the average. %Predators has also increased. These are benthos that essentially maintain a balance between predator and prey, reducing the possibility of a single species taking over. %Shredders has slightly increased. These benthos break down leaves and sticks into nutrient rich organic matter. %Collector/Gatherers are directly related to shredders as they feed off of the organic matter. Hilsenhoff Index has decreased slightly towards the average. With the Hilsenhoff Index, the lower the number the better, so a small decrease is certainly welcomed. I hope I have answered any possible questions or concerns about the results, but if you have any others please feel free to e-mail me at biotech@muskoka.on.ca or call my office number at 705-645-2100 ext 332. I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable summer!
Aquatic Invertebrate Data Sheet Loon Lake Town of Gravenhurst R = Reference Site Common Name 2009 Site 1 R 2014 Scientific Name 1 2 3 1 2 3 Hydras Coelenterata Flatworms Turbellaria Roundworms 1 Nematoda Aquatic Earthworms 9 3 Oligochaeta Leeches 2 1 Hirudinaea Sow Bugs 131 71 162 88 49 56 Isopoda Clams Pelecypoda Fairy Shrimp 92 50 187 17 61 67 Amphipoda Crayfish 1 1 Decapoda Mites 10 1 14 7 11 Hydracarina Mayflies 10 1 12 10 2 7 Ephemeroptera Dragonflies 3 1 1 3 4 4 Anisoptera Damselflies 4 3 2 2 1 Zygoptera Stoneflies 1 Plecoptera True Bugs Hemiptera Fishflies & Alderflies 4 Megaloptera Caddisflies 2 1 5 7 1 3 Trichoptera Aquatic Moths 1 1 1 Lepidoptera Beetles 11 1 11 4 Coleoptera Snails & Limpets 1 5 2 3 Gastropoda Midges 3 1 14 6 15 Chironomidae Horse & Deer Flies Tabanidae Mosquitos 1 1 Culicidae No-see-ums 2 2 2 Ceratopogonidae Craneflies Tipulidae Blackflies Simuliidae Misc. True Flies 3 3 Misc. Diptera Total Count 278 130 381 177 138 176 Number of Taxa 12 9 8 16 12 15 Muskoka Average * Richness 13 19 14 % EOT 6 9 22 % Chironimids 1 7 12 % Predators 6 13 23 % Shredders 1 3 3 % Collectors/Gatherer 92 83 70 Hilsenhoff Index 6.85 6.62 6.10 Again this year, we are planning to have a benthic test conducted on Loon Lake. The purpose of this test is to determine which benthic macro invertebrates are found in the lake. These benthos indicate the health of the riparian zone (section between shallow water and dry land) and the littoral zone (shallow water nearest to dry land). These two zones are especially important to lake health as they are impacted by snow melt, runoff and sedimentation. 2015 Benthic Test : Saturday, June 13th It is important that this test be done at the same location and same time of year as previous tests. I will be coordinating with a representative from The District of Muskoka to have the test conducted on Loon Lake in mid June. I will confirm the date when it has been set. The location will be on a section of crown land near the intersection of Pinetree Rd and Drury Lane. Previous tests were conducted in 2009 and in 2014. Our plan is to perform this test on an annual basis. Peter Helston and Michael Clarke * The Muskoka Average is based on 147 samples collected at 76 reference sites between 2004 and 2011. Reference sites from 9 mesotrophic and 26 oligotrophic lakes throughout Muskoka were used.
On The Water Spring is here, and it s time to put the boat back in the water for another season. Great time to make sure you have all the proper equipment on board. Get rid of those old life jackets or personal floatation devices that the mice have chewed holes in. There are plenty of sales on in the spring for new ones. Get a nice one for yourself, and wear it when you go out in the boat. When you get into your car, the first thing you do is put on your seat belt, not just because it s the law, but if there s an accident, you know there wouldn t be enough time to reach down and put it on. Think of the life jacket as your seat belt in the boat. Accidents usually happen when you least expect them, and usually very quickly. If it does happen, would you have enough time to find your life jacket under the seat or in the stow compartment and put it on? A proper fitting life jacket is also required for each person on board. Paddles, buoyant heaving line, sound signaling device, and a bailer is required on all boats including canoes, kayaks, rowboats, peddle boats, sail boats, sail boards, stand up paddle boards, and any other human powered boats with some exceptions. There are also other requirements for power boats, personal watercraft, and for travel at night. The exceptions are for peddle boats, sail boards, and stand up paddle boards. If all on board are wearing life jackets, then all you are required to have is a sound signaling device. This is a guide only. Please check the Transport Canada safe boating guide, or on line for the required equipment for your boat. One thing I ve omitted so far as a requirement for all motorized boats is the Operator Competency Card. Make sure you have it on board with you, or you could get a $250 fine. Towing someone without a spotter is a $100 fine, and also make sure you have enough seats in your boat for everyone being towed. Personal water craft must have at least three seats to be able to tow anyone. Alcohol and driving doesn t mix, be it in a car, motorcycle, atv, or boat, and the end result could be all the same the LOSS of your drivers license, and/or a fine. So PLEASE be safe and don t drink and drive. For all those that have All Terrain Vehicles (a.t.v.) the town of Gravenhurst has passed a bylaw allowing their use on roads, with some limits. Please consult the town bylaws as to these limits, and also drive safely Have a happy and safe summer on the water, and the trails. See you all at the regatta. Peter Langer
MEMBERSHIP REPORT As we commence another season here at the lake it is my duty to encourage as many cottagers as possible to renew or commence membership in the association. To all of you who have responded and taken advantage of the handy return envelope to renew, I give a hearty thank you. Some of you may have set aside the correspondence sent to you in March. I hope you will retrieve it now and send your contribution to me. If you have misplaced the return request, I will thank you in advance to send to me your cheque for $25.00 payable to the Loon & Turtle Lakes Cottage Association Bruce Earle 20 Trillium Trail, RR#4 Coldwater, ON L0K 1E0 The executive is always interested in your ideas and comments that might help in this and other endeavours at the lake. Perhaps you have expertise in the membership or subscription business and can help us to be more effective and efficient in the yearly membership campaign. Those of you who have indicated an interest as volunteers for some of our activities are greatly appreciated. We understand that your time at the lake is precious, but history shows that much of what we enjoy at the lake is a result of, or enhanced by, the time and efforts of our many volunteers, thank you all. We hope you will join us in participating in our planned activities as you enjoy a safe and pleasant summer at the lake. Bruce Earle 705 835-5515 Irwin.earle@sympatico.ca WHAT WE ARE We are a group of volunteers that provide information and recommendations, which are in the best interest of its members. We are a source of Communication i.e. newsletters and the AGM. Entertainment: i.e. the regatta, the corn roast and fireworks. Oversight: i.e. environmental testing and liaison with the Town of Gravenhurst. We act on behalf of all our members for the common good i.e. tent caterpillar control and boat-launch maintenance. WHAT WE ARE NOT What we are not is an advocate for the issues of any individual member unless it involves the greater good of all members.
SNAKE BITES Unusual number of snake bites in Ontario [last] summer, official says Officials warn[ed] vacationers to take precautions in cottage country [last] summer. The Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, which lives in areas around Georgian Bay and the Bruce Peninsula, is Ontario s only venomous snake. A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Natural Resources said the number of bites [last summer was unusual ] [but] you re much more likely to be hit by lightning than to be bitten by a Massasauga Rattlesnake. People likely won t even notice the snakes because of their camouflage. If you hear the rattle, that s a warning sign. Most bites are a result of people trying to handle the snakes or accidentally stepping on them. In Ontario s history there have been two fatalities related to snake bites both happened more than 40 years ago and the deaths were due to a lack of appropriate medical attention. The Massasauga Rattlesnake would prefer not to have any interaction with people. It s not a vicious snake by any stretch of the imagination. The species is classified as threatened and Massasauga Rattlesnakes are protected both provincially and federally. Intentionally killing a Massasauga Rattlesnake carries a hefty penalty of up to one year in prison and a $250,000 fine. If a Massasauga snake bites someone, the next step is to go to a nearby clinic or hospital. [Do not tie a] tourniquet or suck the poison out, people Wednesday, February 11, 2015 thestar.com Canada who have been bitten should not exert themselves, to slow the spread of venom. The West Parry Sound Health Centre is the hub for the province s anti-venom program for Massasauga Rattlesnake bites. [They] treated five bites last summer. [Bracebridge Hospital also stocks anti-venom but you should telephone ahead. They treated nineteen bites last summer]. While swelling or pain is common with the bites, the main concern is how venom affects the body inside, requiring medical tests. People should always be aware that snakes are here in our environment, [and] wear appropriate footwear and long pants. People who get the opportunity to see a Massasauga Rattlesnake in the wild should consider it rare, and just enjoy the experience. Look Alike Snakes: Knowing the Difference (northern water, eastern hognose, eastern milk and and eastern fox) The eastern fox snake is a relatively large snake that inhabits the same areas. They often have a rusty, copper-coloured head. Their tail is slender and without rattles but will vibrate them against leaves to simulate the sound made by a rattlesnake. www.massasauga.ca
1091 Chamberlain Dr, Gravenhurst, ON P1P 1A2 705-687-4007 10% OFF YOUR NEXT CASH AND CARRY ORDER WITH THIS COUPON *SEE STORE FOR DETAILS *SOME CONDITIONS APPLY www.loonturtle.ca LOON & TURTLE LAKE GRAVENHURST