President's Message

CHRIS SEMENCHUK

It was a long time coming, but Canadian residents outside of Ontario were finally able to travel back to their lake homes in Northwestern Ontario in early June and as I write this, our U.S. members have also been able to return. Welcome back to all of our members! I know first-hand how great it was to finally get back “to the lake” after being unable to be here through the spring.

Thanks to Patrick, Shelley, Cassidy and the LakeSmart team for their great work delivering both existing and new programs this year against all odds! Cassidy embraced the new role of Environment Program Coordinator and, in conjunction with the LakeSmart team that includes Brie, Abbi, Seanna and Quinn, greatly enhanced LOWDSA’s programs and events. Given the success of adding the Environment Program Coordinator role to deliver environmental programs, resources and outreach, we have started the process of applying for similar funding and are now recruiting for this role in 2022.

The mobile boat wash station is the first of its kind in the region and a project that has been in the works for many years involving many different people and LOWDSA directors and staff. Thanks to the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) and the perseverance and commitment of our LOWDSA staff, we borrowed and are using OFAH’s mobile boat wash at various boat launches in the Lake of the Woods region this year. This has provided us with the opportunity to learn and apply what we’ve learned to prepare for 2022 (yes, we’re already thinking ahead to next year!).

Special thanks to the sponsors of the mobile boat wash as we couldn’t have done this without your support. We continue to rely on sponsors to support programs such as the mobile boat wash, so we encourage you to email us at info@lowdsa.com if you are interested in sponsoring this or other LOWDSA programming. Once again, we didn’t hold any LOWDSA summer meetings this year due to the Ontario public health orders in place, but the Board will be reviewing our activities and starting to plan for 2022. In addition to the Annual General Meeting, we hope to hold a Cottage Show and/or summer meetings next year. The Board is also embarking on the next phase of strategic planning to help identify areas of focus in the future. A key step in this will be soliciting input from LOWDSA members on what is important to you. We encourage you to respond honestly and thank you in advance for doing this.

We started filming for the 60th anniversary video in the region including interviews with some individuals who have played an integral role in the evolution of LOWDPOA… now LOWDSA. We plan to finish the filming with some upcoming fall and winter shots in the region and look forward to sharing it with all of our LOWDSA members in 2022 as we celebrate 60 years as an association.

For those whose membership is expiring prior to year-end, you will hear from us shortly as we embark on our fall membership renewal campaign. Thanks to those who have renewed and as always, we encourage you to spread the word and solicit other family members, friends and neighbours to join LOWDSA!

With fall in the air, I wish the best for you and your family and your time at the lake as this next beautiful season unfolds.

Chris Semenchuk