Annual Leech Lake 2010 Bug Count

Leech Lake
2010 Benthic Monitering (Bug Counting)
Volunteers Required

Dated: Sat July 3, 2010
Time: 9:00 am
Place: Hembling / McCoy cottage. 1037 Lakeshore Rd (Right side, just past stream)

Varieties of tiny creatures live in our lake sediment and form an essential part of the lake food chain. These little critters are sensitive to stressors such as toxins and pH etc. that enter the lake from the surrounding environment. Monitoring changes to this population tell us about the health of our lake's ecosystem, and if required, to consider and then take remedial action.

The collection will be done by a Biological Monitoring Technician from the District of Muskoka. After collection we will identify and count macro-invertebrates. For the less outdoorsy types - please be assured that counting is done on the shore, the "bugs" confined to plastic collection trays and there is nothing gross in the process!

This is great education for adults and older kids. High school kids can use the time toward their volunteer hours. We'll provide drinks & a simple BBQ lunch.

Please e-mail vmccoy@rogers.com or call 705-645-9692 (no answering machine) to let us know you'll be there.

A Beautiful Mysterious Overnight Guest

Hello Leech Lakers, it is nice to see everyone up and feeding those hungry little monsters along with us. It has been an amazing start to our long overdue summer and with this heat it will hopefully burn off all those pests!!!

Well here is a question for you, we had an overnight guest at our place, and we didn't get introduced, so perhaps someone could tell us what kind of a guest we had? It arrived early on Monday morning and decided it liked our lounger and hung around all day, spent the night and left early afternoon Tuesday, it stayed in the same spot never moving. We have no idea what kind of moth is was, assuming it was a moth that is.

It was hugging the mattress cover and we tried every different angle to get some good clear shots, without startling it, it was quite a beautiful thing actually, with a body that reminded us of a pussy willow.

Any ideas???


Jerry & Carol
1195 North Side