LOW Area News - Summer 2023

51 Living

62 The hidden world of ponds & streams by Jacob Rodenburg & Drew Monkman

68

Cover photo by Kim Pirie-Milko

President's Message

GARTH COLLIER

A line from a Robert Frost poem, “Nature’s first green is gold,” perfectly describes the first bright burst of new foliage on our trees. Huge golden swaths cover our shorelines and horizons making it impossible to not see the transition from spring to summer. Colours are brighter, more vivid. With the accompanying warmer weather, we gladly welcome the opportunities to bring family and friends together. The summer season is also a very busy time for our LOWDSA team.

The “A” team of Ashley and Alena was busy coordinating the Pine Seedling Day (May 20) with 7,000 red and white pine seedlings being distributed. Also, thanks to them, our Celebrate Lake Life on June 24 was a huge success.

And Brie, captain of the “B” team and Coordinator of our Environment program, leads the way with Luc, Tessa and Mimi in launching our very important LakeSmart program. Make sure you invite them out to your dock. Keep an eye for the Woodlake Marine boat that sponsors the LakeSmart program and makes dock visits possible.

Recently, I received a resignation letter from Lucas King, a long time LOWDSA board member. I was saddened, because it’s hard to lose a person of his talents. Fortunately for our association, Lucas has agreed to remain on the Environment committee. His ideals about environmental protection are invaluable to LOWDSA and the Lake of the Woods region and it is welcome news that he will stay on in this new role. Lucas joined us in 2017. I believe he was on the cutting edge of the early LakeSmart teams. He shared in the boatwash vision and also coordinated the 60th anniversary video. Lucas’s presence as a Director will be missed. But, we are very lucky that he will remain one of the key voices of our Environment committee. We look forward to working on future environmental projects with you. Thank you for your continued support.

Partnerships

We continue to support community initiatives. Our Science North group has worked on determining the design of the architectural plans for the space at the Discovery Centre. We will continue to support and champion the project in all its next phases. Science North is a big deal. It will bring new and exciting experiences to our Kenora community.

We have also committed to enhancing our relationship with the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation (LOWWSF). Todd Sellers, Executive Director, leads the Foundation’s activities while Teika Newton is the International Watershed Coordinator. The Foundation and its international partners have built a platform for the future that enables partners to work together on joint research, management and protection of Lake of the Woods through the International Joint Commission. LOWWSF is a big deal as well. Todd can be reached at  tsellers@lowwsf.com and Teika at teikanewton@lowwsf.com.

Exciting Experimental Lakes tours

LOWDSA is hosting tours of the Experimental Lakes on August 10 and 17. The Experimental Lakes are located just outside of Kenora in a sparsely populated and remote area that has not been affected by human impact. By manipulating these small lakes, scientists are able to examine how all aspects of the ecosystem—from the atmosphere to fish populations—respond. Findings from these real-world experiments are often much more accurate than those from research conducted at smaller scales, such as in laboratories. Treat yourself, family and friends to this inspiring opportunity. This tour will leave a profound and longlasting impression.

On behalf of LOWDSA, I want to wish you the best summer possible. Soak up the sun, swim in those lakes and simply enjoy all that our area has to offer. Oh, and Happy Canada Day!

Garth Collier

Executive Director’s Note

ASHLEY HOFFMEISTER

My (main) reason for living in this area has arrived— SUMMER. I live for all the things this season has to bring. Countless hours outdoors with my family, soaking it all in. The busyness of trying to pack every last minute full of activities and fun. I always feel so at peace on the water, whether it be in a kayak, on a paddle board, in a boat, on a dock, or just simply floating on a hot summer day.

Summer is also the most exciting and busy time for LOWDSA. We hope you enjoyed our first ever “Celebrate Lake Life with LOWDSA” event. We had so much fun planning and welcoming the community to enjoy all things “environmental stewardship”. The support we received from the board, our members, organizations and businesses was so appreciated. Thank you, everyone! We look forward to the opportunity to plan the next event.

Our summer programming is back in action and moving full speed ahead. We are very excited to be back on the water with our LakeSmart team and boat. You’ll get to meet our 2023 LakeSmart team (Luc, Tessa, and Mimi) on page 8. They’ve already been busy doing shoreline cleanups, going into classrooms educating our future generations about what it means to be an environmental steward, running the mobile boat wash station, and doing dock talks.

We’re welcoming back tours of the Experimental Lakes Area on August 10 and 17. This is a great opportunity for anyone who attends to learn about one of the world’s most influential freshwater research facilities. For more information on how to sign up, check out page 19.

There’s still a lot of summer to be had and it’s not too late to book some time with us. Let us know what’s happening on your lake. If you’d like a visit from our LakeSmart team for a dock talk, to attend an event or want any other information, let us know, we’d love to hear from you. You can reach us at info@lowdsa.com.

We’re always looking for volunteers to sit on our committees or join our board. Our standing committees are as follows: government affairs, environment, membership and marketing, and finance. If you have expertise in any of these areas, and would like to get involved, please reach out to executivedirector@lowdsa.com.

Welcome back to another summer season. As always, thank you for sharing your passion for lake life with us!

PUBLISHED BY

Wake Marketing Inc., 140 Main St. S., Kenora, ON P9N 1S9

Publisher: Mike Greaves, mike@areanewsmagazine.ca

Editor: Leanne Fournier, editor@areanewsmagazine.ca

Art Director: Shayla Smith, shayla@wakemarketing.ca

Design & Layout: Mike Newton, Ashley Pereira

Advertising: Deb Polakoff, deb@areanewsmagazine.ca

“Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake.”

— Diane Ackerman

The Lake of the Woods area and LOWDSA’s activities take place in the territory of the Anishinaabe Nation in Treaty #3 and the traditional homelands of the Métis Nation of Ontario. The beautiful lakes, shorelines, and environment that we enjoy should be respected for their cultural significance and history.

DISTRIBUTION & MEMBERSHIP

Lake of the Woods Area News is published five times per year and is mailed to LOWDSA members. To receive Area News visit lowdsa.com and become a member today. TOLL-FREE 1-888-265-9784 PHONE (807) 468-8715

Publication mail agreement #43107013. Printed in Canada.

© 2023 LOWDSA. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without prior written consent. Statements of fact or opinion are the responsibility of the author and may not represent the view of LOWDSA or Wake Marketing Inc.

Ashley Hoffmeister

The official publication of the Lake of the Woods District Stewardship Association

Our Contributors

David Hewlett and his wife and Susan bought their camp Highcliffe in 1988 as a retreat for their young and growing family. Its water access, period charm circa 1909, off the grid electrical generator, propane and wood stoves and fireplace were attractive features. Minaki was a welcoming community, and the Hewlett family soon became lake people with David, Susan and sons Dylan, Sean and Michael making life-long friendships with other Winnipeg families who were now 3rd generation campers. The cottage had a wood fired stove in the kitchen and kerosene and propane lanterns throughout, but it was the kitchen stove that David gravitated to as it was reminiscent of his childhood summers at Carlyle Lake in Saskatchewan. In 1989, David joined LOWDPOA [now LOWDSA], sat on committees, then the Board and later became president. His interests lay in environmental issues of water quality, forestation which were the concerns that he shared with other Minaki campers as they were forming the Minaki Cottagers Association to advocate for environmental protective standards. At present, the Hewlett’s live in Victoria, B.C. and make the annual trip to Minaki for a three month stay maintaining camp life but now enjoying the luxury of solar power, cell phones, internet and grandchildren.

Elsie Neufeld is a writer living beside lower Black Sturgeon Lake. Her resumé lists journalist, helicopter manual writer, power engineer, college instructor and editor (formerly of the Area News) as past employment. While living in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the 1990s, she landed in Honolulu eight times and never left the airport. She hopes to rectify that some cold winter. Since giving up lucrative paid work (retirement), writing and cycling, not to mention a husband and two cute dogs, are her reasons to get up in the morning. Elsie writes freelance articles, is working on a memoir about life in PNG, teaches writing workshops and nurtures a community of Kenora writers. (See Kenora Writers’ Group on Facebook.)

LAKE OF THE WOODS DISTRICT STEWARDSHIP ASSOCIATION

PRESIDENT:

Garth Collier, Schnarr Lake

PAST PRESIDENT:

Christine Semenchuk, Bigstone Bay

SECRETARY:

Jackie Lowe, Gun Club Island

TREASURERS:

Carley Fyke, Welcome Channel; Jeff Rempel, Pine Portage Bay

Mona Brown

Alena Collier

Garth Collier

Leanne Fournier

Sharon Gurney

Ashley Hoffmeister

Brie McCardle

Duncan McEwen

Drew Monkman

Lori Nelson

Jeff Polakoff

Henry & Anita Rasmussen

Jacob Rodenburg

Margaret Saville

Dave Schwartz

Todd Sellers

CHAIR, MEMBERSHIP: Adam Blake, Corkscrew Island

CHAIR, GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS: Don Parfitt, Winnipeg River

CO-CHAIRS, ENVIRONMENT: Lucas King, Woodchuck Bay; Chelsea Lobson, Kendall Inlet

DIRECTORS AT LARGE: Barb Manson, Winnipeg River; Bob Stewart , Longbow Lake; Trevor Templeton, Minaki

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Ashley Hoffmeister, (807) 468-8715 executivedirector@lowdsa.com

ASSISTANT ED: Alena Collier, (807) 468-8715 alena@lowdsa.com

P.O. Box 1160

Kenora, ON P9N 3X7

EMAIL: info@lowdsa.com

TOLL-FREE: 1-888-265-9784

PHONE: (807) 468-8715

M N  LOWDSAssoc

P S  LOWDSA

V Lake of the Woods District Stewardship Association

Audrey Bebek is our summer 2023 Photo Contest Winner! This beautiful photo was taken on Clearwater Bay not far from the Bebek cottage on Inglis Road. Audrey writes, “The lake and the water have always been magic to me. Since I was a young girl there has been nothing that seems to bring me more joy than being at the lake and swimming in the water or simply being by the water. Now that I am older, this experience is renewed as I watch all of my grandsons fall in love with the lake as I have. This is one of my youngest grandson who loves to go for boat rides and watch the sunset create this

Fireworks in a Northwestern Ontario “Summer Tinderbox” forest

Over the past few years there have been several fireworks displays along some branch roads of Storm Bay Road in the Unincorporated District of Kenora. These have been happening during the dry summer “holiday” weekends around 10 p.m. Some displays are started in the middle of the forest, some from docks. The fireworks last twenty to thirty minutes and all shoot well above the tallest of the very tall white, jack and Norwegian pine trees.

I call the forest a “Summer Tinderbox” since the pines, spruce, birch and poplar all grow out of the oldest granite in the world in this area as part of the Canadian Shield. The soil consists of dried pinecones soaked in pine tar, tons of dried pine needles, decaying fallen branches, dried leaves and mosses. It is a very dry forest since the rainwater leaves the granite quickly. The forest is very often ready to burst into a forest fire given a spark source. We have all experienced forest fires happening close started by lightening. The “Potential for Fire” warnings on the highway signs from our local volunteer fire department are for managed fires on our properties in fire pits. We can see further directives by the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks on their website. These are of little help, however, concerning fireworks.

We, in the Unincorporated District of Kenora, are bound to use our common sense for all of our common good in our forest neighbourhood. If we have one forest fire it’s everyone’s forest fire. We have one narrow winding road in and out of our area. If it is closed by a fire or fallen trees, we must evacuate by boats into Lake of the Woods or Longbow Lake. Hopefully, our boats are at the ready as well as our chainsaws for removing trees or branches on the exit road.

These scenarios have happened very recently in British Columbia and Alberta with residents fleeing for their lives while the forest was burning on both sides of the road. They have also happened in California and Oregon on the west coast of the United States. Parts of California have banned fireworks since they are known to have started a large wild and forest fire in Northern California. Colorado Springs, Colorado has also banned fireworks, and consequences include fines and jail time for the user. They are tired of wildfires threatening and causing loss of life and property in and around the City of Colorado Springs.

If our summer visitor residents need to see fireworks, consider driving by car or boat to the Kenora Harbourfront for the July 1 or August long weekend fireworks displays. If the production is not big enough for your liking, then consider donating funds to Harbourfront fireworks. Perhaps there would be enough funds in this way to put on more “holiday” weekend fireworks shows or even some “just because”.

Margaret Saville Storm Bay Road, Longbow Lake

People wishing to donate to the Canada Day or Harbourfest fireworks can contact:

Canada Day: tourism@kenora.ca or (807) 467-4637 Harbourfest: info@harbourfest.ca

Forest Fire Prevention Act

If you set off fireworks, you’re also responsible if they cause a wildland fire. The Forest Fires Prevention Act states:

No person who discharges a firearm, a flare, fireworks or explosives in or within 300 metres of a forest area shall leave any residue from the discharge unextinguished.

Also, remember to check any municipal bylaws regarding the use of fireworks in your area.

To stay safe, we recommend you:

• Attend an organized fireworks venue instead of setting off your own.

• Choose a fire safe area to ignite fireworks that is free of flammable materials.

• Launch fireworks over an area free of flammable material, such as gravel or a body of water.

• Have fire suppression equipment on hand.

• Check the area for any hot residue and ensure it is put out when complete.

For more information visit:

• ontario.ca/page/how-prevent-forest-fires

• ontario.ca/laws/statute/90f24

Meet your 2023 LakeSmart and LOWDSA team!

The LOWDSA team and board members are delighted to have three ambitious university students returning home for the summer months to work with us. All from the Kenora area, Tessa Penner, Luc Boucha, and Emilia (Mimi) Mastromatteo have connections with each other through childhood friendships and their education journeys. The bond they have going into this season is going to make their teamwork unmatched and for a great summer.

All three are energetic, creative and passionate, and this will be their first year working with LakeSmart. It is inspiring to bring together a team that has so many ideas, and the desire to truly make a difference. We are looking forward to the 2023 season.

Here are a few words from our Lake Smart team.

Tessa Penner

I was born and raised in Kenora, down Storm Bay Road on Lake of the Woods. While growing up on the lake, I have had the privilege to experience all the amazing things this area offers. I have a love for the outdoors, especially being on the lake camping and swimming. My experiences outside growing up have given me an appreciation for the environment and drive to preserve it for generations to come.

I am currently going into my second year at the University of Victoria, in the Education program, with a passion for community education. I enjoy spreading awareness about conservation of our environment to the public, especially the next generations, so youth have these values ingrained while growing up.

I look forward to starting work with LOWDSA and learning from the amazing team of people. I am thrilled to be a part of a team that is working towards keeping Lake of the Woods one of the most beautiful regions. I am excited to try new things, learn plenty, and spend the summer outdoors.

Luc Boucha

I have just completed year one in the Concurrent Education program at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario.

My family has a long history on the lake, and I would like to create my own stories one day with my own family. I grew up in Kenora using and enjoying the natural resources and bodies of water in the area. I enjoy fishing, hunting, days on the lake soaking in the sun and playing in the water with my family.

I want to learn in greater detail the issues surrounding beautiful Lake of the Woods and how I can help preserve my way of life and

Porch Blinds

heritage for future generations. As I am hoping to be a teacher, I look forward to educating and sharing information I have with people on how they can help keep our lakes clean and clear of invasive species, pollutants and more. I am excited to go out in the community and help organize events and programs to educate those who visit, own property and youth who will one day be the ones tasked with the responsibility of protecting nature. I look forward to meeting lots of new people and creating new experiences with the LakeSmart team.

Mimi Mastromatteo

I was born and raised in Kenora. I grew up admiring and appreciating lake life's beauty, from camping on islands to countless hours canoeing, fishing, and swimming. I can attest Kenora is one of the most beautiful places to be.

I stand by LOWDSA’s vision to help preserve, sustain, and educate locals, tourists and everyone in between about the lakes and surrounding areas. My passion for the waters and community has encouraged me to return home for the summers to come.

I recently finished my first year as a biomedical science student and varsity swimmer at McGill University. Part of my education entailed learning about invertebrate and vertebrate

Brie McCardle re-joins LOWDSA as Environmental Program Manager

Working closely with the LakeSmart program is Brie McCardle who has changed positions within the association. You may recognize her from her time as LakeSmart student or the program coordinator intern. We are thrilled that Brie is re-joining us in this new permanent role.

Brie McCardle

I was born and raised in Kenora on beautiful Black Sturgeon Lake. Growing up on the lake fuelled my passion for sustainable living and preserving the area I'm lucky to call home. In my opinion, nothing beats the sound of the loons or the feeling of a refreshing jump in the lake. After high school, I took time to travel and immerse myself in different cultures and landscapes. My fascination grew and I enrolled in the Environmental Technician - Field and Laboratory program at Niagara College the following year. In my program, I focused on the collection, documentation and analysis of water, air and soil samples in the context of local watersheds and relevant policies and regulations.

Sioux Narrows Nestor Falls

Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls Community Events Guide

Welcome to Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls! This summer you won’t want to miss some of the great community events taking place throughout the community. To help you plan your visit (or summer) we have compiled this listing for you:

JULY 1 Canada Day Celebrations in Sioux Narrows & Nestor Falls

JULY 6 Sioux Narrows Men’s Club Fish Fry

Tickets are available at Mayer’s Hardware, The Northern Ontario Sport Fishing Centre and Gill’s Trading Post.

AUGUST 5 & 6 Sioux Narrows Arts Festival

The region’s longest running arts festival is returning to the Sioux Narrows Curling Club. Saturday & Sunday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. siouxnarrowsartsfestival.com

AUGUST 25 & 26

SEPTEMBER 2 & 3

Moose n’ Fiddle Festival

We’re bringing “this cool little festival at the lake” back in August 2023 moosenfiddle.ca

Nestor Falls Wings and Wheels Festival

Sightseeing tours, car show, live music, bouncy castles and petting zoo. Fireworks at dusk on Sunday. No entry fee! M Nestor Falls Wings and Wheels Festival

SEPTEMBER 8-10

Bassin’ for Bucks

The 27th annual Sioux Narrows Bass Tournament, and kids fishing derby: bassinforbucks.com

SEPTEMBER 9 Artists in the Park

Join us at Sioux Narrows Provincial Park for a quaint walk and art show/sale at the park, 10:00a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

SEPTEMBER 16 & 17 Crow Lake Classic

The biggest little bass tournament is happening in Nestor Falls: M Crow Lake Classic Bass Tournament

SEPTEMBER 22 & 23

Nestor Falls Muskie Cup

The premier muskie tournament in Northwestern Ontario: muskycup.2cat.com

TrypTych Concert and Opera presents:

The Sioux Narrows Summer Music Fest

Featuring the TrypTych Trio plus:

Julie Husband, Woodwinds

Lenard Whiting, Piano

Edward Franko, Bass

Tony Cyre, Percussion

Popular music from the great American songbook, film, popular music and more!

Joined by special guest vocal soloists. June 28, July 26 and August 30 at 7:00 p.m.

ADMISSION IS FREE.

Come enjoy a tuneful evening of popular music in the comfort of the Northern Ontario Sportfishing Centre.

The Northern Ontario Sport Fishing Centre Speaker Series

For the summer of 2023, we are very excited about the return of our speaker series. All presentations will be held at the Northern Ontario Sport Fishing Centre. This series is a group of presentations that aim to enhance and enrich connection to the region, the lake, and especially fishing.

The schedule for the summer 2023 speaker series is as follows:

JULY 6 3:00 PM IISD: All about IISD and the Experimental Lakes Area

JULY 11 2:00 PM Teika Newton, International Joint Watershed Coordinator

JULY 14 10:00 AM Jim Minerich: Practical Fishing for Kids (Session 1 of 2) Kids between the ages of 7-10 years are invited to the Sport Fishing Centre to learn some of the practical secrets to rod tying, lure selection, fish prep, and more! Spaces are limited to reserve please email: nosfc@snnf.ca

JULY 19 3:30 PM Timothy Warner: A discussion of the SNNF Trail Networks

Planning an outdoor trail adventure: New technology has opened a path for new trails, improvements, and planning your next adventure. The SNNF Trail Development Coordinator will help you plan for a fun, memorable outdoor experience while giving you plenty of local options. Includes videos of trail improvements, maps, and handouts.

JULY 25 1:00 PM

Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry: Fishing Regulations on Lake of the Woods

AUGUST 1 3:00 PM IISD – Algal Blooms

AUGUST 4 7:00 PM

AUGUST 9 1:00 PM

AUGUST 16 8:00 PM

AUGUST 18 8:00 AM

The latest on the IISD Experimental Lake Area’s longest running experiment

Ryan Haines and Jyles Copenace: Fish ageing, Fisheries, and the History of the Lodges in the area and how they came to be

Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry: Firefighting Presentation

Braden Murray, The Lake of the Woods Museum

The History of the Shore Lunch.

Jim Minerich: Practical Fishing for Kids (Session 2 of 2)

Building from the previous session, kids between the ages of 7-10 years join us for a morning of fun and fishing with local volunteers and local legends. Only 20 spots are available. Email nosfc@snnf.ca to reserve your spot!

AUGUST 22 3:00 PM IISD: Measuring the impact of Microplastics on Fresh Water at IISD Experimental Lakes Area

AUGUST 31 3:00 PM Timothy Warner: A discussion of the SNNF Trail Networks

SEPTEMBER 6 8:00 PM Jeff Gustafson

Fishing on Lake of the Woods: History of bass (they aren’t native to the lake) and the history of tournaments around the region.

SEPTEMBER 13 11:30 AM Jyles Copenace

Kid-friendly afternoon event.

SEPTEMBER 27 3:00 PM Timothy Warner: A discussion of the SNNF Trail Networks

There may be additional presentations added throughout the summer. For a complete and up to date list please visit: sportfishingcentre.com

Special on site programming/ learning opportunity: The AKRC Fisheries team will be on site every Wednesday in June (starting June 14) from 10AM–3PM. In July and August they will be on site every Wednesday from 10AM–3PM and Friday from 10AM– 12PM, until August 18.

Come and see first hand how fish ages are determined and the important conservation work that this team is undertaking.

Sioux Narrows Nestor Falls

Boat wake awareness makes for happier shorelines and neighbours

BY ASHLEY HOFFMEISTER

Some of the most highly enjoyed activities in this area are those done by boat. Last summer, we experienced extremely high-water levels, which created a great deal of sensitivity around damage to shorelines, sandbagged homes, docks, and boat houses caused by wakes from boating activities.

There has been extensive research done on the topic of wakes from boats, particularly those that generate large wakes for activities such as wakeboarding and wake surfing.

With this comes the importance of education to boaters, particularly in high water circumstances when the impact of wakes is more likely to do damage to homes, docks, and boathouses.

Because the impact of wakes is an important topic to many, there was a campaign created called “Be #WakeAware” in partnership with the Muskoka Lakes Association, Safe Quiet Lakes, and the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations. They offer many tips to boaters on how to fulfill the objective of being more aware of the impacts of your boat’s wake. One of the things they discuss is knowing the size of your wake in the three different speed zones: displacement, transition, and planing.

A paper published by Fay et. al (2022) in the Journal of Water Resource and Protection, quantifies the impact related to turbidity and erosion with the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) of boat wakes in shallow water and the build-up of wind driven waves.

The paper concludes:

• Boat wakes dissipate quickly and have little impact on shorelines compared to wind driven waves.

• Multiple simulations show great loss of wave energy at various distances from shorelines. In each case, a boat operating at 200 feet from shore and in water depths greater than 10 feet are optimal for shoreline and environmental health.

• The amount of sediment caused by shoreline erosion from boat traffic or wind driven waves is insignificant compared to the amount of sediment that flows in naturally through a lake’s watershed.

• Boat wakes can increase oxygenation, which is beneficial for aquatic species.

Be #WakeAware

• Inexperienced swimmers can be thrown over by boat wakes

• Smaller craft can be toppled by boat wakes

• Boat wakes can cause shoreline erosion

• Nesting shoreline birds young can be drowned, notably in spring by boat wakes

• Wakes can be disruptive to neighbours

• Wakes can cause damage to docks and moored boats

bewakeaware.com

There have been similar studies done in other areas, and they all come to similar conclusions. In order to avoid doing damage, you must be aware of the impact of your wake at all times. A boat operating at 200 feet from shore and in water depths greater than 10 feet are optimal for shoreline and environmental health.

In particular, it’s also important to remember the speed limit is 10 kilometers per hour within 30 meters of shore. And be warned: operating carelessly, without due care and attention or reasonable consideration for others is an offence under the Small Vessel Regulations.

For more information on protecting shorelines, check out “Give your shoreline a make-over”, provided by Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation, on page 47.

HOW YOU CAN BE #WAKEAWARE

Be aware of the size of your wake during displacement, transition & planing speeds

Reduce your speed to less than 10 km/h 30m from shore, boats, docks and swimmers

Source: bewakeaware.com

Position your passengers throughout the boat to reduce time spent in transition speed

Water-ski, tube, surf & wakeboard 200 metres away from all shorelines

Look behind you to minimize the impact of your wake on shorelines, docks or structures

Consider the size of the wake produced when purchasing a new boat

Source: foca.on.ca (2013)

Mark your calendars

Below are some of LOWDSA’s summer events. Information is subject to change. We will notify members of any changes and information with as much notice as possible via eNews, on our website and social media platforms.

JULY 22

LakeSmart at Granite Lake

Send us a message if you want us to stop by your dock. We will be out and about visiting Granite Lake residents doing dock talks, answering environmental questions, and sharing all of our resources to help everyone live and play green this summer.

WEDNESDAYS JUN 14 - AUG 16

Matiowski Farmers Market

Have questions about how you can make a positive environmental impact? Swing by! Every week LOWDSA will have a booth just outside of the main entrance of Jarnel Contracting Pavilion in Kenora. Give-aways, resources, seedlings (limited quantity), friendly faces and much more.

JULY + AUGUST

Shoreline Clean-ups

LakeSmart is back in action and ready to clean up the beautiful shorelines. Volunteers welcome! The more the merrier to keep litter out of our environment and the land pristine for generations to come. Locations, dates and times will be posted on social media and sent out through eNews so keep an eye out for it.

Tree Planting

Are you interested in a peaceful day of hard work planting trees in the Kenora area? Join us in our restoration efforts. Email epm@lowdsa.com if you would like to be a part of this initiative.

Dock Visits

Invite the LakeSmart team to your neck of the woods for a dock talk! We would love to come chat, check out your property or answer any questions you may have. We will have a boat on Lake of the Woods but if you can bring the LakeSmart team around your lake, we love to reach as many people as we can. If interested send a message to epm@lowdsa.com.

AUG 10 & 17

ELA Tours

We’re excited to welcome these tours back into the LOWDSA summer fun mix! We’ll be heading to ELA from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to learn all about the experimental lakes area! Bring your own lunch. For more details and to sign up call 807-468-8715.

BoatWash

CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY. Together we can slow the spread of invasive species. Not only do you get a free BoatWash, but it’s also the law! LakeSmart will be set up at boat launches around the area to help you keep your vessel free of those pesky hitchhikers that cause extensive damage to the waterways. Stay tuned to social media and eNews for updates on locations. We’d also love to hear from you, if you have an idea for ideal location for us to come to.

MOBILE BOATWASH STATION

Why do we need it? Promoting and practicing Clean, Drain, Dry is one of the simplest ways we can work together to protect our lakes against the spread of invasive species. Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) continue to change the natural ecosystem of the Lake of the Woods district

Boat wash stations provide decontamination for boaters and significantly reduce the chance of introducing invasive species to water bodies through pressure washers to clean the watercraft. This summer, LOWDSA's Mobile Boat Wash Station, will provide the opportunity to educate lake users on how to clean, drain, and dry their watercraft throughout the summer months! It is a law to decontaminate your water craft when transporting between water bodies.

Government Notes

BY ASHLEY HOFFMEISTER

MUNICIPAL

Synergy North rates increase

By Bob Stewart, Government Affairs Committee

Hydro customers in the City of Kenora served by Synergy North will be paying a bit more this year for electricity.

The municipal utility, co-owned by the cities of Thunder Bay and Kenora, had new service rates approved by the Ontario Energy Board, effective May 1, 2023.

For Kenora residential customers—year-round and seasonal—the new rates will add about $3.75 monthly to an average bill. The approved rates include a $1.01 increase in the basic monthly service charge, taking it from $32.50 a month to $33.51, along with increases in short term additional charges called rate riders, which are used to recoup or return money to customers when previous estimates for costs and revenues miss budget targets. While the service charge increase represents an 8.5 per cent increase over 2022 delivery charges, when coupled with electricity costs, federal tax and regulatory charges the new costs represent an annual increase of just over 3 per cent on total bills. Small business customers will experience an increase of just over $10 monthly, or 3.6 per cent, with the increases, according to a Synergy North news release.

Despite the increase, Synergy North customers continue to enjoy some of lowest electrical service bills in the region as the OEB bill calculator for an average residential customer (750 kwh monthly illustrates).

Estimated total residential monthly bill (as of May 2023) for 750 kwh of monthly consumption:

Synergy North (Kenora) $124.37

Synergy North (Thunder Bay) $120.09

Fort Frances Power $124.23

Atikokan Hydro $133.62

Sioux Lookout Hydro $133.74

Hydro One (R2) $140.50

Hydro One (R2-Seasonal) $180.06

PROVINCIAL

Bill 97—An Act to amend various statutes with respect to housing and development

By Bob Stewart

From law firm mcmillan.ca:

Urban Boundary Expansion: The New PPS (Provincial Policy Statement) would allow municipalities to expand their urban boundaries more easily, by either identifying new settlement areas or allowing the expansion of existing settlement area boundaries. There would no longer be a requirement for municipal comprehensive reviews, and municipalities would not be required to demonstrate the need for expansion under a new, simplified and flexible approach for settlement boundary expansion. Municipalities would be required to permit more residential development on rural lands, including farmlands and other greenfield sites.

This easing of the rules does not refer to overall boundary expansion, rather, as the wording clearly states, to urban or settlement area boundary expansion within existing municipal boundaries.

Bill 97 would make it easier to amend zoning designations and requirements for housing in areas currently identified within the municipal plan as Rural Use (RU) or Rural Residential (RR). These could apply to multi-level government approvals for lot line encroachment, lot size, housing types, the need for service lines, roads etc.

Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC)

Although there has been no official announcement, the clock has run out for Ontario’s COVID delayed province-wide property re-assessment.

The last adjustment to property values for taxation purposes in the province was done in 2016, and a planned 2020 assessment update was deferred due to the COVID pandemic as a cost relief measure. The deferral was extended for 2022 and 2023 for the same reason.

With a nine-month lead time needed based on past update timelines, it is now too late for a province-wide re-assessment for the 2024 property tax year. In fact, despite presentations and requests to the government by municipalities and various groups concerned about the issue in the lead up to the 2023-2024 provincial budget, the budget made no mention about the delayed re-assessment, nor was there any mention about provincially set Education or Provincial Land Tax rates.

The province began the current cycle of regularly updating property assessments province-wide nearly three decades ago to provide a measure of property tax equality across the province and consistency in when property values were updated. Prior to that, decisions on when to update valuations for property tax purposes was left to local tax levying authorities resulting in wide disparities.

For now, property owners in nonmunicipal areas can expect property tax bills identical to their 2022 total bills this year and next. For those within municipal boundaries, any changes will be due to municipal tax rate changes.

Walleye limit changes

The Ontario government continues to review fishing regulations for Lake of the Woods.

The province and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry say studies show the walleye population on Lake of the Woods is vulnerable with high harvest rates, a decrease in biomass and high mortality rates within the local walleye population.

As a result, the MNRF is proposing to lower walleye catch limits to two fish with a Sport License and to one fish with a Conservation License.

Public comments were taken earlier this year and the draft Lake of the Woods Recreational Walleye Plan is still under review. This means that current walleye and sauger catch limits will remain in effect for northwestern Ontario for the 2023 season.

Highway twinning update

The Manitoba government states it's ready to twin its portion of the Trans-Canada Highway from Falcon Lake to the Ontario border. Manitoba premier Heather Stefanson made the announcement on May 19, 2023.

Manitoba Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Doyle Piwniuk states the actual construction work won't take place for at least four years.

In the meantime, a 700-meter stretch of the Trans-Canada in Manitoba where the Trans-Canada Highway meets the Ontario twinning project, is going ahead right away.

Whiskey Jack Forest update

Submitted by Local Citizen’s Committee

Forests are complex ecosystems. The study of forests is equally complex. One goal of wisely managing forests is to attempt to emulate natural disturbances and landscape patterns that are characteristic of any given forest. Sophisticated computer software is used to generate long term (100 years) conceptions of a well-managed forest. This is true for both forests in our area, Kenora Forest and Whiskey Jack Forest.

The Long Term Management Plan (LTM), currently under way for the Whiskey Jack Forest, is working through Stage 3. The process is built on “silviculture,” the art and science of managing the growth and health of a forest. A diverse set of needs are taken into consideration throughout the management process.

In specific reference to the Kenora and Whiskey Jack Forests, needs and values regarding Indigenous peoples and lands, wildlife habitat, landowners, water resources, recreation and timber are all part of the complexity of management. Areas of “emphasis” protect archaeological potential as well areas for moose, deer, caribou and blueberries.

Please note that there will be a public consultation for Stage 3 of the Whiskey Jack Forest Management Plan on July 25 at the Super 8 Motel in Kenora. For more information: mitchell.legros@ontario.ca or kurt.pochailo@miisun.ca.

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What's happening on your lake?

There’s so much happening throughout the region this summer! We did our best to round up the events we’ve heard about. Be sure to send what’s happening at your lake to editor@areanewsmagazine.ca.

JULY

Matiowski Farmers' Market

Every Wednesday 8:30AM – 2PM

Jarnel Contracting Pavilion

Harvest Kenora Summer Markets

Every Saturday

Old Keewatin Ballpark

Canada Day Festivities

July 1 All day

Kenora Harbourfront

Written by Water - Teresa Bowyer and Olivia Whiddon

Until July 6 Sun - Sat 10AM – 5PM

Douglas Family Art Centre

The Gift of Art - W.J. Phillips

Until September 16

Check seasonal hours

Douglas Family Art Centre

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

July 2 6:00 PM

Jarnel Contracting Pavilion

Lake of the Woods Speedway

Season Opener

July 2 Gates open at 3:30PM

556 Jones Road, Kenora

Kenora Concert Series - Suzanne

McIntosh and Les Filles D’esprit

July 5 7:00 PM

Jarnel Contracting Pavilion

Main Street Market

July 8 10AM – 3PM

Main Street Kenora

Informational session - Flowering Rush

July 8 10:00 AM

Minaki Community Centre

Kenora Walleye Open

July 8-9 All day

Lake of the Woods

Speaker Series - Teika Newton, International Watershed Coordinator

July 11 2:00 PM

Northern Ontario Sport Fishing CentreSioux Narrows

Kenora Concert Series - Conga Jim

July 12 7:00 PM

Jarnel Contracting Pavilion

Treaty #3 Anishinaabe Nation Pow Wow

July 14-16 All day

Wauzhushk Onigum Nation (Rat Portage)

LOWAC ArtsFest

July 15 9AM – 5PM

Memorial Park - The Muse

Beer on the Pier

July 15 2:00 PM

Matheson St. Pier

Kenora Concert Series - Conga Jim

July 19 7:00 PM

Jarnel Contracting Pavilion

Speaker Series - Timothy Warner, SNNF Trail Development Coordinator

July 19 3:00 PM

Northern Ontario Sport Fishing CentreSioux Narrows

Treaty #3: Manidoo Maina’igan | The Sacred Document Opens July 20 Sun to Sat 10AM – 5PM

The Lake of the Woods Museum

Treaty #3 150th Anniversary Celebration Event

July 20 Starts 8AM

Seven Generation Education InstituteFort Frances

Ducks Unlimited CanadaRide to the Lake

July 21 Afternoon

Jarnel Contracting Pavilion

Treaty #3 Anishinaabe Nation Pow Wow

July 21-23 All day

Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation (Dalles)

Bronzeback Classic

July 22-23 All day

Jarnel Contracting Pavilion

Speaker Series - James Williams, MNRF

July 25 1:00 PM

Northern Ontario Sport Fishing CentreSioux Narrows

Kenora Concert SeriesJackson Klippenstein

July 26 7:00 PM

Jarnel Contracting Pavilion

TrypTych Concert & Opera

July 26 7:00 PM

Northern Ontario Sport Fishing CentreSioux Narrows

Treaty #3 Anishinaabe Nation Pow Wow

July 27-29 All day

Naicatchewenin First Nation (Northwest Bay)

Main Street Market

July 29 10AM – 3PM

Main Street Kenora

Minaki Midsummer Mingle

July 29 4:00 PM

Minaki Community Centre

15th "Maybe" Annual Coney Island

Music Festival

July 30 11:30AM – 5PM

Coney Island

AUGUST

Matiowski Farmers' Market

Every Wednesday 8:30AM – 2PM

Jarnel Contracting Pavilion

Harvest Kenora Summer Markets

Every Saturday

Old Keewatin Ballpark

150 Years of Treaty #3 Arts Festival

August 3-4 All day

KCA Youth and Family Wellness Camp, 371 Strecker Road

Kenora Harbourfest

August 4-6 11:00 AM

Jarnel Contracting Pavilion

111th Kenora Agricultural Fair

August 4-6

Kenora Curling Club and Central Park

Sioux Narrows Arts Festival

August 5-6 10AM – 4PM

Sioux Narrows Curling Club

LOTW Speedway Dinner Jacket

Classic Series

August 5-6 Gates open at 4:15PM

556 Jones Road in Kenora

LOWISA 57 Regatta

August 6-12

Lake of the Woods

Speaker Series - John Mash, MNRF

August 9 1:00 PM

Northern Ontario Sport Fishing CentreSioux Narrows

Kenora Bass International

August 10-12 All day

Jarnel Contracting Pavilion

Treaty #3 Anishinaabe Nation Pow Wow

August 11-13 All day

Iskatewizaagegan #39 Independent

First Nation (Shoal Lake)

SEPTEMBER

Matiowski Farmers' Market

Every Wednesday 8:30AM – 2PM

Jarnel Contracting Pavilion

Treaty #3 150th Anniversary Celebration Event

September 6 All day

Seven Generation Education Institute - Kenora

Speaker Series - Jeff Gustafson, Bass Fishing World Champion

September 6 8:00 PM

Northern Ontario Sport Fishing CentreSioux Narrows

Bassin' for Bucks Tournament

September 8-10

Sioux Narrows Government Docks

LOTW Speedway Sunday Season Finale

September 8-10 Gates open at 3:30PM

556 Jones Road in Kenora

Artists in the Park

September 9 10AM – 3PM

Sioux Narrows Provincial Park

Treaty #3 Anishinaabe Nation Pow Wow

August 11-13 All day

Mishkosiminizibiing (Big Grassy)

First Nation

118th North West International Rowing Association Championship Regatta

August 18-19 All day

Rabbit Lake-Rowing Club

Speaker Series - Timothy Warner, SNNF Trail Development Coordinator

August 23 3:00 PM

Northern Ontario Sport Fishing CentreSioux Narrows

Moose N' Fiddle Festival

August 25-26

Caliper Lake Provincial Park

LOTW Speedway Track Championships

August 27 Gates open at 3:30PM

556 Jones Road in Kenora

TrypTych Concert & Opera

August 30 7:00 PM

Northern Ontario Sport Fishing CentreSioux Narrows

Crow Lake Classic

September 16-17

Crow Lake

Speaker Series - Jyles Copenace, Natural Resource Coordinator, AKRC

September 13 11:30 AM

Northern Ontario Sport Fishing CentreSioux Narrows

Speaker Series - Timothy Warner, SNNF Trail Development Coordinator

September 27 3:00 PM

Northern Ontario Sport Fishing CentreSioux Narrows

All events, dates and times are subject to change.

ArtsFest

MORE INFORMATION

Treaty #3 150 Anniversary Events 150.gct3.ca

ArtsFest lowac.ca/artsfest-2023

Beer on the Pier lowbrewco.com

Bronzeback Classic bronzebackclassic.ca

Canada Day Celebrations kenora.ca

Coney Island Music Festival coneyislandmusicfestival.com

Harvest Kenora facebook.com/harvestkenora

Kenora Bass International kbifishing.profishingtournaments.com

Kenora Habourfest harbourfest.ca

Kenora Concert Series kenoraconcertseries.com

Lake of the Woods Speedway lakeofthewoodsspeedway.com

LOWDSA lowdsa.com/cpages/contact

LOWISA lowisa.org

Matiowski Market kenora.ca

Minaki Conservancy minakiconservancy.ca

Moose N’ Fiddle Music Festival moosenfiddle.ca

Northern Ontario Sport Fishing Centre sportfishingcentre.com

The Muse themusekenora.ca

Sioux Narrows Arts Festival/Artists in the Park siouxnarrowsartsfestival.com

Sioux Narrows Bassin' for Bucks Tournament bassinforbucks.com

Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra wso.ca

The Muse summer programming

In addition to exhibitions noted on the calendar, the Museum and the Art Centre will be featuring programming that will include art and craft projects for children and families, the popular Summer Speaker Series on Tuesday evenings in July and August, Cemetery tours on Friday evenings and more. For more information on these or any other Muse programs please check out The Muse website at: themusekenora.ca or call the Museum at (807) 467-2105 or the Art Centre (807) 467-2201.

ArtsFest 2023

On July 15, 2023, Lake of the Woods Arts Community presents a celebration of local artists on the grounds of The Muse—Lake of the Woods Museum and Douglas Family Art Centre—in downtown Kenora. The event features a vibrant mix of artists showcasing fine arts and crafts, writing, creative demonstrations, art sales, handson activities, and main stage performances for all ages. A lively KIDZONE gives children and youth the chance to explore and create. Face painting and workshops will be offered throughout the day. Admission is free. Donations gratefully accepted. Get the latest details at lowac.ca/artsfest-2023.

Restricted fire zones

A Restricted Fire Zone (RFZ) is an order made by the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, under the Forest Fires Prevention Act restricting the use of open fires in a specific area of the province. It is a temporary measure put in place to prevent human-caused fires when the fire hazard is extreme or when firefighting resources are limited.

Because orders can change by the time the Area News is published, check for the latest information on Restricted Fire Zones at: ontario.ca/forestfires. Once you’ve arrived at that page, simply scroll down to the Restricted Fire Zone section and a written update will be provided with a link to a map showing the areas affected. This site is updated daily and will also provide information on the current fire situation. There is also a contact number listed on the website where individuals can call in for information.

Alternatively, the interactive map at lioapplications. lrc.gov.on.ca/ForestFireInformationMap/index. html?viewer=FFIM.FFIM will show a checkered area indicating a restricted fire zone is in effect. The map also has other features allowing the user to see where active fires are located, as well as the current fire hazard. MNRF also posts regular Restricted Fire Zone updates on Twitter in both French and English. Our Twitter handles are @Onforestfires and @OnFeudeforet.

Flood alerts

The flood forecasting and warning program site gisapplication.lrc.gov.on.ca/webapps/flood contains the most up to date information on active flood messages in Ontario.

Parking at Moncrief Construction Sports Centre

This summer, a major project is happening at the Moncrief Construction Sports Centre boat launch and parking lot. The most recent updates on the project and short and long term/day use launching and parking can be found on the City of Kenora news page at kenora.ca.

WATER LEVELS

The beach is back!

BY JEFF POLAKOFF, LOWDSA REPRESENTATIVE, LAKE OF THE WOODS CONTROL BOARD

During the flood conditions of 2022, residents and visitors to the Lake of the Woods were hard pressed to find the beaches that are usually such a unique and important part of the lakes and water bodies in the Winnipeg River watershed. With the return to normal water levels for 2023 and at the time of this writing in late May, those beaches are back and ready to be enjoyed once again.

The spring refill period and corresponding water levels were close to normal with the end of May level being at approximately 323.01 m (1059.7 ft), a 65th percentile level for the time of year for Lake of the Woods. This pace of refill is largely consistent with the inflow conditions anticipated for spring and approaching the summer targeted level of 323.09 m (1060.0 ft) as recommended by LOWDSA. During this period, outflows through the Norman Dam at Kenora, the primary control facility for Lake of the Woods and the Winnipeg River, were regulated to balance the interests between the lake and the river based on levels of precipitation and inflow.

After three years of unusual conditions in the watershed, it is encouraging to see that water levels are getting back to what we have come to know as historically normal. As residents of the Winnipeg River basin, including Lake of the Woods, know only too well, the extreme high-water levels in the spring and summer of 2022 across the basin broke many records or were the highest in years. Flood waters reached heights not seen since 1950 and records were established for the highest levels in many areas

of the basin. In fact, levels in the Rainy River Basin, including Rainy and Namakan lakes, which are the main contributing water bodies to Lake of the Woods, reached their highest levels on record. The flood conditions last year were very different from the preceding two years of drought where lake inflows had fallen to the lowest rates seen in decades and the entire basin was under an extreme drought warning. These contrasting weather patterns reflect our changing climate.

In consideration of the extreme flooding events of 2022, reports have been produced by the Lake of the Woods Control Board as well as the Water Levels Committee of the International Rainy Lake of the Woods Watershed Board, that assists with binational coordination of water levels on Rainy and Namakan Lakes. These reports provide a comprehensive overview of the flood events in both watersheds as well as activities undertaken by the two boards during the flooding. The reports also provide answers to questions posed to the Boards and staff.

I encourage those who would like to have a better understanding of the 2022 flooding to review these reports. I believe you will find them to be very interesting and informative in relation to the 2022 flood conditions, the hydraulics of our watershed and thought provoking about the changing weather patterns we are experiencing. As noted in the LWCB Flood Report “… the 2022 flood was considered historic and changed the perception of flooding potential in Northwestern Ontario.”

Here’s to another great summer of enjoyment on our watershed and its beaches. For up-to-date information on water levels and the work of the LWCB including the 2022 Flood Report, please visit the LWCB web site at lwcb.ca.

Scotty Island Beach is back—spring 2023. Photo: Jamie Papaioannou.

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Update on changes to legislation involving non-residents

As discussed in the early spring issue of the Area News, the federal government has entitled legislation to prohibit the purchase of a residential property by Non-Canadians. This legislation only applies to designated areas in the Lake of the Woods area, the City of Kenora district, extending north to Black Sturgeon and an area close to Thunder Bay.

There are further exceptions like transfers by gift, due to separation or divorce, or by inheritance, which were discussed in the last update (Early Spring 2023).

On March 27, 2023, the government announced legislation to create further exceptions. These are:

a. Persons who hold work permits, or who are authorized to work in Canada, under the immigration and refugee protection legislation.

b. Making the legislation not apply to vacant lands that are zoned residential or mixed use.

c. Allowing Non-Canadians to purchase residential property for development.

d. Increasing the corporation foreign control threshold to 10 per cent from 3 per cent (now the same as the definition under the Underused Housing Tax Act).

More laws

In addition to this Act, the Province of Ontario has expanded the area where the Non-Residence Speculation Tax Act applies to be the entire province effective October 25, 2022. It also has increased the rate of tax from 20 per cent to 25 per cent.

BY MONA BROWN, PKF LAWYERS

This means that any non-resident must pay 25 per cent tax on the entire Fair Market Value of the property being purchased on closing of a real estate transaction. The Act applies to noncitizens and non-permanent residents of Canada who are buying a house anywhere in Ontario. This tax is collected by the land title offices on behalf of the Province of Ontario.

There are some exceptions:

a. A purchase with a spouse who is a permanent Canadian resident provided the house is designated as their primary residence.

b. Nominees under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program.

c. Foreign nationals with refugee protection.

If one of the purchasers does not fall within these exceptions, then the purchasers will require that tax be paid. For example, 10 people are buying a property, and one is a non-resident/ nonCanadian, who does not fall within the exceptions. Tax of 25 per cent will be payable on closing on the entire value of the home being purchased.

There are some potential rebates in limited circumstances—see Ontario land transfer tax refund/rebate form for NRST.

What is a house? It is defined as a building with one to six residential units. Multi residential buildings with over six units, are exempt. If the property has mixed use residential and commercial, only the residential portion will apply. Yes, this includes cottage properties.

MUST DO'S for boaters of all ages

By Duncan McEwen

I started boating when I was five, only a quick 40 years ago! My dad (Tam), and my uncle (Jamie) taught me everything I needed to know about boating. My first boat was an 8 horsepower Evinrude on a 12’ “Solite” which we still use today. Before we even got into the boat, there were extensive lessons on mixing gas 50:1, how to change the bottom end oil, how to set the throttle and choke for starting, and the all-important squeeze of the ball of the gas line.

My dad was very firm on two paddles, a bailing bucket, and lifejackets for everyone on board. We were to tell someone where we were heading and our estimated time of return. None of these practices were negotiable and I felt prepared and confident when I went out on the lake because of these lessons. Learning the lake, reading charts, and navigating all came with time and practice and I still study and carry actual charts today.

What boating kids need to know

Following are some of the things we should all know—and be teaching our boating kids—provided by Marianne Nuttall in the summer 2020 Area News.

• Know about navigation and use of electronics

• Understand how the buoys and markers work and what they mean

• Check the weather forecast before going out and watch the weather while out on the water

• Look out for obstructions on the water

• Make sure all safety equipment is available, working and know how to use it

• Watch out for other boats for right of way rules

I get it that mixing gas, and pumping the ball are not common with today’s motors. But are our children really prepared for a situation, when the electric start fails, and their cell phone has gone dead? Are new boaters starting with a small tiller (like my 8 horsepower Evinrude), or are they starting with a 25, 50, or 300 horsepower as their first boat? In my travels, I am seeing new boaters (kids and adults) with an excess of power, and very little experience handling a boat. I bet you I put 5,000 miles on the ol’ 8 horse Evinrude before my dad let me move up to the 20 horsepower.

• Know how to tie up the boat at the dock

• Know what to do for medical emergencies common to boating such as hypothermia, sunstroke and heatstroke

I worry we may be losing some of these practices that have been so important to lake life. I’m now the dad and have taught my three kids how to drive a boat on Lake of the Woods, but I question if we have taken the time to go over all the little things.

Elle learning the ways with the same boat and motor Duncan learned on. (8 horsepower Evinrude/12’ Solite)

Boaters Code

Be a respectful boater. Review these guidelines for safe boating available at kenora.ca/en/visit-play/boating.aspx.

Respectful boating guidelines for on our waterways:

• I will respect other vessels on our waterways.

• I will be aware of and obey all laws and regulations governing operation of my boat.

• I will remember that vessels come in all shapes, sizes and abilities. I will use courtesy when approaching others.

• I will minimize my wake impact on shorelines, docks, structures and people by obeying the 10/30 regulation of a 10 km/hr speed when 30 meters from the shoreline.

• I will always steer clear of other boats, swimmers and water activities including wildlife.

• I will set a speed and heading that is safe and comfortable for my passengers and others on the water.

• I will ensure I obey all laws and regulations regarding the operation of my boat including safety equipment, PFDs and ensure I know the obligations when meeting other vessels on the waterways.

• I will carry all equipment necessary to operate my boat safely and within the law.

• I will never consume alcohol in my boat or allow my boat to be operated by anyone who is impaired.

• I will not create excessive noise or operate my boat in a manner that disrupts the peaceful enjoyment of the lake by others.

Which brings me to my next point—‘the boater’s wave.’ This was another “must do” my dad taught me when out plying the waters. I certainly didn’t question it, as it was something I grew up with, seeing my dad wave at other boaters. We would always wave back or receive a wave in return. It was a comforting feeling. It was also an indication that all was well, and we were socially connected on the water; something I’m missing a little more each summer.

Perhaps our lake has gotten so busy and boats so fast, that a wave just isn’t practical, but I find it unsettling to greet other boaters with a wave that goes unreciprocated. I worry the captain is unaware of other boaters or situational factors. The exception of course, is when there is a flow of boats in Devil’s Gap on a busy Friday afternoon heading out on the lake—but when two boats meet with no others around, a wave and smile is the standard Lake of the Woods etiquette, isn’t it?

Today’s boats are bigger and faster, I get it; I own a newer 20’ Lund with a 200 horsepower Merc. When I was a kid, the 18’ Sylvan or Starcraft with a 90 or a 115 was a sweet boat. My dad would tell stories about their faster boats with an 18, 35 and 60 horsepower. My 200 sometimes seems to be on the smaller side of things in big rig Lake of the Woods fishing boats, paling in comparison to the 250, 300, or even a 400 horsepower!

Regardless of what speed you happen to be cruising, be well prepared, ensure someone is aware of your plan, be aware of your surroundings, enjoy the ride, be safe, and give a wave! an

By the time Duncan was 12, he had graduated to the 20!

Enjoying a day out for a lazy cruise with my mom.

Boating safety

Boating licence

In Canada, you need proof of competency or a Pleasure Craft Operator card to run a power watercraft. Transport Canada accredits course providers to educate boaters on safe recreational boating. See tc.canada.ca under marine transportation.

Safe boating guide

Review Transport Canada's Safe Boating Guide (tc.canada.ca under marine safety) to learn boating regulations and safe practices. Topics in the guide include:

• Getting started

• Before you go

• On the water

• In an emergency

Read more at kenora.ca/en/visit-play/boating-safety.aspx

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Scan the QR code or visit www.standardinsurance.ca to request your free quote.

Speed limits

There three areas on the Lake of the Woods within the City of Kenora where there is a boat speed limit or a Vessel Operation Restriction Regulation (VORR):

1. Golf Course Bay: 10 km/hr

2. Portage Bay and Keewatin Bay (north of Highway 17 bridge): 9 km/hr

3. Laurenson Creek: 9 km/hr

The 10/30 rule

The Universal Shoreline Rule or the 10/30 Rule states that if you are within 30 meters from shore or closer, you must travel at 10 kilometers per hour or less, unless a speed limit is posted.

A shoreline is any point where water meets land: this can be an island or mainland, sea wall, or beach. The only exception to the 10/30 Rule is for water skiing, rivers less than 100 meters wide, and in buoyed channels or canals which are named as such on a lake chart of topographical map.

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Biking and a batholith

by Elsie Neufeld

“It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are…”

—Ernest Hemingway

On my bike, as I "sweat up the hills and coast down them," my curiosity about the area’s geology under my two wheels feeds on the landscape we pass over and through. One of my favourite cycling routes follows Highway 17 East to its intersection with Highway 17A. I particularly love the two kilometre descent just before Redden’s. The momentum of that descent practically carries me to the intersection. There I stop to stretch, turn around and head back the way I came.

As I pause to take a drink, I see the wall of granite on Highway 17A where the rock has been cut away to make a rest stop. Years ago, when it was newly blasted, it radiated an intense pink, not unlike flesh. Now oxidation has healed over the cut, mellowing the rock face, but it is still a massive wall of rock.

Returning to Kenora, that two kilometre descent is now the Northern Harbour Climb. I move so darned slow up this hill, fighting gravity, huffing and puffing, I have memorized every indicator of my progress. Just where the grade of the climb pitches up to seven per cent, there’s a rock cut. As I approach it, the rock is pink. As I pedal on, it becomes a dark—the dark side—a place where the grade appears to let up, but it’s an illusion.

For years, the Fieldtrip Guide for the Geology of the Kenora Area, available through the Ontario Department of Mines Northwest Regional office in Kenora, has been my geological guide. In layman’s language, it explains the geology of the area in convenient stops along roads.

This rock cut is one of the stops on the field trip. It is geologically significant because a few billion years ago hot granitic magma came in contact with darker, less viscose volcanic rock. The heat released from the granite radiating into the mafic volcanic rock changed it to a hard, fine-grained, dark rock.

For me, on my bike, the fact it is a hill is significant and I wonder about the nature of the land formation under me and my bike.

While geologic maps are easy to find on the internet, they are disorienting. They don’t include the features we normally use to navigate—no lakes, no rivers, no roads, streets or highways—just blobs of colour. So, I followed the Fieldguide’s suggestion to contact the Kenora District Geologist for more information. I connected with Kenora District Geologist Ethan Amyotte.

Amyotte pulled up Google Earth Pro on the wallmounted monitor in his office and I pointed to where the rock cut on the Northern Harbour Climb is located. He then overlaid the Ontario Geologic Survey map, the one with the multi-coloured blobs.

"It is probably the very edge of the Dryberry Batholith," said Amyotte, pointing to a finger coming off a pink blob. Hearing that formation named, Dryberry Batholith, was like learning the name of someone I had known only by appearance for years.

Granitic batholiths are huge masses of rock, 100 square kilometres or more, formed about twenty kilometres below earth’s surface from slowly cooling magma. During the Kenoran Orogeny, a mountain building time about 2.7 to 2.6 billion years ago, tectonic forces moved the batholiths upward and they engulfed the volcanic and sedimentary rocks that make up the Lake of the Woods greenstone belt, which was formed at the bottom of ancient oceans about 3.1 to 2.7 billion years ago. Greenstone belts are where gold and other valuable metals are found.

The mountains formed during the orogeny may have been as high as the Himalaya Mountains, but were whittled down to their roots after millions of years of erosion and periods of glaciation—the ice ages. Today, the Dryberry, Dalles and Lount Lake batholiths lay in our area. The blocks of granite found in downtown Kenora come from the Forgotten Lake granite quarry, part of

The Dryberry Batholith is exposed at the Highway 17 rest stop west of where highways 17 and 17A intersect.

The Northern Harbour Climb is a segment on Strava, a social app for physically active people. From Storm Bay Road, the segment runs for two kilometres west.

The Dryberry Batholith is exposed at the steepest part of the climb.

the Lount Lake Batholith with beautiful large greenishgrey feldspar crystals, which when polished, are used for decorative counter tops. The stone from the quarry is referred to as Kenora Sage and has been shipped around the world.

The Dryberry Batholith stretches many kilometres, undulating east and south. Starting to understand this map, I ask about the wall of granite at the rest stop on Highway 17A. He confirms that it too is part of the batholith. Heading east, Highway 17 passes through or over it.

Many other stops listed in the field trip guide are on my regular cycling routes. I could do worse than have a copy of the field guide tucked in my jersey

to expand my knowledge of country even beyond that mentioned by Hemingway. On my bike I know the hills very well. It’s time to know their names.

If you wish to learn more about the geology of our area, contact Ethan Amyotte, district geologist (ethan.amyotte@ontario.ca) or Kristen Wiebe, assistant district geologist, (kristen.wiebe@ontario.ca), at the Department of Mines in Kenora. Contact them by email and they will send you a copy of the Fieldtrip Guide for the Geology of the Kenora Area. an

This piece of polished granite is called Kenora Sage granite sent from Lount Lake Batholith (Forgotten Lake granite quarry).

Photo: Richard Cone.

In the foreground is granite of the Dryberry Batholith and in dark rock in the distance is the darker mafic rock with which it intruded.

The rock cut behind Elsie and her bike is pink granite also known as vermillion granite which is common in this area and quarried for monuments, countertops and other decorative uses.

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BU ILDING DRE A M S

Silent hunters of the night

BY DAVE SCHWARTZ

People have been fascinated with owls for millennia, with evidence of this enchantment being found throughout Europe, Egypt, China, Peru and North America.

Owls inhabit every continent except Antarctica and almost every habitat type, including forests, tundra, grasslands, and deserts. There are over 200 different species worldwide that are easily recognizable as owls by their large round head, forward facing eyes, short downturned bill, human-like face, chunky bodies, and short tail.

Of the 18 species of owls in North America, at least nine are found in the Lake of the Woods area. These include the great horned owl, northern hawk owl, great grey owl, long-eared owl, short-eared owl, boreal owl, barred owl, northern saw-whet owl, and snowy owls (only during some winters when they come down from the north in search of food). Of these, the great grey owl is probably the most commonly seen.

Owls, like other bird species, are often found outside their usual range. Most owls are active only at night, which adds an extra challenge for those who wish to observe them. However, owls often emerge at dusk making them easier to spot. Obviously, your best chance to see them is during bright moonlight. Good quality binoculars, which gather more light than the unaided eye, are an asset in observing owls at night.

To look for owls by day, scan fields and fence posts or search in dense conifer stands. Within the forest, look for white-washed trees. Owls roost during the day, and their excretions adorn trees with a spiffy white coating. Also, owls regurgitate pellets of undigestible bones and fur from their mouths once or twice a day. Those pellets can accumulate beneath nests and frequently used roosts. Looking down can tell you what’s up!

Owls are recognizable by their calls, which they use to find mates, raise young, defend territories, and warn of danger. Since owls are very challenging to locate by sight, owl population surveys are done by playing recorded calls of the target species and listening for a response.

Although most species of owls are highly nocturnal, the snowy owl, great gray owl, northern hawk owl and short-eared owl are active during daylight. These four species breed in northern regions where summer daylight is too long for purely nocturnal hunting to put enough groceries on the table.

Evolution has equipped owls with incredible hearing, near-silent flight, formidable talons, and superb vision in very low light conditions. These traits combine with hunting strategies to make them excellent hunters. Most sit and scan the area from a perch with a good view. When they see or hear prey, they drop down on it from above with wings open and talons forward to grasp the prey, often gliding for the last stretch.

The owls’ amazing hearing, aided by sound-focusing, feathered facial discs in some species, allows them to hear extremely faint sounds. They can determine the precise location of a sound and capture prey hidden under a covering of snow or leaf litter. Owls’ forward-facing eyes give them excellent depth perception. Since their eyes do not rotate in their sockets, owls must rotate their heads to focus on anything. To compensate, they have twice as many vertebrae in their necks as humans do, allowing their heads to rotate up to 270 degrees.

Owls don’t build their own nests. Small owls are primarily cavity nesters and will use holes in trees or nest boxes. Large owls sometimes use old nests of other birds, Some, like snowy owls, incubate their eggs on the ground. Eggs are laid over a number of

Title photo: The facial disc of the great grey owl focuses the sounds made by prey hidden by darkness or covered by snow. Photo: Robert Taylor.

days and are incubated by the female while the male brings her food as she keeps the eggs warm and protected from predators. Hatching occurs over several days, resulting in a range of chick sizes. The male brings home the bacon and the female breaks up the food to feed it to small chicks, called owlets.

Owlets grow quickly and as they grow, practice the moves they’ll need as adults: flapping, pouncing, and hunting. When owlets are big enough, they start exploring outside the nest. Even after they leave the nest for good, many species of owls still can’t fly. Siblings stick together for a while after they leave the nest and continue to get meals from their parents as they learn to fly and hunt independently.

Owls are predators, preying upon rodents, earthworms, crayfish, insects, rabbits, waterfowl, and herons and even scorpions, snakes, groundhogs, and skunks. Some species specialize in small mammals, such as mice and rats. The smallest owls eat predominantly invertebrates, with moths and beetles making up a large proportion of their diet.

Owls are important for moderating the boom and bust population of rodents and helping to keep ecosystems in balance. Predators of owls may include larger owls, snakes, foxes, raccoons, bears, hawks, and eagles. The largest owls are top predators, eating things below them in their food web but having no predators themselves, although their eggs and nestlings are subject to predation.

Owls are valuable to humans for their ecosystem services and for the aesthetic pleasure enjoyed when we see or hear them. They also provide economic benefits by controlling pests that eat crops.

Many species are threatened with severe population decline or extinction. Among the threats are forestry operations, the use of poisons for problem rodents, and habitat loss due to urban and agricultural encroachment.

There are some ways to alleviate those threats, including the use of alternatives to poison for dealing with problem rodents and implementing appropriate forestry practices. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) has policies that provide for a buffer zone around owl nests to protect them.

At the personal level, there are ways to assist owl populations. Giving owls a place to nest can be helpful, especially in sites owls have used in the past to lay their eggs. You can visit nestwatch.ca to get nest box plans for barn owls, barred owls, great horned owls, great gray owls, and more.

While owls may be easy to identify, it is extremely difficult to monitor populations because they are nocturnal and nest early in the season. Knowledge of owl distribution and populations are essential for developing sound conservation strategies. People who live near any of Canada’s forests can help to monitor owl populations by doing nocturnal surveys. Every year, over 1,000 volunteers count owls along isolated roads, documenting population trends and breeding range limits. Contact Ontario’s MNRF or Birds Canada to get information on how to participate as a citizen scientist.

Bird books and the internet are treasure troves for information about a particular species, including appearance, habitat, where to find them, and how to identify them by their calls.

Observing owls and learning more about them is a real hoot! an

This fully fledged great horned owl was photographed on its nest beside Highway 596 near Kenora. Its sibling had already left the nest, as did this one within the next couple of days. The nest was probably built the previous year and abandoned by a raven or another large bird. Photo: Dave Schwartz.

Early detection and rapid response key to managing invasive phragmites

The LakeSmart team sat down with Kaitlin Richardson from the Nature Conservancy of Canada to talk about those nasty invasives that are threatening our waterways.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is Canada's leading national land conservation organization. A private, non-profit organization, the Conservancy partners with individuals, corporations, foundations, Indigenous communities and other non-profit organizations and governments at all levels to protect our most important natural treasures — the natural areas that sustain Canada’s plants and wildlife. It secures properties (through donation, purchase, conservation agreement and the relinquishment of other legal interests in land) and manages them for the long term.

Since 1962, NCC and its partners have helped to protect 15 million hectares, coast to coast to coast.

INVASIVE PHRAGMITES

LakeSmart (LS): What is phragmites?

Kaitlin Richardson (KR): Invasive phragmites, pronounced like frag-might-eeze, is also known as European common reed and is an invasive plant that is causing immense harm to ecosystems in Ontario. Phragmites is native to Eurasia and it is unclear how it was transported to Canada. Because phragmites did not evolve with our native species, it has no natural predators in Canada that keep its population size under control, allowing it to out-compete native plants and take over ecosystems. Invasive phragmites is a perennial grass, which often grow in areas of standing water, but due to their long roots, they can live in dry areas as well. The plants spread through their root rhizomes or by seed to new areas, but can also spread if parts of the plants are broken off and moved to a new location where they can root.

NATIVE PHRAGMITES

Phragmites australis spp. australis; Also called European Reed.

Growth characteristics: Very dense stands of new and standing dead stems from the previous year's growth.

Culm: (Stem) Can reach 15 feet, are very rigid, and rough in texture. Stalks are light green to beige in colour and ligules (connection between leaf and stem) are hairy.

Leaves: Blue-green and often darker in colour than native phragmites. Leaf sheaths are mostly present and adhering tightly to culm of overwintered plants.

Seedheads: Fluffy in appearance and densely populated with seeds (glumes).

Phragmites australis or spp. americanus; Also called Common Reed.

Growth characteristics: Native phragmites typically occurs in low density stands, often coexisting with other native species, but it can occur in dense stands more typical of the introduced form.

Culm: Smooth, thin, and red to chestnut in colour towards the base. Spots on culms can occur from a native fungus not adapted to the invasive form.

Leaves: Leaf sheaths fall off the stem once the leaf dies and are typically lighter in colour than invasive phragmites.

Seedheads: Sparse compared to invasive phragmites.

LS How can you Identify invasive phragmites vs. native phragmites?

KR It’s important to note that there is a north American species of phragmites (native phragmites) that grows naturally in our wetlands. The main way to tell them apart is to look at how they are growing. Invasive phragmites grow in stands that can be as dense as 200 stems per m2 and can be up to 5 metres (15 ft.) tall, whereas native phragmites typically grows mixed with other native species. Another key difference between the two species is the colour. Invasive phragmites have beige stems, blue-green leaves, and large dense seed heads. Native phragmites has more reddish-brown stems, yellow-green leaves and smaller, sparser seedheads. Invasive phragmites stems also stay greener later into the fall. Habitat is also important. If the plant is growing in disturbed areas, such as ditches, roads, trails and recently cleared areas, that might indicate it is the invasive phragmites.

LS How does invasive phragmites take over our ecosystems?

KR Invasive phragmites often crowd out native species by growing very densely, but also by having a longer growing season (emerging earlier in the year and staying green longer). Dense populations of invasive phragmites also displace wildlife by altering the water table with their roots and growing so densely that animals, such as turtles, frogs and snakes cannot pass through. Invasive phragmites are “allelopathic”, which means they release a toxin from their roots to inhibit the growth of other plants around them.

LS What are the best ways to control the spread and reduce invasive phragmites in the Kenora area?

KR The key to controlling invasive phragmites is to keep it from becoming established in the first place. We call this early detection and rapid response. Depending on where it’s growing, there are a few different ways to control it. If the plants are growing in shallow water or on land, the best method of control is herbicide application by a licensed

applicator. Cutting and drowning the plant in deep water (>40 cm) can be successful with follow-up cuttings annually until the plants no longer come back. Any one of these methods should be repeated annually for a few years, as you cannot guarantee the complete eradication of the roots and seeds. However, the best practice is to call the Invasive Species Hotline: 1-800-563-7711 and record the location in eddmaps: eddmaps.org. Another useful (and free!) app to help you identify plants and record your observation is iNaturalist. This app allows you to submit photos, suggests what species it might be, and has your observation reviewed by experts to confirm the ID. Remember to report before you touch!

Emerald Ash Borers are a threat!

Invasive species threaten Manitoba’s trees. The emerald ash borer and other insects live in firewood. When firewood is moved between locations, so are the insects.

One log can kill a million trees. Learn more at:

Cutting and drowning phragmite plants in deep water (>40 cm) can be successful with follow-up cuttings annually until the plants no longer come back.

Invasive phragmites grow in stands that can be as dense as 200 stems per m2 and can be up to 5 metres (15 ft.) tall.

Invasive phragmites have beige stems , blue-green leaves, and large dense seed heads. Native phragmites has more reddish-brown stems, yellow-green leaves and smaller, sparser seedheads.

LS What can we all do to help?

KR The first part of early detection and rapid response is early detection. The best thing to do is always report the sighting, even if you aren’t 100 per cent sure the plant is invasive phragmites. You can report it to the Invasive Species Hotline (1-800-563-7711) and eddmaps.org. This will ensure that proper precautions are taken to limit the accidental spread. Learn how to identify invasive phragmites so you don’t accidentally disturb it and cause it to spread. Stay on designated trails and roads; this will help reduce the accidental spread through their seeds. Keep your vehicles and boats clean. Most importantly, do not plant them! If all of these precautions are taken, we can all help to limit the spread of invasive phragmites in the area and control the existing populations.

LS How does this invasive species affect humans and urban industrialization?

KR Invasive phragmites not only cause immense harm to the local environment, but also have implications directly impacting humans. They can damage culturally important species and activities for Indigenous people by out-competing plants like wild rice and damaging fish habitat. As phragmites takes over shorelines, they begin to impact recreational activities such as swimming, boating, and fishing – not to mention interrupting the beautiful shoreline views that many Lake of the Woods cottagers enjoy. When invasive phragmites grow in ditches along roads they can disrupt infrastructure by clogging drains, ditches and small streams, which can lead to flooding. Their growth also impacts visibility along roadways causing a hazard for travellers and wildlife. Because invasive phragmites is so difficult to control, it can be costly and time consuming to clear for construction of structures and roadways. an

Want to know more?

Check out these resources for more information on invasive phragmites: ontario.ca/page/phragmites-fact-sheet# torontozoo.com/pdfs/AlienInvaders1.pdf

lakehuron.ca/phragmites

Kaitlin Richardson of the Nature Conservancy of Canada out doing field work planting trees.

Give your shoreline a make-over

Before—let's talk

1. Cleared, manicured lot—lacks shade and privacy; loss of native plants leads to more erosion, runoff and work for you!

2. Runoff—flows over solid surfaces accelerating erosion; pollutants and excess silt degrade habitat for aquatic life.

3. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides—degrade water quality, are hazardous to your health, can be deadly for fish and other wildlife.

4. Lawn to the water's edge—lacks deep roots require to stabilize the bank.

5. Hardened shoreline—can deflect erosion downstream, eliminates "natural filtering" of pollutants and sediment, degrades habitat.

6. Artificial beach—requires ongoing sand replacement, reduces water quality, degrades aquatic habitat.

7. Old 2-stroke engine—dumps 25-40% of fuel, un-combusted, into water and air.

8. Solid crib dock—destroys aquatic habitat, alters currents, can deflect erosion downstream.

9. Malfunctioning septic system—allows phosphorus and bacteria to leach into adjacent waterways.

10. Harmful household chemicals and cleaners—damage septic system and degrade water quality.

After—let's fix

1. Prune trees rather than removing them; plant lowmaintenance native trees and shrubs to reduce erosion and absorb runoff.

2. Replace solid surfaces with porous materials where possible; redirect runoff into settling areas, away from the water's edge.

3. "Mow it high and let it lie"—leave grass 8 cm (3") high to retain moisture, mulch clippings for fertilizer.

4. Start a buffer—leave some grass uncut along the water's edge; restore with deep rooting native plants.

5. "Soften" your shoreline—improve erosion protection with native trees, shrubs, grasses and aquatic plants.

6. Create a "dry land" beach above the high water mark; let imported sand erode away naturally and native plants grow back.

7. Use a well-maintained electric motor, or a 4 or 2-stroke engine that meets or exceeds EPA 2006 guidelines.

8. Remove solid dock—try a pipe, cantilever or floating dock, avoid treated wood; use public access where possible.

9. Replace and properly maintain your septic system—consult an expert.

10. Use environmentally-friendly products, or alternatives like baking soda and vinegar.

What can I do?

Here are ten things you can do this summer to help ensure the health of our lake.

1 Get involved—show your support

Sign up on our website lowwsf.com so that we can keep you informed and count you as a supporter when we engage with our governments.

2 Reduce nutrient runoff to the lake

Switch to low flow toilets, take shorter showers and do laundry at the lake only when necessary. Your septic system can only do its job properly to reduce nutrients and bacteria if you don’t push too much water through it.

Install rain barrels and/or a rain garden to capture the runoff from your roof. Slowing down or retaining runoff from storm events can reduce the amount of phosphorus and sediments entering the lake—protecting water quality and nearshore fish habitat.

3 Don’t “P” on your lawn

Of course, by “P” we mean phosphorus. If you must have a lawn at the lake, it’s best not to fertilize at all. If you do fertilize, minimize its use and use phosphorusfree fertilizer only. It’s easy to switch to phosphorus-free—look for a “zero” in the middle of the three numbers on the bag.

Minnesota banned phosphorus in residential lawn fertilizers in 2005. Let’s make sure we all do as much as we can to protect the lake.

4 Preserve and restore shorelines naturally

Maintain a natural vegetated buffer strip along your shoreline to reduce soil erosion and runoff of nutrients like phosphorus into the lake. This buffer should be as wide as possible and planted with deep-rooted shrubs and plants.

5 Plant a tree

Take advantage of the tree seedling program of the Lake of the Woods District Stewardship Association. Trees and shrubs act as natural filters to limit runoff and soil erosion, which contain phosphorus.

6 Control erosion

If you are doing construction this summer that disturbs the soil, consider installing temporary fabric fences to catch runoff before it flows into the lake. This helps filter out soil particles, limiting nutrients from entering the lake.

7 Boat responsibly

The bigger the wave, the bigger the impact on shoreline erosion. Erosion releases phosphorus, so slow down and reduce your wake around shorelines.

8 Scoop the poop

Your pet’s waste contains phosphorus and bacteria, which can run into the lake when it rains. So, pick up after your dog and flush it down the toilet so the septic system or sewage treatment plant will treat it in the same manner as human waste.

9 Don’t trash toxics

Keep used oil, household cleaners, paints, bug sprays, and other hazardous waste out of the landfill and out of the lake. Take these items to a hazardous waste collection depot to be recycled or disposed of properly.

10 Check and maintain your septic

If not properly maintained, your septic system can pollute the lake with phosphates and bacteria. Grease, oils, harsh cleaners and supposedly “disposable” personal products can give your septic system a major case of indigestion. If in doubt, don’t pour it out. Even on a proper diet, a septic system needs regular check-ups. Sludge builds up in the tank which allows solids to flow into and clog the drainage field. Have your septic tank checked and pumped if needed—it’s cheap insurance for your pocketbook and for the lake!

Choose non-invasives when gardening and landscaping

This chart serves as a guide to avoid introducing potentially invasive plants when planting your gardens and buffer zones. The recommendations come from Ontario: Beautiful Non-invasive Plants for your Garden. Get the latest information from the Ontario Invasive Plant Council at ontarioinvasiveplants.ca.

Type Potentially Invasive

Ground Covers Creeping Bellflower, Periwinkle, Goutweed

Non-invasive

Wild Strawberry, Wild Ginger, Bearberry, Wintergreen, Foamflower, Wild Geranium, Mayapple, Bunch Berry, Running Euonymus

Ox-Eye Daisy Black-Eyed Susan, Lance-Leaved Coreopsis, Pale Purple Coneflower

Grasses Miscanthus, Reed Canary Grass

Tree & Shrubs

Big Bluestem, Indian Grass, Feather Reed Grass or Sweetgrass

Japanese Knot Weed Saskatoon Berry, Red Osier Dogwood, Common Elderberry

Non-native honeysuckle shrubs, Siberian Pea-shrub

False Spirea

Nannyberry, Common Ninebark, fragrant Sumac, Alpine Currant, Wild Roses, Silver Buffaloberry

Common Elderberry, Bush Honeysuckle, Flowering Raspberry

Norway Maple Sugar, Silver, freeman Maples, Basswood, Hackberry

Vines Oriental Bittersweet, Bittersweet Nightshade

American Wisteria, Jackman Clematis, Virgin’s Bower, Virginia Creeper, Dropmore Scarlet Honeysuckle, Goldflame Honeysuckle

Ornamentals Himalayan Balsam Bleeding Heart, Meadow Rue, Spotted Jewelweed

Dame’s Rocket Anise Hyssop, Fireweed, Wild Bergamot

Giant Hogweed Wild Angelica, Ornamental Rhubarb, Rodgersia

Aquatics Yellow Flag Iris, Flowering Rush, Purple Loosestrife

European Common Reed, Narrow Leaf & White Cattail

Eurasian Watermilfoil, Water Soldier

Northern Blue Flag Iris, Blue Vervain

Common Cattail, River Bulrush, Hardstem Bulrush

Coontail, Common Waterweed, Common Mare’s Tail, Yellow Pond Lily, Fragrant White Water Lily, Water Smartweed

MNRF campfire tips and guidelines

BY MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND FORESTRY (MNRF)

During the summer season, Ontario experiences an average of at least one wildfire every day caused by an unextinguished or unattended campfire. Watch for Restricted Fire Zones, which restrict the use of open fires in a specific area of the province.

On average, more than 200 wildfires are caused every year by recreational forest users, such as:

• Anglers

• Berry pickers

• Hunters

• Campers

• Canoeists

• Picnickers

You are responsible for the fires you start. Be careful to only start a fire when the conditions allow it to burn safely and remember to extinguish it correctly. If you cause a wildland fire, you could be charged under the Forest Fires Prevention Act and may be held responsible for the cost of putting out the fire.

Before starting a fire, remember that:

• During hot and dry weather, sparks and embers can start forest fires.

• All forest fires are investigated to determine the cause.

Safe campfires

Follow these easy steps to build a campfire safely.

1. Choose a site

• Pick a site close to a water source and sheltered from the wind.

• Build your fire on bare rock, bare dirt or other noncombustible material (mineral soil).

• Build your fire at least one metre away from any flammable materials.

• Make sure the space above the fire is at least three metres from overhanging branches and vegetation.

2. Prepare the site

• Clear a space about two metres wide for the fire.

• Remove pine needles, grass, leaves and twigs.

• Scrape the area right down to the mineral soil.

• Ensure you have a pail of water and shovel to control the fire.

3. Build your campfire

• Keep your fire small to a maximum of one metre high and one metre wide.

• Remember that small fires are safer, easier to control and easier to put out.

• A small fire will also keep cooking tools from blackening and let you get close enough to cook.

4. Stay nearby

• Never leave a campfire unattended.

• Remember that you are responsible for tending your campfire, ensuring it is kept under control, and for putting it out.

5. Put the fire out

• Pour lots of water on the campfire.

• Stir the ashes with a stick.

• Pour more water over top of the campfire.

• Stir the ashes with a stick again.

• Repeat until:

» the ashes are cold to the touch

» the ashes don’t hiss

» the ashes look soaked

» no more smoke comes from the ashes

Title photo: Keep the fire small and tend it at all times.

Safety tips for kids

• Always ensure children are with an adult when they are around a fire.

• Never allow children to play with matches or fireworks.

• Teach your children to tell an adult immediately if they see a fire burning out of control.

• Learn more about fire safety from Smokey Bear at smokeybear.com/en/smokey-for-kids including tips on preventing wildfires, and games and activities for kids.

Shore lunch fire safety

There’s nothing like fresh fish cooked over an open fire, unless it turns into a wildfire! While fishing or enjoying the day in your boat, remember to follow campfire safety tips. A wildfire can affect fish and wildlife habitat along a shoreline and can be very expensive to control.

If your shore lunch fire escapes and starts a wildfire, you can be held responsible to pay for the suppression costs and/or damages it caused.

If you have a shore lunch fire, remember the rules:

• Build the fire on bare soil or rock in a location sheltered from the wind.

• Make sure the fire is a safe distance from all flammable material, including overhanging branches.

• Keep the fire small and tend it at all times.

Investing in Manitoba’s Natural Wonders

Manitoba’s 92 provincial parks offer Manitobans and visitors an abundance of scenic beauty and recreational opportunities. To ensure future generations have the opportunity to enjoy all that provincial parks have to offer, the Manitoba government is making a historic $220 million investment over the next 10 years.

Creating Extraordinary Visitor Experiences

This significant investment will support projects in your area, including:

• replacement of the Nutimik Museum in Whiteshell Provincial Park

• reconstruction of the West Hawk Lake Seawall in Whiteshell Provincial Park

Significant amounts of money will also go towards renewal projects for provincial roads and highways to improve access to, around and within provincial parks.

For more details on the Manitoba Provincial Parks Infrastructure Renewal Strategy, visit manitobaparks.com.

• Put out the fire when you are done. Soak it with water, stir the ashes and soak it again. Repeat until the ashes are cold to the touch.

Information about the FireSmart program and how to protect your property from wildland fires is available at firesmartcanada.ca. For guides and manuals, visit firesmartcanada.ca/resources. an

TREADING WISELY

Cottage country rain gardens

BY SHARON GURNEY

Climate change is posing increasing challenges for property owners. Large runoff events have not only caused erosion problems but also contributed to nutrient loading to our lakes, as nutrient-rich sediments are carried to nearby waterways.

Building a rain garden is one solution you may want to consider to help mitigate these runoff impacts.

Simply, a rain garden is a vegetated natural or man-made depression where runoff water is directed and intercepted as it flows towards the lakeshore. Our cottage properties create many impervious surfaces such as roofs, parking areas and walkways, which reduce the soil’s natural ability to absorb, filter and infiltrate water. These gardens are not designed to permanently hold water, but rather temporarily collect the water, giving the rain garden soil time to absorb the moisture. Rain gardens are planted with native species which help to both stabilize the soil in the garden and gradually absorb the collected water.

There are many helpful rain garden design materials online to help you construct the garden to the size and form needed. Here are some basics you will want to consider:

Location, location, location

Choose a location where water naturally collects or flows towards waterways. Select a reasonably sunny location that has welldrained soils, including an area that is easily levelled.

Size and shape

Rain gardens vary in size depending on the runoff amount from your property. Generally, they range in size from 100–300 ft2 (9–28 m2). Online resources can assist with sizing your rain garden based on your property characteristics. You can use a garden hose or rope to determine the shape you like for your garden.

Questions people ask

Won’t rain gardens breed mosquitoes?

No, mosquitoes need a several days to lay and hatch eggs in standing water. Rain gardens are designed to drain within 24 hours. Mosquitoes are more likely to lay eggs in clogged roof gutters.

Are rain gardens expensive to build?

No, they don’t need to be, although the costs will vary depending on the size, the materials you need to purchase and who does the labour. The main cost will be purchasing perennial plants and a good quality mulch, but this can be minimized by using some native plants that might already exist in your vicinity. You can keep your labour costs down by getting friends and family to help build the garden. Perhaps you will inspire your helpers to build their own!

Coneflowers are excellent rain garden species and very popular with the butterflies.

Source: Washington State University

Shovels in the ground

Consider using an edging material to define the shape and help keep surrounding vegetation from invading the rain garden. Dig out the sod so that the centre of garden is about 6-12 inches (15-30 cm deep), with a gradual slope around the sides. Make sure the garden permits a gradual infiltration of water. A typical soil mixture for rain gardens is 20 sand, 20 per cent compost, and 20 per cent topsoil. You can fill the depression with water from a hose and see what amendments your garden might need to drain effectively.

Did you know?

The City of Kenora has plans to build a rain garden at the Moncrief Construction Sports Centre. The garden will be located adjacent to Laurenson’s Creek and will intercept runoff from the parking area, helping to protect water quality in the creek and downstream Lake of the Woods.

Consider sharing your rain garden projects with LOWDSA to help inspire others.

Planting your garden

Ensure that you select native, non-invasive species for your garden. Choose hardy species that can tolerate a range of wet and dry conditions. Your local greenhouse will help you select the right plants for your rain garden project.

Planting a rain garden at the lake is a great way to not only protect water quality but also a fabulous way to create a new natural environment to support bees, butterflies, birds and other wildlife.

Here are some excellent resources to get you inspired and started on your rain garden project.

• Landscape Ontario Rain Garden Video Series: landscapeontario.com/ how-to-build-a-rain-garden-video-series

• EcoSuperior. Rain Gardens. Design and Installation in Northwestern Ontario: ecosuperior.org/upload/documents/ raingardenmanual/raingarden-manualupdated-march-2021-use.pdf an

Often seen growing in the ditches along Ontario highways, lupins are not only beautiful in rain gardens, but they also support pollinators, add nitrogen to the soil, and help aerate the soil with their long taproots.

NOTES FROM RAZBERRY LANE

Community gardening, our way

BY ANITA & HENRY RASMUSSEN

The concept of community gardening can be summed up quite simply: seek out an available patch of soil not currently used for anything in particular, add a few optimistic amateurs eager to try their hand at growing things, stir well, and Presto—you have the makings of a community garden.

For quite some time we were part of just such an enterprise, the Rabbit Lake Community Garden, which has been around for many years. After a modest start, it expanded to its present day complement of some 30 plus plots, securely fenced and tended with loving attention. Regretfully, we had to give up our Rabbit Lake plots as the gardens and greenhouses at Razberry Lane took up an increasing amount of our time and energy.

Gradually, others began to join us. Our oldest grandson was the first to request a space to augment his own small garden. Then an old friend from the past returned to Kenora seeking a spot to grow vegetables for her dad and her family. Another good friend needed enough room to accommodate her eight squash plants. When that succeeded, she expanded her efforts to a small greenhouse where she grows tomatoes, swiss chard and string beans. And so it began.

Eventually other friends, family members and acquaintances gravitated here bringing with them a variety of gardening experience. One friend put up his own personal good-sized greenhouse followed by a smaller edifice known as The Seedy House on the Block where he shelters

seedlings and tender plants. Another grandson and his fiancée, a horticulturist by training, had no trouble filling up their large greenhouse as well as three outdoor gardens. One of our sons expanded his growing space at home to include a nicely fenced potato patch at ours. As of this writing, he is still enjoying the last of the summer’s potato harvest.

Last spring, we were gifted the bare skeleton of what had once been a domed car shelter. Though every year we resolve to cut back on our labours, who could resist such a challenge? And so another 14’ x 20’ greenhouse arose, capturing the notice of a nice young couple who have turned it into a lush green feast for the eyes and palate.

Later in the growing season, two young women from an organization giving out hampers to people in need, arrived with a truckload of donated plants. Another two garden plots were quickly cobbled together and they were welcomed to the fold.

Almost by chance, a total of eight families have so far banded together creating a small community where every garden is unique, reflecting each individual’s tastes, interests and skill level. We are fortunate in having enough water on site for everyone’s gardening needs. There are also beneficial pollinators tended by our resident beekeeper who makes time to mentor a group of local students, guiding them through the intricacies of honey production. Then there is the Butterfly House where twenty-four monarchs hatched and were released last season. To everyone’s delight, some lingered about the property for a while before departing on their long flight south.

The Seedy House on the Block shelters seedlings and tender plants.

The sign on Railway Street points where to find Razberry Lane Community Garden

This enterprise has taught us that social interaction can be just as important as actual gardening. People love to swap growing tips, advice, seeds and superfluous vegetables, like all those prolific zucchinis. We celebrate one another’s successes and commiserate with failures. Last summer, there was even a friendly Great Pumpkin Competition between two of the gardeners. In order to keep it off the damp soil, the winner had placed his growing pumpkin into a large bowl where it proceeded to grow at an alarming rate. When ready to harvest it unfortunately stayed firmly entrenched inside the bowl, ending up resembling a large oddly shaped orange snowman. It still won, having left its only competitor in the dust.

Every year we continue to grow vegetables since gardening has long been part of our lives. Four greenhouses and three outdoor gardens are planned this season, in addition to four small plots in the back yard at home. Adding fellow gardeners to our space has just made gardening more interesting. In fact, growing one’s own food communally may be just what this planet needs.

Once a one-family enterprise, Razberry Lane is slowly but surely turning into a cohesive group of like-minded people whose commonality is the pride and satisfaction they experience growing and enjoying fresh vegetables produced by their very own hands.

And that’s what we call community gardening! an

Looking for a community garden?

Harvest Kenora runs a volunteer-based micro farm at the old Keewatin ballpark (on the corner of 10th St and Superior Street). New and previous volunteers are always welcome to come to the gardening parties where tasks needed for the week are completed and harvest is produced for volunteers to take home. No experience is necessary as there are Harvest Kenora “facilitators” at each gardening party to help with the what and how-to of tasks. Volunteers can come to as many or as few gardening parties as they wish. Gardening parties are currently scheduled for Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Wednesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Excess produce (when there is more than volunteers can take home with them), is sold by donation, along with baked goods, at Harvest Kenora’s summer markets, which are held under the gazebo at the old Keewatin ballpark starting in early July until mid-September.

Follow Harvest Kenora on Facebook and Instagram (@harvestkenora) to get updates, and join the Harvest Kenora Community Facebook group to connect with other local gardeners. You can also visit their website at harvestkenora.ca to learn more.

If you would like more information about the Rabbit Lake Community Garden, email rabbitlakecommunitygarden@gmail.com.

A small greenhouse is where tomatoes, chard and string beans are grown.

Dad’s pancake recipe

BY DAVID HEWLETT, MINAKI

Breakfast in the Hewlett camp at Highcliffe is a staged event with family arriving in clumps as the grandkids seem to get up first—at least at this stage—leaving their parents a little extra down time.

Pancakes are a summer staple particularly on the weekends accompanied with bacon and coffee and of course blueberries in July. The thin cakes cook fast and as there is sugar added in the batter the cakes don’t always need syrup but… The recipe can easily be doubled but the basic will feed 4 to 5 adults. If the morning is cool enough, I will cook on the wood stove as the slight odour of wood smoke captured by the cakes adds a delectable quality. Also, I use a cast-iron griddle to speed up the cooking and I don’t have to stock pile the cakes in the oven. Fresh is always the best even if each one of the hungry horde have only one large cake on their plate at a time.

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 cups milk

¼ tsp salt

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Beat the eggs and add vegetable oil and milk. Mix in the dry ingredients keeping the batter lumpy and thin. Add more milk as needed. Cook on medium to medium high heat until bubbles form and then flip. The cakes cook quickly as they are thin so they should be soft not crispy.

The Muse summer reading recommendations

Indigenous interest

• Revision and Resistance: Kent Monkman Mistikôsiwak (Wooden Boat People) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. ($50.00)

• All Our Relations: Finding the Path Forward by Tanya Talaga ($19.95)

• Robert Houle Life & Work by Shirley Madill ($40.00)

Contemporary issues

• The Urge: Our History of Addiction by Carl Erik Fisher ($24.00)

• Desire Change: Contemporary Feminist Art in Canada, Edited by Heather Davis ($49.95)

• The Power of Style: How Fashion and Beauty are Being Used to Reclaim Cultures by Christian Allaire ($19.95)

Canadian history

• 1950s Canada: Politics and Public Affairs by Nelson Wiseman ($34.95)

• One Job Town: Work, Belonging, and Betrayal in Northern Ontario by Steven High ($46.95)

• Engraved in History: The Story of the Stanley Cup Champion Kenora Thistles by Eric Zweig ($19.99)

Art lovers

• Artists on Art: How They See, Think and Create by Holly Black ($25.99)

• Randolph Parker: Lake of the Woods Islands, Mayberry Fine Art ($95.00)

• Western Voices in Canadian Art, Patricia Bovey ($49.95)

Local voices

• The Pack: Perils and Peace of Nature Lake of the Woods by Connie Larson ($22.99)

• Dammed by Brittney Luby ($27.95)

• Returning to the Teachings by Rupert Ross ($24.00)

Young readers

• Mix it Up! by Hervé Tullet ($21.99)

• I Sang You Down from the Stars by Tasha SpillettSumner, Illustrated by Michael Goade ($19.95)

• Sleeping in a Sack: Camping Activities for Kids by Linda White ($14.99)

Titles are available at The Muse: The Lake of the Woods Museum and The Douglas Family Art Centre, both open seven days a week in July and August.

Do you want to catch an underwater, jet-propelled bug snatcher? What about a gyrating, pond skater? Or how about nature’s scuba diver? You can discover these and more by exploring the amazing critters that live under the surface of the water. All you’ll need is a fine-meshed net, small white container, tweezers, a paint brush, a hand lens or a magnifying glass and a nearby pond. If you are able to obtain a field guide to aquatic invertebrates (bugs)—all the better! You can borrow one from your local library.

Here is how: Reach out with your net and scoop up some water and mud near the edge of the pond. Or sweep your net back and forth through aquatic vegetation. Use your hand to push the net upward. Do you notice anything wriggling? Take your tweezers or if the critter is very tiny, use the paint brush and gently move your critter into your container with a bit of fresh water.

If you are near a stream, place your net vertically onto the surface of stream bed. Make sure the surface of the net is facing upstream, with the net itself billowing downstream. With your foot, gently move the stones and pebbles directly in front of the net, so whatever is hiding underneath flows into the net.

In the pond, you might find a baby dragonfly. It has a lower jaw that is hinged and can fold outward with claspers on the end. The dragonfly nymph (or baby) can take water in through its mouth and expel it out of its rear-end. This jet of water surges the nymph forward so that it can grab onto its prey—catching small underwater insects, even small fish! There you go—an underwater, jet-propelled bug snatcher! Or perhaps you’ll catch a

whirligig beetle. These agile critters dart in circles across the surface of the water. They are streamlined with their flattened bodies and their powerful hind legs can propel them at great speeds. Whirligig’s eyes are split, so that they can see above and below water simultaneously. Yes—a gyrating, pond skater!

Believe it or not, there is a predaceous diving beetle that takes air along with it in a bubble, as it plunges under the surface of the water. The bubble provides a handy pocket of air so that the beetle can breathe as it searches for prey—in other words, a bug scuba-diver.

In the stream, you might find mayfly nymph that undulate up and down like aqua man when they move through the water. Or perhaps you’ll catch the very flat and prehistoric looking stonefly nymphs that swim by flicking their abdomen from side to side.

These are just some of the fascinating underwater critters you can find in a nearby pond or stream. Study the critters in your container. How do they swim? What kind of mouth parts do they have? What do you think they eat? Are they camouflaged? How do you think they breathe? If they are a nymph or larvae, what will they turn into? Use your field guide to help you identify some of the critters you’ve caught. Don’t forget to carefully return them gently to the pond when you’ve finished looking at them.

Article and photos by Drew Monkman and Jacob Rodenburg

MAKE A POND VIEWER:

Seeing underwater is a challenge for us humans because water has the same density as the fluid inside our eye—meaning that light doesn’t bend as it enters our eye and as a consequence, everything seems blurry underwater.

But you can make your very own viewer that works surprisingly well in shallow water. Here is how:

You’ll need a large coffee can or an 18 in. (45 cm) section and heavy plastic wrap. Remove both ends of the can and stretch clear plastic wrap over one end so that it is as tight as possible. Secure with several elastic bands or duct tape. Place the plastic wrap or Plexiglas end under the surface of the water and look through the other end. Move quietly along. You’ll be amazed at how clear the underwater world becomes with your homemade pond viewer! Try taking pictures or even video.

CALLING ALL WATER STRIDERS

Skating on ice is one thing, but skating on water? How cool would that be! Well, there is an insect that can glide over the surface of ponds, rivers and lakes during the warm summer months. It is called a water strider (not a spider, for it only has six legs—not eight). Water striders take advantage of surface tension to “row” across the water, using their paired legs. They also have small hairs that can both repel water and absorb air. Water striders are predators. When they feel the surface of the water being disturbed, they immediately scoot over to investigate—hoping to find an insect in distress to make a tasty meal.

You can attract a water strider by placing two thin twigs in the water. Hold the first halfway under the surface of the water—Don’t move this twig. Place the other twig beside the first, but don’t let them touch. Move this twig up and down like a sewing needle. Your movements will create ripples that simulate a struggling insect. Don’t be surprised if a water strider or two glides over and grabs your twig! an

Kids are always so excited by their critter discoveries!

Maybe you’ll get lucky and scoop up an eastern newt, an aquatic salamander.

Real Estate Listings

This low profile, 53x300' lot is an excellent building location! There are sewer/water & gas on the property and ready to build. The lot is zoned R3 & approved for a multi-unit residential structure. Don't miss this opportunity!

$169,900

RE/MAX NorthWest Realty Brokerage

807-468-4573 / remaxnorthwestrealty.com

Hop in the boat and head out to your retreat! This lake is known for its great water, fishing, & low traffic. The cottage offers south views, screened verandah, large open living room & kitchen, and 3-piece bath with new composting toilet.

$299,000

Cabin Country Realty

807-468-3541 / cabincountry.com

Black Lake

1,100 s/f 2 bedroom, 1 bath cottage on 0.84 of an acre with 112 feet frontage. Water access.

$349,000

Greg Kirby, Re/Max First Choice Realty Ltd

807-466-8266 / gregkirby.ca

672 s/f 2 bedroom, 1 bath cottage plus boathouse on 1 acre with 178 feet frontage. Road access.

$450,000

Greg Kirby, Re/Max First Choice Realty Ltd 807-466-8266 / gregkirby.ca

This property features over 16 acres of land for development or the possibility of housing or a new subdivision. This is a highly desirable area for families and close to schools. Great property for many opportunities!

$595,000

RE/MAX NorthWest Realty Brokerage

807-468-4573 / remaxnorthwestrealty.com

1.95 acre island (Barrier Islands), 900 sq ft main cottage, 3 BR, 4 piece bath, guest cabin, sand beach, newer septic field and new dock.

$615,000

Carmichael Real Estate Inc. 807-466-2236 / lakeofthewoods.net

South of Kenora, marvelous west view from a very well-kept log cottage in a private setting. This property has it all, deep water frontage, privacy, immaculate cottage and dock.

$900,000

Century 21 Northern Choice Realty Ltd.

Independently Owned & Operated – Brokerage

807-468-3747 / century21kenora.com

Fully rented/leased 2-storey commercial building currently setup as 5 residential apartments and 2 street level commercial spaces. In the heart of downtown Kenora with back lane access & parking for 10. In addition, ~10,000 s/f useable basement.

$1,695,000 + applicable HST

Shelley Torrie Home & Cottage Realty 807-547-4020 / kenora-realestate.com

This is a custom floor plan, with amazing views of the lake from different vantage points. Enjoy 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a modern kitchen, and extra perks like a cozy loft and a unique 4-season sunroom perfect for entertaining.

$2,495,000

Cabin Country Realty

807-468-3541 / cabincountry.com

442 Rabbit Lake Road

PCL 14151, Kenora

Private Island, LOTW

325 Second Street South

Kakagi Lake

Clearwater Bay

1791 Pipestone Peninsula

Deception Lake

Classifieds

How to submit Classifieds

Email membership@lowdsa.com or mail LOWDSA, Box 1160, Kenora, ON P9N 3X7 Next submission deadline: August 11, 2023 Please try to keep your listing to 35 words or less.

FOR RENT

2 bedroom 1.5 bath cabin. In the Welcome Channel Area, (boat access only.) Prefer monthly rentals, currently available July, August and September. Fully furnished, completely equipped and ready to go.

Sleeps 6, hide a bed in the family room. Boathouse and plenty of boat parking. Just bring your clothes and fishing gear. Contact Nancy for details and appointment to view or pictures of property. Text or call 807 407 3001

Quiet Cozy Get Away on Island Property.

Cozy 2 bedroom cottage on Shragges Island, Lake of the Woods. This property is lake access only so guests will need their own transportation. Enjoy a private dock with boat parking for two boats and sauna, lots of treed privacy, a big deck looking out on protected Quiet Bay. Bedroom 1 has a double/ single bunkbed. Bedroom two is a loft with a Queen Bed. There is a screen room for eating outdoors bug free, an outdoor BBQ, indoor kitchen and bathroom. We rent Friday to Friday in the summer for $1350 a week. $1500 over long weekends. $800 for 3 days is also available upon request. This rental is suitable for 2 couples or a family of 5 people maximum. We ask for no parties or pets. Please contact Karla at 8074644088 to secure your week this summer.

Island rental near Kenora. A modern two-bedroom with a sunroom that could be a third bedroom also has a pull-out sofa in the living room. It also comes with a oneroom guest cottage. Comes with satellite TV, good cell service also BBQ on a large deck. It also includes 2 kayaks and a canoe. must have own boat or boat rental, and also comes with a parking spot in Kenora. Available for one week during the first three weeks of July or the last 3 weeks of August. Composting toilet knowledge would be helpful. $1350/ wk. Ph. 204 888-4839

Lakefront Cottage with road access. Main house has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. Air conditioned bunk house has a toilet and sleeps 6. Large dock includes 5 kayaks. Hot tub overlooks the lake in a private screened room. Weekly rental available. Phone 204 888 4698 for availability.

Bulman Bay, Lake of the Woods. Private Cottage for rent in prime location. Located on Bulman Bay near Keewatin, 10 minutes down McKenzie Portage Road. Lake front with dock, 4 bedrooms, full bath with washer & dryer, good size kitchen, wood burning fireplace & satellite TV. Recently renovated. Available January through December.

Minimum 2 week stay. $5,000/week. Email inquiries to hklapman@mwgapparel.com. Lakefront - Clearwater Bay. South exposure; road access; spacious docks for swimming, fishing & boating. Large great room, kitchen & dining areas with spectacular lake view. 3 bedrooms; master with ensuite. Full second bathroom—shower & bath. Den with fireplace, satellite TV & pullout sofa. Dishwasher, microwave, washer & dryer. Large deck & BBQ. Minutes from the liquor store, gas & groceries. 1-2 week stays, JuneSept $4000/w. Contact dougpeever1955@ gmail.com for booking details.

LOW Storm Bay Rd 9. Large house with 9 bdrms, hot tub, multi level decks, granite kitchen, boathouse, sauna, WiFi, fireplace, washer & dryer, dishwasher. Kayak & boat are a possibility. $2500-$7000 weekly. Discounts available in the fall. mail@ markmcgregor.ch

Island rental Storm Bay Rd. near the

rollers. 2 log homes, new mattresses, 1 king, 1 king, a double and a single. 2 kayaks & a boat can be included. $200-$375 per night. kaitlyn.mcgregor@gmail.com

Brule Point lakefront 3 bdrm cabin, LOW. Fantastic fishing area, quiet bay, two docking facilities with plug, private beach, fully stocked including freezer, large deck. Cabin sleeps 5, single bathroom/shower. Boat access only. 2022 rate $1330/week. Contact donna@taketwoinc.com

Exceptional location on Coney Island. Minutes from Kenora / Keewatin with western exposure. Newer, open concept cottage with 4 large bdrms and three bathrooms. Separate master suite with bathroom and private deck. Amenities include a full kitchen with all appliances, dishwasher, microwave, washer/dryer, large island, separate dining area, wood burning fireplace and satellite TV. Screened porch with large wrap around decks overlook the lake, outdoor shower and built-in gas barbecue. Waters edge has a large main dock with two floaters that provide deep water docking and great swimming. Minimum 2 week stay. Email inquiries to bill.ralph@shaw.ca

Lakefront on Trout Lake. 20km north of Kenora. 2 or 3 bdrm cabin available for rent weekends or weekly May-June. Full kitchen & bathrm, TV/DVD, BBQ. Comes with canoe, kayaks & 12 ft. alum. boat. Deck off front of cabin; private deck at water’s edge; your own sand beach. Spring fed lake with crystal clear water. troutlake596@gmail.com

Lakefront Cottage on Lake of the Woods. Storm Bay Rd, road access. Includes 3 bedrooms, full kitchen, bath and laundry. 2 acres, private bay, sandy beach, floating dock and good fishing! Available June, July, August. $2,500/week. Text 204-951-5812.

Lakefront Cottage, near Welcome Channel. South exposure, water access. 5 miles from Kenora by boat. Private dock, hydro, Starlink internet, TV & DVD player, full kitchen w/ dishwasher & 3 pc. bathroom, additional outdoor shower, washer & dryer, bbq, screened porch, 2 bedrooms. Available Jun–Sep. Seasonal rental $15,000. Contact: lowcottage@hotmail.com.

Rustic 1000 square foot cabin on Zigzag Island (Clearwater Bay). 5-minute boat ride from Rockeries Marina. A boat rental could be available. Amazing fishing nearby. Satellite TV, great cellular coverage, bbq, kayaks, fire pit, and much more. Prefer a couple or former cottage owners. Knowledge of a composting toilet is essential. 1300$ per week. 204-688-7347.

Lakefront cottage, Sioux Narrows. 2 BR main cottage includes 2 baths, large great room, full kitchen with dishwasher, dining room with French doors, wet bar, laundry, BBQ, internet/tv, private docking & swim dock. Also included is guest cottage with full bath. Located on Snake Bay, beautiful water views on 3 sides. Minutes from store, gas, groceries. $2500/week- 2 week minimum. Price negotiable for longer term or seasonal renter. Contact laurel.whitla@ gmail.com or (204) 298-5527.

Lakefront summer home w/ road access. Yacht Club Stretch-Kenora. 2400sqft cottage c/w 2x large great rooms both w/ vaulted ceilings & 400 sqft screen room c/w 2nd dining area. Low profile lot w/ minimal stairs to camp is great for seniors. New fully equipped kitchen & new dining area. 3 bedrooms. Full 2nd bathrm w/ tub & shower. Satellite TV, high speed internet [unlimited], washer & dryer. Large deck

Classified ads are a free service for LOWDSA members.

& BBQ. Lots of dock space for swimming, fishing & boat parking. 15 minutes down McKenzie Portage Rd. $5,000/wk, or option 1 avail June 12-July 15th @ $14,000; OR, option 2 June 12-June 29 @ $7,000. Contact jbanfield@joebanfield.com.

Lakefront Cottage for Rent - Locke Bay. Road access 15 minutes North West of Kenora. Built in 2017 with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. South exposure with private dock. Fully furnished. Includes Satellite TV, Internet, A/C, BBQ and fire pit. Would prefer a seasonal rental May - September $22,000 or $2000 week (2 week minimum). Please email kenoracottage@hotmail.com for more info.

LAND FOR SALE

Private sale. 2 new road access lakefront lots on lake of the woods - Pine Portage Bay area, access via Storm Bay Road. Each lot has 200 feet of frontage, 2.6 acres and 2.42 acres, west exposure, heavily treed, very private gated-road access, hydro and telephone, unrestricted deeded access, legal title to each lot. Contact e-mail: peterzaj@mymts.net.

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

Rush Bay road access, three bedroom two bath cottage. On one acre, one mile from landing. Bunkhouse, double boathouse with rooftop patio, tool shed, floating docks, front, back decks. Info at rushbay2@gmail.com. Minaki Island Retreat. 4 BR, large wrap around screen porch, BBQ deck, upper deck off upstairs BR. Boathouse with spacious deck & swimming dock. S. half (1.12 acres) of island property, S, E, W exposures. Wood burning stove/glass front, baseboard heat, shower, hydro, phone, sat. TV, washer/dryer, composting toilet. 1975 sq. ft. 2 levels. Furnished, move in ready. 7 mins to Minaki marinas. Txt/call 651-200-2217, 651-274-7278. Golf Course Bay, Lake of the Woods. For sale by original owner, 3200 sq. ft. 2 story A/C home, 2.5 stall garage with heated workshop, on 2 lots with sand beach, dock, covered boat lift, municipal water & sewer, natural gas heat, paved driveway, many other features. Phone (807) 468-8770.

WANT TO HIRE

Part-Time, General Labourer. For help around the cottage and land, possibly 3 days a week. Location: Northern Harbour area at the end of Storm Bay Road. Contact E-mail: peterzaj@mymts.net.

FOR SALE: MISC.

Water Line and Pump System. Rona Franklin Electric submersible water pump, Well Rite flexcon pressure tank and pressure switch, 280' of 1" water line with electrical cable attached. Perfect for lake front cottage. $700.00. Please text David at 204-479-3146.

Sun Mar Excel Electric Compost Toilet. Used in an outhouse. Works great. $900. Text 204-770-7927.

32' medium duty self supporting tower. Wade antenna model DMHD 32N. Concrete base, 2 rotor plates and mast. Was used for internet dish. 3 years old. Comes apart into 8' sections. $600.00. Text 204-770-7927.

Antique Strand Woodburning Cookstove. White, with some black trim. Includes bun warmer, wood box, oven, boiler, 6 elements. Very good condition. $500. Must be able to take it away. Call or text 204-781-3504.

10x10 old log shed. 14" overhang. The bottom has some rot but if someone is interested in dismantling and moving it to a new foundation it would be a very cool garden shed or playhouse for kids. We'd just love to see it repurposed as it is pretty cool. Dismantling/PU at Trinity Bay (boat access only) Email mridgen@aptn.ca.

SCUBA EQUIPMENT. Selling as total package only. Items in "Like new" condition. Includes wet suit with two sets of regulators, two air tanks, both re-certified May 2022, face masks, flippers, diver's hoods, gloves, weight belts, etc., etc. $1,200 for everything. Phone 204-333-7182.

Z-Dock 15’x18’ floating dock. With integral small boat ramp $5000. 204-292-3970. Boat Rail System, Morson area. Approx. 100 ft. long with carriage for 17’ to 20’ boat (more or less) complete with winch system powered by a solar panel with charging system not including battery. Asking $4750. jaslaw1@shaw.ca.

WANT TO BUY

Looking to buy home, cottage or property on Winnipeg River. Thinking of selling? Our family is looking to build or buy a road access home, cabin or property in the $500$900K range, within 20 min drive to Keewatin/Kenora. Email shayla.e.s@gmail.com.

Snow Blower or Garden Tractor. Looking to buy a good condition, used, gas powered 30 inch or larger, with Snow-Thrower attachment and or Blade. Contact: peterzaj@ mymts.net

Pre-owned boat trailer. For 17 1/2' Lund aluminum boat with 50 hp tiller motor; prefer 13" tires although not mandatory. Bunk or rollers. Contact 204-782-2808 or email jim.coldwell@mymts.net.

BOATS/MOTORS FOR SALE

2020 Bennington Pontoon Boat Model 20 SV with 2020 60 HP Yamaha outboard & 2021 Karavan trailer. Mint condition - 21 hours. Live well, 2 rear fishing chairs. Stored Falcon Lake. $39,500. Contact 289-696-3527. Windsurfer Brand Sailboard with two sails. One sail is much larger than the smaller sail. Both are in great condition. Board could also be used as a paddle board. With center, dagger board in, very stable. Available May long weekend. $500. Call or text 620 363 1122. After May Long: local 807 543 2714.

1984 Tiara 31’ Lake Cruiser - Live aboard. Low-time Twin 350 Crusader engines, all new interior refresh with XM and loads of equipment. This ex-Great Lakes boat is ready to go. $40,000 USD. Contact at 204292-3970.

Antique 1966 Mahogany CENTURY RESORTER. 17’7”. Original Chrysler V8 Marine Fury 210 inboard engine. Original upholstery, windshield, bench seat, cockpit cover. Professionally maintained and serviced. Stored indoors. Comes with trailer. Email rbkat5851@gmail.com or call 807-466-7456.

MISCELLANEOUS

LOVE DOGS? It's A Dog's Life needs foster and forever homes for their rescue dogs. Cottagers can help with short or long term fostering or adopting. Website: adogslife.cc or call 807-467-3647.

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Evelyn Gunne: A cultural maven

BY LORI NELSON

In the year 1900, if you had wandered into the book and stationery shop of G.W. Smith on Main Street in Rat Portage (now Kenora), you would have found upon a shelf a slim volume of poetry entitled The Spirit of the North and Other Poems. The 40-page booklet was written by local resident Evelyn Gunne. Its price of 25¢ was also what you would have paid to purchase a hockey stick. In a community whose hockey culture has often defined it— smallest town to ever win the Stanley Cup, home to NHL players Gary Bergman and Mike Richards—another kind of culture, that of the arts, has also held a prominent place in the area’s identity. And right at the centre of it was Evelyn Gunne.

Born in Chatham, Ontario in 1866, Evelyn Livingston eventually moved with her family when her father settled land near Carman, Manitoba. Her later education brought her to Winnipeg where she studied music under the tutelage of Italian musician and conductor Francesco D’Auria. She returned to southern Manitoba and in 1888 married William J. Gunne, a young physician.

Their life brought them to Rat Portage in the mid 1890s with two children, Bert and Dorothea, in tow. Kathleen, their youngest, was born a few years later. While William was occupied with his medical practice in the small frontier town, Evelyn raised their children, but always seemed to set aside time to pursue artistic endeavours.

She embraced her new surroundings. Lake of the Woods became her muse and she was inspired by its beauty to write poems and music. When her book, Rhymes from the Lake of the Woods and Western Canada, was published in 1950, a local reviewer wrote: “There is a lyrical beauty in ballad and ode, combined with the odd touch of satire and the art of the troubadour, and the verses speak in tuneful rhythm of the Lake of the Woods, The Canadian soldier, The River, The Prairie Storm and a group of other allied poems that please lovers of the muse and who like local color to their verse.”

Here’s one that might strike a chord:

The Loon

I sense at eve a spirit flying

While the cloud-wrack visits the moon, Between two worlds, a lost soul crying—

The wild, despairing loon.

The poems, from four lines to several pages, had numerous themes that spoke of her values and those things that merited her praise—nature, patriotism, God.

She was also inspired by the happenings of her community. One of her most published poems was entitled The Builders which paid homage to the railroad construction. When the Kenora Thistles brought home the Stanley Cup in 1907, a celebration was held at the Hilliard Opera House. The highlight of the evening was the rendering by Evelyn Gunne of a song that she had composed especially for the occasion. It triumphantly ends with:

Three times you’ve tried to win, boys, “Three times and out,” they say, But now the Cup is ours, boys For you’ve brought it home to stay. Her community and country inspired her not only artistically, but she was prompted to act on her convictions which earned her the epithet “a one-woman war effort.” She was active in the Red Cross during both World War I and II. During the latter, she sold her collection of jugs from all over the world and made dolls, shell pictures, small watercolours, and crocheted place mats which she sold, raising $1,200 for the war effort. She, with other women in the community, raised $800 to buy two Bren guns, and she contributed knitted socks and sweaters to the crew of the minesweeper Kenora

Even the war brought her poetic inspiration. She wrote Trumpets and Drums: War Poems and her song Canada for Me, published in October 1916, expressed her patriotic spirit in the darkest of times. Evelyn Gunne was a painter, poet, actor, songwriter and singer. Through her many artistic expressions she celebrated the specialness of this place, created a record of her time, honoured those that showed strength and loyalty, and left a legacy of culture that has imprinted itself on this community. Music, dance, visual arts, written word, theatre all have a solid presence in the community of Kenora—each with roots to those who have come before and who knew the worth of culture in enriching our lives, expressing our values, and marking our moments, people like Evelyn Gunne.

Title left: Evelyn Gunne’s artistic pursuits also included the theatre. Here she is pictured among the cast of a local theatrical production. She is second from the left in the front row, wearing an outlandishly wonderful hat! Title right: Evelyn Gunne and her husband, Dr. W. J. Gunne (seated on the settee), surrounded by their three children, their spouses and children, 1936.