Leech Lake Regatta 2011

Date: Sunday July 31, 2011
Time: 1-5 PM
Place: The Boat Launch
Cost: $20.00 per family, if not paid with yearly cottage dues
Includes: Races, Games, Drinks, Hotdogs & Burgers
Also: 50/50 Raffle

Bring chair(s) Waters Shoes, Swim Gear

*Canoes & Kayaks needed for Races*

Leech Lake Bug Chasers

On July 17th The Leech Lake annual bug count took place. Each year over the past 5-6 years we have counted the invertebrates that live in the mud at the bottom of our lake. These bugs are the bottom of the ecological food chain and thus can give us an indication of the health of our lake. If these invertebrates are under stress it may give us an early warning that our lake may not be healthy and in need of remedial measures.

An environmentalist from Bracebridge assists us by gathering the bugs in three buckets of mud from the bottom of our lake. Then enthusiastic cottagers sift through the mud and locate these little critters. The environmentalist identifies and categorizes the species. Our goal is 100 bugs from each of the three buckets. From this sample we can compare with other lakes in the Muskoka watershed.

The attached picture show an enthusiastic groups of bug counters deep in concentration.

Speeding on Lakeshore Road

It has come to my attention that people are not observing the speed limit on Lakeshore Rd.

At the the annual meeting one resident pointed out that some folks operating ATV's have been observed going airborne over the short abrupt hills on Lakeshore Rd South. As well cars have been observed almost bottoming out over these hills within a quarter mile of the Lakeshore Rd entrance.

The road committee works hard to keep the road in good shape for the cottagers and excessive speed will make the road conditions deteriorate more rapidly thus using valuable resources.

Speed may can also contribute to accidents and one's insurance may come into question given that this Lakeshore Rd is not controlled or maintained by the provincial government or a municipality.

So be a responsible cottager and observe the speed limit posted on Lakeshore Rd.

LL Cottager's Representation at Annual Meeting

At this year's annual meeting there was representation from only 37 of a possible 144 properties, 26%. This is poor representation!

I would think that in this day and age, when properties values are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, cottage owners would take more of an active roll in how their cottage association is managed.

Some examples:

A few years ago there was a motion put forward to make lake road access year round. This action involved almost doubling the cottager's yearly fees. Because of the large increase in fees it was determined to table the issue until the following meeting (1 year) to allow people to contemplate the move. The anti-year round access folks did not mobilize an effort to oppose and it appeared some were not even aware of the move because they did not get involved in the final vote. After the motion passed some owners balked at paying the fee.

Lorne Road is in terrible shape and I am sure every cottager would like it repaired. The Township's latest date for repairs is 2014 and that date is not firm. O'Hara's brought this to the meeting and asked for support to get a group together to attend a Township council meeting and making representation for a quicker solution. A better cottager representation at the meeting may have made more cottagers aware of the possibility of lobbying council and given a greater impetus to such an effort.

Lake health should be a concern to all of us. Recent trends are positive but there is much work to be done. Cottagers should be concerned as our ecology is fragile and any reversal could have effects on our leisure activities and more importantly on property values. Involvement by all cottagers can be just the awareness of the forces that may impact our lake and therefore be more cognizant of healthy lake practices.

Leech Lake Annual Cottagers Meeting - 2011

The yearly annual cottagers meeting was held in the Fraserburg church July 3, 2011, at 10:00 am

Ken Geller conducted a very orderly meeting and everyone was on their way home before noon. This was not a rubber stamp type meeting as some important issues were tabled and handled.

One of the most important issues was the changing of the Constitution to recognize the importance of the Lake Stewardship Committee and elevating this committee's management to the Board. The health of our lake is extremely important to all of us from a leisure outlet and a financial investment.

Congratulations go to Susan Suraski, incoming President, and all the other elected officers and committee members.

Kudos to the outgoing President Ken Geller and his board members. Ken did an excellent job over his terms in office and we thank him for his contributions to Leech Lake.

Annual Leech Lake Bug Study - 2011

Leech Lake
2011 Bethnic Monitoring (Bug Count)
Volunteers Required

Date: Sun. July 17, 2011
Time: 9:00 am
Place: Hembling/McCoy cottage, 1037 Lakeshore Rd. N (Right Side just the lake's past outlet stream)

Varieties of tiny creatures live in the sediment of our lake. These invertebrates form an essential part of our lake's food chain. These little critters are sensitive to stressors such as toxins, Ph etc. that enter the lake from the surrounding environment. Monitoring the population of these invertebrates over time will tell us whether or not out lake is healthy. If our studies indicate that the trend of our lake's eco-system is being challenged we are in a position to take timely remedial action.

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

This is a great educational experience for adults and older kids. High schoolers can use the time toward their volunteer hours. We will provide drinks and 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.