GREATER BOBS & CROW LAKES ASSOCIATION

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For previous news entries and email updates, please click here.

June 2010

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is scheduled for Sunday, August 8 at the Bedford Hall, 1381 Westport Road. A light lunch will be served at Noon with the meeting starting at 1:00 PM. We expect to have displays that are pertinent to lakefront property owners.

New: Waste Management

An open letter on the subject of waste management from David Hahn, Councillor, Bedford District (Word Document, 29 KB) is available for download.

New: Drinking Water Source Protection

After the tragedy of Walkerton in 2000 the Ontario Government started an initiative to protect all drinking water in the Province of Ontario.

Why should we, on Bobs and Crow Lakes be concerned and how does it affect us? Even though most of us have wells the town of Perth takes their drinking water directly from the Tay River. Those who live along the Tay and in the town of Perth think of Bobs and Crow Lakes as a large reservoir for the Tay River. Our lakes do feed the Tay River and although we are not that near Perth the quality of our water does have an impact on drinking water.

The Mississippi Valley and Rideau Valley Conservation Authorities along with local experts and concerned citizens are part of a committee making recommendations to the province. They have been holding public consultations to ensure concerned residents and other parties are given the chance to understand the process and to voice any opinions and concerns.

Specific Intake Protection Zones (IPZ) are categorized by the time it takes for water flowing in the Tay River to reach the intake point of drinking water for the town of Perth is as follows;

  • Zone 1 – Immediate
  • Zone 2 – Two (2) hours to reach the intake point
  • Zone 3 – Three (3) plus hours to reach the intake point

Bobs and Crow Lakes are considered to be in Zone 3.

Many factors determine the zones such as; distance from the intake point, percent of land along the “route”, permeability of the land and slope.

The timing of the findings and reports are;

  1. Draft Assessment Report – June 2010
  2. Report to the Ontario Government – September 2010
  3. Final Plans – August 2012

For further information you can contact Sommer Casgrain-Robertson at sommer.robertson@mrsourcewater.ca or go the website at www.mrsourcewater.ca

New: Cookbooks

The “Best of Bobs” cookbook has been reprinted and is available for sale at various camps around the lake and stores in Westport. Look for it upon your return to the lakes this summer. It makes a great gift!

Marker Buoys

Forty new hazardous marker buoys that meet Canada Transport and the Canadian Coast Guard regulations have been placed around our lakes.  Please note that the orange tape with a diamond in the middle is the internationally recognized marking for hazards such as; shoals, rocks, underwater structures that are a hazard for boating.  While GB&CLA attempts to mark as many hazards as possible we cannot guarantee or warrant that all hazards get marked due to the fluctuating water levels.  As always it is the boat operator’s responsibility to ensure a safe boating experience!

Colour breast marking of Eastern Loggerhead Shrikes

Loggerhead shrikes are declining across much of their range. In Canada, the Eastern subspecies is considered critically endangered, with less than 35 pairs found in 2009. The vast majority of pairs now breed in Ontario. An extremely active and multi-faceted recovery program is underway for this species in Ontario, including a captive breeding and release program. This program has been releasing approximately 100 shrikes annually since 2006. To maximise our chances of spotting these shrikes after release we will be colouring the breast of released birds, in an effort to make them more detectable by birders. Birds will be released May through August. Birds will have an extensive area of their breast or belly coloured. Colours that may be used include green, blue and purple. All released birds, and a large proportion of the wild population, are also colour banded. If you see a shrike with a coloured breast and/or wearing bands, please report it to Wildlife Preservation Canada at (email) jessica@wildlifepreservation.ca, (phone) 519-836-9314, or (fax) 519-836-8840. We will need details about specific location (GPS coordinates are ideal, but not essential) and any colour (s) (breast and/or bands) seen. Thank you for your assistance.

Tara Imlay
Grassland Bird Survey Coordinator
Wildlife Preservation Canada
RR#5 5420 Highway 6 North,
Guelph ON N1H 6J2
Tel: 519-836-9314
Fax: 519-836-8840
gbs@wildlifepreservation.ca
www.wildlifepreservation.ca