Dear Subscribers,

As most of you know, since last fall we have been working on a plan to organize a cottagers’ wildfire response through the lake association.

The plan was fairly ambitious, and was modeled on what other lake associations have done.

We did do a limited survey of followers of this blog and the results indicated that most folk were in favor of some kind of plan to be run by the CLPOA. (see https://chandossier.com/2024/12/17/fire-preparedness-results/)

Getting ourselves organized in any significant way takes a pretty serious commitment from all parties, and apart from the cost, making this a successful venture is far from guaranteed.  Consequently, the board, acting in a responsible fashion, is cautious about jumping in too quickly.  Consequently, the original plan to get something in place this year has been withdrawn. Hopefully it, or a better plan, will come to the fore in the near future.

In order to at least have some sort of start, I have purchased some equipment for demonstration and evaluation.  I hope to place it in a firebox on our property. on Renwick.  There will be a lockbox, and any neighbours who have taken some basic training on how to operate it will be given the access code. Trevor Ferguson of Municipal Equipment says he would come out and demonstrate the equipment, but nothing yet has been arranged. Will let you know if and when.

Hi all Chandos Folk,

The Muskoka Watershed Report Card, produced every five years by the Muskoka Watershed Council, scientifically assesses Muskoka’s watershed health. It educates residents and decision-makers about water and land conditions, enabling sustainable practices to bolster the strength of our remarkable natural environment. This is essential for our way of life and economy.

The Report Card for 2023 can be found here. Muskoka has significant and varied resources and it shows in this very excellent report.

Geoff

Dear friends,

Thanks to all who have so far filled out the survey; your feedback on this issue is highly appreciated.

Right now we have had about 14 responses, and the results are very interesting.

I would really like to see a few more just to see how strong and “mainstream” some of the views are.

So, please, if you can spare 15 minutes, maybe pour a cuppa and give it a go…..You can fill it out anonymously if that suits you better.

This background document might be useful to peruse before filling out the survey.

Best to all, and thanks again!

Geoff

A final report can be found here.

Dear Followers of Chandossier.com

First off, thank you for all your interest in, and support for, this website.

As I hope you are already aware, The CLPOA Environment Committee is conducting the First Annual Chandos Fish Count Survey August 1-8. (using a survey accessible at Chandossier.com via QR code or URL))

You may have seen posters around Apsley advertising this project, or the recent “Christmas in August” post to the CLPOA Facebook page.  (I’m mightily resisting the temptation to call this post “Fishtmas in August”)

To quickly summarize, this first survey will mainly be a snapshot of what is being caught today, but we are hoping that over time we will be able to see trends that will indicate changes in the lake environment as well as within the fish population itself.

So, if you are an angler, or have friends or family that are, please encourage them to participate in this “Citizen Scientist” event.

There will also be a few donated prizes with winners selected via a random draw from those making a survey entry.

Thanks so much!

Geoff

Dear Subscribers,

I wish to advise you of an upcoming planning meeting of the CLPOA Environment Committee to be held at Wally’s Pub at 9:30 in the morning, Friday, May 31, 2024.

If you have an interest in the environment and “love your lake”, perhaps you might attend and see what it is all about.

And who knows, once you see the camaraderie and focus of the group, you might even think about helping out for a couple of hours here and there throughout the summer.

Here are a few words from the committee chair, Debra Anthony:

Our goal is to educate.  We have a table at each event where we hand out literature, talk to attendees and promote environmental awareness.  This summer we will again focus on healthy shorelines and invasive species.  We also organize the water stewards at the boat launch to encourage boaters to properly clean their boats so as to reduce the chance of introducing more invasive species into our lake.  Water testing is another part of our program.  Last summer we ran a kids’ program and co-sponsored webinars with Jack Lake.

We have a small steering committee of about six people and the minutes of our meetings are distributed to those on the Environment mailing list.  There is no specific commitment other than helping where and when you can.  We are particularly looking for water steward volunteers.

The time commitment is whatever people can volunteer.  We would love to have you join us.

If more info is required, the email address is:

lovechandoslake.clpoa@gmail.com

To date there are about 55 followers of the Chandossier web site.. We are asking if you wouldn’t mind testing our Fish Count Survey (QR code below)

We are planning a Fish Count Survey August 1-8. The purpose is to begin the annual collection of data to monitor the fish population in our lake. Our fish population is a useful signal to changes in lake health.

In concept this is a bit like the annual Christmas Bird Count.

The survey can be accessed by the QR code below, or from a Chandossier website tab directly.

Please trial the survey and give us suggestions for improvements, or what frustrations you might have with it.. (ps, there does seem to be an issue with android phones.. they don’t seem to scroll, but you have to look for an elevator to navigate…)

Thanks,
Geoff

The Trent Kawartha Highlands Water Quality Report 2024 is now available on the Chandossier Site. It is an exceptionally good report, very readable, and gives comparative data on the following lakes:

The full report can be found here. There is a short primer to help interpret the data in the report.

This is an extremely important resource right in our own backyard. TARP is always looking to improve the program and would appreciate any monetary assistance that various persons or associations might provide.