A large group of lake association executives, environmentalists, municipal politicians and municipal and provincial government officials gathered in Perth on October 29 for the annual Lake Life conference.

During the morning of the conference three of the presentations dealt with development pressures in Eastern Ontario cottage country.

One presentation was by Neil Hutchison, a scientist who worked for the Ministry of Natural Resources for 15 years and now runs his own environmental services program.

He described how provincial planning for the number of acceptable building lots on lakes in Ontario is like “planning by plumbing”. He said that most of the determinations about lake capacity were based on the amount of phosphorous being produced by people living in the vicinity of shorelines.

“The lakeshore capacity model that has been used assumes that phosphorous is mobile – that all phosphorous moves from the septic system to the lake. But that is not necessarily the case,” Hutchison said.

Particularly in Canadian Shield formations where the soil had an acidic character and contains specific minerals, there is a tendency for phosphorous to bind to the soil.

Hutchison provided, as an example, a chart marking the phosphorous levels in a lake subsystem near Huntsville, the Fairy-Peninsula lakes, where historical studies on phosphorous levels have been carried out by looking at the sediments at the bottom of the lake.

In that case, the phosphorous levels in the year 1700, before the arrival of Europeans, has been charted. Between 1850 and 1900 the levels rose precipitously, likely due to settlement and deforestation. The levels dropped between 1900 and 1950, and then began rising as the era of seasonal cottages intensified. Between 1970 and the year 2000, the levels dropped, however, and by the end of the 20th Century they were lower than they had been in 1700.

“My conclusion, based on all the work I’ve done comparing modeling impacts and looking at the data about what the actual impacts have been, is that the Ministry of the Environment cannot point to a single lake that has been ruined by cottagers. So, I pose the question, is growth the problem, or is better management what is called for?” he said.

Hutchison added that it is possible to determine which lakes are more sensitive, and which lakes are less sensitive to growth, and planning could be done accordingly.

Currently, municipalities do not generally have different rules for different categories of lakes, with the notable exception of lakes that have been identified by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MoE) as “trout sensitive lakes”. No new development is permitted within 300 metres of “trout sensitive lakes”

Judy Brouse, who is the Director of the Muskoka Watershed Council, and a long time associate of Neil Hutchison, spoke after him.

She was less critical about the phosphorous model that has been employed in planning, and she also talked about what municipalities can do to manage development on lakes.

“Let’s start off with this question,” she said. “We can ask any cottage association what the capacity of their lake is and we will get the same answer. Does anyone know what that is?”

As if on cue, a man in the fifth row raised his hand and said, “Well, I bought my cottage last year and I think it should be the last one.”

This, Brouse said, is typical. Cottagers’ associations and cottagers in general do not want any more development.

Municipalities on the other hand, always hungry for more tax assessment, and property developers, as well as people looking for new waterfront properties, would like to see more development.

“That’s why lake associations need to do more lake plans, and municipalities need to develop proper planning tools,” Brouse said. “The principle is to reduce the impact of new development, and achieve reductions in impacts as redevelopment takes place.”

According to her, issues such as setbacks from the lake, and maintaining vegetative buffers or establishing buffers when they have been removed, are key to maintaining a healthy environment.

Another presentation at Lake Life concerned itself with the prospects for development pressure in this region.

In their presentation, Bridget Delauro and Matt Goodchild from the Centre For Sustainable Watersheds in Leeds and Grenville County, said the latest population projections for Eastern Ontario are for very slow growth over the next 25 years. The projections are for 9% growth in Renfrew County, 8% for Lanark County, 4% for Leeds and Grenville, 5% for Lennox and Addington and 6% for Prince Edward County. The projection of 25% for Frontenac County is skewed because the City of Kingston is included. Without Kingston, Frontenac County projections are similar to those in the other counties.

However a large bubble of seniors is coming to Ontario, rising from 13.1% of the population now to 23.4% per cent in 2036, and seniors can be drawn to rural locations as they retire.

“There are large numbers of seasonal residents in parts of Eastern Ontario - 50% in both Frontenac County as a whole and in Tay Valley Township, for example - and seasonals are not included at all in the government projections,” said Matt Goodchild.

“Given that property values are lower in Eastern Ontario than elsewhere, we see this area as more of a draw than is captured in the projections, so we think development may indeed exceed expectations,” said Bridget Delauro.

Delauro and Goodchild made several points that were consistent with other speakers about the variable impacts that new development can bring.

Impacts that come from increased boat traffic, removing fallen trees from lakes, and other human activities, can be dramatic, as they demonstrated in their presentation.

All three presentations lead ultimately to the conclusion that it is not the amount of development that comes to Eastern Ontario that is a concern; rather it is the nature of that development.

For municipal officials and politicians, the idea that there needs to be more specific requirements for various different lakes and sub-watersheds in their Official Plans and Comprehensive Zoning Bylaws is something they may want to consider in the future.

Similarly, for waterfront property owners and lake associations, the position that no more development is viable on their lake might also have to be altered.

Photo: The Heath descendents at a recent reunion.

In 1911, when Dora and Jacob Heath built their cottage along the shore of Big Clear Lake, they could not possibly have known what they set in motion.

They were living in Toronto and had five daughters and one son, and used their cottage as a place to get away from it all. As soon as school was over for the summer, mother and the children would get on the train and get off at the Ardendale train station to head out to the cottage. They would row across the lake and stay there all season, with father coming up whenever he could, because back then there was no such thing as weekends off, as we have today. A work week was from Monday morning till Saturday at 12 o'clock.

Sadly, the son died while at the cottage from a burst appendix, because they could not get him to the hospital in time and that left the five girls.

As they got married, one by one, another cottage was built next to the existing one for the expanding family. Now the young families came up with their children and there was a real bond with each other. Everyone was responsible for different chores. One would cook, another make the beds, another sweep the floors and so forth. As time went on however, more cottages were built until each of the sisters and their husbands had their own cottages, all close to each other.

Five birches have been planted to commemorate the five sisters, and so the compound is named “The Birches”.

The families have retained a closeness that is almost unheard of today. They continued to get together in the summer and as their families grew, they bought or built more cottages, all around Big Clear Lake. As one person told me, over the years they have carried each other's burdens and shared each other's happiness.

This year they had a very well-planned 100th anniversary to celebrate the family and to remember the ones who had gone before them.

Attending were the Heaths, the Barnetts, the McCallums. the McPhees, the Browns and the Fosters. Our Dora Scott was a Barnett originally. Some of the family are living in California, Edmonton and Vancouver, although most of them live in Ontario. But no matter where they are, this is still their home away from home and they keep in touch with each other. Their 100th year celebration was in the planning stage for a year and how well they worked with each other to make the weekend such a memorable one. They had a golf tournament, horseshoe pitch, a fishing competition, a lipsync competition and an open house for their friends and neighbors. In one of the cottages there was an awesome display of artwork done by members of this family over the years; everything was carefully preserved for posterity. How much love and dedication it takes to keep track of all those things. I asked one of the family how they do that and she said, “It is simple; we love and respect each other.”

And in my mind, that says it all.

Photo: Matt Spencer, Rachelle Hardesty, Jim and Claire Walker and Jake Thomas at Kirk Kove on Big Gull Lake

Three area lakes will be showcased on an upcoming feature on Power Boat TV, a show all about power boating that has been running for 21 years on Global TV on Saturday mornings.

Producer and co-host Matt Spencer, who has had a family cottage on Kashwakamak Lake for over 50 years, wanted to give his viewers a sneak peek at the lakes and boating in his own backyard. To make it happen, Spencer approached Rachelle Hardesty, the new general manager of the Land O'Lakes Tourist Association.

She contacted local businesses in the area looking to feature their businesses to a wider audience, and a number of area businesses stepped up to the plate, including Kirk Kove Cottages and Marina on Big Gull Lake, the Land O' Lakes Lodge and the Canadian Shield Golf Course on Crotch Lake, and Addison's Restaurant and Devin's Place in Northbrook.

I caught up with Matt and his camera man and director of photography, Jake Thomas, just as they were launching their 2011 Rinker MTX 200 family bow rider into Big Gull Lake at Kirk Kove. Jim and Claire Walker, the owners and operators of Kirk Kove, were giving the host and crew a tour of the lake and marina and showing them some of the special features it has to offer, including its over 75% of wild crown land shore line, extensive fishing opportunities and deep, clean and quiet waters.

After a lunch at Devin's Place the group jumped aboard and took off on the tour under beautiful sunny skies. Jim and Claire were thrilled to be part of the feature and are hoping to increase awareness of their business, which has been in operation since 1932 and attracts many clients from all over Canada and the United States.

“This is a great opportunity for us and of course we jumped at the chance to showcase what we have here at Kirk Kove.”

Matt Spencer said the goal of the show is to pique the interest of the viewers by “demonstrating that there is life outside of the GTA and the Muskokas. We are hoping that boaters and cottagers will come to realize that in the Land O' Lakes they can find affordable cottage properties and rentals, gorgeous, less crowded lakes and scenery, and also escape the hustle and bustle of recreational boating centres located closer to major cities.”

Rochelle Hardesty put together the itinerary and her hope is to attract more tourists to the area.

“We want to showcase the Land O'Lakes region and give people a sense of where we are and what we are. By increasing media awareness I believe we will be accomplishing just that.”

Matt and his crew plan to film tours of Big Gull, Skootamatta and Crotch lakes over three days and will combine the footage as part of a feature that will air in 2012 on Power Boat TV.

Viewers wanting to watch the show can check out powerboattv.com and/or the LOLTA website at www.travellandolakes.com

North Frontenac Council received their sixth annual septic re-inspection report from Eric Kohlsmith of the Mississippi Rideau Septic Reinspection Program

As Kohlsmith reported, the program has changed over the years, but the focus on older systems and waterfront properties has been a constant. “Because we now have a 16ft. boat we were able to do inspections on a number of water access properties for the first time this year,” Kohlsmith told council.

Of the 102 inspections that were done in North Frontenac in 2010, 24 were on water access-only properties. Earlier in the season, 179 property owners were sent letters and asked to fill in an inspection form that included an appointment schedule. Those who did not respond were noted and will be approached again next year.

“We have found it to be a great advantage to have the property owner present during the inspection,” said Kohlsmith, “and this year about 70% of the time that happened. It is really helpful in terms of the educational aspect of the program.”

Of the 102 inspections in 2010, half were done on Brule Lake, 15 on Buckshot Lake, 12 on Little Marble, and the rest on a number of other major lakes. Fifty-three of the systems inspected had no concerns; 31 required some remediation; and six require replacement. The Health Unit was notified about the six systems that need replacing, since they are the enforcement agency for septic systems, and will have approve the new installations.

For next year, Kohlsmith recommended using an online form to make it easier for property owners to fill out and to continue asking property owners to excavate their systems before the inspectors arrive. Changes in the Ontario Building Code may make the re-inspection system mandatory for property owners instead of voluntary in future years.

Mackie Lake Access – Carol Free, from the Mackie Lake Cottagers Association, presented a position paper written by Geoffrey Dudding. The paper outlined the 50-year history of public boat launches at Mackie Lake, through which day visitors and water access cottages get their boats into the water.

The boat launch that has been used for the last 40 years was built by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) in the 1960s. Two years ago the township removed the Mackie Lake boat launch from their Land Use Permit with the ministry and turned over its maintenance to the cottage association.

However, the terms of the land use permit the cottage association would have to enter into would see the association assume all the costs while the general public would have access. And moreover the cottage association would be liable if a member of the public suffered an accident at the site. The association is asking the township to re-instate their land use permit with the MNR so that the boat launch can be maintained properly. “I predict it will become unusable by the spring of 2011 or shortly thereafter when the first storm of the season wipes out the top of the road,” wrote Geoffrey Dudding of the boat launch.

Council received the presentation for information.

Building permit numbers down over five-year period – Although in 2010 the dollar value of construction ($8 million) rebounded from the two recessionary years of 2008 and 2009, and the amount of money collected in building permit fees ($136,000) was the highest it has ever been, the number of permits taken out for major construction on waterfront properties, which is the key sector in the township’s construction industry, has been on a steady decline for the past five years.

In 2005, 79 permits were issued for waterfront residential construction and additions, and only 34 were issued in 2010.

Changes in the way construction values are calculated are credited with keeping the dollar value of construction high, as is the impact of inflation on construction costs.

Pay phone at Clar-Mill rink – While pay phones are going the way of the Dodo throughout the province, one is being put in outside the Clar-Mill Hall. The township made a request to Bell for a pay phone at that location so that people using the ice rink in the wintertime can contact their families and emergency personnel if necessary.

“This will be a useful until we get cell phone service in Plevna,” said Councilor Gerry Martin. “After that the phone will be taken away just like they have been elsewhere.”