Winter is here! The water is frozen, the leaves are long gone. Spring seems so far away. It seems like just yesterday we were soaking in the fall colours.
KAPOA and the Valley Gazette joined up to produce the first SFMH Foundation Charity Annual Poker Run. Near the end of July, approximately thirty boats picked up cards from docks ranging from Barry’s Bay, down through Kamaniskeg, past Blackfish Bay, then past Combermere under the bridge down to Negeek Lake in an effort to build the best poker hand. Boats returned to the Wilson residence where they enjoyed demos of wake surfing and wakeboard rail riding, hamburgers, and socializing with neighbours.
The winning boat received prizes over $500. At the end of the day the Poker Run contributed over $6,000 to the hospital assisting in a small way to their acquiring two pieces of digital x-ray equipment, one portable the other fixed. Mark Lyon and Ed Ragan will be co-chairing the 2014 Poker Run toward its goal of $8,000 so hold Saturday July 26, 2014 open for a great day.
As reported earlier, the KAPOA AGM event held this year, as last, at the Madawaska Mountain Ski facility, was well attended covering a number of issues, voting in a new board of directors with few changes. The conversion of KAPOA to become a Not For Profit Limited Liability Corporation with By-Laws yet to be completed, was announced.
Kerra Wylie and her family were joined by a number of other KAPOA volunteers producing the 2013 Regatta. The sailers managed to stay upright. The sand castles were creative, the canoes were skillfully raced, swimmers and noodle swimmers did their thing. Participant ribbons ensured everyone got recognized. The tug-of-war event was improved by having team sign-up sheets this year. The appreciated Pyz family hot dog donation helped keep the event in the black. A good time was had by all making us look forward to next year, Saturday August 2, 2014.
The 2013 Appetizer Party was well attended and ably hosted by Rosalba Morgese & Don Schweig at their River road residence. The 2014 Appetizer Party will be located at 69 Lewis Lane, off of River Road, at the Lynne & Duncan MacLean residence.
The Henson & Feaver families repeated their Labour Day Parade of Lights tour of the lake this year with seven boats, up from the four decorated boats seen the first year. The dancing passengers of these delightfully lighted boats were refueled mid tour with chocolate chip cookies mysteriously supplied from a raft half way through their trip.
KAPOA is looking forward next year to introducing two new KAPOA volunteers to continue and upgrade water testing and invasive species studies. The Broad Scale Fish study is expected to be included as well.
The Barry’s Bay waste Water Treatment Plant apparently has the capability to accept black water from toilets in trailers or on boats (on trailers) but have not yet initiated the process.
KAPOA is contemplating creating three billboard signs featuring an updated water hazards map to be located at the three Kamaniskeg boat launch ramps, namely Barry’s Bay; Combermere; and Hinterland Beach. These signs would be constructed using the new environmentally preferred brown pressure treated wood. The maps would be about 48″ wide by 32″ high as supplied by Renfrew County mapping with hazards marked according to GPS generated coordinate data as supplied by KAPOA members. The two sided signs would be centred with maps surrounded by ads paid by local suppliers generating cost recovery. The signs would be faced by six sheets of four by eight foot Lexan to deter vandalism. We are exploring applying for financial grants to reduce the capital costs to an affordable amount. In 2014, we plan to be requesting notification of any hazard located greater than 30 meters from shore to incorporate into our map database.
Hastings Highlands has agreed to some minor upgrades at Hinterland Beach including more frequent grading and snow removal for ice fishermen, signage, one-day-a-week garbage removal; upgrade the launch ramp, etc.
HHI: A group of Hastings Highlands cottagers associations including Kamaniskeg, Papineau, Baptiste, Mink, Salmon-Trout, Diamond, & Lake St Peter, met Saturday August 24 to explore how to mutually solve common problems. The group is called Hastings Highlands Interlake (HHI). Subjects discussed were: Parks & Recreation; Algonquin Land Claims; Lake Stewardship & Land Usage; Septage; HH Amalgamation with Bancroft; Waterfront Tax Burdens relative to services received; Hydro One Prohibitive Costs; Political Action Committee; FOCA; Hastings Highlands Ratepayers Association (HHRA). Next HHI meeting is scheduled for 7 June at Papineau Lake.
KAPOA is exploring installing a local weather station with information that would be available on the KAPOA web site so that everyone anywhere can check the weather for themselves. Local data, not just a computerized interpolation derived from actual measurements from Bancroft; Foymont; Whitney; Petawawa; or Deep River, none exactly close nor likely to be accurate indicators of our weather. Likewise with the billboard signs, grants are being investigated to defray costs. The proposed weather station would be installed and maintained by KAPOA member-volunteers.
Given the substantial political problems and issues in both Hastings Highlands and Madawaska Valley, KAPOA is taking an ever increasing interest in political affairs. At a minimum, KAPOA wants to participate in an all-candidates meeting to discuss issues of importance to members.
KAPOA members Andy Boyd & Bill Cormode have agreed to head up political action for Madawaska Valley & Hastings Highlands, respectively. Likewise, ratepayers groups known as Citizens Action Comittee with Ernie Peplinskie and the Hastings Highlands Ratepayers Group with Keith Buck round out the responsibilities.
In 2014, KAPOA Area Membership Reps will be invited to pick up their forms & supplies from the KAPOA booth at the Barry’s Bay Bay Day event scheduled for the long weekend in May, Saturday May 17. All KAPOA members are invited to drop in to the KAPOA booth and find out what’s new.
KISS: The Kamaniskeg Internet Specialized Service is a wireless internet service provider operating now at over 5Mbps. Compare that to ADSL service in Barrie at just over 2Mbps. Just $50 per month for 50GB with a minimum commitment of six months per year so it’s ideal for seasonal residents as well.
Notable: Deanne Farrar husband and immediate past KAPOA president, Sean Capstick, along with treasurer Vince Steepe’s son, Michael Steepe, both completed the grueling Hilly One Hundred bicycle event according to their smiling pictures in the Valley Gazette.
Quotable: If at first you don’t succeed, stop and figure out what you’re doing wrong. I.L.Wilson
FOCA: Your membership in KAPOA www.kapoa.ca includes membership in the Federation of Ontario Cottagers Associations: www.foca.on.ca. Both have informative web sites that hopefully serve you well as a wonderful resource.
Septic Systems & Shore Restoration
A substantial percentage of septic systems ranging up to 50%, on close examination, are considered to be defective, at least to some degree. These defects range the whole gamut from simply too many elbows on the supply side; baffle problems; up to cracked and leaking septic tanks; contaminated tile beds; and so on.
Apparently there are four types of septic system tests ranging from a minimal ‘drive by’ test looking for odours and wet spots; up to a detailled visual inspection of open tanks occurring when the tank is pumped, with a substantial quantity of water being added, both before and after pumping, to confirm that water flows and levels behave as expected.
Dishwasher and laundry soap/detergent containing chlorine and dishwater anti-water marking products like Jet Dry affect the bacteria in a septic tank much like an antibiotic medication kills bacteria in our bodies, necessitating a pro-biotic to help restore good bacteria levels necessary to function properly.
A monthly application of some products such as EcoEthic Septic System & Drain Treatment (see www.ecoethic.ca) have proven effective at restoring or compensating for the convenience of automatic clothes washing machines and/or dishwashers, however, not all commercial products have proven successful in independent testing.
Clear cutting of waterfront lots without replacing with deep rooted (native) vegetation can lead to both surface soil erosion and also subterranean water flows where chemicals can leach into lakes without the benefit of any vegetation to intercept contaminants. Most grasses have relatively shallow root systems and are consequently mostly ineffective barriers. Trees, shrubs, and various native plants and weeds typically found growing along shore lines have deeper roots systems and are more effective at reducing flows and contamination. Even a minimal buffer of vegetation right at shore’s edge can help offset an open field of grass above.
By now, we have all received the message that we should reduce the phosphate loading on our lakes. Failing to do so promotes algal growth.
A corresponding problem is when calcium becomes too low because calcium is an essential ingredient for bone growth in daphnia, a naturally occurring bio-control agent reducing algae growth, with daphnia being just one part of the very complex issue of fresh water eco-system health. When a lake is designated as a ‘lake trout lake’, this indicates that the species can survive and/or reproduce in that lake’s environment. This requires an appropriate combination of the following: 1) cold water; 2) dissolved oxygen; and, 3) food supply. The lake trout species has become an early warning/advance indicator of decaying lake health much like canaries served the same purpose for miners by detecting underground poisonous gases.
Bottom Line
Couple the increased lake water temperatures resulting from global warming with poorly performing septic systems, exacerbated by no existing requirement for septic system re-inspections (with no provincial or municipal requirement or mandated legislation) and with no erosion control and then the likelihood of algae growth/blooms becomes imminent. When the algae growth subsequently dies off, the bio-mass sinks to the bottom with the consequence of using up any available oxygen to decay & rot (ie oxidize). Blue-green algal blooms can result in a dead lake, which cannot be quickly, easily or inexpensively recovered. Scary stuff.
Further Information
A link to a pdf listing good cottage water practices, designated as ‘Renters Posters’, but applicable to all of us, is freely available for review and can be located here.
Please also check out the very informative ‘Poop Talk’ at the following web site. The image shows the back end of a ‘honey wagon’ with a sign showing ‘AWAY’. Please watch it. You will probably learn a lot but I’m sure you will not like it!
Hydro One: Please record the following contact info for your convenience in the event of an electrical power outage. Hydro One Power Outage phone number 800-434-1235
Outage Map Web site: www.hydroone.com/StormCenter3/
