Leech Lake, Muskoka

Weekend Report - February 10, 2012

2012-02-10T21:18:00.003-05:00

Hello Leech Lakers,

It has been an uneventful week weather wise, nice days and cold nights.

According the the weather man that is about to change this weekend, with snow and cold temperatures.

Enjoy your weekend.

Regards
Jerry and Carol Cragg
1195 North Side
705-645-8851

Road Report - Feb 3rd, 2012.

2012-02-03T09:26:00.004-05:00

Hello Fellow Leech Lakers,

Wow! What a weekend we had up here, as some of you were witness to our beautiful winter wonderland.

We had 10-12 inches of heavy wet snow over the weekend, starting on Friday but most of it landing on Sunday. It just goes to prove that old man winter is still lurking around, as he gave us another 2 inches again on Tuesday.

It was a lot of work to keep these roads clear and stay ahead of the snowfall, and thanks to every one for keeping an eye out for our equipment while we were on the roads.

This week with temperatures into the pluses and a little rain the roads have iced up. The lake is snow covered with water under the snow, so be very careful and enjoy your weekend.

Regards,
Jerry and Carol Cragg
1195 North Side
705-645-8851
jerry1195@hotmail.com

Road Report Jan 27, 2012

2012-01-27T12:04:00.003-05:00

Hello Leech Lakers,

Its Friday; dark and gloomy, snowing quite heavily. It rained all day Monday which made the roads pretty icy, but with the snow today it will give us something for our tires to grip. They are calling for freezing rain today too but so far it has stayed away.

Friends sent us the attached photo of a sunset off their deck facing our cottage. We thought that it would brighten up your day as has ours to see what the sun actually looks like again. Thanks Greg and Maureen for sharing this beautiful shot. It is appreciated, we needed it.

We are out doing the roads and driveways, so keep an eye open for us.

We hope you all enjoy your weekend and drive carefully.

Regards,
Jerry and Carol Cragg
1195 North Side
705-645-8851
jerry1195@hotmail.com

Road Report - Jan 19, 2012

2012-01-19T19:58:00.008-05:00

Hi Everyone,

This week we have had very cold temperatures and everything else weather wise thrown our way. The roads were cleared on Tuesday.

This morning, Thursday, its overcast, cold and snowing. The weather man is predicting 10 - 15 cm of snow with gusting winds. We will be back clearing the roads again.

Even though we have had some pretty cold temperatures, we still have not ventured out onto the lake. As you can see in the photos, the dark patches of snow and there is an opening about 25 feet from our dock. We assume this is one of the many springs in the lake, so be careful if you decide to venture out onto the lake.

Jerry and Carol Cragg

1195 North Side

705-645-8851

jerry1195@hotmail.com

Road Report - Jan. Friday the 13th

2012-01-13T22:05:00.003-05:00

Hello Fellow Leech Lakers,

Attached are the photos that tell the story of our weather, (click on the photo to enlarge).

Thursday we awoke to an overnight snow fall and throughout the day it was a mixture of snow/rain/ice pellets.

This morning (Friday) we woke up to rain with fog and water patches over the lake. With these inconsistent weather temperatures we have not ventured out onto the lake.

The roads, as well as pull over areas, and the driveways under contract with us have been cleared. So, enjoy your weekend and the beautiful scenery on our lake and as always, drive carefully.

Regards,

Jerry and Carol Cragg
1195 North Side
705-645-8851
jerry1195@hotmail.com

First 2012 Road Report

2012-01-06T19:58:00.005-05:00

Hello Fellow Leech Lakers,

As you can see by the photos it is just beautiful around here.

It seems that mother nature wanted to throw everything our way this week - rain, freezing rain, -23, then to +3 and over cast today....WOW!

Take care on our roads we have some icy spots.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Jerry & Carol Cragg
1195 North Side
705-645-8851
jerry1195@hotmail.com

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T09:43:00.002-05:00

We have fresh snow for the new year - 2012. However the road has been plowed as you can see in the picture below.

Wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2012.

Road Report - Dec. 23rd

2011-12-24T05:44:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas Fellow Leech Lakers!!

Look who is checking out our Beautiful Leech Lake.

Hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday.

Wishing you all the best for 2012.

The Cragg's

Road Report - Dec. 16, 2011

2011-12-16T13:49:00.003-05:00

Hello Everyone,

Needless to say, with the mild week we have no snow. Enjoy the attached photos, that tell it all.

The culvert has been repaired on the North side of the lake this week. Kudos to the executive committee!!!!!!!!

Have a great and safe weekend.

Jerry & Carol Cragg
1195 North Side
jerry1195@hotmail.com
705-645-8851

Dead Loon - Final Report

2011-12-12T19:50:00.003-05:00

We received the final Wildlife Diagnostic Report
generated by :
Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre
Pathobiology, Ontario Veterinary College
University of Guelph, Guelph.

The earlier preliminary diagnosis of death by lead poisoning of this adult male loon was confirmed in the final report. The report states that lead at 7 parts per million wet weight is sufficient to cause death. In the case of our loon the bird had many times that level in its liver and kidney.

The stomach of the loon contained grinding rocks, fishing line, snap-swivel, and an eroded lead fishing weight.

The report went on to say that "lead poisoning, caused by ingestion of lead fishing weights, accounts for approximately one-quarter of the mortality in adult loons that we have diagnosed from submissions during the nesting season."

When we fish on Leech Lake we must be ultra careful with our fishing gear. Make every effort to retrieve snagged lures, lines and sinkers. Better yet, refrain from using lead weights. If we catch a fish and the hook is too deeply embedded to retrieve do not throw the fish back into the lake as a loon might capture and eat that fish with possible dire consequences.

Road Report Dec. 9, 2011

2011-12-09T10:26:00.004-05:00

Hello Fellow Leech Lakers,

Well it seems that Old Man Winter is taking it easy for now over our Beautiful Leech Lake. We were under snow squall warnings (Wednesday) but he decided to blow over. However, he hasn't forgotten us as we did get some snow overnight and today (Friday) we again are under snow squall watch.

We had a maintenance hydro outage out on Monday from 9-12, but not to worry it was not due to weather or cottage pains, this time.

On Thursday we inspected the sand barrels on both sides of the lake (done on a volunteer basis). Some needed topping off which we did except for the one on the south side across the road from 1034 as it was full of water and ice. We could not tip it to drain it as it was too heavy for us, so you young people may want to do this and put some sand in it. It would be appreciated by all. We used the sand provided by the association at the fork of the road, left over from last year. It is almost gone now but hopefully there is enough to do this one barrel.

A section of road on the south side was washed out and we have been informed that it has been repaired, THANK YOU Ms. President, Judith Suraski, and the executive members.

Hope you enjoy the attached photos. Have a safe weekend.

Regards
Jerry & Carol Cragg
1195 North Side

jerry1195@hotmail.com
705-645-8851 (call anytime)

Road Report December 2, 2011.

2011-12-02T10:28:00.008-05:00

Hello Fellow Leech Lakers,

What a mixed bag of weather here this week! We were lucky to have missed the freezing rain, instead we got alot of heavy wet snow. Yesterday the hydro and phones were off, but all is well now. The weather is overcast and pretty mild outside today and snow is melting.
The roads have been cleared, but please be careful as we have a lot of large pot holes. While doing the snow removal on the south side we hit a deep hole and did damage to "the terminator" to the tune of $400.00, (cost of doing business but not to worry we are up and running). We would hate to see this happen to anyone's vehicle. The paved hill on the north side was quite icy this morning, and the sand barrels have not been topped off yet However there was a small amount of sand/salt mix in the blue barrel at the side of the road. We applied what was available to the hill, so just take it easy and drive with caution.
WELCOME to those who are new to our lake. You may have noticed that there are barrels along the side of the road. Inside these barrels should be sand/salt mix and a scoop so when anyone comes across a slippery spot, just scoop and throw some of the mix on the road. This is done on a volunteer basis and when we all do it, it helps everyone traveling our lake road.
For those who are interested: the Santa Clause Parade comes to Bracebridge on December 4th.
We hope you enjoy the photos (3 in total) and have a safe and enjoyable weekend at Beautiful Leech Lake.

Jerry and Carol Cragg

1195 North Side

705-645-8851

jerry1195@hotmail.com

First LL Snow Fall of 2011

2011-11-18T17:34:00.007-05:00

Two Winters ago Carol Cragg sent us weekly reports about the roads. Last year she took a hiatus and some of you commented on how you missed the reports so Carol has again agreed to post reports.
Thanks Carol!!

Good Day Fellow Leech Lakers

We woke up to our first look at 2011- 2012 Beautiful Leech Lake Winter Wonderland, we hope you enjoy the pictures. The roads have been cleared as have the driveways under contract with us for this season. The hydro was out briefly twice thru the night, everything is up and running as we write this, hope you all have a safe and enjoyable weekend.

Regards,
Jerry and Carol Cragg
1195 North Side
jerry1195@hotmail.com
705-645-8851

Survey Participation

2011-10-31T16:47:00.003-04:00

Hooray!!!

To date we have 70 responses to our recent survey concerning lake activities. This response represents close to 50% of the cottages on our lake.

If you read this blog bulletin and have not responded to the survey its not too late to participate!!

Missing Muskoka Chair

2011-10-31T16:43:00.002-04:00

Missing - Muskoka Chair - Lot 1072

This past weekend Rick McCoy (left side of Lakeshore beside run-off) discovered 2 chairs had blown off the dock in the recent high winds. A kind neighbour found one floating and returned it. The other is missing. If you have seen it - or a neighbour has a newly acquired unpainted wood chair on their shore - please e-mail vmccoy@rogers.com or call 905-201-0976. A reward can be negotiated.

Thanks,

Hembling / McCoy's

Help! Lake Monitoring

2011-10-12T13:49:00.002-04:00

A team of students from Fleming College (see previous blog)are conducting a series of tests on our lake. This weekend (Oct. 15 & 16) they will return for their second and final testing. We desperately need a boat and an operator to take them around the lake to their testing sites. If you can assist us in this regard please contact Valerie McCoy at 416-500-6995.

Loon Autopsy

2011-10-10T21:28:00.002-04:00

Early in September my family and I located a dead loon on the south road point.

The loon was sent to Guelph via the Bracebridge Department of Natural Resources office for an analysis.

Recently we received a preliminary report from DNR. The adult loon was very emaciated and it was determined that it died of lead poisoning. A lead fishing weight and a snap swivel were found in the bird's gullet.

How could a mishap like this take place? A number of scenarios come to mind.

An abandoned lure,
A lure in a fish that escaped,
A lure lodged too deep in a fish to retrieve and it gets cut loose.

Everyone should refrain from using lead sinkers. Lead is lethal to all forms of life. Wild fowl swallow small pebbles and other small solid objects from the bottom of the lake to assist with their digestive system. These objects lodge in their gullet and help to grind solid objects like fish bones etc. Lead weights ingested will certainly result in death.

In all cases we should make every effort to retrieve lures that get stuck in rocks or submerged logs so loons do not mistake it as a fish and swallow it.

Possibly someone may catch a bass where the lure is lodged too deep in the fish to retrieve it so it may be thrown back into the lake. A loon catches the fish and the lure is consumed along with the fish. We should never throw the fish back in this case. The fish should be removed from the lake so one can safely dispose of it.

Also when loons are in the area we should refrain from fishing and move on or wait until the loon(s) have vacated the area.

Alan Greenwood

State of the Lake Team - 2011

2011-10-04T20:50:00.003-04:00

Meet our state of the lake team from Fleming College (from L to R: Miriam Odermatt, Chris Surita, Taylor Boucock & Colleen Greig).

The team began its Leech Lake project on Saturday Oct 1st. They began with a benthic review (invertebrates/bugs that live at the bottom of the lake) and on Sunday they were our gathering water sample for a variety of tests.

The team will be back on the lake during the weekend of Oct. 15/16 and we can expect a project report from them around the end of the year.

Some information about our team:

Miriam Odermatt:

Home: Oshawa

Education:
Bachelor in Humanities (combination of Eng. Literature & History).
Ecological Restoration Plan Project Diploma - Team Leader.

Work:
Jane Goodall Institute Uganda - Environmental Club Leadership
Bulk Barn - Pickering

Chris Surita:

Home: London, Ontario.

Education:
Fish and Wildlife Diploma - Fleming
Currently in Ecosystem Management Technology

Work:
Natural Heritage Educator
Scout Leader
Stewardship Leader

Tracy Boucock:

Home: Fort Erie, Ontario

Education:
Two Years - Ecological Restoration Program
OBBN Certified

Work:
Study Biologist- Town of Ft. Erie Beaver Creek - Endangered Species Project
2010-11 Eco-Rez Team Coordinator Frost Campus Residence
Farm Manager Camp Counselor Riding Instructor

Colleen Grieg:

Home: Stouffville, Ontario

Education:
Degree in Psychology and a minor in Environmental Studies - University of Guelph

Work:
Volunteer at Earth Day Canada Office and as tree planter.
Teaching children in South Korea

Beautiful Leech Lake Sunset

2011-09-18T11:52:00.005-04:00

These excellent photos were taken by Barry Shepherd while kayaking at sundown

Moose on Fraserburg Road

2011-09-13T22:15:00.003-04:00

Driving into the cottage at around 11 PM on Friday, Sept 9, we encountered a very healthy looking, young adult male moose just after the 90 degree right turn at Oakley Boundary Rd. He was trotting down the centre of the road.

We followed him at a safe distance (it is starting of the rut) for ~ 2 km as he kept trotting, occasionally stopping to turn and look at us. At one time to stopped to pee, before he picked up the pace a bit and then headed off on a road/trail on the right at the top of the hill before Fraserburg Rd drops down to the culverts and the Lorne Rd turnoff.

George Gorsline

Leech Lake Loon Family

2011-09-08T21:00:00.004-04:00

Pictures taken by Ed & Marianne Enns prior to the demise of one of the adult loons.

Dead Loon Update

2011-09-04T06:53:00.002-04:00

On Wednesday August 31st, the day we discovered the loon, Christine Jacobs phoned every agency she could think of that might possibly come to our lake and deal with the dead carcass and give us an indication of what might have caused the loon's demise.

Late on Thursday afternoon Larry Jacobs phoned and said; the one agency that would help us was the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (DNR), however we would be responsible for delivering the body of the dead loon to their office in Bracebridge. They would freeze it and then forward it onto Guelph where they would examine the body, identify the gender and hopefully give us an indication of what beset the bird causing its death.

So, on Friday morning at 8:00 am Larry Jacobs and I retrieved the loon from it watery grave and it was delivered to the DNR in Bracebridge.

When we hear anything from the DNR I will post it on the blog

Another Leech Lake Tragedy

2011-09-01T09:47:00.002-04:00

We arrived at the lake this past Sunday afternoon to spend the week with our two sons, three grand children and two large dogs. During the first couple of days an adult loon and the baby loon came into our small bay right up to our dock. The adult twice dove under the dock. We did not see the two adult loons with the baby loon as we had on other occasions

On August 31st my wife, grandson and I were kayaking around the lake. We were just about to round the point along the south shore when I noticed something in the rocks lining the shore. It appeared to be a loon. Initially I thought it might be the baby loon hiding while the adults were elsewhere.

I cautiously approached the bird but there was no movement and on closer inspection I discovered that the loon was dead. When we got close enough it was evident that the loon had been dead some days as there were flies crawling on it.

The bird was wedged into the rocks in such a way that it looked like it had gone there on its own as the space was so small that it was hard to conceive that it could have been washed there by any wave action.

I telephoned Larry Jacobs, chairman of lake stewardship, and we are trying to get someone with expertise to come and examine the bird to see if the cause of death can be determined.

Needless to say we were heart sick to discover the death of one of these majestic creatures with the haunting cry.

We have had two adult loon deaths on Leech Lake in the past two seasons. The word will be going out within the loon community that Leech Lake is a dangerous place to live and raise a family.

Alan Greenwood

Misty Morning on Leech Lake

2011-08-24T19:50:00.005-04:00

These pictures are compliments of Barry Shepherd

Turtles Turtles We Love Turtles

2011-08-17T22:57:00.002-04:00

The Amaral family of 1006 Lake Shore Rd South had their cottage recently destroyed by falling trees. They are currently in the reconstruction process and are conscious of the noise this makes and the affect it may have on their neighbours. They apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing.

The Amarals spotted a turtle last weekend. Here is their report of the incident:

While we were on the dock fishing we had a turtle swim right up to us to get air. This turtle was pretty big. It may have been 2 feet wide and the hands were webbed. It looked like a snapping turtle. I wanted to know if anyone else has seen this and if so is it a snapping turtle. It stayed under my dock the whole time.

Great Pictures of Leech Lake

2011-08-17T22:52:00.005-04:00

Some great photos taken by Barry Shepherd. Notice the water line on the Shark Tooth Rock, indicating that the water level is low this year.

Lake Bethnic Monitoring

2011-08-04T13:43:00.003-04:00

This is a bit of a tutorial on Muskoka Lake Bethnic Monitoring and why its important to help us monitor trends in our lake so we can consider remedial action if necessary.

Table 1: I was unable to copy the Table with its columnsto no avail so I edited it to show each example of Indicator and What it tells us.
Benthic Macroinvertebrate Monitoring

Monitoring bottom-dwelling aquatic invertebrate communities has been part of the District Municipality of Muskoka’s Lake System Health Biological Monitoring Program since 2003. In biological monitoring, composition of the aquatic-invertebrate community, the pattern of abundances of different species collected, indicates the health of the ecosystem.

Aquatic invertebrates, such as worms, mollusks, insects, crustaceans, and mites, are common indicators in biological-monitoring programs. These animals are sensitive indicators of the health, or condition of lakes and streams, and different species have different sensitivities to environmental changes such as pollution or habitat alteration. Aquatic invertebrates live between 1 and 3 years and are in constant contact with lake sediments. Contamination and toxicity of sediments affects those animals that are sensitive. For example, lake acidification is accompanied by both a decline in the total number of species present, and an increase in the abundance of those species able to tolerate acidity.

Reference-Condition Approach

One of the challenges of biological monitoring is that the composition of healthy invertebrate communities varies from place to place, and from time to time. We therefore have to understand natural variability to be able to make reliable conclusions about whether or not the community that we find in a given lake is normal or not. One way to determine what normal looks like is to sample reference sites. Reference sites are locations where human impacts (such as pollution, shoreline alteration, and development) are minimal and the aquatic ecosystem is considered to be in the best condition found in Muskoka.
Biological-monitoring assessments can make judgments about the condition of lakes by comparing samples from a given lake of interest (a test lake) against a set of samples from reference lakes. In short, reference lakes define what normal Muskoka invertebrate communities should look like in the absence or near-absence of human influence. Atypical sites, which are biologically different from reference sites, warrant further study to determine why their communities are unusual.
Because we need information from minimally-impacted reference sites before we can evaluate our lakes, much of the focus of our biomonitoring program to-date has been on sampling reference sites. Since reference sites are assumed to be in excellent condition, it doesn’t make sense to report their condition; however, because their communities act as a benchmark for assessing other lakes, it is informative to understand invertebrate-community composition in reference lakes, and to watch for changes in reference lake composition over time. This report serves to characterize reference lake community structure, and gives a preliminary assessment of local test lakes.

Data analysis

Biological monitoring programs yield large data tables. You can envision such tables as columns of numbers, each column representing the counts of different species collected at a given location. It is very difficult to pick-out ecological patterns in such complex datasets, so it is common practice to simplify data tables into a manageable number of indices that represent meaningful ecological patterns. This is similar to the way stock-market performance is measured using indices like the TSX or the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The District of Muskoka uses several indices to simplify bioassessments, as described in Table 1.

Table 1: Indices used to summarize aquatic invertebrate composition in Muskoka.

Indicator:
Number of taxa collected(Richness)

What it tells us:
The number of taxa is a measure of biological diversity. Richness increases with increasing habitat diversity, suitability, and water quality; therefore, the healthier a site’s community, the greater its number of taxa.

Indicator:
Percent of collection made-up of mayflies, dragonflies, damselflies, and caddisflies
(% EOT)
What it tells us:
Ephemeroptera (mayflies), Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), and Trichoptera (caddisflies) are very sensitive to pollution and habitat alteration. They should be prominent in healthy ecosystems, but their numbers will decline in response to stress imposed by human activities.

Indicator:
Percent of collection made-up of midges
(% Chironomidae)

What it tells us:
Midges (true flies in the family Chironomidae) are tolerant of pollution and habitat changes so their dominance indicates water quality problems.

Indicator:
Percent of collected animals that are predators
(% predators)*

What it tells us:
In a healthy ecosystem, the numbers of predators and prey are maintained within a narrow range. Extreme fluctuations in this balance signify that the ecosystem is sick.

Indicator:
Percent of collected animals that are adapted to feeding on coarse plant matter
(% shredders)*

What it tells us:
Shredders are a group of plant eaters adapted to breaking down leaves, wood, and other plant matter that originates on land but gets transported into waterbodies. Such animals should be abundant if there is a good connection between a lake and its watershed. In addition to recycling nutrients, shredders are food for other animals.

Indicator:
Percent of collected animals that are adapted to feeding by collecting small pieces of organic matter(% collector/gatherers)*

What it tells us:
Collector-gatherers feed on small pieces of organic matter that arise from the processing activities of shredders (described above). Their presence indicates a good population of shredders, which provide them with food. Like shredders, these animals perform a vital role in energy cycling, and are prey for other animals.

Indicator:
Organic pollution score (Hilsenhoff index value)

What it tells us:
The Hilsenhoff index combines information about the abundances of different types of animals collected at a site with information about those animals’ sensitivities to sewage pollution, farm wastes, and other sources of nutrients like phosphorus, nitrogen, and carbon. High values of this index indicate pollution; low values indicate good water quality.

∗ In healthy ecosystems, the proportion of the aquatic-invertebrate community that is made-up of predators, shredders, collector/gatherers, and other animals is maintained within a narrow range. Marked divergences in abundances of any type of animal signifies a stressed ecosystem.

How do your local sites fare?

For a preliminary evaluation of your lake, refer to the attached Aquatic Invertebrate Data Sheet. If your sites are reference lakes, assumed to reflect the best ecosystem conditions in Muskoka, no assessment is warranted. For test locations, assessments can be made by comparing test-site index values against the averages for Muskoka reference lakes, which are provided in the shaded box at bottom right.
In general,

1. Richness should be high (close to the average for Muskoka or above).
2. % EOT will decrease and % Chironomids will increase over time with water quality impairment.
3. % Predators should be less than the other types of benthos (shredders, collector/gatherers) and these percentages should remain relatively constant over time.
4. The Hilsenhoff Index value should be close to the average for Muskoka or less, as a lower value indicates healthier water.
Even though most of the lakes in Muskoka are quite similar, no two lakes are identical and there are various factors that play a role in determining the relative abundances of different types of aquatic invertebrates. Comparing your lake’s data to the rest of the lakes in Muskoka is not definite, but it can give you an idea. If there is a trend in all the types of indices and data, either above or below normal, it may indicate your lake’s overall quality.

Leech Lake Beavers?

2011-08-03T14:32:00.002-04:00

From my observations beavers have been absent from Leech Lake this year and last year. On Saturday a portion of a small tree branch (about a foot long and a 1/2 inch in diameter) washed up to our dock. This piece of branch was clipped off on both ends by sharp teeth and had the bark completely stripped from it. These are tell tale signs of a beavers handiwork.

I wonder if any cottagers out there have seen a beaver or beavers on our lake lately?

I was in contact with a person who has experience as a pest control agent and he stated this could be the work of a porcupine. They are close to the beaver family and do work close to the water at times

Leech Lake Regatta 2011

2011-07-25T20:43:00.002-04:00

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

2011-07-20T21:38:00.000-04:00

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

2011-07-18T21:12:00.002-04:00

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

2011-07-07T20:44:00.002-04:00

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

2011-07-06T14:35:00.002-04:00

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

2011-07-04T11:52:00.002-04:00

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.

2010 State of the Lake Project

2010-12-22T21:07:00.005-05:00

Students from Fleming College, Lindsay, working on the Leech Lake State of the Lake Project in October 2010.

Fleming College on Leech Lake

2010-10-06T19:18:00.003-04:00

In the picture from l to r: Alan Greenwood, LL, Jason Kerr, Fleming, Ken Geller, President LL CA, Andrea Follett, Fleming, Larry Jacobs, Chair LL Lake Stewardship Committee, Mark Sanderson, Fleming, David Dunn, Fleming.

This is the Fleming College Team working on our state of the lake project. This was taken Sunday Oct. 3rd just prior to the team embarking on two days of work on the lake. They were assessing the shore line and then taking water samples. They will return on Oct. 17/18 to continue their on-site work with a state of the lake report due later this year. For more details on the project see the blog post: State of the Lake - Sept. 20, 2010.

Missing Boat??

2010-09-22T21:18:00.002-04:00

I was at the cottage during the big storm last evening (Tuesday September 2oth). It was quite a light show.

Today, Wednesday, I decided to have my breakfast on the porch as the temperature was quite mild. When I looked up from by cereal bowl I was surprised to see a boat floating freely in our cove. The boat obviously broke from its mooring during the storm and throughout the night made its way to our little bay.

I retrieved the boat and tethered it to our dock.

The boat is is a 14.5 foot aluminum boat with a beam at 5.5 feet. It has an identification number on the bow, 60E21158. If it is yours or you know who owns it please give me a call

Alan Greenwood
705-434-9202

ARE YOU RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?

2010-09-20T15:52:00.004-04:00

During the week before Labour Day we had a family gathering at the cottage. On two separate days our grand children went down to the lake to swim and this is what faced them. There were no boats or waves at the time and the lake was as calm as a mill pond. This is most definitely someone's grey water and it is very annoying to say the least. Would you want you grand children swimming in someone else's soap sud?

Jill Greenwood

State of Leech Lake Project

2010-09-20T15:38:00.002-04:00

Over the past 3-4 years the Lake Stewardship Committee has been taking water quality measurements, monitoring aquatic life (bugs and invertebrates) that is a strong indicator of the health of the lake and encouraging the township to strictly monitor the septic systems on the lake. All of the activities of the Lake Stewardship Committee are directed toward keeping abreast of ecological trends on the lake and recommending and implementing improvements to ensure that our lake quality trends are positive. This committee is comprised of Valerie McCoy handling aquatic life measurement, Don Hill on water quality and Larry Jacobs on septic tank monitoring

Larry Jacobs made a presentation to the 2010 Leech Lake Cottagers Associations' Annual General Meeting (AGM) recommending that we invest in a project to engage experts to measure the state of Leech Lake in a variety of critical ecological areas. Once we have a report on the state of our lake we can develop a long range plan of action to work toward established ecological bench marks, ensuring a completely healthy lake. The ultimate goal is to return the lake to the background characteristics before human development.

The two options that were presented to register the current state of the lake were:
1. The use of a consultancy company.
2. The use of the Ecomanagment Program at Flemming College in Lindsay.

The AGM approved the funds necessary for Flemming College option.

Fleming College offers a post secondary Environmental Technicians Program, one of three in Ontario accredited by Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) Canada

Larry Jacobs has had a number of meetings with the Ecomanagement Program folks at Fleming College promoting the benefits of the college conducting a study at Leech Lake. On August 3rd Fleming accepted Leech Lake as one of 11 projects it will complete this fall.

On September 13th Larry Jacobs attended a meeting at Fleming College to match project teams and assignments. At that meeting Larry made a presentation focusing on Leech Lake, our situation and objectives for this project. Also at that meeting project mentors made presentations. The Leech Lake project was rated number 1 priority for 6 of the 11 project teams. Our project team has been chosen and will complete their field work before the snow flies.

The activities of the team will be as follows:
1. Inventory of state of shoreline development on each property (to be completed from canoe).
2. Identify key sites to conduct benthic inventories and recommend yearly schedule for collection of benthic data.
3. Conduct benthic inventories at each site identified, tally, and analyze data (Compare to Muskoka average census data).
4. Conduct zooplankton inventory, sort and analyze data.
5. Collect water chemistry data (pH, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, temperature, calcium and phosphorus. Compare to Muskoka averages and Leech Lake trends).
6. Preliminary inventory of aquatic invasive species and shoreline plant communities. Compare and report versus Muskoka data, and or ideals if feasible.
7. Determine key spots for establishing a water level measurement station, take baseline readings and potentially set up a station with Leech Lake equipment.
8. Perform seine netting in concert with Fish and Wildlife in preparation for advice on future fish stocking.
9. Liaise with other agencies as required.
10. Prepare interim reports as needed. Prepare a final report on findings and prepare a Power Point presentation for Leech Lake Executive and for other agencies as required.

During the team’s work on the lake Larry Jacobs and Valerie McCoy will be feeding and housing the team.

2010 Regatta!!!!

2010-07-26T15:43:00.002-04:00

Come one Come all!!!
Fun and games for cottagers of all ages!!!

The Date: Sunday August 1, 2010
The Place: The Boat Ramp
The Time: Activities commence at 1 pm and conclude at 5 pm.

Bring a canoes and/or kayak for the water races.

Volunteers are needed to help with the food and games. Volunteers arrive at noon.

We will have a raffle for a gift basket and the traditional 50/50 draw so bring cash.

Tragedy On Leech Lake

2010-07-15T20:51:00.003-04:00

I just received some disturbing news!!!!! A year round Leech Lake resident advised that our male loon has been killed. The loon was found on the island and was in distress. Apparently the loon was shot by someone wielding a pellet gun. The people who came upon this event took the loon to the wild life centre in Bracebridge but to no avail.

When I read this news I felt nauseous! Who could commit such a dastardly act? If anyone has any information about this tragedy please let us know.

Hopefully the female and her offspring will be able to manage the balance of the season successfully and make the trip south

Alan Greenwood

Annual Leech Lake 2010 Bug Count

2010-06-16T06:11:00.000-04:00

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

2010-06-02T19:28:00.006-04:00

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

Moose Sighting

2010-05-17T14:57:00.006-04:00

Great photos of a young moose. These were taken on May 5th at 9:20 am in a driveway on the south side near the south point road.

Current Fire Situation

2010-05-11T12:26:00.001-04:00

There has been an early start to the fire season this year with grass and brush fires across Ontario. Dry, windy and unseasonably warm weather has prompted officials to issue high and moderate fire danger notices throughout the majority of cottage country. Overnight frosts have delayed grass and other plants from sprouting, which normally act as a deterrent to the spread of fire across dry leaves lying on the ground. Be sure to follow fire risk and fire ban information in your area by checking out the MNR's Aviation and Forest Fire Management website

Fire Awareness

2010-05-11T12:13:00.001-04:00

FOCA FireSmart Program

Every year the MNR responds to over 1350 wildfires, half of those caused by humans. The majority of human caused wildfires are due to careless burning practices and failure to control and extinguish campfires, grass and brush fires.

FOCA and the MNR have partnered together to bring cottagers the information and resources they need to Be FireSmart at their cottage and in their communities. To learn more visit the FireSmart page of the FOCA website

Road Report March 25, 2010

2010-03-26T14:35:00.004-04:00

Well HELLO all our fellow LEECH LAKERS!!

As you can see by our photo, the lake is on a very slow melt. Our paddle boat is a very lonely looking site indeed, floating all by herself on the waters edge waiting for the big boats to come on out and toss her around in their waves.

Well we don't know about you, but we are still convinced our Leech Laker Squirrel's forecast that spring is here is right on. Another spring indicator is that our cute little Leech Lake Chipmunks are out of hibernation, much to the dismay of their cousins the aggressively hungry Squirrels. So keep your tired winter weary spirits up!

It has been a mixed week weather-wise to say the least. We have had: snow, rain pellets, wind, cold and some sunny spots and the weather man calls for a really cold night tonight, (Thursday). We are sad to admit that there is still snow along the side of the road, in the bush areas and in our yards. The roads haven't had a chance to dry out either. They are still quite soggy, soft and have pot holes, so when coming on up, take care.

We have, for the most part, had a blast sending our photos and our personal take of the road and weather conditions and hope that you have all enjoyed our little ditties. On that note, we would like to let you know this will be our last "report". We sure look forward to others sending in their photos thruout the season along with your comments and will be looking forward to them.

Have a great and wonderful season on Our Beautiful Leech Lake. See ya on the water.

Jerry & Carol
1195 North Side

Otters on the Lake

2010-03-19T20:09:00.002-04:00

Today we made our first official visit of 2010 to Leech Lake. The cottage appeared to weather well through the winter. The snow has all but gone from our property, just a wide swath at the driveway entrance evidence of the winter plowing.

There were three otters cavorting on the lake all afternoon. They had a number of holes in the ice near our cottage and would pop up periodically to survey the surrounding area. Then they would pop out of the water and cavort around for a while and then back into the water. These curious critters spotted me on the shore and would eye me from afar raising their heads from their ice holes. I heard a noise coming from the end of our dock. I thought it was the ice rubbing against the dock so I moved onto the dock to examine. When the dock started to move from my weight there was large splash and rush of water. It was one of the otters just off our dock.

These animals use our dock frequently as they left plenty of evidence. There were many small piles of fish scales deposited throughout the winter. I wondered if that is a painful experience for them. It would seem to me to be like passing mini razor blades. O well.

Isn't nature wonderful.

Alan Greenwood

Spring Break on Leech

2010-03-19T19:56:00.003-04:00

Hi Everyone, hope you are having an amazing March break with family and friends.

We have had an absolutely beautiful week here on Leech Lake, the snow is melting fast, the lake is showing water under docks and around the waters edge. The roads are wet and pretty soggy with pot holes, no surprise there.

We have graded the north side everyday last week and have refilled all the blue barrels with sand, if you see any pot holes and you would like to contribute and fill the holes with sand its there for you. We cannot comment on the south side as we have not been over there. Slow and easy will save the roads and the cost of road repairs. Have a great and safe weekend.

Jerry & Carol
1195 North Side

Spring Comes to Leech Lake

2010-03-12T06:19:00.002-05:00

Road Report March 12, 2010

2010-03-12T06:06:00.005-05:00

We have had a unbelievable sunny week here at Beautiful Leech Lake, but unfortunately, dear old "Bob" (The New VR) weather man, says we are going to get rain and more rain for the weekend and into next week, what a bummer!!! But on a brighter note, it will certainly melt away more of that dirty white stuff.

The road conditions are typical for this time of year, some bare patches, snow covered and icy sections, and the usual ruts....so if venturing out to the cottage, drive carefully and have a great March break with your family and friends.

Now on a lighter note. There seems to be a few people on the lake that believe it our responsibility, and that we are being paid to maintain the roads all winter. This is not true! So, I am going to set you and the record straight. We were contracted to blow the snow off the roads, yes, but only after an accumulation of four inches. So if we get two inches on Monday, we stay home. Now, if we get another one inch on Wednesday, we stay home. If we get no more snow that week, we will do the roads on Friday, only because we have contracts to do a few driveways. So we drop the snowblower and the grader blade and do the roads, not because we have to, but I cannot see us driving around the lake without doing the roads at the same time. Man, could you see the complainers come out of the snowbanks then. So now if on a Wednesday or Thursday, if we had of received another inch or more of snow, you would have seen us on that day and not on Friday.

I really hope this helps all the people that travel these roads in the winter months. If anyone would like the roads graded they can hire the terminator at $50.00per hour.

Thanks,

Jerry & Carol Cragg 1195 Leech Lake Rd North. 705-645-8851. Hope to see you on the weekend.

P.S,

This photo is the end of our dock, yes that's water, and under the water is still some ice, but be forewarned, the melt is happening. And the pot holes on the road are there, so be careful. Stay in the middle as usual.

Beautiful Leech Lake

2010-03-05T13:17:00.001-05:00

Click on pictures to enlarge

Road Report March 5, 2010

2010-03-05T07:40:00.001-05:00

Well Hello Fellow Leech Lakers

We have had an amazing week of sunshine and warm temps! The roads are great, and believe it or not we have a little of the brown stuff showing. OMG!!!! Its about time don't you think? So, come on up, bring everyone, spouses, kids, aunts, uncles, animals, and gold fish, enjoy what is suppose to be an awesome weekend of sunbathing temps......cause we know you know what's waiting for you real soon........Again, drive in the middle of the road, whatever you do, DON'T go on the shoulders or you are sunk!!!

Jerry & Carol

Road Report February 26, 2010

2010-02-26T16:22:00.002-05:00

Leech Lakers, a word of caution!

We currently have 2 inches of very heavy wet snow sitting on an ice base. It is now raining so the road is deteriorating thus very hard to navigate.

If you decide to come to your cottage this weekend, you must use extreme caution on the road. If you don't need to come up, then don't, there are always other weekends. You may get stuck and even a tow truck may not be able to help you out.

We were out doing the roads, the snow is way too heavy to throw, and the tractor is just chewing up the wet base and making it worse, so we need to wait for a freeze to clean it up.

Jerry & Carol

Road Report February 19, 2010

2010-02-19T17:03:00.003-05:00

Hi Guys, hope you all had a good Valentine's weekend. It is beautiful and mild out today and the weather man says he will co-operate for the rest of the weekend too.

We just got in from plowing the roads for you. So you are aware, on the south side the base may be a little soft. To our suprise, there was a very large delivery truck traveling on it and did some damage to the base. We blew the snow and graded the road twice, but some spots remains a little soft.

As well, this past weekend friends of some of the new cottagers got stuck on the road because their cars had no snow tires. So, please guys, when you have company let them know that this is only a small single lane cottage road and it is snow packed.

When people get stuck on the road, invariably others wanting to use the road must wait until the stuck car gets pulled out. The ripple effect is that the road gets ripped up and it takes a while to pack it down and get a good base again.

If we can make a suggestion, have guests stay at the turn around and have the best vehicle you have for our roads meet them at the turn around, and drive them in. This is safer for everyone and we are sure, you will all have a more enjoyable weekend.

Thanks
Jerry & Carol

Road Report - February 12, 2010

2010-02-12T05:43:00.004-05:00

Well, we have had a great week with no snow and bright sunshine. But its cold!!! The roads are again in great shape and you know the drill, stay well into the middle while driving or if you ski-doo in, avoid the soft shoulders and you should have a great uneventful and safe drive in on the cottage road. So bring your honey and enjoy Valentine's Day at your cottage with our picture perfect scenery of Leech Lake.

Happy Valentine's Day

Jerry & Carol

2010-02-04T13:05:00.007-05:00

Our own Leech Laker squirrel is made of tougher stuff than other rodents. Not only does she brave cold temperatures to come out and guard the bird feeder, she doesn't run away from a little thing like a shadow. So she says bring on an early spring cause she has invited her relatives to come and join her.

We received about 9" of fresh show this week the road have been cleared and ready for you to rock and roll. Most of this week has been nice and sunny and the weather man is calling for a nice weekend. Once again, drive safely & have a blast. Cars and ski-doo's please stay in the centre of the roads, the shoulders remain soft and you will sink.

Jerry & Carol

Road Report January 28, 2010

2010-01-29T00:37:00.005-05:00

After the rain of last weekend, the roads were badly damaged. However thanks to the cold weather over the past few days and the 7" of snow last evening we have been able to plow the roads back into good shape. Just be reminded to stay in the centre of the road.

Have fun!!!! Carol & Gerry

Posting on the Blog

2010-01-22T11:38:00.003-05:00

If you wish to post something on the Leech Lake blog please contact me, the blog administrator, Alan Greenwood (agreenwood@rogers.com). Your submission can include text and pictures.

If you wish to comment on posts already submitted you can do so at the bottom of each post.

Alan Greenwood

Power Outage Announcement

2010-01-22T11:35:00.002-05:00

We have, along with other cottagers on the North side, received the following call from Hydro One, we don't know if it effects the South side, as no one has mentioned it as of yet.

Planned power outage for this Sunday that Hydro One sent
Incident Id: 1432072
Customers Affected: 1327
Outage Start Time: Jan 24, 4:00 AM
Estimated Restoration: Jan 24, 6:00 AM
Cause: PLANNED\CONTROL ROOM

Jerry and Carol

Road Report - January 21, 2010

2010-01-21T11:09:00.006-05:00

Hope you enjoy the photos. We have had just a dusting of snow this week. The roads are still in great shape. This morning it's -17, cold, sunny and beautiful. But be aware that the weatherman is calling for rain on Sunday.

Record-Breaking Snowfall

2010-01-17T20:14:00.003-05:00

This article appeared in the Muskoka Weekender January 8, 2010

Record-Breaking Snowfall Amounts for December

Muskoka breaks 1985 record for the month

Bi-line: Karen Longwell

Muskoka: It was a record white Christmas for Muskoka.

The district last month broke a 1985 snowfall record for the month of December when it received double the amount of snow it typically gets, according to Environment Canada.

At the same time, areas in southern Ontario saw less snowfall than normal, according to the agency..

The previous record for most snow in Muskoka was 194.6 centimetres, set in 1985. December 2009 saw 199.4 centimetres for the region, well above the typical 87.6 centimetres for the month. A two-day storm, Dec. 10 and 11 dumped upwards of 95 centimetres in some parts of the district, including Bracebridge.

Snow measurements are taken at Muskoka Airport. Records have been gathered in Muskoka since 1934, said Environment Canada warning preparedness meteorologist Peter Kimbell.

November's unseasonably warm temperatures resulted in warmer water on the Great Lakes in December, according to Environment Canada. These warmer than normal lake temperatures combined with very cold arctic air flooding down late on Dec. 9 provided the ideal setup for significant lake effect snow. For much of Dec. 10-11, a series of snow squalls developed in the flow from the northwest off Lake Superior, Lake Huron and Georgian Bay, according to Environment Canada.

"December is typically the month when most lake effect snow occurs for the simple reason that the cold air is arriving from the north and it flows over the relatively warm water," said Kimbell.

One particularly intense and persistent snow squall moved inland south of Parry Sound through the Gravenhurst, Bracebridge and Minden areas, resulting in record-setting snowfalls in some of these communities.

"Unfortunately, this year there was a very strong band that basically clobbered that particular area (Muskoka and Minden)," said Kimbell.

At its most intense, this snow squall penetrated hundreds of kilometres inland, bringing snow to areas south of Ottawa, according to the release.

Bracebridge and Gravenhurst areas were hit particularly hard with the long-lasting,strong snow squall,said Kimbell.

Future forecast:

Muskokans can still expect more winter for the coming months.

The seasonal forecast for January and February suggests below normal temperatures and precipitation for this area, said Kimbell.

"That is really just a best guess," he added.

For the immediate future Muskoka can expect not much in the way of snow, said Kimbell. Right now, the winds are from the north, which means no lake effect snow in the next few days, he predicted

A Bizarre Road Event

2010-01-14T19:30:00.003-05:00

On December 28th we headed to Bracebridge to conduct some cottage business. Once the business was finished we headed to Leech Lake. We do not use our cottage in the winter so we wanted to see how the cottage roof was holding up given the large snow falls earlier in the month.We are located at 1068 Lakeshore RD S. We drove in past our cottage and used Carl Henze's driveway to turn around and head back toward our cottage. We arrived at the top of our driveway. I went down to have a brief look at the roof and when I came back there was a cream/gold coloured SUV/Crossover parked up the slope just at the bend in the road (The road bends around a rock and the power lines at that point.) I got in the car and wondered what to do as backing down to Henze's was a long distance.

The two folks in the vehicle opposite sat there not moving. I thought I should therefore initiate some action so I pulled over, actually getting my left tires in the snow bank. The folks in the Vehicle opposite started to come forward. When they got opposite they too got their wheels in the snow bank and were stuck. Fortuitously I had put a shovel in our vehicle. So I retrieved the shovel and proceeded to shovel a path for the stuck wheels. Still the folks in the vehicle opposite stoically watched as I shoveled. After a couple of attempts they were able extricate themselves from the snow bank. They then drove off without stopping and saying a word; not "thanks" or "how is your car".

Well now we are stuck and stuck big time. We have an "all wheel drive" vehicle but none of the wheels had solid traction. I had to dig through the road side snow bank to get traction for the back wheels. Just as I was making good progress, after about an hour, a fine couple, Rob and Deb, happened by and with Rob's brawn along with our son we were able extricate ourselves from the snowbank.

This was a bizarre incident in that we had no verbal communication with the folks opposite. It felt like we were in a sci-fi movie and this was an alien vehicle with expressionless aliens inside that could not open the windows or doors and get involved in our environment.

Alan Greenwood

Rd. Rept. and Answers to Anonymous

2010-01-14T19:03:00.002-05:00

The roads right now are in excellent shape.

Answers to Anonymous:

It is impossible to get the road down to a gravel state even though we would love to. When it rains on the snow base of the road it makes it too heavy to be thrown by the snow blower,and if we used the grader to just push it to the side it would freeze then it would not be able to be moved at all thus narrowing the roads.

As for the "lay by" stretch you are referring to, there is at this time no where to pull into to make these spots without damaging my equipment.

Today the weather man is calling for rain then freezing rain later this afternoon and tonight and we will be back to a skating rink condition. All we can do is have patience and let mother nature do her thing and then we'll go back out clean up the roads.

Thanks for your question, hope this clears things up for you. Questions are always welcome, we will always try to answer them the best we can.

Jerry & Carol

P.S. At least with snow, there are no signs of black flies yet ha..., but the squirrels sure are scurrying around eating the seeds the birds are dropping.

Road Report - January 8th

2010-01-08T17:47:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone!! Happy New Year!

It is nice and sunny here in the great white north, the roads are cleared as well as all driveways under contract with us.

The road is in great shape, just a reminder, please when driving to your cottage, take your time, drive in the centre of the road, and you will have no problems.

The Craggs.

Road Update

2009-12-23T10:56:00.001-05:00

Well Hello Everyone, hope you are all ready for Christmas in the land of Snow and HO! HO! HO!.

It was a long haul and I just want to thank you all again for your patience during the time it took to get the Terminator back up and running with the difficult time we had with all this record snow fall, it was greatly appreciated.

Our roads and all driveways, under contract are open. Please drive safely and remember to keep in the middle of the road while driving into your cottage.

Now, I have to run into town myself and get my wife's shopping done!

Have a great and safe Holiday Season. See you on the road.

Jerry & Carol

Snow Report

2009-12-16T13:29:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone. Take a long look at these photos. We are still, after a week of hard snow fall, digging out. We have had, in one week, the amount of snow we would normally get in a month. We are trying to clear the road asap, but at this point (Dec 15th) Leech Lake Point and south of that has not been plowed. Also the very far north end of the North side has not been done.

I have been unable to do any of the driveways that were contracted out to me. For that I apologize. I will get to the driveways asap. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please contact me directly:

Res: 645-8851

Cell: 905-880-7323

e-mail: carol1195@hotmail.com

1195 Lakeshore Rd North

Bubbler Beef

2009-11-24T09:46:00.003-05:00

We are cottagers on the lake that enjoy it year round, but again this fall we have been treated to the noise of the dock bubbler in the east end of the lake. Every year these cottagers put in a bubbler with the perceived notion that it protects their dock from ice damage. Now, it can be argued whether or not these devices are effective, but it cannot be argued that they are very unsafe, and present not only a danger, but the excessive noise is a nuisance to fellow cottagers. We understand that they are not illegal in our area, but they are illegal in many other areas for safety reasons.

I have spoken with several other cottagers who feel there should be a petition circulated regarding bubbler use on our lake.

If we examine the reason for a bubbler to begin with, it is generally accepted that their function is largely discredited, particularly on a lake the size of ours. Docks don't get damaged by ice forming around them, they get damaged when that ice moves, and smashes into docks. A bubbler will not prevent ice movement, and an open area of water around a dock will not prevent the ice from moving during the spring thaw when ice becomes one large mass floating around. It should also be noted that modern docks are typically floating docks, which suffer little or no damage from ice.

An open patch of water poses several problems for snowmobiler's, and children, more often it's family pets that wander onto very thin ice surrounding the open water to get a drink. It is also a danger when the hydro system goes down (which it does nearly weekly on our lake in the winter) and the bubbler, and associated warning (red light) go out. The ice forms on open water very quickly making it impossible for anyone to know the danger exists, particularly if a light dusting of snow covers the thin ice.

As mentioned, we know these bubblers are not illegal, but I think we can all agree that neighbourly etiquette dictates that when something within one's control proves to be an unreasonable annoyance, or in this case a serious danger, it should be eliminated by the responsible party immediately.

In summary, it is not our intention to have this neighbour have their dock damaged by ice, but it's also not our intention to have a loss of life, be it a family pet or worse, on our lake.

Below is a link to some interesting reading on the use of bubblers.

We look forward to hearing an expedient resolution to this problem. And, we look forward to once again enjoying the tranquility that is Leech Lake in wintertime.

http://pierofdnort.com/categories/80/Default.aspx

Lake Bug Survey Rescheduled

2009-07-22T19:34:00.003-04:00

The Leech Lake benthic monitoring (bug survey) scheduled for July 12, 2009, did not take place as the technician was ill. The survey has been rescheduled for Thursday, July 30, 2009.

The technician will start gathering samples at 8:30 am and the species identifying and counting will commence at 9:15 am.
The location is: Hemblin/McCoy cottage. 1037 Lakeshore Rd (right side)

We need all the help we can get! This is a great opportunity to learn about what lives at the bottom of your lake and how these creatures contribute to the health of the lake.

Refreshments will be served and a light BBQ lunch following completion of the project.

Please e-mail vmccoy@rogers.com or call 705-645-9692 (no answering service)

Leech Lake 2009 Bug Count

2009-06-30T16:39:00.002-04:00

Leech Lake
2009 Bug Count
Volunteers Required

Dated: July 12, 2009
Time: 8:30 am
Place: Hembling / McCoy cottage. 1037 Lakeshore Rd (Right side)

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.

The collection will be done by a Biological Monitoring Technician for 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. 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.

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

Welcome! A New Cottager

2009-06-10T14:53:00.002-04:00

The Beginning:
As a recent new cottage owner on Leech Lake I made my first visit up from Mississauga last weekend with my family. This first thing we noticed is how much different it looks with all the trees in full bloom, shortly after we realize how many mosquitoes were around! It was a humbling experience to open the doors of the cottage for the first time realizing that this is actually ours. We have been to cottages before and camped many times but to finally own one is a different experience. Once the initial excitement subsided we started to settle in. Kids after running around picking their rooms, me checking if water is running, lights working and my wife checking the kitchen. Soon thereafter when the unpacking was finished we sat down to catch our breaths. Naturally we started talking about what needs to be done, what we can improve, what we can keep and so on. But soon we both began to realize the work involved in cottage ownership is not trivial. I’m sure all you veteran owners are having a chuckle. Either you are saying it’s a piece of cake I’ll get use to it after a few years or you’re saying it’s definitely like another child that needs love and care and lot of work. I’m sure I’ll have my own view after a few years.

A Good Cottage Citizen:
The previous owners, who had the cottage from the beginning of its life 40 years ago, were noticeably proud cottage owners as it was a well maintained the cottage. Now it was up to us to keep that pride going as well as add a few of our personal touches. As a good cottage citizen I’d like to keep in touch with my neighbours and hope this blog can be useful to introduce myself and learn of the good cottage practices that we all should adhere to.

Questions:
I am looking for help/comments on a few things.
I noticed that the mosquitoes have been in full force and probably smelled fresh blood when we arrived. I can just picture their smiling faces looking at us. As soon as I would walk out of the cottage they would be ready for me and took no time to start their feasting. How long will this last? I’ve been told by some that it will die down in a few weeks and others say get use to it as they never go away. Any tips on mosquito repellents, I’ve seen some blue light zappers on sale that claim 1 acre range and emit some sonar to repel them.
I’m looking for a canoe that will be good for family but not to expensive, budget is a bit tight. If anyone is selling or know someone who is selling please let me know.
Not all of us are at the cottages full time so I’m wondering if there is some sort of community watch program or phone list shared for emergency contacts etc.

I have read about our water test, road repairs and tree by-laws blogs and as my family and I get ready for our new cottage adventures I look forward to your comments and keeping involved with Leech Lake community.
_________________

Par Virdee
1206 Lakeshore Rd S.

Spring Potpourri

2009-06-07T19:09:00.002-04:00

Potpourri

Winter Visit: We are basically summer cottagers. However, I ventured north in March to check the snow level on the roof. Luckily we had little snow on the roof while others had upwards of one to two feet of the white stuff. There was evidence of severe wind storms over the winter. Lying beneath our power line lay a huge branch torn from one of our white pines on the property. This branch was as large as some of the juvenile trees on our lot. How it got beneath the power line without damaging the line or the cottage stack is a mystery. As well a large branch came down and speared the bottom of a fiberglass row boat near the cottage. The weather was cold, crisp, and sunny. It was very serene to stand at the lake’s edge and be engulfed by the silence.

Spring Visit: In April we spent a day at the lake. In twenty odd years we have never experienced the ice break up. On this particular day we had some open ice near our shore. About noon a brisk wind kicked up and started driving the ice around the lake. It finally drove the ice on our shore and the ice began breaking up. It was quite a sight.

Lake Water Quality Report: I saw the 2008 water quality report for the Muskoka District and there is some disturbing data about our lake. The phosphorous content in the spring of 2008 was above the upper level of acceptable and trending in the wrong direction. This means that we all must be vigilant in curbing phosphorous in our lake. The largest contributors to phosphorous in the lake are cottagers through their septic systems. We should all be vigilant of our septic systems. If they are old and breaking down they should be replaced with technology that will minimize phosphorous in the lake. If your system has grey water by passing the septic tank then shame on you!

As well this report monitors dissolved oxygen in the water in the spring and again in August. Leech Lake shows a marked reduction in dissolved oxygen in the water as the temperatures rise in August. My untrained mind deduces that there may be many more living organisms, e.g. algae, vying for oxygen in the lake and thus the dissolved oxygen levels decrease in a small lake such as ours. Phosphorous is like a fertilizer and promotes growth of vegetation such as algae. Control the phosphorous and ensure the health of our lake.

Leech Lake Newsletter: The spring newsletter had a great deal about the road and its condition and nothing about the condition of the lake and how we can make sure it’s healthy. Without a healthy lake the road will be a secondary issue.

Beavers: Judging from the level of the lake this spring the dam at the end of the lake is not being attended to by beavers. Did our beavers fall ill or move somewhere else.

Blog Postings: If anyone wishes to post to the blog please forward the submission to agreenwood@rogers.com

Proposed Change - Muskoka Tree Cutting By-Law

2009-01-07T19:11:00.004-05:00

Dear Friend:

The District Municipality of Muskoka is proposing to update its Tree Cutting by-law because the legislation under which the existing by-law was passed has changed and because the existing by-law only applies to operations on parcels of 50 acres or more. There has been serious damage done on smaller parcels of land.

We have many good loggers and foresters in Muskoka that support this revised by-law because it establishes reasonable minimum standards for cutting and ensures a sustainable forestry industry for many years. This is their livelihood and they want to maintain it. Unfortunately there are a few vocal individuals that do not agree. Poor logging practices are not sustainable and threaten the long-term viability of the logging industry in Muskoka and the health of Muskoka's forests.

Muskoka also has many absentee property owners, many with little or no technical understanding of good forest management practices. Many acres of pristine Muskoka forest have been decimated by loggers, some from outside Muskoka, wanting to make easy money. Unsuspecting property owners have returned the following spring and been heartbroken at the destruction of their property. Minimum standards and a regulatory by-law would prevent much of this from occurring and provide legal options for land owners seeking remediation or restitution.

Visit the District Municipality of Muskoka website for detailed information on the proposed Tree Cutting by-law (http://www.muskoka.on.ca/siteengine/activepage.asp?PageID=212).

We believe that the recent opposition to the Tree Cutting By-law comes from a small minority of loggers in Muskoka. There is concern that Muskoka Council may believe that the general public opinion is against this type of regulation and not pass a new by-law. This would leave our forest vulnerable to unscrupulous loggers.

Thank you for helping to create a sustainable Muskoka.

Rebecca Willison
Muskoka Watershed Council
9 Taylor Road, Box 482
Bracebridge, ON
P1L 1X3
Ph: (705) 645-7393 Fx: (705) 645-7888> Email: watershed@muskokaheritage.org mailto:watershed@muskokaheritage.org Website: www.muskokaheritage.org/watershed http://www.muskokaheritage.org/watershed

Brazen Beaver

2008-09-05T20:14:00.002-04:00

Labour Day weekend was the finest weather of this cottage season! The sun and light winds made for an excellent time. As well the absence of insects made it most enjoyable especially at night when one could go out and view the majesty of the cosmos. When you experience the thousands of stars it makes one aware of how insignificant man is in this vast universe.

On Sunday evening just at dusk a beaver went steaming by from west to east. It was cruising close to shore, and went under our dock and then meandered along its way. Later I went outside to view the night skies. As soon as I got on our dock I heard a crunching noise coming from the vicinity our neighbour's cottage on the west. Knowing that our neighbour was not up to the lake this weekend I became curios. I shone my light over in that direction. The noise continued on and I raked the bush and shore with my light finally zeroing in on a beaver hunched down in the shallows of a small cove, chowing down on a small branch. I concentrated my light on the critter expecting it to take flight slapping the water with its tail as it left. No reaction. It just continued snacking on the twig. I took the light away and then quickly zeroed in again on the beaver. It continued eating at its leisurely pace. I yelled at it. Still no reaction. So I walked off the dock and around along the shoreline, all the time keeping the light trained the beaver. As I closed to within about 25 feet it looked around and and then slowly steamed out of the cove and in to the darkness. The next morning the evidence was in the cove, a small maple branch almost completely stripped of its bark.

I thought all the beavers would be working on their dam at the end of the lake because judging from the lake level that dam has sprung a leak or two.

Regatta Day

2008-08-05T20:21:00.002-04:00

The 2008 Regatta was a resounding success. The event is held primarily for the kids but this day showed that there is a little bit youngster in all of us. The events were varied and some had a diabolical bent like the egg catching contest and the water balloon basketball event. The food was excellent abley handle by Mike and Diane O'Hara. I tried to make a list of the contributors but it was obvious that every adult in some way or another contributed to the success of the day.

Valerie McCoy deserves a standing ovation for her management of this Day. This involves recruiting cottagers to assist plus organizing the food, cooking equipment, prizes, events and all the logistics that surround running such an event.

Valerie and Rick. Well done!!!! Over to Susan and Caroline

Leech Lake Regatta Details

2008-07-23T19:59:00.001-04:00

REGATTA 2008

HOP ON OVER TO THE BIGGEST PARTY ON THE LAKE

Back again this summer after rave reviews from both adults & kids.

When: Sunday Aug 3rd 1-5pm
Where: Boat Launch
Admission: $20 per family (if not paid with dues). Includes door prizes for all kids under 16, ribbons for all participants, games, drinks, hotdogs, burgers & corn.
What to bring: Chair, water shoes, swim gear, life jackets for kids, cash for 50/50 & raffle draws. Canoe or paddle boat for races if you can.

We've kept some favourite games and added new ones. Look for the schedule posted on the signboard next weekend.

Raffle is for donated Tom Thompson “The Canoe” print -beautifully framed & matted. Tickets 1/$10 each, 3 for $20.

Extreme weather date is Monday August 4th. Note - we party in the rain. Real cottagers don’t melt!

Leech Lake Regatta - 2008

2008-07-03T21:35:00.002-04:00

Leech Lake Annual Regatta
Sunday, August 3,2008
Fun & Games for all!!!
Volunteers needed!
Contact: Valerie McCoy: vmccoy@rogers.com

2008-07-01T19:35:00.000-04:00

Bug Messages

We have all heard stories about how bugs help solve the most heinous of crimes. Well Leech Lake bugs have a story to tell us about our lake. They can tell us whether the way we treat the lake is good and allows them to live or they can tell us that there are conditions in the lake that are making it difficult for them to exist.

For the past two years, 2006 & 2007, Valerie and Rick McCoy in conjunction with the District Municipality of Muskoka, Ecological Monitoring Department have been hosting a bug fest on Leech Lake.

The District technician wades along the shore line and fills three buckets with mud from the lake bed. Then the Leech Lake volunteers go to work with Petri dishes, tweezers and eye droppers to extract the little invertebrates that live in the lakebed mud. The goal is to get 100 specimens from each bucket. The District then analyses the findings. Over time these little invertebrates will tell us a great deal about our lake. We will find out if we are trending in a healthy or an unhealthy direction. If remedial action is required the District Municipality of Muskoka can help us get on the right road. The program is entitled

Benthic Monitoring:

- What it is? The Monitoring of aquatic invertebrates over time as an indication of lake health.
- These animals live in lake sediment and are sensitive to pollutants & changes in habitat.
- Different species have different sensitivities so the program used 6 different species indicators & a pollution score to provide a picture of our Lake health which can be compared to other Muskoka Lakes.
- We have the data for 2006 & 2007 and we are waiting for some professional interpretation.
- The count was very difficult in 2007 due to a lack of animals compared to 2006. Dragonflies were way down - they are very sensitive to pollution & habitat alteration.

Leech Lakers here is where we come in! Valerie McCoy is looking for 10 volunteers. So please get involved. I did last year and had fun plus learned more about our lake. If you have children or grand children ages 8-12 they will enjoy the experience.

Date: Sunday, July 27, 2008
Time: TBD
Contact: vmccoy@rogers.com
Location: North western end of the lake adjacent to the lake spilloff into the Muskoka river feeder system.

2008-07-01T17:16:00.002-04:00

Lake Water Levels

At the Leech Lake Cottagers Association annual meeting, June 29, 2008, Larry Jacobs, representing the lake water quality committee, made a presentation on water quality on our lake. In his preamble Larry commented about the runoff from the deluge of rain we had the evening before the meeting. Larry stated he felt that, after researching the Muskoka District’s position on watershed management, we could probably expect higher water levels for the next few years.

Craig Bushinski took exception to the statement about the Muskoka watershed management. Craig has researched the Muskoka District’s report on watershed management and does not find any evidence of allowing increased water levels.

Craig has been so good as to provide web sites for all of us to reference. The second and third url’s are the actual MNR reports. There are some interesting statistics about water levels and management of same. I am a little confused about the first url as it seems to be a search engine capability for Ontario Government documents and not a statistical report.
http://govdocs.ourontario.ca/results?fsu=Muskoka+River+Watershed+(Ont.)
http://www.ontla.on.ca/library/repository/mon/7000/10316439.pdf http://www.ontla.on.ca/library/repository/mon/7000/10316437.pdf

Lake Health Monitoring

2008-05-07T21:22:00.002-04:00

On Saturday, May 3rd,the District Municipality of Muskoka held their annual Lake System Health Monitoring Program Stewardship Workshop. Leech Lake was represented by Larry Jacobs.

A number of cottager associations were represented and some associations outlined existing lake monitoring programs that could be described as interesting, innovative and/or aggressive.

The Leech Lake Water Quality Committee is working on creating a water quality and shoreline manual that it intends to distribute this cottage season.

Burning Bylaw

2008-05-03T21:42:00.003-04:00

As we wend our way to our cottages and spring clean the property and the cottage we should be mindful of the Fire/Burning Bylaw. Forwarned is forearmed

BURNING BY-LAW (Town of Bracebridge)
Between April 1st. and October 31st., the only permitted fires anywhere within the Town (Leech Lake is within the Town) are "campfires for cooking or warmth". The burning of brush and other vegetation (slash) is restricted to the between October 31st. and April 1st. only.Where permitted, slash piles may not be greater than 2 meters in height and diameter and must not be left unattended. Burning of construction material is not allowed at any time. Campfires must be supervised at all times and there must be adequate supply of water or tools to control all fires. If the smoke or sparkling generated by your fire becomes a nuisance, you will be required to extinguish the fire. If a fire ban is imposed for Bracebridge you will not be permitted to have fires of any kind, including campfires.If you have any questions concerns these bylaws, or any others, please contact Bracebridge Law Enforcement Dept. 705-645-5264.

Strategic Planning - Bracebridge

2008-04-30T19:42:00.002-04:00

Strategic Planning for *The Town of Bracebridge:

* **Sent on behalf of the Economic Development Department, Town of Bracebridge.

*The Town of Bracebridge is beginning a strategic planning process. Part of this process calls for input from various stakeholders in the community. The objective of the plan process is meant to help get a better understanding of Bracebridge’s future through two working documents:
1. a Community-based Strategic Plan that will be used by the Town of Bracebridge as a means to establish annual priorities/progress reports and department business plans; and
2. a Community Adjustment Plan that will outline the activities required to create and sustain employment opportunities and diversify the local economy.

A critical aspect to a successful planning process is to get input from Town residents and business owners. We will be formally launching the public consultation on May 5th and the period of input will be until June 11th . There will be a large number of ways in which the community can participate including online surveys, leaving telephone messages, internet discussion boards, one-on-one stakeholder interviews, focus groups and submission of briefs.

After the draft documents are completed over the summer, a Public Open House will be held to present findings, answer questions and incorporate further input. It is anticipated that the Open House will take place in September. Bracebridge views seasonal residents as an important group from which to receive feedback.

For more information, or to provide your input, contact:*Jill Harris** **Economic Development Assistant, Economic Development Department** **Town of Bracebridge** **1000 Taylor Court** **Bracebridge, Ontario P1L 1R6** ***jharris@town.bracebridge.on.ca* <mailto:jharris@town.bracebridge.on.ca>** **Phone: 705-645-5264 Ext. 227** **Fax: 705-645-1262*

ROAD UPDATE

2008-04-30T19:35:00.002-04:00

Finch has been contracted to grade and repair the lake road this year. January rains, caused some severe road damage that will require extensive fill in some areas and on most hills. The road must be frost free and relatively dry before any grading can take place. The present plan is that Finch will start the work next week and should have all repairs completed by the May long weekend.
We should also point out that there are 3 culverts on the south road and 2 on the north road that may require removal and either replacement or just fill. It is hard to make the decision on these culverts until we get into the actual work.
The right hand (North) road was used by logging trucks this past winter. You will notice a chained off dirt road leading off to the right just after #1037. This is the extent our road was used by the loggers and it is the opinion of the road committee that the road damage in this area is more severe due to their usage. Ken Geller (association President) will negotiate with these loggers for their share of the repairs.
Please add your comments to this BLOG posting for feedback to the road committee. If you have a specific area of the road you would like reviewed by the committee, please indicate the area as being between 911 driveway signs to help us locate the area you are talking about.Road Committee

Road Conditions

2008-04-28T16:18:00.002-04:00

We ventured up to the cottage on Saturday April 19th. The Fraserburg Rd was ok. The frost heaves were abating in most places. The river was almost encroaching on the road at Fraserburg. Just before the 90 degree turn about 4kms. from the lake water covered 75% of the road for a short stretch.

At the Leech lake the centre portion of the road was free of snow. We noticed one small hole in the road and one spot where running water had gouged the edge of the road. This is along the north road (left) and only about a quarter mile along.

The ice had receded about 20-30 yards off our shoreline. The water level was higher than normal with quite a bit of ice yet to melt.

I will contact the road committee and get a timing for the seasonal grading and repair of the road.

If anyone has anything to report send it to me and I will post it to the blog

Alan Greenwood

agreenwood@rogers.com

Blog Administrator 2008

2008-04-13T11:57:00.000-04:00

Hi Cottagers,

I have agreed to take on the administration duties of the blog from Don Hill. I am not an experienced blogger so this is “on the job” training.

Please send me your submissions at agreenwood@rogers.com and I will get the posted to the blog in a timely fashion.

We are located on South Lakeshore Rd. This is our 21st year at Leech Lake. We love our spot and try to take the minimum from the environment and enjoy watching Mother Nature weave her magic.

We made our first trip of the year on Sunday April 5th. It was a mild day with a brisk east wind. We used a neighbour’s driveway to park and then had to shovel a path through the waist high drift at our own driveway. We were surprised to see no snow on our roof and very little around the cottage. The lake ice was still very thick and our floating dock frozen solid in the ice. There was evidence that the resident otters had been using our dock in the winter. I later found a hole in the ice under our lake side deck area that the otters had used to access the lake to obtain their supply of food. As well we spotted a wild turkey in the neighbour’s yard.

The water seems to be high according to our informal gauge which probably means that the beavers have been active at the end of the lake.

It was a very relaxing day, however the next couple of visits will be busy getting cleaned up and the water running before the black flies make their assault.

Alan Greenwood

REGATTA - EVENTS SCHEDULE

2007-08-01T20:49:00.000-04:00

Date & time – Sunday August 5th @ 1-5pm.
Extreme weather date Monday Aug 6th

1:15 “Ladderal” Donut Chomp
1:30 Kayak Races
1:45 Canoe & Frisbee Races
2:00 Hot dogs, Hamburgers & Corn
2:20 Swimming
- Kid’s to Adults by Age groups
- Little people - from the shore to adult waiting in H2O
- Teens & Adults groups– between noodle finish lines
3:00 Sack Races
3:20 Prize selection – calling by oldest to youngest this year
3:50 Adult & Kids Water Balloon Basketball
4:20 Egg Toss
4:40 Tug of War
5:00 Gift Basket Draw, 50/50 Draw & Closing

What to bring:
· $20 if you haven’t prepaid.
· Chair, bathing suit & water shoes. (Adults usually get wet too!)
· Life jackets for kayak & canoe races & novice swimmers.
· Canoe if possible for very popular Canoe & Frisbee races!
· Money for 50:50 draw ($2 each, 3 for $5)

LEECH LAKE SHORELINE SURVEY

2007-08-01T10:51:00.000-04:00

The program was started in the summer of 2006 to collect data on shoreline vegetation, shoreline structures and the first 20 meters of land around a water body. All of the information gathered will contribute to the growing data base on the lakes in Muskoka and will identify long term trends respecting this important buffer zone.
The link supplied here http://www.muskokawaterweb.ca/1/1.1/PDF/LeechShoreline.pdf will show you our lake in PDF format, and you should be able to enlarge it to see specifically your property. Take some time to study your shoreline frontage and send feedback to Don Hill hill55@sympatico.ca . Don will be making changes to this map and posting these changes on the new bulletin board early next spring.
The Town of Bracebridge has and will continue to increase its bylaws pertaining to lake water quality and will be use this map for issuing and enforcing building permits and by-law infractions. Please note your shoreline on this map and assure yourself of its accuracy.

2007 Regatta

2007-07-21T20:12:00.000-04:00

Hi,

This year’s Regatta is approaching quickly & we wanted to provide information & get some input.

It will be held as always on the August long weekend. Sunday from 1-5pm, Monday as an extreme weather date. Flyer will be sent by e-mail from the LLCA over the next week or so. The agenda will be posted closer to the date.

We will follow a similar format as last year- games for kids & adults, corn, burgs & dogs, prizes for the kids, lake stewardship info. Any suggestions for improvement welcome.

The event is lots of work but so worthwhile when you see how much fun both the kids & adults have.
Volunteers usually step-up on the day to help but it would really reduce the chaos to have more people confirmed in advance to help. Please e-mail me at vmccoy@rogers.com if you are willing to fill any of the following roles on the day;

First aid designate. Someone with training & a kit (can be anyone present or volunteer below)
Purchase Food (filled)
Photographer
Games judge & Hand out Ribbons
Arrival table – Check-in & pay-at-door (filled?)
Cook (filled)
Cook’s helper
Organize Garbage & Recycling (filled)
Game preparation
Prizes – Lay-out, call by age & supervise kids during selection
Set-up & clean-up crew
Someone to rake play area the day before

We are also struggling over what to do about a BBQ. In the past a large one has been rented but we don’t have a trailer hitch or the desire to return it on the long weekend. Last year, we loaned ours & the frame was bent so we won’t repeat that. Any ideas welcome.

The canoe & pie plate race is very popular but we always struggle to get canoes. If people could let us know that they are bringing one in advance – that would be great.

We had received a request to bring back the sailboat races which sounds fun. If someone steps forward to organize the event we can work it outside the existing schedule.

Once the schedule is finalized, we will post it on the blog & at the sign board the weekend of.

We hope to see you there.

Valerie

New Lake Sign at Turnaround

2007-07-10T20:25:00.000-04:00

The new lake sign is taking shape at the turnaround and I have noticed a few have been unsupportive of the association's actions. Maybe some background on the necessary changes and rational may help.

In the summer of 2006 we had a couple of near misses at the old location of the lake sign with cars being parked beside the road; add kids on bikes and one car entering the lake and another leaving. To my knowledge, this scenario has played out at least twice and I feel it may more. I approached some people and asked if they would support me asking the association permission to look into moving the sign.

As I talked with the town and found we had no permit for the existing sign and therefore no by-law support for vandalism, I was also told the sign created a hazard for the town being too close to the road. A site inspection by the town in June 2006 approved the present construction site and its construction method.

The town issued a sign permit to the lake association and a site plan agreement for a road variance on July 26th. under Application # 06-23-S. We are to erect the new sign at the turn around where it is presently semi-erected and remove the old sign afterward.

We will be reattaching the 'welcome' banner from the old sign to the top of the new sign (after we spruce it up). The new sign is far enough away from the road for road servicing and allows cars to pull off to one side and read it without endangering others by blocking the road. We should see the sign completion by the end of this summer and I hope everyone can support this effort.

Don Hill

Bear Watch

2007-07-10T20:14:00.000-04:00

E-mail recieved July 9/07

Steve & I are concerned about a very large bear we spotted on the road two weekends ago coming from someone's cottage. It was a Sunday night around 7:30 and was on the south side of the lake. To say it was large was an understatement. To say it was in any kind of hurry would be a lie. Quite frankly it made me very concerned about walking around the lake as I like to do once the bugs die down.
To further add to this story, on Saturday night at around 11:00 pm my daughter, who was in a bedroom facing the road came into our room concerned about a noise she was hearing. We went to her bedroom and heard a huge crashing noise. We realized it was our neighbors' very large metal garbage bin being thrashed about (they had left in the afternoon so their garbage was inside). It was unreal. This bin was being tossed like it weighed absolutely nothing. This went on for about 10-15 minutes and then stopped. In the morning we went to investigate only to find the bin half way down our neighbors' drive, upside down, wide open and empty. The claw marks, dents, and scratches were unreal. Garbage was nowhere to be found at the scene. We walked up to the ski-do trail and found the bag open and the contents strewn about.
To be clear, this bin must weigh over 200 pounds. Steve and another neighbor struggled to lift it and put it back in its place. Steve could not believe that it could have been thrown about so easily the night before. We can only assume it was a very large animal (read bear) that could have managed this.
I am not sure what one does with this information. This animal is very aggressive and quite frankly we are worried about it taking on something a little more delectable than a metal garbage bin.
Would love to know if anyone has any suggestions as to how we as a lake can deal with this issue, if in fact we can do anything at all. Would it be possible to have someone trap it and move it elsewhere? We are open for any ideas that folks may have.
Regards,

Joanne Leeder
1286 Lakeshore Rd South

Beaver Fever (it's not what you think)

2007-06-04T18:57:00.000-04:00

Giardiasis (beaver fever) can be contracted through beaver feces and can cause serious symptoms especially in children.

Here is a website < http://www.cdc.gov/Ncidod/dpd/parasites/giardiasis/default.htm> that gives you idea of what this is all about. My understanding is that Beavers are well known to carry this bacteria, more beavers mean more chance and the higher the nutrient load in the lake will mean the easier it will be for this bacteria to live in our water.

ON A MORE POSITIVE NOTE

2007-05-26T17:13:00.000-04:00

Lady Wolf wrote;

I keep reading about all the so called issues, and, frankly, I have had enough of the negatives of having a cottage on Leech Lake.

Sooooooooo, this is my idea: Why don't we try to get as many postings as we can about what is GOOD about having a cottage here?

OR stories about the past on the lake.....the fun, the parties, the scares

I will start it off with this wee story about my introduction to Leech Lake.

I came here for the first time about 9 yrs ago....I was so very amazed that you could see all the way to bottom of this clear, quiet lake. That night the stars were so bright, not dimmed by the lights of the city, they had no competition, these diamonds in the sky!!!!

My grandchildren love coming to Muskoka and to Leech Lake, tho some boaters forget there are small children trying to swim in the shallows and their wake knocks them over (another great reason to limit the size of boats) they have learned to swim, canoe, kayak.....have had the joy of making that first trip around the shark's tooth all by themselves!!!

We love coming out and sitting.....listening to the sounds of nature (not LOUD music from across the lake) so we often come during the week.....we have seen mink, bear, deer, a mother duck with 10 babies, beaver, and many more of muskoka's REAL natives....LOL

Yes, there are some problems, will always be when u cram people of so many different ways of thinking together, but all in all.......THE COTTAGE IS FOR ENJOYMENT FOR EVERYONE.....and all i see missing.....to make that possible.....is a little respect for your neighbors.....turn down the music...others may not like it.....dim the lights....turn them off at nite.....watch what your wake is doing to the shoreline.....in this rush up hurry world of ours, we often forget......the cottage is for getting away from all that........for sitting quietly with those we love.......listening to the sounds of the loon calling under a bright starry sky.....

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER FOLKS!

Lake Water Levels

2007-04-24T19:24:00.000-04:00

This past weekend (April 21st) the discussion of lake water levels arose once again as a person came down armed to remove some of the beaver damn in the runoff beside our place (right side of lake where the lake discharges through a large culvert, "Black Beard Falls"). It appears that he hasn't been the first even though I am told the ice has only recently gone out!

The issue of water levels is an emotional one for those who have docks, cottages etc that haven't been designed to allow higher levels versus those who believe the higher levels are better for a number of reasons. Being where we are - we have seen everything from people actually digging out a trench - to others blocking the culverts with plywood.

Our concern on trying to decrease lake levels so early is that if water levels by summer are abnormally low - it could contribute to phosphates levels - then algae growth. Even the remote chance that we could have a blue-green algae bloom similar to that of Three Mile Lake in 2005 (in which no-one could use the Lake water for any purpose) makes us shudder. If the summer is unusually hot or rainfall unusually low - it will influence the temperature & phosphate levels. Unfortunately we won't be able to put the water back in the lake.

We personally question that the water levels are abnormally high for this time of year. Perhaps for June - but we are only in April.

Regardless - no-one knows what the "right" water levels are & personal opinions won't do. No individual has the right to control lake levels - high or low. We need to come to some consensus as a community on when the water levels are too high versus time of year.

I will once again try to set-up a larger meeting with the MNR as soon as possible. We will post the date & location for interested parties.

Take care, Valerie

Light Pollution

2007-04-02T19:15:00.000-04:00

AWARENESS

When we think of pollution, we automatically think of polluting our lake waters. However, a new form of pollution is gradually creeping into the sky above our lake. That is LIGHT POLLUTION.

What exactly is light pollution? It falls into three categories.
Sky Glow – the aura seen over towns or cities
Glare – light that shines into the eyes making it difficult to see into areas surrounding the light. Here we see the light from the fixture rather that what the fixture was meant to illuminate.
Light Trespass – light that spills from one property to another where it is not wanted, such as yard light. Water reflects glare to trespass on distant properties.

Light pollution is the culprit that is killing the beauty of the night sky. Sky brightness has increased and the stars are going out one by one. Light pollution is an issue that concerns us all and one that everyone can do something about.

Here are a few LIGHT touches that will help us all do our bit to curtail light pollution and conserve energy at the same time.
Use fully shielded light fixtures (Dark Sky Lamps) that direct the light downward to where it is needed so none is wasted by creating a glare.
Make certain that your exterior lights illuminate only the ground beneath them and never shine onto a neighboring property or into the night sky. A neighboring property may be across the lake.
Use exterior lights equipped with motion detectors or a flashlight
Reduce the wattage of bulbs. Too much wattage can reduce night vision.
Turn off your lights when you leave the area.
Use non-intrusive alternatives to boat dock lighting such as solar reflectors or reflector tape.
Put your lights on dimmers and timers
If you still feel the need to have a yard light, aim it away from the water so that the full effect of the light will shine on your cottage and property and not the lake.
Venture across the lake at night to see how your own property lights the night sky

Let’s get back to being in the dark and recapture the beauty of the night sky.

Lake Steward Committee (Jill)

Lake Water Quality

2007-02-27T14:06:00.000-05:00

2006 water quality report has been published on the District of Muskoka web site. Leech Lake is doing poorly, we are designated as 'Moderate' and 'Over Threshold'.

Moderate means we are at risk to algae growth during the summer and new construction should be limited on the lake. Over threshold means our lake has too much phosphate in it based on a mathmatical module developed by the District of Muskoka.

Our lake threshold is 9.51 micrograms of phosphate per liter of lake water, in May of 2006 the records show the lake had 11.6 micrograms of phosphate per liter of lake water. The recommended goal (as per the District) for our lake is 6.34 micograms per liter.

Why are we so high? Recent (last summer) District studies have identified the primary source of phosphates contamination is coming from the cottage waste systems, septic and grey water treatment systems are allowing too much phosphate into our lake. Second is the rain water running off from our properties and into the lake. The buffer zone around the lake is not retaining enough of the nutrients caught up n the rain water, therefore these nutrients are carried into the lake further contaminating it.

The Stewardship Committee at the lake is running 3 programs with the District to monitor and report on the quality of the lake water. The data collection and reporting will tell us the lake is getter better, worse or breaking-even with any attempt on correcting the problem.

Correcting the problem, we have been told by the District that the property owners and property users with lake frontage need to produce fewer phosphates, which in turn will reduce the level of phosphates entering the lake. The more property owners and the more property useage around the lake will require even more phosphate being restricted into the system. Secondly, it has been recommended that we do not use anymore than 10% of our lake buffer zone for decks and water access. Rebuild the buffer zones and retuen the shorelines to the way it was found.

Don

Danger on the Lake Ice

2007-02-15T14:29:00.000-05:00

It seems there is a bubbler located in the east end of the lake that is keeping the ice from forming in that area. The cottage that is using the bubbler (to protect their dock) has a red light glowing from the control post on the water shore line. You can see the light easily in good weather.

The major concern is the area ice is unstable and you cannot actually see where the ice is not safe to walk on to where it is safe. There has been a couple of reports that some snowmobliers have found it by accident and were very lucky to get out of the area before sinking, or much worse.

THE LAKE IS NOT STAKED OR GUARDED leaving opportunity in any weather for someone to fall through the slush into the water. The police have been notified and I have been told they say it is not a police matter until someone falls in.

A couple of perminent residendent have offered to put signs up at the boat ramp and lake entrance to let everyone know the east end of the lake has open water, dangerous area. They and our association have no liablity in case of injury but I'm told the owners do. They have been contacted and I beleive they will take appropriate actions to safe guard the area effected.

Don

Power Outage Dec.2/06

2006-12-02T12:02:00.000-05:00

No Power on Lakeshore N. (right side only)

Hey no power agian for the right side. Just past Emergency #1183 a large fir tree has come down pulling the hydro lines with it. I'm thinking around 2am this morning, reported to Hydro at 9am and presently we are on a 'let you know' list of getting it repaired. Cannot see any other damage, went up and down the entire right side.

The tree is a bit too big for me so I'm leting the hydro guys clean it up when they arrive.

At the lake we got allot of wet snow (2-3inches) followed by an inch of light snow from yesterday till this morning. Not enough to plow but enough to make sure you have winter tires on to get in.

Don

High Speed Internet

2006-10-26T11:14:00.000-04:00

Tower over Satelitte

There are two services available for high speed internet connections in the Bracebridge area. Only one (satellite system) is available down Fraserburg road.

The satellite system from Xplornet.com costs $800.00 to get set-up through their Muskoka provider (Muskoka.com). You buy a satellite dish and a modem unit that plugs into your computer, I believe the dish will face the same direction as your satellite TV dishes. The services start at $55.00/mo. for a basic mail box of 50MB, 128Kbps uploading speed and downloading speed of 512Kbps. My dial-up runs at 44Kps., which means I should expect sending messages to be almost 3 times faster and receiving messages almost 12 times faster. I would need to up the mail box limit because my son sends me pictures of my grandson that can be greater than 50MB at times which I would assume would be rejected by the incoming server because my mailbox would be constantly full.

The other is a tower system offer through Candelight.ca. They cannot service us presently because we are not in range of the existing tower. They say if we could get 25 people who would interested in the service by e-mailing them of their interest, they would propose a tower for the area. Their costs are around $400.00 to get set-up and presently the service starts at $45.00/mo. for 15GB of system mailbox. Their speeds are much faster as well, boasting upload and download speeds of 3.0Mbs. Again, my dial-up runs at 44Kps. which means I would receive and send almost 680 times faster (hope the math is right) than what I do now.

So what do people think? Can I talk anyone into sending off an e-mail to Candlelight saying they would be interested in having high speed tower service?

Let everyone know your thoughts, add your comments onto this publishing.

Thanks
Don

Election 2006

2006-10-24T07:58:00.000-04:00

Who's who....

We received by mail the information on voting in the upcoming elections.
Since we don't live year round on Leech, we were looking for some
recommendations on who to vote for. Naturally we are interested in
candidates who care about roads - and are particularly interested in any
politician who thinks private roads like ours should be taken over by the
municipality.

Thanks
Line Villeneuve.

Environmental Friendly Products

2006-10-02T11:29:00.000-04:00

Valerie wrote;

Here is the update on environmentally friendly cleaning products. The company I mentioned during the meeting was Nature Clean, manufactured by Frank Ross & Sons in Toronto http://www.franktross.com/.

Availability
I called, spoke to Paul Ross & asked where they could be bought in Bracebridge area. He was surprised they were not more visible & mailed me a listing of SKU approvals at major chains such as National Grocer. I can bring a copy to the next meeting.In the Independent, I found them in the health food section.We can pester store management to put them in the "regular" cleaning product aisle which I suggest start in late spring where they will see greater turnover over summer months.

Effectiveness
I bought dish soap, dishwasher soap & oven cleaner (for BBQ grates). I have used them in addition to the toilet bowl cleaner I already had since our meeting. All work well except I wasn't thrilled with the oven cleaner.