Nature Conservancy: Gift to Preserve the 3rd Best Nature in Canada

Please choose to support the lake by designating a gift to a land purchase on Loughborough via our partner Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). Nature Conservancy is very active in protecting the lands around our lake because they are so special. You might be surprised to learn that the Frontenac Arch that starts on North Shore of our lake is the third most biodiverse (read: best nature) area in Canada! So rather than accepting a material birthday gift this year, give the gift of nature.

Water Quality

When you get down to it, one of the major reasons why people come to Loughborough Lake is because of, well, the lake. The water is the basis for why people build cottages and homes here, buy boats and other toys and choose to come back and take their annual vacation or even spend their lives beside it. There are obviously many other reasons why we come to the lake but the water is probably key to why we are here. So it follows that lake water quality is really important to peoples’ enjoyment of the lake.

When the Lougborough Lake Association was researching the idea of preparing a "lake planning" study in 2009, water quality was the biggest or most important factor reported in other lake reports that we read. After considerable discussion, the association decided not to do a "lake planning" study; there were a number of reasons why we chose not to undertake it – cost, value for effort, and a lack of enthusiasm were amongst the reasons we did not go with it. However we all agreed as to the importance of water quality and that understanding has directed some of the association activities this year.

Recently, the lake association has increased the number of spots that water sampling is being taken. Up to this point, we had a couple of dedicated volunteers, each taking one sample, one in the West Basin and one in the East. We have increased the number of samples being taken to five – now three are being taken in the more complex East Basin and two are being done in the West Basin. The Ontario Government MOE has agreed to provide analysis of the samples that we take.

Another action that was taken was to enlist the help of a fellow Loughborough Lake resident and association member (he has even agreed to become an association director!) to interpret and explain what is happening to the water quality. Mike Hulley is a consulting engineer and associate professor with RMC and he has had much experience working on water quality problems. It was obvious that increasing the amount of water quality data being collected but not having anybody who could explain it was not going to work; we are grateful to have Mike’s help.

Recently, Mike and long-time Loughborough Lake resident Karl Montgomery got out on the West Basin and did some water temperature and dissolved oxygen tests. The following is what Mike noted:

"The deeper you go in the lake, the cooler that it becomes. Between 10 and 15 metres, there is a temperature drop or thermocline. There is also a reduction in the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water at this same level. It is below 5 mg/L at the deeper levels.  Mike notes that the commonly accepted threshold for trout was 5 mg/L, and apparently this threshold has since been raised to 6 mg/L. Although there are still lake trout being caught, this finding would suggest that trout may not be thriving."

The cause of this is not known - it could be also related to deposition and decomposition of organic material. It could also be seasonal. Oxygen levels in the deeper parts of the lake should improve in the fall as the surface temperatures cool and the higher oxygen content surface waters can blend with the lower level waters. We also do not have a history of oxygen levels in the lake – we cannot compare this result with what has happened in the past. We hope to go out on the lake again later in the fall and do further tests. Experience and knowledge can help us better understand the lake we so enjoy.

Dishwasher Detergent & Phosphates
A recent article in Time magazine noted that in the Spokane River (in Idaho and Washington states) wastewater treatment plants, one third of the phosphates coming to it were from dishwasher detergents. The rest of the phosphates were coming from fertilizers and human waste. Although phosphates have been removed from liquid dishwashing detergents - the kind that you use in the sink - they still remain in dishwasher detergents because of their ability to remove dirt and keep it suspended in the water. Canada has a plan to legislate phosphates in dishwasher detergents to no more than 5% this year, but it looks like that will be deferred, pending more study. 

Phosphates are nutrients, encouraging plant and algae growth in the water. Decomposing plant and algae matter will lead to less oxygen content in the water. So - if you have a dishwasher and you are on Loughborough Lake, please consider using a low dose phosphate detergent. You can purchase 0% phosphate dishwasher detergents.  

Shoreline Restoration

Watersheds Canada is thrilled to come back to Loughborough Lake with an action project! In the Love Your Lake report for Loughborough Lake, several recommendations were made for landowners to voluntarily restore their shorelines to more natural states to benefit the health of Loughborough Lake. Because of generous funding support for Love Your Lake follow-up projects from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Watersheds Canada is able to provide shoreline property owners on Loughborough Lake with an opportunity to have their shorelines professionally restored with native plants at only 25% of the cost to landowners.

The Natural Edge is a shoreline planting program developed by Watersheds Canada and made available to waterfront property owners in Eastern Ontario. This is your opportunity to restore your shoreline with native trees, shrubs, groundcovers, wildflowers, and grasses. Staff from Watersheds Canada will provide you with:

• A free site visit to discuss shoreline concerns, provide recommendations, and assess planting conditions;

• A personalized planting plan, including photos of selected planting areas and ideal plant species;

• The ordering, delivering, planting, and mulching of all plants;

• A free Stewardship Manual to ensure that the newly planted vegetation thrives in the first few years of establishment and growth; and,

• Follow-up and support with your new plants.

Shorelines are among the most important places on earth for wildlife - they are the ribbon of life. Throughout their lifetimes, over 90% of wildlife species use these land-water interfaces for food, shelter, breeding, and rearing areas. Healthy layers of vegetation including trees, shrubs, groundcover, grasses, flowers, and aquatic vegetation benefit wildlife, protect these shorelines from degrading, and support natural processes that are essential to a healthy lake and  a healthy watershed.

With the growth of new cottage developments, cottage-to-home conversions, and commercial and industrial developments along shorelines, these sensitive areas are threatened. With the loss of natural vegetation, several benefits to the lake are compromised, including water clarity and quality, safe swimming areas, and loss of wildlife habitat. With the help of stewardship programs such as these and with the support and participation of individuals like you, our community is coming together to protect and restore these sensitive areas for improved lake health and sustainability.

To participate in this, please contact Chloe Lajoie from Watersheds Canada, at  lajoie@watersheds.ca or 613-264-1244. Site visits begin as soon as the snow melts, and planting takes place in October when the leaves fall! If you have a shoreline with grass to the water's edge, significant erosion issues, or a small existing buffer, your property would be an ideal candidate for the Natural Edge! There are a limited number of properties available for naturalization projects, so be sure to get in touch soon!

Bats

Bats are nocturnal flying mammals that feed at night and can be found in both city and rural locations.  During the day, they roost in caves, in holes or leaves of trees, in attics or in abandoned buildings.  Although they look like a little mouse with wings, they are not related to mice at all, as most people think.  Most bats are very tiny with the smallest ones weighting 1.8 grams (weighing less than a dime).  It is their wings that make them appear larger, but their body size is generally quite small.  They range in size, with the largest ones being flying foxes which are located in the tropics.  Their life span is usually 4-8 years, although they can live longer than this. They emit a high pitched shriek or shrill call that is undetectable to human ears.

Some bats have larger ears and have very good hearing and some have a type of sonar that allows them to find their prey at night.  If they have large eyes and small ears, then sonar is probably not as important to the bat.  They usually hunt for food around ponds, marshes, streams, damp ditches and on the edges of wooded areas.

Bats are migratory in nature and follow the insects south in the winter. They will look for moist, warm caves to hibernate in the winter, so that they don’t dry out, and they do not eat while hibernating.  They need quiet and peace in winter so it is best not to disturb their hibernation places as this could be destructive to their survival. 

In total there are close to 1000 different species of bats in the world, but in Ontario there are 9 different species of bats, the most common being the Little Brown Bat and the Big Brown Bat.      They mate just before they hibernate, are warm blooded and give birth to live young.  Most brown bats have only one baby per year, although it is possible for them to have two.  They carry their babies on themselves at first and feed them milk. 

There are some myths out there that bats will get caught in your hair, attack and bite you or suck your blood.  There is such a thing as a Vampire Bat, but it is not located here in our country. So no, they don’t suck your blood and they won’t get caught in your hair.  They will however fly close to humans to catch insects attracted to humans and if feeling threatened, they will bite to defend themselves, and they do have very sharp teeth so it is best not to antagonize them. 
 
People automatically assume that if a bat doesn’t fly away it is sick and possibly rabid, but this is not necessarily true. One of the reasons that they don’t fly away, is that while resting, bats drop their body temperature and before they can fly they must warm up and this can take as long as 30 minutes.  During this warm up time, they shake and vibrate.

Although Bats can carry rabies, rabid bats usually lose their ability to fly or do not fly well.  They rarely become aggressive.  Careless handling of bats is the primary source of rabies exposure from bats. Although the percentage of rabid bats is low, any bat should be approached with caution just in case. The major predators of bats are owls, red tailed hawks, snakes, skunks, racoons, and of course humans who sometimes hit them with brooms or tennis rackets.

Black Bear

We do live in bear country, although they are not always visible. We had a reminder of that recently when a young bear decided to investigate one of the garbage boxes, in broad daylight, along North Shore Road in the East Basin of Loughborough Lake. Probably most of the long term residents of Loughborough Lake have heard of bear sighting incidents at one time or another. They may have also seen them. Typically this does not happen often although there is some evidence that sightings may be increasing. A story that was reported in the Whig Standard in 2010 talked of sightings that year in Bath and the north and west end of Kingston. The Whig Standard stated: "Ministry officials do not think the bear population is expanding. Instead, they suggest development encroaching on traditional bear habitat is at the root of the increased number of sightings.

"As development continues, people are bound to have more interaction with bears," said Jamie Prentice, of the MNR.

A bear nosing around a berry patch in the back 40 of a farm might not be worthy of note; one poking around a suburban garage is. Supporting the theory is the fact that many of the bears being seen are young and are opportunistic eaters rather than skilled hunters.

"Yearling bears ... are moving away from the sow -- their mother -- for the first time," Prentice said, "so it's not unusual to see them out and about looking for an easy feed."

This appeared to be the case in this instance. The bear tried unsuccessfully to enter the garbage bin from the hinge side - this was a slightly stronger than normal box, being clad in metal - and then resorted to overturning the bin and getting at the garbage that spilled out. Several nearby residents spotted the bear, and in a couple of cases, people delayed their morning commute to come back and get cameras or neighbours to witness the event. One neighbour was walking her small dog, off leash, towards the end of the lane and the garbage bin and bear. Fortunately she spotted the animal before her dog and was able to leash the dog and reverse course without incident.

It doesn't take too long before the novelty of the situation wears off and the realization occurs that there could be a problem. The following is from the Ontario MNR website on Bearwise:

"Most problems between black bears and humans occur when bears are attracted by the smell of and rewarded with an easy meal. When bears pick up a scent with their keen noses, they will investigate it - even at your cottage property. If bears are rewarded with feasts of bird food, garbage or pet food, they will return as long as the food source continues to be available. It takes all cottagers working together to eliminate these attractants and to stop bear problems."

They go on to recommend that garbage be put in containers with tight fitting lids and only put it out on garbage day and not earlier. Use bear resistant containers. Do not store garbage in plywood boxes (which make up most of the lane way garbage bins), old freezers or vehicles. They even recommend that if you are leaving cottage country on a day that is not garbage day then take your garbage home with you.

In case of nuisance bears contact 1-866-514-2327 or in the case of an emergency contact 911.

Coyotes

We live in Coyote territory. Yes, the coyotes do live in our area and they are here to stay.  It is the Eastern Coyote who is most predominant in our area. The wolf population prior to 1850 was extensively hunted by man and as the wolf population decreased, the coyote population expanded. 

The Eastern Coyote is a hybrid species – a mix of Western Coyote and Eastern Wolf. The Timberwolf or Grey Wolf is mainly located in Northern Canada and is the largest of the species ranging from 80-125 lbs.  The Eastern Wolf located in mainly northern areas like Algonquin Park is a bit smaller ranging from 45-75 lbs.  The Eastern Coyote (the main one in our area) is the smallest of the species ranging from 30-45 lbs.  Since the Eastern Coyote is a mix of Western Coyote and Eastern Wolf, you may see a larger coyote in our area as well.  What we see and hear are mainly coyotes and not wolves. 

Coyotes mate for life.  If one of the pair dies, they find another mate.  Coyotes generally breed once per year, in February.  The pups are born approximately 2 months later in April or May.  The litters range in size from 3-9 with the average being 6 pups.  After one month they leave the den to start investigating outside and 3-4 months after birth, they learn how to hunt.   In the fall, the pups leave the parents to find their own mates and to establish their own territories.  Because they do not stay with the parents or in the parent’s territory, the number of coyotes in any given territory does not increase.  

Up to 50% of the pups do not survive the first year.  If they reach adulthood, they have a better chance of survival.   The life expectancy of a coyote ranges from 8-12 years with an average being 5 years.

Coyotes are very territorial.  Each territory houses one mated pair of coyotes and their pups (up until fall).  Then only the mated adults remain in the territory.  The size of the territory depends on the amount of food supply.  In an agricultural area where there is not a lot of food, there may be 20-40 coyotes in a 100 sq. km. territory.  In an urban area or anywhere there is an abundance of food for them there may be 100 coyotes in a 100 sq. km. territory.  It is all dependent on the amount of food.  When more food is available, the territories can become much smaller.

Most of us have heard the yipping and howling of the coyotes.  Howling does not always mean they are hunting or have just made a kill.  It is their way of communicating with their mates and pups to let them know where they are while hunting or travelling alone.  It also lets other coyotes know that this territory is taken and to stay out. 

Depending on their size, the average food requirement per coyote is approximately 1 kg/day.  Their main diet consists of rabbits, birds, small mammals such as squirrels, moles or mice, amphibians, grasshoppers, wild berries and fruit.  And yes they will eat vegetables in a vegetable garden.  They do like deer, especially if it is wounded or young and if they kill a deer, and have lots of food, then they can fast for a while.  And yes, they will eat cats and small dogs.

Coyotes can adapt to any environment where there is an abundance of food.  This includes urban areas.  They are often found in city parks where squirrels are plentiful, in industrial parks, in abandoned properties, and wherever garbage is stored or freely available.  Some people intentionally feed the coyotes and this is not a good idea, because once the coyotes learn that food is easily available in a certain area, they cannot unlearn it and will continue to come back to that area.  They generally stay in bushy areas during the day and do their hunting and scavenging at night.

If there is not an abundance of natural prey and livestock such as sheep or chickens are available, the coyotes can become a problem for farmers. They are opportunistic hunters and will kill livestock if it is freely available, especially when natural prey is scarce.  

It is permitted to shoot a coyote that is killing livestock on your own property, but not on anyone else’s unless you are a licensed trapper or hunter or animal control person authorized by MNR.  You do require a small game license to hunt coyotes and hunting them is open season all year long in Southern Ontario.  Do check with your municipality though to make sure you are not breaking any municipal bylaws by hunting in your area especially near an urban area.  

It is illegal, however, to poison them or cause them undue suffering.  So if coyotes are causing a problem for your livestock, and you don’t want to hunt them, contact MNR and get a person authorized by MNR to deal with your problem.  If you have a problem with coyotes killing your livestock, call MNR for information on what to do.  Some municipalities will come to investigate and if it is proven that coyotes are killing your livestock, there may be a compensation plan for farmers. 
 
Remember that coyotes don’t want confrontation.  They are simply wild animals trying to survive, to eat and to feed their young.  So to discourage coyotes, there are several things you can do.

Keep Your Garbage in closed containers or inside until garbage day.  If you can, put your garbage out the morning it is to be collected.  They hunt and look for food at night.

Be careful with compost.  If it is freely available, it will attract coyotes because they like fruit, vegetables, meat and eggs.  So keep your compost in a closed compost container.

Do not put food out and intentionally feed them.  This will keep them coming back for more. Once they learn there is food in a certain area, they will never unlearn it.

Fishers

The Fisher is a member of the weasel family and it got its name from the European Poul Cat that the French called Fitch (pronounced Fiche).  This developed into the name Fisher.   The males, slightly larger than the females usually weigh about 15 lbs while the females who tend to be a bit smaller, are in the range of approximately 9 lbs.  They are dark brown ranging to almost black in color. Twenty years ago our area did not have any Fishers, since Algonquin Park was the furthest south that they ventured. Their range of locations had been greatly diminished, especially in Southeastern Ontario, due to logging, overharvesting for fur and predator control.

Since 1999 they have begun to recover their numbers and their range of locations. The Fishers in our area have mainly migrated from the Adirondaks, coming across the St. Lawrence River.  Fisher numbers have increased in Southeastern Ontario since the 1950’s, because the forested area has increased, mainly due to the reduction in farming.  Many of the farms were subdivided, sold off, and allowed to go back to natural forestation. 

This has attracted back the Fishers as they prefer densely forested areas with a wide variety of both deciduous and coniferous trees with big trees which often contain their dens.  Southeastern Ontario is also attractive to Fishers because it has a good supply of diverse food sources.  Fishers are solitary animals and live alone except that the females who stay with their kits for about 6 months,  spring until fall. Once they are two years old, females mate and have their young in the spring months, usually producing from 2-4 kits per year.  This is a good time for this process as food is plentiful.     

Fishers are very territorial and males will fight with males and females will fight with other females in their territory.  Males and females don’t fight even if their areas overlap, and female territories are often smaller and inside male territories. They are considered generalist predators.  The mainstay of their diet is rabbit and porcupine.  However, they are scavengers and will eat deer carcasses, and road kill as well as turkeys, birds, raccoons, snakes, fruit and berries.  The chances that they will attack your cat or small dog are not high, but letting your pets roam the woods at night is generally not advisable in our woods. That said, these beautiful creatures are not nearly as dangerous as their almost mythical name implies.

Leopard Frogs

The below is an edit of an original article by Cataraqui Regional Conservation Area.

Not that long ago, leopard frogs were the most abundant and widespread frog species in North America. It was hard to visit a marsh, stream or pond with­out coming across a number of these interesting looking spotted frogs. Since the 1970s, however, massive declines in Canada and the United States have significantly reduced their num­bers. The declines are attributed to a combination of eco­logical factors, such as pollution, deforestation, habitat loss, lawns and mowing and pesticide use. 

They are more sus­ceptible to changing environmental factors than most species be­cause of their highly permeable skin that absorbs any toxins in their surroundings. Because these frogs are extremely sensi­tive to chemical pol­lutants, they are often used as an ecological indicator species. This means that biologists studying particular ar­eas are able to judge changes in pollution, disease, habitat, etc. by studying the frog population in the area.

Northern leopard frogs are named for the array of dark spots that adorn their backs and legs. They are green in color with a white under­side and light-colored ridges on either side of their backs. Their range is most of northern North America, except for the Pacific Coast. They generally live near ponds and marshes, but will often spend time in well-covered grass­lands as well, earn­ing them their other common name, the meadow frog. In winter months, they avoid freezing by hibernating underwa­ter in water bodies that are deep enough to prevent freezing solid.

Northern leopard frogs will eat just about anything they come across. They sit still and wait for prey to appear, then pounce with their powerful legs. They eat beetles, ants, flies, worms, smaller frogs, including their own species, and even baby birds and garter snakes. Northern leopard frogs are preyed upon by many different animals such as foxes, snakes, raccoons, other frogs and even humans. They do not produce distasteful or poisonous skin secretions like many species of frogs and instead rely on speed to evade predation.

At Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area as well as other Conservation Areas in the region, these frogs can be found close to ponds, streams, marshes, reservoirs and lakes. They can also be spotted in fields or heavily for­ested areas, especially if there are streams nearby. To track them down, it is best to lis­ten for a short snore-like call during spring and early summer. This is the sound of the male frog looking for a mate as breed­ing season is the springtime.

While the numbers of Northern leopard frogs have signifi­cantly declined over the past few decades, this species is not yet considered at risk in Ontario. If you want to help them recover, please be sure that you do not mow your lawn short, or perhaps at all in the late summer, especially near waterfronts. Help support a healthy population of crickets in your garden in August.

There are a number of envi­ronmental groups that have frog watch programs aimed at improving the native habitats of frogs in Ontario. If you would like to get involved or receive more infor­mation, please visit Frog Watch at na­turewatch.ca or the Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conserva­tion Network at www.carcnet.ca