Eagle Lake Property Owners` Association

NEWSLETTER
EAG LE LAK E
P R O P E RT Y O W N E R S ’ A S S O C I AT I O N
President’s
Report
Irv Dardick
Our lake association
expresses appreciation to Kathleen
White. During her 4year tenure as President considerable
progress was accomplished and our lake
association has a higher profile from the
environmental prospective. Second, thanks
to Kim Cucoch and Josh Matthews who are
retiring from the board. Their participation
was appreciated.
You now have one of the most experienced (four past presidents and some directors who have served on previous boards)
and largest board of directors (15). Not only
do we have two new directors with previous
experience, Jim Bradley and Larry
Cameron, but we also especially welcome
Rhonda Gauthier and Don Ball as first-time
board members. Both have already agreed
to assume vital roles for our newsletter,
with Rhonda as associate editor and Don
redesigning and laying out each issue, now
at least partially in colour.
We are fortunate to have a continuing
close working relationship with the Rideau
Valley Conservation Authority for water
quality and lake trout habitat data. This will
be supplemented by the ongoing elaborate
data collection on lake conditions currently
being undertaken by the Department of
Civil Engineering at Queen's University
guided by Dr. Leon Boegman. Hopefully, the
analysis of this information will be completed by next summer and could form the
basis for a major presentation/workshop for
our membership and our partners in Eagle
Lake management.
As noted in articles contained in this
newsletter, we had a successful and productive AGM. Again, our mayor, Janet
Gutowski, was in attendance to provide an
overview of the township's programs relevant to cottagers. Summaries of her presentation and the presentations of our informative guest speakers, Gord Rodgers
(Frontenac Stewardship Council) and Chris
Stone (Friends of the Tay River Watershed),
are provided. A welcome addition to the
AGM this year was the social time and bar—Continued on page 4
September 2012
Volume 18.3
European Frogbit
Report — 2012
spotted on the bottom and all removed.
Frogbit is not present in this bay this
Sondra Feasby
summer.
The initial cull of European frogbit
This year we have learned more
occurred on June 16th with the cooperaabout the growth process of European
tion of RKY Camp. With the assistance of
Frogbit. Spring is the ideal time to harMary Ritter, Bob Gantz, Irv Dardick and
vest this invasive aquatic plant. It is an
Sondra Feasby, councilor staff, Zola
annual that redevelops primarily from
McAdie, Jill Dierijck, Jasmine Ford,
specialized buds produced in the fall.
Kayleigh Reddish, Charlotte Tessier,
These overwinter among the rotting vegePhoebe Jones, Stef Mellon, set out in
canoes to remove frogbit from
Parham Landing, the bay adjacent
to Bob Gantz’s cottage and the large
deep bay adjacent to the end of the
Southshore Lane. Given the relatively small size of the plants at this
stage, a considerable amount of
frogbit was harvested. The total
was estimated at 75 to 100 pounds.
Since then RKY staff councilors
have been on the lookout for frogbit
during activities on the lake and on
numerous occasions have planned
culling sessions. RKY Camp efforts
are much appreciated.
During the visit of staff from the
Stewardship Rangers from left to right: Hope Perry,
RVCA on July 5th, the opportunity
Michael Makula, Sarah Murray (leader),
arose to discuss the possibility of
Justin Collett, Guy Lachance, and
their
staff assisting with removal of
Ruth Webber-Juggoo
frogbit from certain sites. They also
tation on the bottom at the shoreline and
visited a site near Pine Point where it
produce scattered plants the following
may be possible to test an idea for conspring that eventually rise to the surface.
tainment. RVCA will discuss this with
Such free-floating plants rapidly develop
—Continued on page 2
specialized stems, referred to as stolons,
at the tip of which a new plant forms that
in turn develops more stolons. By early
Index for this issue:
summer, this process is responsible for
Dragonflies of Eagle Lake................2
the dense mats of European frogbit.
ELPOA AGM...............................................3
Based on this process of regeneration, spring is the optimal time to remove
AGM Guest Soeakers.............................4
frogbit from our shorelines. Not only are
CFT Meet & Greet.......................................5
fewer floating plants evident, but also
Our Advertisers...................................5 & 6
newly developing plants can be seen on
Web
Site Update Notice......................6
the bottom in shallow water and these
Sharbot
Lake Country Inn ............7
are readily removed. The advantage of
Crowell-Smith
Wedding ................7
this approach has been self-evident in
one shallow bay on the south shore.
Dock Bubblers..................................................8
Here, where frogbit has not been seen
Trott-Miller Wedding.............................8
previously, 14 developing plants were
2
Dragonflies of Eagle Lake and Eastern Ontario — Sandy Dardick
It all started again on a walk along
the Southshore Lane at Eagle Lake one
sunny warm morning in late June: A
rekindled interest in local dragonflies.
Camera in hand, it soon became evident
that dragonflies were numerous that day,
darting about or perched on branches and
the road surface.
Halloween Pennant
Within one and a half hours, I had
photographed what I thought were 13 different species. What I learned later was
that in many species male and female
dragonflies differ in wing and body markings and general coloration. In reality,
eight species were photographed that
—Frogbit Report from page 1
MNR to see if permission can be obtained
for such a trial.
A second cull took place on July
14th, again in the bay at the end of the
Southshore lane where in a creek-like and
marshy region frogbit is well established
and extensive. In the wide mouth of this
bay, however, where the crew from RKY
Camp had previously removed considerable frogbit, very few plants remained.
Hopefully this will help prevent drifting of
frogbit from this area into the main body
of the lake resulting in establishing frogbit
elsewhere. Prevention of this type is obviously essential. Using two aluminum rowboats and a canoe, Annie and Mary Ritter,
Hiroshi Nishimura, Roland Boegman and
one of his grandsons, Irv Dardick and
Sondra Feasby raked another 100 to 120
pounds of frogbit.
The August 11 cull was cancelled
because of poor weather. The plan had
been to clear frogbit from The Narrows.
This passageway has considerable boat
traffic which could easily spread this invasive plant around the lake. Removing
European frogbit from The Narrows will
be a priority in future culling sessions.
On August 13 a team of 5 enthusiastic, energetic, Stewardship Rangers from
MNR under the leadership of Sarah
morning. Since then, additional species—
some with quite striking wing patterns—
have been observed in our locale.
Adult and nymph (the aquatic larval
phase) dragonflies eat mainly insects of
considerable variety (nymph diet can also
include tadpoles and small fish). Since
their diet consists of a good proportion of
both larval and adult mosquitoes, dragonflies are quite beneficial in cottage country. As a further statement of their value,
it has been suggested that they can eat
food equivalent to their own body weight
in 30 minutes. Quite a dietary feat! So
they and their aquatic habitat need to be
protected.
The larva of mayflies, stoneflies, damselflies and dragonflies are excellent predicators of lake and stream water quality. A
variety of pollutants cause an early
marked decline or absence of such insect
larva and so can signal a decline in the
health of a lake. At Eagle Lake, perhaps
there is another potential threat to the
dragonfly and damselfly populations, the
invasive aquatic plant European frogbit.
Not only do the dense mats formed by
European frogbit block sunlight and alter
the lakebed at the shoreline for aquatic
Twelve-spotted Skimmer, female
insects, but the decomposing vegetation
from this plant in the fall can reduce oxygen levels sufficient to kill dragonfly larva.
So it is essential to remove as much as
possible of this invasive plant.
As a major predator in the insect
world, dragonflies are a successful,
ancient species. Fossil records of dragonflies date from 300 million years. One can
only wonder what the food source was for
that largest fossil dragonfly with a
wingspan of 2.5 feet (0.76 metres).
For additional images, see our web site at:
www.elpoa.net/dragonfly/index.html almost 200 lbs.
ELPOA greatly
appreciates the
assistance with
frogbit control
from MNR
through their
Stewardship
Ranger program.
Efforts to control European
frogbit have
increased greatly this year.
Many of you
have volunteered and
areas where
culling has
been done are
visibly
improved. We
know that this
impact will be
Eagle Lake sites where European frogbit
obvious when
has been identified to August 2012.
the plants
Murray spent the day removing frogbit
emerge next spring. However, there
from a launch site in the north east of
remain many stretches of shoreline that
Eagle Lake, adjacent to Camp Oconto.
require attention and continuous moniThey worked from shore, wearing chest
toring all along the shore is essential. If
waders. By departure time this group had we all work together, we can keep this
filled about 10 garbage bags totalling
invasive species at bay.
3
Highlights of the Annual General
Meeting at RKY Camp – July 25, 2012
The Annual General Meeting of
ELPOA was held at RKY Camp on July
15, 2012. A BBQ and social hour was
hosted by RKY after the meeting.
Presidents Report:
Kathleen White noted that she was stepping down as President at the end of her
second term on the board. She will
remain as Past President. During her
term, 14 active board members tackled 3
initiatives, which had been defined at the
August 2010 board meeting: grow the
membership, monitor water levels and follow up with CPR and MNR, and publish
the State of the Lake Report. Each of
these objectives was completed.
Kathleen thanked retiring and returning
board members for their contributions.
Irv Dardick was elected as the new
President of ELPOA (see the President’s
Report).
Guest Speakers:
Janet Gutowski, Mayor of Central
Frontenac, brought greetings from the
township and Frontenac County. Janet
shared the following points of interest for
Eagle Lake property owners:
• There will be no septic re-inspection
this year but will restart next year
with emphasis on lake properties;
• The southern portion of the Kingston
to Hartington stretch of the K&P trail
will open this year;
• Clear garbage bag policy is in force. A
6 fold increase in recycling has been
noted;
• Taxes are up 2.5%. MPAC valuation has
led to some increases;
• Frontenac County now has communications office, with a newsletter;
• Improvements to high speed Internet
are coming with hopes this will attract
more businesses to the area.
Gord Rodgers, Chair of the Frontenac
Stewardship Council, spoke about challenges for stewardship in the new political
climate (see the summary of his presentation on page 4).
Christopher Stone, representing the
organization Friends of the Tay River
Watershed, discussed the Tay River
Watershed Management Plan and it’s initiatives (see the summary of his presentation on page 4).
Committee Reports:
Financial: The Treasurer’s report, presented by Martin Lee, shows an account
balance of $3400 as of April 2012 (see
Table 1). The 2012-2013 budget was circulated and accepted. Ian Miller was reap-
Table 1. ELPOA Treasurer’s Report, July 2012;
Statement of Revenue and Expenses for the year ended
April 30, 2012 (with approved budget for next year)
y/e April
Budget
pointed as auditor.
30, 2011
2012
Revenues
Membership: Bill Bowick
reported current ELPOA
Membership fees paid
$2,007
$2,000
membership at 125 memDonations & micellaneous received
115
100
bers.
Communications: Margaret
Total Revenues
$2,122
$2.100
Hough will continue as editor
of the ELPOA newsletter with
Expenses
Irv Dardick continuing as
publisher. ELPOA published
Newsletters
$656
$1,200
3 editions of the newsletter
less Adevertising
0
–750
in 2011-2012. Contributions
or copy for inclusion in
Newsletter – net expense
656
132
future issues continue to be
welcome from all members.
Stewardship: Mary Ritter
Internet Web Site
170
160
had several items to report at
State of the Lake Report–net
3,002
0
this year’s AGM:
• As Steward, Mary attends
less: County of Frontenac grant
–3,465
0
the Lake Networking
Donations to RKY & Oconto Camps
400
400
meetings, where lake
organizations meet to dis- RVCA Watershed Watch project
200
200
cuss common interests
Swim Program
200
200
and initiatives. She
stressed the need for
Pump repair
119
0
ELPOA’s continued net407
500
working and involvement Administration
with organizations that
Total Expenditures
$1688
$1,910
share common perspectives;
$434
–$190
• Lack of funding was iden- Net Revenue (Expenses) for year
tified as a main challenge
for stewardship initiaBank balance at beginning of year
$2,966
tives;
$3,400
• Mary Ritter reported con- Bank balance at end
tinued involvement with
Martin Lee, Treasurer
Ian Miller, Auditor
RVCA, who in July carried out water quality
fundamentally alters the shoreline
analysis at 11 different points along
(see the Frogbit report on page 1);
the shoreline. Water quality has been
• Christina Bonner, RKY camp director,
tested twice so far this year and will
offered continued participation from
be sampled once more in late August
leadership groups in the removal
or early September;
efforts;
• Mary Ritter explained high water levels
Additional Items:
this spring were as a result of beavers
Fire
Pump - Doug Ritter demonstrated
damming the CPR culvert at Eagle
the
operation
of the fire pump kept on
Creek. Levels reached a high of 0.82
Ritter’s Island (423 Eagle Lake). The
meters, with normal July levels measpump is stored in a box on the dock and
uring just 0.33 meters. Mike Day
is identifiable by an orange triangle. Any
reported ongoing contact with CPR
about repeated damming at this site. A Eagle Lake resident can use the pump.
Regrets - The deaths of Harry Hearns of
beaver baffler (like a culvert that is
Shangri La and Cliff Labbett, long-time
difficult for beaver to obstruct) will be
owner and operator of Camp Oconto,
installed by CPR by the end of July;
were noted. A moment of silence was
• Sondra Feasby reported on the invaheld.
sive species European Frogbit and
RKY Update – RKY camp is now open
brought in a sample for demonstrayear round and Christina Bonner, camp
tion. Sondra and Mary have been
director, will be in residence. Christina
arranging and participating in ongoing
reported on components of the strategic
removal efforts of this damaging vegeplan, which includes more involvement in
tation. Sondra stressed the need to
control the spread of this species as it
—continued on page 4
4
—AGM Report, from page 3
Board of Directors
2012 to 2013
Irv Dardick
Kathleen White
Betty Cragg
Martin Lee
Mary Ritter
Margaret Hough
Bill Bowick
Joyce Reynolds
Mike Day
Hiroshi nishimura
Lou Cucoch
Jim Bradley
Rhonda Gauthier
Don Ball
Larry Cameron
community. The
camp is also
seeking other
projects they can
contribute to
through community service
hours.
Election of the
Board of
Directors: The
slate of candidates noted in
the adjacent column was elected
and the AGM
adjourned.
AGM Guest Speaker
Chris Stone
Perhaps it is time for our lake association to become more engaged with
neighbouring lake associations and watershed organizations. One of these is the
Perth-based Friends of the Tay River
Watershed (FOTRW). This is a non-profit,
charitable association established in
2001. Its mission statement reads:
"...founded to monitor and promote
action to implement the recommendations of the Tay River Watershed
Management Plan and to carry out activities to ensure the ongoing care of the
watershed and its related natural
resources". With this mandate, we were
pleased that at our 2012 AGM,
Christopher Stone, one of the FOTRW's
co-presidents provided an overview of
this organization and how we can better
interact on environmental issues.
After outlining the geography and
range of the Tay River Watershed, Chris
provided information on the types of
projects they support including obtaining
grant funding for lake management plans,
numerous educational initiatives, specific
environmental projects, funding of scholarships for high school students based on
environmental-related essays, monitoring
the Perth water treatment plant and
sewage lagoon effluents into the Tay
River, as well as publishing a number of
environmental-based reports including
their newsletter, the Tay Watershed
Times.
Another objective of the FOTRW is
to "promote coordination of water protection and improvement activities from a
range of organizations involved in watershed management." Based on this, the
FOTRW paid a visit to Eagle Lake in June
2012 and held their board meeting at
RKY Camp that included a presentation
of the state of our lake by Irv Dardick.
Additional information of the type
and quality of ongoing studies of the
watershed is available through a comprehensive publication, Tay River
Subwatershed Report 2011, published by
the Rideau Valley Conservation
Authority. Specific data on conditions at
Eagle Lake is contained in this document.
AGM Guest Speaker
Gordon Rodgers
One of our guest speakers at this
year's AGM was Gord Rodgers, currently
chair of the Frontenac Stewardship
Council. The Ontario Government established volunteer stewardship councils (46
in total) in each county with a biologist
funded from the Ministry of Natural
Resources as coordinator. The Frontenac
Stewardship Council initiates environmental-related research projects, provides
advice and funding for lake association
projects, and sponsors seminars on
wildlife and environmental topics.
The central theme of Gord's presentation was the potentially negative impact
of federal and provincial budgetary cuts
for environmental protection in the future
and how this may impact on lake associations.
Major cuts for environmental programs at the federal level will affect management of wildlife populations and
world-renowned experimental freshwater
lake research by Parks Canada. The longterm effect of significant changes to the
Fisheries Act by removing habitat protection provisions remains unknown.
Research on amphibians and reptiles
sponsored by the Toronto Zoo has been
jeopardized by the cuts in Federal funding.
The Ontario budget for 2012 could
affect lake associations in a major way.
Cuts to both the Ministries of Natural
Resources and the Environment will close
offices, reduce staff biologists, and cut
staff and the budget for the stewardship
councils. It is possible that the successful
stewardship council program will be lost
altogether.
Gord Rodgers suggested that with
such circumstances, each lake association
may have to find innovative ways to
resolve local issues and fund future projects. He noted that we are fortunate to
have excellent services provided by the
Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, a
township engaged with lake associations,
volunteers willing to deal with environ—Continued on page 5
—President’s Report from page 1
beque lunch provided by Christina
Bonner, Director at RKY Camp. Thanks
Christina.
One major focus this season, led by
Sondra Feasby, has been the attempt to
control the invasive aquatic plant,
European frogbit. It is well established in
a number of quiet bays, and it is increasingly evident that only control and prevention of spread are possible at some
sites. It is so pervasive at Oconto Creek,
for example, that a portion of the creek
may turn into a marsh and the boat
launch site area may eventually become
non-navigatable. Once again this summer,
high-school students with the Ontario
Stewardship Ranger program assisted
ELPOA volunteers to clear considerable
amounts of European frogbit from Oconto
Creek. We are also fortunate that RKY
Camp counselor staff have taken a keen
interest in invasive species at Eagle Lake
and assisted in culling frogbit from three
additional sites on our shoreline on two
occasions this summer. We need additional help from our membership in controlling this invasive water plant. Please contact Sondra at 613-375-6192 or by email
([email protected]) for further information.
Mike Day and Janet Gutowski spent
much time and effort pressuring CPR to
find a permanent solution to the beaver
dam obstruction at the culvert beneath
the tracks over Eagle Creek. As you are
aware, water levels were excessively high
at Eagle Lake this spring, largely due to
this obstruction that eventually required
a combination of manual removal and
blasting to clear the dam. CPR staff promised installation of a beaver baffler (a type
of culvert beavers find difficult to block)
and Mike Day has confirmed that this has
been installed. Monitoring next season
will indicate the adequacy of this solution.
As we prepare to close cottages for
the season, reflect on the quiet warm
summer weather and the memorable time
spent swimming, boating, water skiing or
tubing, hiking or just swaying in the hammock reading a good book. The wonderful
life at Eagle Lake! Trust all will have a
good winter while looking forward to next
season at our special lake.
Newsletter Update
With the introduction of
colour to the newsletter, the
next edition will feature a
redesigned layout
5
—Gord Rodgers from page 4
mental issues, and active water quality
and lake trout habitat research by
Queen's University.
His further suggestions for dealing
with lake environmental issues were:
• Don't count on the provincial government.
• Write letters to our MP/MPP to
express concerns over budget cuts for
environmental research.
• Establish closer ties with nearby lake
associations so that common decisions will have greater impact and
enable better solutions for issues.
• Encourage friends, neighbours and the
younger generation to get involved
and participate in the environmental
program of lake associations.
To show our appreciation for Gord's
presentation, we made a donation in his
name to Frontenac Community Services.
Central Frontenac Township
Mayor's Meet & Greet
Oso Hall, Sharbot Lake, June 30, 2012
Betty Cragg and Irv Dardick
Mayor Janet Gutowski, Mayor of
Central Frontenac and the Economic
Development Committee held their annual "meet and greet" for lake associations
Representatives of 8 lake associations
attended. The main focus was a presenta-
tion by staff from the Sharbot Lake and
Perth detachments of the Ontario
Provincial Police on the marine patrols
and property crimes. OPP are maintaining
marine patrols on 25 lakes in the region,
and visiting bigger lakes like Eagle 4-5
times per year. They are now issuing $305
tickets rather than warnings for powerboat operators who do not have their
Operators License in the boat. Safety is
the focus and they will issue tickets for
lack of safety equipment, especially life
jackets, or alcohol offenses. Alcohol
offenses can lead to suspension of car
driving licenses.
Overall, comparing property crimes
in our region for 2010 and 2011, there
has been a reduction and the decrease is
even more significant for 2012. But, cottage owners should continue to be vigilant.
The OPP has recommended the following
prevention strategies for cottage owners;
• Lock up buildings and vehicles
• Put dowels in sliding doors and windows to block sliding
• Mark you belongings with your name
or a symbol
• Move or lock up equipment that eases
entry (i.e., ladders)
• Install equipment such as motion activated lights and deer cameras
• For year round residents, inform your
neighbours if you are planning to be
away. For seasonal cottagers, talk to
neighbours about your off-season
plans/use of the property
If a break-in has occurred or you see
suspicious behavior, call the OPP at 1888-310-1122. Take pictures of damage,
contact OPP even if damage minimal, do
not clean up until the police have come,
and do not touch items as the criminal's
fingerprints can be obscured..
There is a noise by-law in Central
Frontenac Township (1999). This covers
any loud noise generated by bells, sirens,
musical instruments, motor vehicles,
radios, barking dogs and construction.
The fine can be up to $300 for any
offense. Those who are encountering
noise problems between 11pm and 7am
or excessive daytime noise can call the
Township office.
There will be public meetings about a
Property Standards By-law. Garbage
remains a contentious issue. The township is sticking with the clear plastic bags,
with refunds for numbered tags. There are
plans to continue the Kingston-Pembroke
railway right-of-way trail to Sharbot Lake
when property issues are negotiated. WEBSITE UPDATE
ELPOA now has its own
domain name and the website
will soon be redesigned.
Visit the web site regulary at:
www.elpoa.ca
ELPOA also has an
ancillary web site at:
www.elpoa.net
for report and newsletter
downloads and other lake
related information.
ELPOA Newsletter Address:
Direct inquiries to: Eagle Lake
Property Owners’ Association, 96
Glebe Ave., Ottawa, ON, K1S 2C3
Email: [email protected]
We welcome letters to the editor, articles on
the lake and its environment, and discussions of interest to the membership.
The Board of Directors and the Editor
reserve the right to all publishing decisions,
content and presentation of the Newsletter.
The layout, computer illustrations and editing of the ELPOA Newsletter are done by
volunteers. Advertisers, the sale of products, and ELPOA contribute to the costs of
printing and mailing.
© ELPOA 1996 to 2012 All Rights Reserved
6
Support Local Businesses & Services. They Support Your Association!
7
Our Advertisers
level was renovated and expanded and
a
new kitchen installed to make the
Sharbot Lake Country Inn
basement a dining room/pub called
“The Crossing”. One of the motel units
Frank and Sandra White had probably
was sacrificed to make bright, modern
never heard of Sharbot Lake when they
bathrooms. It is now a
left Stephenville Crossing in
great place to eat and,
Newfoundland in 1984. Now they are listfrequently, with great
ed among Sharbot Lake’s leading citizens.
entertainment. And the
Sandra had accepted a position as managwork goes on. Next
er of the Royal Bank branch in
year should see an outMallorytown and, as has happened so
door patio and wheel
often, Newfoundland’s loss became
chair access to both the
Eastern Ontario’s gain.
pub and the nine motel
In 1995,Sandra became Branch
units.
Managerwith RBC in Sharbot Lake and
The hotel is very
the family moved to Cranberry Bay off
much a family operaFall River Road. Within a few years, it
tion. Jennifer is an
became apparent that their daughters,
accomplished artist as
Jennifer, Gabrielle and Jessica were more
well as a riding instrucinterested in horses than in fishing so
tor and usually has
they moved to a farm with a beautiful log
paintings for sale in the gift shop.
house on Willis Armstrong Road. Frank
Gabrielle is a carpenter who frequently
built a new barn with an indoor riding
helps with the renovations. Jessica, with a
ring and Jen is still giving riding lessons
diploma in culinary arts from Algonquin
there.
College, regularly fills in as chef. And of
In May of 2010, the Whites bought
course, everyone is on call when needed.
the old Sharbot Lake hotel and began its
In their role as great hosts, Frank and
transformation – with Frank doing most
Sandra have gone out of their way to proof the work. The upper level restaurant
vide the community with excellent enterbecame a gift shop. The bar in the lower
tainment. They have been able to book
A Wedding With Many
Eagle Lake Connections
Ian Miller
Areta Hockin Crowell and Russell
Smith were married on August 12, 2012,
nearly sixty years after they first met —
just one more chapter in a long family
history on Eagle Lake.
Areta and her first husband Clarence
Crowell spent part of their honeymoon in
1956 helping with the construction of the
first cottage on "Pine Peak" island, the
northernmost island in the lake. Areta's
parents, Art and Valma Hockin, left
Montreal for the island the day after that
wedding and had a bunkie completed by
the time Areta and Clarence arrived, to
work on what is now the kitchen.
Russell Smith was a close friend who
often came to the cottage. He and his late
wife Barbara shared in such chores as
painting the original building. He transported kitchen chairs on his head from
the old farm access road which we used
in the 1950s. The island is close to the
north shore, and Russ has been known to
swim across holding his clothes over his
head, on occasions when he was not
expected! One of the joys, but also problems, of island life is the necessity to have
arrival times well known in advance —
and in those days there were no cell
phones to call up and say "Here I am!
Come and get me!"
Years went by. Art and Valma died in
1996/7; Areta and Clarence retired, and
Clarence succumbed to Alzheimer's disease. Russ, now widowed himself, would
still come to help Areta with cottage management jobs — and to enjoy canoeing
around the lake. He and his family had
spent many days at the lake over the
years, and Areta, Clarence, Russ and
Barbara had camped and enjoyed many
special times together. At one time the
Crowell boys thought they would marry
the Smith girls! So it was not
too surprising to the families
that Areta and Russ finally
decided to get married.
The wedding was conducted near Ottawa by son
Rob Crowell, a Presbyterian
minister in Los Angeles,
where the Crowells have lived
since 1966. Now Areta will
spend more time in Canada;
she and Russ will live parttime in L.A. and part in their
apartment in Ottawa, with
plenty of time for the cottage.
The lake's enduring appeal
for them — sunsets, moonlight, early swims in the
quality acts that you wouldn’t normally
see doing one night stands in a small
community. Juno award nominees, “The
Once” put on a great show this spring and
are expected back in the fall – probably
because they like hanging out with the
Whites. “The Laws”, a Canadian group on
tour out of Nashville will be appearing
shortly. Rick Fines has been a big hit as
has the successful Ottawa singer/song
writer Lynn Myles . . . to name but a few.
The Sharbot Lake Country Inn is a
first class facility being run by a first class
family. Drop in and see them. We are
proud to list them as ELPOA supporters.
glassy morning lake, the cries of loons
with their growing chicks in the bay, the
beauty of rocks and shore — all have
been a background for this saga.
Other Eagle Lake connections for
Areta and Russ involve Emmanuel United
Church in Ottawa. Long-time friends from
Emmanuel who have cottages here
include Marg and Bob Armstrong, Larry
and Frances Read, the Ted and Katherine
English family, and Graham and Janet
Campbell. Fellow islanders Areta's sister
Edna and her husband Ian Miller
(ELPOA's auditor) were also members of
Emmanuel when they lived in Ottawa.
8
Dock bubblers:
Beneficial or Beware?
Dave Gauthier
Like any good story, the one about
the ‘dock bubbler’ has two sides to it. On
one hand, it is an ingenious tool that can
save your dock or boathouse from the
perils of the winter ice cover. On the
other hand, by design bubblers create an
area of open water in the lake ice that can
be a hazard to any one – or any thing –
travelling on it.
Mike Day is one of a handful of cottagers on Eagle Lake who has used a dock
bubbler. He describes it as a ½-horsepower electric motor attached to a submersible impellor, placed next to his aluminum boatlift. The impellor turns on
when the temperature is below zero, and
brings warmer water from 5 ft under to
the surface. This prevents ice from forming at that spot, and damaging his boatlift.
Mike Day provided this photo of his
bubbled boatlift, taken in January 2012.
Other systems use compressed air for the
same purpose, hence the name ‘bubbler’.
Mike says that his bubbler did the trick:
no ice formed around his boatlift, and he
was able to leave it in the water all winter
without any damage. He figures he saved
several days of effort spent in the cold
water, pulling his lift out in the fall and
putting it back in the spring. According to
Mike, the other owners using similar technology on the lake have had similar, positive experiences.
Despite their utility, in some cottage
areas around Ontario dock bubblers have
become a source of tension, pitting neighbours against one another and their local
governments. In one story about the
issue, posted on the website cottagecountrynow.ca, an OPP member says that serious charges could stem from the use of a
bubbler. In fact, Section 263 (1) of the
Criminal Code of Canada reads:
“Every one who makes or causes to
be made an opening in ice that is open to
or frequented by the public is under a
legal duty to guard it in a manner that is
adequate to prevent persons from falling
in by accident and is adequate to warn
them that the opening exists”
Manslaughter and assault are listed as
the offences under this section. A summary conviction is possible, even if no one
falls into the opening. Serious charges, no
doubt, although Erik Knutsen, a Professor
of Law at Queen’s University in Kingston,
suggests that this section of the criminal
code is probably used only rarely, if ever.
Professor Knutsen is an expert in
insurance and accident law, and he had
some interesting perspectives on this
issue. First, he noted that landowners are
generally required to make reasonable
effort to prevent people from interacting
with hazards (such as an opening in the
ice) on or around their property. In the
event of a lawsuit related to an accident, a
landowner must show that he or she
acted the way that a ‘reasonable’ person
ought to have. Otherwise, he or she could
be at fault. Second, most liability insurance policies apply to risks associated
with docks and bubbler systems (you
should check with your insurance company to confirm this). But, most insurance
policies also have a clause stating that liabilities associated with criminal acts are
not covered. Remember Section 263 of
the Criminal Code? That could be just
the loophole the insurance company
needs to leave a homeowner on the hook
for a lawsuit.
I think everyone can agree that the
safety of people on the lake, summer or
winter, is the most important part of this
story. So the real question about bubblers
is how can owners prevent people from
falling in the lake in the winter, and how
can they warn winter travellers of the
hazard in a reasonable way?
Last winter, Mike Day erected two
warning signs, and a string of red and
white flags marking the opening in the
ice caused by his bubbler. This year he
plans to install a solar-powered warning
light. Erik Knutsen, the Queen’s
Professor, suggested that it might also be
reasonable to consider that kids can’t
read warning signs, and may be drawn
toward red flags and holes in the ice.
Also, it might be reasonable to consider
what would happen to the flags and lights
after a big winter storm or a period of
warm weather. Reflective markers might
be useful, and some one might need to
check on the warning system periodically
through the winter.
Trott-Miller Wedding at
Eagle Lake
Larry Cameron
On Saturday the 25th day of August,
2012, Miss Candace Trott and Mr. Lee
Miller were united in holy matrimony on
the shores of Eagle Lake. The wedding
day was sunny resulting in a beautiful
setting for the ceremony.
The wedding united two long-time
cottagers' families of Eagle Lake. Candace
is the granddaughter of Larry and Bev
Cameron who have a cottage at Curl's
Bay and Lee is the son of Zella and step
son of John Morgan. The Morgan residence is located on the South Shore Road
and was the location for the ceremony.
The morning of the ceremony began
with Candace, along with her four assistants, dresses, hair dressers and photographer being transported by barge to the
Cameron cottage. They were then escorted to the Morgan cottage for the picture
taking session.
The guests, totalling approximately
80 in number, were transported via the
Cameron barge from Parham Landing to
the Morgan cottage with the ceremony
administered at 4:30 pm by the Reverend
Father Claude Delorme. The scripture
readings were by Kelly Trott, mother of
the bride and Zella Morgan, mother of the
groom. After the ceremony, a delicious
buffet style dinner was enjoyed followed
by dancing. The music for both the ceremony and dance was performed by the
bride’s father, Andrew, her two uncles,
Jimmy and Clifford Trott, with vocals by
her cousin Stephanie Trott.
The evening wound down around
midnight with the Cameron barge transporting the guests back to Parham landing.
Another beautiful, memorable, fun
filled day at Eagle Lake!