Lake Michigan-Huron remains at one inch above its level at this time last year. - From a month ago the water levels on Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair, Erie & Ontario are up 5, 4, 4, 1 & 1 inches, respectively. Lakes Superior & Ontario are lower by 6 & 7 inches, respectively, and Lakes Michigan-Huron, St Clair & Erie are up 1, 2 & 2 inches, respectively, than they were at this time last year. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair & Erie are 0, 5, 13 & 11 inches, respectively, above their long-term July average, and Lake Ontario is 2 inches below. All the lakes remain well below their July record highs. - In a month’s time Lakes Superior & Michigan-Huron are expected to rise 1 & 0 inches,
Georgian Bay Forever and Georgian Bay Mnidoo Gamii Biosphere are pleased to present the premiere of the documentary film All Too Clear: Beneath the Surface of the Great Lakes on Saturday, August 10, 2024 at the Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts in Parry Sound. This immersive feature-length documentary explores the effects of quagga mussels on the Great Lakes using the world’s most advanced underwater drone. Directed by the husband-and-wife filmmaking team, Zach Melnick and Yvonne Drebert, the immersive film uses cutting-edge underwater drones to explore how invasive quagga mussels are re-engineering the ecosystem of the Great Lakes at a scale not seen since the glaciers. The film will be followed by a Q & A period where guests will have the opportunity to ask questions of
The voices of Georgian Bay Association members are needed for an important survey. The GBA board has agreed to distribute the survey described below to GBA members, including asking our cottage association members to include a link to it in their communications with their members. Please see the following message from the Geopark group explaining their request. Message from the Georgian Bay Geopark Network A team of volunteers is working to create a UNESCO Geopark for all of Georgian Bay and the lands that drain into the Bay. Our small group of volunteer scientists, cartographers, tourism experts and engineers have gained strong and positive reaction from the towns and villages, municipal councils, indigenous leaders, tourist groups and environmental organizations for a UNESCO G
Lake Michigan-Huron is now one inch above its level at this time last year. - From a month ago the water levels on Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair, Erie & Ontario are up 5, 3, 2, 1 & 0 inches, respectively. Lakes Superior, St Clair, & Ontario are lower by 6, 0 & 9 inches, respectively, and Lakes Michigan-Huron & Erie are both up 1 inch, than they were at this time last year. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair & Erie are 0, 4, 11 & 11 inches, respectively, above their long-term July average, and Lake Ontario is 3 inches below. All the lakes remain well below their July record highs. - In a month’s time Lakes Superior & Michigan-Huron are expected to rise 2 & 0 inches, respectively, and Lakes St. C
You often need to act as your own first responder on the Bay and a well-stocked first-aid kit can help you respond effectively to common injuries and emergencies. The West Parry Sound Health Centre Foundation has compiled some great tips on what to keep on hand so you are prepared for a summer at the cottage. Scroll down to read the article or view the PDF here.
Above normal precipitation occurred over the last week throughout most of the Great Lakes region. - Lake Michigan-Huron is still the same level as it was at this time last year. - From a month ago the water levels on Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, & St Clair & are up 4, 3 & 0 inches, respectively, and Lakes Erie & Ontario are down 1 inch. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair, Erie & Ontario are lower by 7, 0, 1, 0 & 11 inches, respectively, than they were at this time last year. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair & Erie are 1, 5, 9 & 9 inches, respectively, above their long-term June average, and Lake Ontario is 5 inches below. All the lakes remain well below their June record highs. - In a month’s
Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to the biodiversity of Ontario's waters, wetlands and woodlands by displacing our native species and upsetting the delicate nature of our ecosystems. And they love hitching a ride on your boats and PWCs!In 2022, rules came into effect in Ontario requiring boat owners to take “reasonable precautions to remove all aquatic plants, animals and algae from any boat, boat equipment, vehicle or trailer” before transporting a boat or boating equipment overland. When taking your vessel out of the water, remember Clean, Drain and Dry to help keep invasives in check.Upon Retrieval of your vessel: Clean As soon as the vessel is removed from the water, visually inspect all equipment (watercraft, trailer and gear) for aquatic plants, anim
Lake Michigan-Huron is now the same level as it was at this time last year. - From a month ago the water levels on Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair & Erie are up 6, 3, 2 & 0 inches, respectively, and Lake Ontario is down 2 inches. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair, Erie & Ontario are lower by 7, 0, 1, 0 & 12 inches, respectively, than they were at this time last year. Lakes Michigan-Huron, St Clair & Erie are 4, 9 & 9 inches, respectively, above their long-term June average, and Lake Superior & Ontario are 0 & 6 inches below, respectively. All the lakes remain well below their June record highs. - In a month’s time Lakes Superior & Michigan-Huron are expected to rise 2 & 0 inches, r
Sometimes simple actions can make a big difference. The FireSmart Begins at Home app engages homeowners in voluntary wildfire mitigation activities through a self-conducted home assessment. The app guides users through a series of questions about their property to help identify specific and unique actions that homeowners can take to reduce the impact of wildfires on homes and properties. Check out the app and more about the FireSmart program here. GBA also has some great resources and information on fire prevention for your cottage and home, here.
Lake Michigan-Huron is now 2 inches lower than it was at this time last year. - From a month ago the water levels on Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair & Erie are up 3, 2, 3 & 0 inches, respectively, and Lake Ontario is down 1 inch. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair & Ontario are lower by 11, 2, 0 & 12 inches, respectively, and Lakes Erie is up 1 inch, than they were at this time last year. Lakes Michigan-Huron, St Clair & Erie are 3, 10 & 10 inches, respectively, above their long-term June average, and Lake Superior & Ontario are 2 & 5 inches below, respectively. All the lakes remain well below their June record highs. - In a month’s time Lakes Superior & Michigan-Huron are expected to rise 2
The Ontario-developed Clean Marine Program is an environmental program that ensures marinas follow best environmental practices to reduce and prevent water, air, and land pollution associated with recreational boating activities. Businesses that join the program undergo a 220-point assessment and scores from the evaluation are converted into an Eco-Rating system ranking from Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond and Diamond Elite. Re-assessments are mandatory every four years with self-assessments conducted annually. Clean Marine Program Eco-Rated Marinas proudly fly the Clean Marine environmental flag. As a boater, this is your assurance that the marina has adopted the highest environmental standards for marinas in the world. There are currently 40 marinas on the Bay that meet these
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GBA Amplifies Your Voice
Since 1916, we have taken a leadership role, advocating to all levels of government and other stakeholders to protect and preserve this precious and fragile freshwater ecosystem on behalf of 18 water-based communities on the eastern and northern shores of Georgian Bay. We advocate on a broad range of issues as your watchful eye on the Bay. GBA works to identify and address issues before they become problems.
Read our Value Proposition >>What are sea lampreys and why are they problematic? Sea lampreys are an ancient form of a jawless fish with a toothed, funnel like mouth, that suck blood out of fish. They entered the Great Lakes through the St. Lawrence Seaway. During the 50’s, Lake Huron’s commercial fishing industry was verging on collapse. In particular, one of the most valued species, Lake Trout, a favorite sea lamprey meal, was nearing extinction. The good news is Lake Huron’s sea lamprey population (once the largest in the Great Lakes with over 700,000 in the 1940’s and 1950’s) has been declining. For example, in 2015 the population fell to 70,000, well below the target of 90,000 set by the Great Lakes Fisheries Commission (GLFC), established in 1954 to oversee a Great Lakes sea lamprey control
The message from traditional Indigenous teachings is that catch and release is disrespectful to the fish (it can also harm their ability to eat properly after they are released) and one should only fish respectfully, which includes eating the fish we catch. Now it seems there is another reason to question this practice. Some bass are smarter than we might think, learn to avoid lures and can pass that knowledge down through the generations! Who knew! - Read more here. -
What’s your name and what’s your connection to Georgian Bay? Sheila Williams and I (Celesta Bjornson) are the co-presidents of the Bay of Islands Association (BICA) and have been enjoying our summers in the Bay of Islands since we were toddlers. My family is from Pittsburgh and we originally found the Bay of Islands in the 1950s by vacationing at a fishing lodge called Moredolpton Lodge. Sheila's family is one of the founding families of the Bay of Islands. Her grandfather discovered the Bay of Islands in early 1900s while working on the lakers, travelling from southern Georgian Bay to the North Channel, transporting lumber back south. He fell in love with the area and purchased an island around 1924 and began building a cottage. Why is being a Guardian of the Bay important to yo
Luc Voorn is a cottager in the South Channel and a passionate advocate for Georgian Bay. He currently serves as the Membership Chairperson for the South Channel Association (SCA), Editor of the SCA “On the Waterfront” newsletter, and as Director, Friends of the Massasauga Park. This past summer (2019), he was nominated as a Guardian of Georgian Bay for his ongoing enthusiasm and efforts to protect and preserve the Bay. Note from Jamie Drayton, GBA Chair of Guardians of Georgian Bay Committee My Dad used to take us camping. His lure to get us to bathe was to promise us ice cream if we ran into the water first thing in the morning for a swim. I recall the water being absolutely freezing at 7 o’clock in the morning… I don’t recall ever getting any ice cream. A few years l
Boating from October through June offers a very different experience steeped in solitude and excellent fishing. It is a beautiful time to be on the water. But boating during this season also requires extra attention to detail and the ability to be self-sufficient given that there are fewer boaters around should you require assistance. Here are some helpful tips from the Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC) and the Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters to make off-season boating safer for you. Check the weather forecast. The weather can change quickly and storms can be more violent. Fog is also more common. Ensure that your boat and engine are in good working order. Ethanol-based fuel can allow water contamination in the tank. The use of a fuel additive prevents water in the f
As nominated by Heather Sargeant My Phragbuster Hero About 5 or 6 years ago, at an event jointly put on by the Georgian Bay Association, Georgian Bay Forever, and featuring Dr. Gilbert, an ecologist with Phragmites expertise , I first learned about invasive Phragmites and the harm it can have on wetlands. I decided to investigate if Phragmites was a threat in Woods Bay (my favourite area of Georgian Bay), and that’s when my journey tackling this plant began. I wasn’t sure if a plant across from the family cottage was indeed the invasive type, and so I was nervous and queasy about leading people to help me cut it. What if it was the native plant, and I’d taken all these people out to cut down something benign? One of my neighbors told me there was a hero on Georgian
The Nature Conservancy of Canada is asking motorists to look out for vulnerable turtles on our roadways. Road surfaces provide an attractive source of warmth for these cold-blooded reptiles, particularly in the spring and early summer. During this time, turtles are mating and nesting; in late summer and early fall, newly hatched turtles are travelling from their nests to nearby wetlands. The Nature Conservatory of Canada has an informative video and tips for safely moving turtles. Watch the video and read the tips here.
Here are some things to think about around Fire Safety at the cottage: Make sure smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are present and working. Have a list of local emergency numbers posted for all to see. Include all pertinent cottage location information. Have the right fire extinguishers in the right places. Have an individual fire plan for evacuation. Make sure your plan has two escape routes. Respect local fire ratings. Have a fire pump and use it regularly to ensure it is in good working order. At the very least have a list of neighbours to call for assistance. Follow your association’s emergency plan if it exists. Make sure you have insurance. Make sure you understand what it covers and that it is adequate to rebuild and covers contents AND fire de
The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario has just released a useful guide on how to how we can all reduce our environmental footprints. Being a Guardian of the Bay also means doing what we can to reduce our individual consumption of carbon based fuels. - Here is a very good fact sheet and here is a full presentation on this topic. -
What’s your name and what’s your connection to Georgian Bay? Cory Kozmik, Anthony Laforge, Samantha Noganosh, Chevaun Toulouse. We are the Lands and Resource Department for Magnetawan First Nation, in Britt, Ontario. - Source: Magnetawan First Nation Our connection to the Bay is the dense biodiversity that it hosts and the role its ecology plays in our lives, including the environment. It is also where ancestors of the Anishinabek Nation walked and practiced each day what it means to live with the land in reciprocity. The connection to the land and water is sacred to the Anishinaabe culture, and held very close to the communities that inhabit the area. - Why is being a Guardian of the Bay important to you? We take great pride in being “Guardians” because it is our
Large wakes continue to be a bone of contention. They cause damage to docks and shorelines and can be very disruptive to cottagers enjoyment of their docks. What can be done? The occasional disruption and damage caused by excessive wakes are an ongoing source of irritation between boaters and cottagers. Boaters are responsible for their wakes and any damage caused by them. But the OPP tells us that damage caused by wakes is a civil issue. And so what you need to do is be able to identify the vessel and the operator and pursue the matter in small claims court if a reasonable result can’t be agreed upon between the parties on their own. However, if a boater is observed to be operating their vessel in a dangerous or careless way then the OPP should be called. They ideally would like t
This past summer there seemed to be a search & rescue operation happening and it left many cottagers confused about what was going on. The questions were about what to do in a situation like that - where to get information, and potentially how to help. When involved in a current investigation the OPP generally will not disseminate info through the media. They most often feel they have the resources to adequately conduct a search. Note that, if the OPP does ask the public for assistance, they are civilly liable if a member of the public gets injured while searching, and so tend not to involve the public. If the OPP is not successful then they will ask the public for assistance through media channels. If people have questions they can call the OPP non emergency ( 1 800-310-1122 ) num
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