Directors Present
Al Best (President)
Wendy Wolak (Vice President)
Tom Aerts – (Treasurer)
Christine Hill (Secretary)
Paul Jablonski
Danielle Paul
Regrets:
Steven Tovell
2018 in Review
- Shoreline Survey and Report
- Adopted Siberia Road and Hwy 60
- Litter Clean-up
- Partnered with the municipality in a Pitchin’ In event
- Serving on MNRF Citizen fishing advisory committee
- Established a bursary for MDVSS graduating student
- Lake Water quality testing ongoing
- Incorporation of the Association
- Purchased and installed a “Watch for Turtles” sign (sadly missing!)
- Social Event
- Strengthened relations with other associations e.g. KAPOA
- Began online payment
- Website, newsletter and Facebook page development
Watersheds Canada – Abbey Unsworth - Abbey outlined the Natural Edge Program
- Showed an example of a natural shoreline and compare it with a modern cottage
development - Benefits of a natural shoreline (creating habitat, shade and shelter for smaller fish,
plants help stabilize soil, filter toxins, bacteria, excess nutrients, and chemicals, reduced
property maintenance, temperature regulation, protecting property value, increased
privacy, less noise transfer) - Best thing to do – plant native trees and shrubs
- 25% Rule – find the 25% you use the most and plant the rest with native plants and
shrubs - Determine soil type and moisture level, proneness to flooding, etc. (We are in Zone 4A) .
use this information to determine the best plants for your property with this resource…
https://watersheds.ca/plant-database/ - – good resource to determine the best plants for your property
- If there is already a retaining wall, plant things behind the wall – protection once the
wall deteriorate - Native flowers are a great idea, as they are short, preserve the view and are good for
butterflies and bees - Leave aquatic vegetation in place – have a single pathway for swimming, leaving the
remaining vegetation for the fish - Abby showed some great samples of naturalized shorelines as well as compromise
solutions that incorporate a more manicured look with natural plants
Resources: Love Your Lake Program
The Natural Edge Program
Association Business
Director’s reports
Al Best
- will follow up with people who didn’t get reports
- is meeting with MNRF once a month to consult on fishing committee re: Lake Trout
(will be an opportunity for partnerships with MNRF, spawning, habitat improvement,
etc.) - Trout Lake is currently stocked with about 1300 Lake Trout per year
- Strengthening relations with KAPOA – regular meetings
Wendy Wolak - Thank everyone for coming
- Invasive species – what is happening in Renfrew County
- Reminder to download ED App to recognize invasive species
- Reviewed the current spread and effects of invasive species such as Eurasian Millfoil,
Purple Loosestrife, Common Wild Parsnip, Giant Hogweed, Round Gobi, Emerald Ash
Borer, Banded Mystery Snail, Rusty Crayfish, Zebra Mussels, including habitat
destruction, killing fish embryos, property damage, physical harm to humans - Endangered species – Blandings Turtles (yellow throat) CWF is interested in surveying
those turtles – they are considered threatened - Adopt a Road – thanks to the wonderful volunteers who came out the first weekend in
May – it was a terrible job – found the usual garbage, plus many unexpected – large
increase in the trash from last year. Within hours of the cleanup, there was fresh litter
We are looking for a “No Littering” sign for our adopted road.
Adopt a Highway – Frank – a number of volunteers to keep our section of Hwy 60 – took
a year to get trained. First cleanup was in early May. The group put in about 30 “man
hours” – about 28 garbage bags full for just over 2km of highway. Frank has contacted
the Department of Transport for a sign – please secure your load and don’t litter. Frank
was looking for any ideas for how to cut down on litter. Looking for volunteers for the
next cleanup – Next cleanup? No date picked yet, but we will announce it with at least
two weeks’ notice. 8 volunteers should be able to complete the job in about 2 hours
- Condo development at Little Bark Bay – will impact what happens on Siberia road
- Feeding Ducks – harmful for the ducks and causes water contamination (Swimmers’
Itch) - Cottage Life put out an article on putting wood ash in the lake to decrease acidity in
the lake. Please do not dump a lot of wood ash in the lake – this will radically change
the pH of the lake. Instead, you can put it around the bases of trees, at least 30 metres
from the lake - Water Quality testing
Greenan Lake – overall, results indicated a pristine lake
Trout Lake – some trace amounts of contaminants, but negligible mercury and lead
Choride levels (from road salt) are reasonable
Wendy compared our lakes to other lakes in the County
Aylen Lake -was best in phosphates, then our four lakes (around 5) – As we go east,
phosphate goes up, Bark, Paugh, Kaminiskeg, Halfway, Madawaska River, Round Lake
are all between 7 and 8, others are much higher, including Golden Lake and Lake Dore –
many have significant presence of invasive species. Lake Dore is in particular danger.
Muskrat Lake has consistent algal blooms and is in danger of losing all aquatic species.
Christine Hill - Plugged the job of secretary, (she is stepping down) offered tech support
- Looked for content for the website – recipes, stories, photos
Auditor’s Reports (Tom Wolak) - $481 in the bank, in good financial standing
- Many one time fees for a new association
- Revenue went up last year, but costs were a little higher
- Finances seem to be in good working order with sound financial management
Election of Directors
By-Law review:
Board of Directors must be composed of 7
Can only hold an office for two years
President
Al Best is standing for re-election
No nominations
Al Best is acclaimed
Secretary
Position is vacant
Call for nominations – Jackie Aerts volunteered to fill the position (with training)
Plans for 2019
- Promote The Natural Edge – first steps towards shoreline improvement
- Expand water quality testing
- Continue to work with MNRF to improve quality of sportfishing
o Look for possible partnerships - Expand the Bursary Program for MVDHS student(s)
- Membership in FOCA (Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations)
- Development of a network of sponsors
- Growing our membership
As always, we are looking for input from members – how can we build membership? Bring in
sponsorship? You can always contact us through our website.
Councillor’s Remarks – Councillor Mark Willmer
Greetings from Council
Lives on Kaminiskeg – member of KAPOA
Recognized the importance of Lake Associations to the community
Natural Environment – #1 asset in our Strategic Plan
CTLG – Mark sees a strong association that has taken on a diverse group of projects
Looks at the future – and hopes for more of what we are doing in the Township
Council – they are a new council and they are working well together - Understand the importance of working with partners, including the Lake Associations
- Recent idea about garbage pickup – they will look at all ideas
- Upcoming – updating the strategic Plan, looking for input from the Association
- Volunteers were acknowledged and stated appreciation for the work of the association
to improve the quality of life in the Township - Q – as cottage owners, many properties abut our properties. Can you provide us
information of what the land uses are abutting the properties on our lakes e.g. what
does the township allow – development, farming, etc. - A – will send out the report asap
- Follow up Comment regarding clearcutting on Lepinski Road
Q & A
Q – what made our new people join?
A – word of mouth at exercise class
Follow Up – we need to work together to “spread the word”
A – we need to get the word out, cheaply – KAPOA (more established) has 600 properties and
300 members
Other Associations report that door-to-door canvassing is most effective (especially in the
morning!:)
Q -Could we summarize Wendy’s report and post it on the website?
A – yes
Four Wheel Track (please check) Road Association offered to spread any information about
CTLG Association. (Burt Campbell)
Other Business
Social – Jane Beahan volunteered to host on Lepine Lake (Thanks Jane!!)
Lucky Draw Winner – Mary Anne Keyko
All the best! We hope to see you at the social this summer!