NEWSLETTER

This past year our Association has taken steps to follow-up on the priorities of our membership as identified by our previous surveys. We applied for, and received, a South Frontenac Township grant to help determine the viability of a boat washing station to prevent the invasion of aquatic invasive species. We legally changed our Association’s name in order to address the concern that the name appears to not include those members in the West Basin, and after two years of restrictions we are hopeful that we can finally have our AGM in person at the wonderful Loughborough Heritage Orchard.

Do you remember as a child, sitting under a big tree safe from the sun? Perhaps reading, maybe playing with friends, or just sitting and listening to the breeze as it rustles the leaves. Do you recall the wonder you had as you watched this tree and those around it grow, change colors in the autumn, fall dormant in the winter and come back to life the next summer?

(Reproduced with permission from FOCA)

Cottage country boaters, lake associations, and marinas from Lake Erie to Sudbury to the Thousand Islands are all pledging to Be #WakeAware this boating season.

You can too.

My husband and I joined the Lake Association very soon after we built our retirement home on the rocky shore of the East basin of Loughborough Lake. It was the beginning of a period of discovery – learning about septics, water quality, wildlife and how blessed we were to live in such a beautiful semi-wild spot in Ontario. As city dwellers in the past we had a lot to learn!

One of the wonderful things about living on the lake and driving the road in the month of June is seeing the turtles. They seem to have an amazing way of knowing when we are going to have a good rain and so out they come to lay their eggs. A couple of weeks ago, as I drove along the North Shore Road, I saw several turtles – as you can see, the Snapping Turtle was busy laying her eggs, and another more relaxed painted turtle was just out for a little walk…..of course, it was right in the middle of the road so I got out and gently persuaded it to continue across to the safety of the grass.

Loughborough Lake is home to several Crown islands - this is land owned by the federal or provincial governments. Authority for control of these lands rests with the Crown, hence their name. In Ontario, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) is guardian of Ontario Crown land.

About 77% of Ontario's land is made up of Crown land managed under the Public Lands Act. An additional 10% of Crown land is held as provincial parks and conservation reserves. More than 95% of northern Ontario is Crown land. There is very little Crown land in southern Ontario due to high levels of population settlement.

Water quality report on Loughborough Lake.

How complicated could it be to remove the name “Battersea” from our corporate name of Battersea Loughborough Lake Association? It turns out that for the simple change intended, it was not a quick process. Your lake association got caught up with all the hoopla and rigmarole of the corporate – government interface.

2021 was a more normal year than its predecessor but still a year restricted by COVID issues. Fully vaccinated Americans were belatedly permitted to cross the border in August. It was decided to have a get-together, fully distanced and masked, of course, outdoors AGM but then the weather had other plans and for the second year, the meeting was virtual.

The following article is condensed from a booklet published by FOCA titled “A Shoreline Owner’s Guide to Invasive Species” and the Ontario Government Boaters’ Action Plan.