Dec 23/99
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Watershed Watch Lake Stewards MeetingBy David Brison
Volunteer
Lake Stewards who are monitoring water quality in their lakes met at
the Mississippi Valley Conservation offices in Lanark on December 8,
1999. Laurel Grills,
Coordinator of the Watershed Watch program, chaired the session,
summarized plans for the coming year, and received program suggestions
and advice from the Stewards.
Guest speakers Francine MacDonald and Heather Smith, biologists from the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, summarized results from the federation's Zebra Mussel Monitoring Program; presented information on other invading species, such as the spiny water flea and purple loosestrife. The big, and not so good, news is that adult zebra mussels are established in Silver Lake. Further, zebra mussel larvae (known as veligers) have been located in Crotch Lake and Kashwakamak Lake. Zebra mussels clog water intake systems. They also consume large quantities of plankton and may reduce the amount of food available for young fish (the long term impact is yet to be determined). Zebra mussels are well established in the Great Lakes and are moving to inland lakes - they attach to boats, and other materials that come in contact with the water, and are often carried in bait buckets and then emptied directly into lakes. There is little that can be done to get rid of them once they are established. They can be stopped from spreading by washing boats before launching them, and making sure that they aren't carried and transmitted in other ways. Francine and Heather also reported that the spiny water flea is established in Crotch Lake but fortunately in no other lakes in the region. Spiny water fleas are actually crustaceans about 3/8s of an inch long with a sharp, barbed tail. They multiply rapidly and feed on zooplankton. They compete with small fish for this food source and in turn aren't eaten by small fish because of their sharp spine. The long-term effect of their presence has been minimal in some areas of the Great Lakes but it is not known what the effect will be in smaller inland lakes.
Laurel Grills
reported that the summer of '99 water quality results, collected in
conjunction with the stewards under the Watershed Watch program, will
be available and reported to the lake stewards early in the year. The
stewards can then make plans to share them with their respective
cottage associations.
The Mississippi Valley Conservation Stewardship Award was presented by
Paul Lehman, General Manager of MVC , to Wayne Marsh
from Shabomeka Lake (in the western part of North Frontenac). Wayne, a
full time resident on the lake, joined the Mississippi Valley
Conservation Lake Stewardship program in 1993. He has been collecting
water quality and water clarity samples for 18 years. For the last four
years he has also been monitoring water levels and precipitation for
the MVC. He was presented with a limited edition print of two
goldfinches done by G. Randy Wilson.
Bob Ratz, from the Buckshot Lake Cottage association presented Paul Lehman
with a $10,000 cheque from the
Trillium
Foundation.
The cheque is the first instalment of a $30,000 grant in support of the
Watershed Watch program. The Buckshot Lake Association, an incorporated
non-profit organization, submitted the grant on behalf of the program.
Paul Lehman thanked the Association for their help in securing the
grant. "The foundation officials met with the Association at Buckshot
Lake and they sold them on the value of the program for this area." Mr.
Lehman reported.
The Lake Stewards, who are mostly retired people, are an active and committed group. They accompany
Laurel Grills when she takes water samples. They are informed advocates for good environmental practices for the lakes in our regions.
