We have come to the end of another beautiful summer at Loon Call Lake. You may have noticed that your schedule was a little more normal this year and you were scheduling cottage time along with other commitments and events. I know this made me recognize the bubble we lived in the past two years and realize there were some up sides to the pandemic, allowing more cottage time than usual. However you managed it, we hope you had a great summer with family and friends and at the cottage as much as possible.
So far, fall has been beautiful extending the swimming season and further opportunities to boat, tube, canoe and kayak.
Community
Municipal Elections 2022
The municipal election is October 24th. Please take time to read the information found at these links. We are so privileged to be able to vote!
Here are a few links to help you find information:
- Municipal information: Find all of the election information here, including how you can vote electronically if you wish. https://www.northkawartha.ca/en/our-council/municipal-election-2022.aspx.
- The video of the All Candidates Meeting: https://fb.watch/fUsTU8TTyJ/
- Local group For Our Grandchildren (4RG) has surveyed the election candidates of each municipality in Peterborough County to gauge their position on environmental issues, with a focus on climate change in particular. The document linked below contains the responses from our North Kawartha candidates. https://docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/1onmXF2pgCmdBh5W3KCRw8hxihHYdbb58DKGwqYbRuRE/mobilebasic#heading=h.w0yaajx7s0jh A survey on some surveys that candidates responded to.
Apsley Grocery Delivery Program
Apsley is heading into another winter and spring without a local grocery store. A grocery delivery program has been organized in conjunction with Morello’s to support locals as well as the Community Care clients. For this to work at least 30 orders are required per week. If you will be in cottage country through the fall and winter, please consider participating.
Non-Perishable Food Donation
Do you have food at your cottage that you would like to donate?
North Kawartha Food Bank says, “We have had many inquiries from cottagers that are closing up for the season with regards to donating food. We understand that our hours may not be convenient for those that want to drop off non perishable food donations.We have put a bin at the NKCC to allow for easier drop off for those that may want to donate.Thank you for all those that have inquired about donating.”
https://www.facebook.com/100064868826703/posts/484848757020748/
Recap 2022
A recurring theme is that this summer was a getting back to normal.
AGM
The AGM was held in person on July 9th. Highlights included thanks to Helen Yielding and Bill McRae for their many years of service as Area Directors, replaced by JP Pawliw and Rocky Dundas, respectively. We also welcomed new cottagers on the lake, and our guest speakers.
Presentation material and minutes can be found here: https://looncalllake.ca/lclca-agm-minutes/
The motion to improve the entrance from Highway 28 to Anstruther Lake Road was sent to the North Kawartha Mayor’s office. https://looncalllake.ca/anstruther-lake-road-and-hwy-28-motion/
Pandemic Paddle and Food Drive
We repeated the Pandemic Paddle and Food Drive, for the last time with this name. Next year we will hold a Paddle and Food Drive, but with a different name. Any ideas? Send them to info@looncalllake.ca
Photos can be found here: https://looncalllake.ca/life-at-the-lake/pandemic-paddle-and-food-drive-2021-2022/
Regatta and Corn Roast
The Regatta and Corn Roast, and Raffle were celebrated with enthusiastic participation. So nice to get back to this tradition.
More photos here: https://looncalllake.ca/life-at-the-lake/annual-regatta-corn-roast/
North Kawartha Food Bank
Through these events food and funds were delivered to the North Kawartha Food Bank
Golf
The golf tournament was organized and ready to go, but the weather just wasn’t cooperating. Thanks for your work on this Scott Phillips, we’ll try again next summer.
Thanks to everyone who planned, organized and participated in this year’s events.
You make Loon Call Lake a wonderful place to cottage.
North Kawartha
You can receive timely North Kawartha information by subscribing at this site. We strongly encourage you to subscribe to get timely, first hand information.
It is well worth visiting the web site to see all of the services available to you, including available drinking water at NKCC, emergency services during power outages, wi-fi, recreational programs, and so much more.
On The Water
Yard Waste
Please remember to take care with our lake.
Rake away from the lake so that yard waste does not find its way to the lake.
FOCA Elerts
We encourage you to subscribe to Elerts here. We strongly encourage you to subscribe to get timely, firsthand information.
Loon Call Lake Status Report Fall 2022
by Jim Hartog
Hartog attended a NORKLA Lake Stewards meeting organized by Doug Wellman on Saturday, August 27, 2022 at the Wilson Community Centre on Northeys Bay Road. The feature presentation was given by Dr. Nolan Pearce, who is with Trent University and is involved in the North Kawartha Lakes water sampling studies. Other than the summer testing, Trent also conducts winter testing, and because of its characteristics, Loon Call Lake is one of the lakes that gets tested in the dead of winter. A hole is drilled in the ice with an ice auger and an instrument is lowered that detects temperature, dissolved oxygen and takes water samples from the top just under the ice to the bottom. Apparently, there is enough light getting through the snow/ice that algae can photosynthesize and produce oxygen in the one metre layer of water just under the ice. Trent is also in the process of collecting historical data from previous studies done on the area lakes so that the old data can be compared to the data that is being presently collected.
At the meeting, it was noted that the 2021 data from the Lake Partner Program still is not available. The Loon Call Lake website will be updated with that data once it becomes published.
In the round robin of area lake stewards commenting on their lakes, it was noted that the Lymantria dispar dispar moth did not survive the winter well. We discussed the effect of spraying, the fungus and viral infections and the several very cold nights last winter. The moth problem seems to be gone but expect it to be back some time in the future when conditions are right for the moth population to explode again. In Hartog’s report at the meeting, he reported that everything seems to be “normal” with the lake.
Boat wakes were discussed and the effect of “drawing down” lakes for the winter was a concern for one of the lakes that is involved in Trent/Severn water level control. The headwater lakes are lowered so that spring runoff can fill the lakes instead of causing flooding down stream.
Chandos Lake has had a dramatic, unexplained drop in their eurasian milfoil, an invasive species. It was surmised that the cold winter may be part of the explanation. Big Cedar Lake has given up trying to control their eurasion milfoil using the weevils. Apparently, the weevils do not survive the winter well and the expense of buying new weevils year after year was prohibitive.
Chandos has also installed a boat cleaning station at their most popular boat landing near the beach. It is a vacuum system that is solar powered and has a holding tank to collect the material picked up by the vacuum system. The vacuum design means no wash water gets into the lake, the solar power means there is no connection to the grid and those costs. The holding tank does have to be emptied when required keep the system operating. The cost was very high but part of that was offset by a $10 000 grant from the North Kawartha council who deemed the project worthy. Other than cost, another negative was finding volunteers to man the station during busy times to make sure everything is going as it should.
Three North Kawartha councillors were present at the meeting and when asked about the septic system inspection that appears to have stopped, they explained that COVID shelved the initiative but it will be up and running again once staff has been found to run the operation. Staffing seems to be a problem in many areas of operation since the pandemic.
On a high note, there was no mention of any new invasive species to look out for.
Miscellaneous
Is your cottager information correct? Click this link to reach info@looncalllake.ca for a copy or to advise of any adjustments or corrections. Want to let us know about something? Click to email info@looncalllake.ca
