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Working with our water-based communities and other stakeholders to ensure the careful stewardship of the greater Georgian Bay environment.
Temperatures were generally below average last week, with low temperatures reaching below freezing in some areas. There was also significant precipitation throughout much of the Great Lakes basin, with a large storm providing even more rainfall over Lake Ontario and some of Lake Erie on Wednesday and Thursday. So far this month, the Great Lakes basin has received 145% of its normal October precipitation. Over the next seven days expect significant rainfall over the majority of the Great Lakes basin. Over that same period, temperatures should remain slightly below normal throughout most of the basin with the exception of Lake Ontario. Lake Superior is 1 inch higher than a month ago, Lakes Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario are 1, 6, 8, and 8 inches respectively, below what they
From a month ago: Lake Superior and Lake Michigan-Huron water levels are up 1 to 2 inches; and Lakes St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario are 1, 4, and 8 inches, respectively, below. The levels for all of the lakes on October 11th were lower than the lakes’ October record high monthly average levels by a range of 1 to 7 inches. In addition, the lakes are 7 to 18 inches higher than they were at this time last year. Both Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron are predicted to fall 2 inches over the next 30 days, while Lakes St. Clair and Erie are projected to decline 4 to 5 inches. The level of Lake Ontario is projected to drop 7 inches over the next month. Outflow from Lake Superior into the St. Mary’s River is forecasted to be above average for October. Lake Michigan-Huron’s outflow through th
Fire prevention week runs from October 6th to 12th. This year’s theme is “Not every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape”. With the onset of colder temperatures, the increased use of heating devices of all types can increase the risk of fire. First and foremost make sure you have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors properly distributed throughout the home and that they are operational. That means alarms on every story and immediately outside (or in) all sleeping areas. If they are 10 years old or older replace them. The next priority is to have a fire escape plan. Every household needs a fire safety plan and all members of the household need to practice the plan. Fire experts say people could have less than two minutes to escape a burning structure once the alarm g
The end of September and beginning of October was quite wet across the Great Lakes region. Another round of showers is expected over the weekend as a frontal system begins to move through the region on Saturday. A transition to dryer conditions is expected for the work week, which will provide some relief to areas that have experienced riverine flooding as a result of the recent wet conditions. Lakes Superior and Michigan-Huron are 1 to 2 inches higher than last month, while Lakes St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario are lower by 1, 4, and 9 inches, respectively. All lakes are currently below their highest October average level by 1 to 7 inches. All of the lakes are expected to decline over the next month, despite slight rises in water level during this past week due to the recent rainfall even
Boating in the fall offers colourful views, solitude and excellent fishing. It is a truly great time to be on the water. But fall boating 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 fall 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 fuel line from freezing. Having a backup gas tank onboa
We have a Federal election on October 21st. The GBA encourages all of our Canadian members to engage the candidates in their home ridings on Georgian Bay-related issues and exercise your franchise by voting. GBA has prepared the following questions that we are asking candidates for office, and suggest you do the same. Water Quality The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA) has identified many priorities that the Canadian and American federal governments should address to improve and protect water quality. Many concerns have been raised that more needs to be done to prevent harmful chemicals and plastics from entering the Great Lakes. Do you support increased action and funding to address those threats? Despite the fact that the US states do not permit open n
The Great Lakes have an amazing young champion. Autumn Peltier, a 15 year old from the Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island, addressed the United Nations Global Landscapes Forum Saturday as part of the Indigenous march within Friday’s global climate strike. Autumn is the Anishinabek Nation Chief Water Commissioner, a position she took over from her great-aunt and water activist Josephine Mandamin. Her goal is to educate people on the importance of clean water. Read more about this impressive advocate and watch her speech to the UN here.
Register Now Saturday, October 19, 2019 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM Join us October 19th for H2O 2019 as expert speakers shed light on topical issues relevant to the Georgian Bay community. Our speakers will discuss and field questions on: - High Water Levels Septic Systems Municipal Infrastructure Going "off-grid" with Solar Power vs Hydro Featured Speakers: David Sweetnam - Climate Change and Georgian Bay David is the executive director of Georgian Bay Forever, a scientist and a Climate Reality leader trained by Vice President Al Gore. David will speak about the climate crisis and its impacts in Georgian Bay on water levels, water quality and ecosystems and discuss the actions needed to
In the past week temperatures were generally 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, 6 to 12 degrees above normal for the Great Lakes basin, for this time of the year. With the exception of Lake Superior, which is up about 2 inches due to wet conditions, all the Great Lakes water levels are lower than a month ago. Over the next month lake levels are expected to continue their seasonal decline, Lake Superior is forecasted to drop by 2 inches, while Michigan-Huron, St. Clair, Erie and Ontario are forecasted to drop another 3, 4, 5, and 6 inches, respectively. Outflow from Lake Superior into the St. Mary’s River is forecasted to be above average for September. Lake Michigan-Huron’s outflow through the St. Clair River and Lake St. Clair’s outflow through the Detroit River, are also projected
When the issue of closing coal fired power stations to improve air quality was at its height, primarily just before the turn of the century, GBA joined other NGO’s across the province in calling for the closure of Ontario’s coal fired power stations. With better monitoring equipment we were able to measure just how bad the Georgian Bay air quality was back then. These collective efforts eventually led to Ontario leading the way by becoming the first North American government to eliminate coal-fired electricity generation in 2001. Fast forward to today, and there has been a steady year on year improvement in our air quality. Read more here.
A great friend to Georgian Bay passed away September 17 at Sunnybrook Hospital. Karl was a scientist, with degrees from the University of Guelph (BSc) and University of Waterloo (MSc, PhD). He was also an assistant professor at the University of Waterloo and a director of numerous corporations in Canada and the US. Karl spearheaded numerous research projects, primarily in the field of aquatic biology. Despite his busy schedule, Karl always offered his expertise to help protect Georgian Bay whenever needed, and his professional expertise was immensely valuable to GBA and your other Georgian Bay organizations over the years. His involvement with GBA started in the late 1990s when he volunteered as an expert advisor on fisheries and water quality issues. In 1999 he helped design GBA's first w
GBA would like to extend its thanks to Minister Catherine McKenna for selecting the east coast of Georgian Bay as a Coastal Conservation Project, and for the $1.95 million Environment and Climate Change Canada grant that will support it. The 4 year project will cover 347,000 hectares of eastern Georgian Bay coast and inland areas and will combine traditional science with Indigenous knowledge to gather data, plan and implement actions to address threats to area species at risk. Congratulations are due to the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve, Georgian Bay Land Trust, Magnetawan First Nation, and Shawanaga First Nation on their successful joint application for this project. Read more about the project here. For additional information follow Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve and Georgian Bay Lan
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 in the fall offers colourful views, solitude and excellent fishing. It is a truly great time to be on the water. But fall boating 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 fall 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 fuel line from freezing. Having a backup gas tank onboa
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
My name is Eileen Maynard; I am 10 years old and the eldest of the 5th generation in my family at our cottage in Cognashene, part of the Georgian Bay Archipelago. Georgian Bay is so special to me. It is where I spend my summers and any weekend we can get free of our crazy life in the city. In the summer you can go swimming and tubing or out to islands for picnics. In the fall, it is so pretty with all of the colorful leaves and trees and a great time to go for a walk on Beausoleil Island. Being a Guardian of the Bay is important to me because Georgian Bay is vital to us and the animals around us. Being a Guardian of the Bay is a responsibility that we all have for keeping it healthy for the next 5 generations. Last year, with my grandfather, I applied for and was accepted as a vo
Sticking it to Garbage Along the Shoreline What’s your name and what’s your connection to Georgian Bay? My name’s Chloe Drayton and I’ve been going to Georgian Bay with my family since I was born - I’m only 7! It’s a nice, peaceful place and it’s nice to go swimming, look for turtles, go exploring on the rocks along the shore and spend time with my family. - Why is being a Guardian of the Bay important to you? Because I want to help all the animals and plants in nature and because it’s nicer to enjoy the cottage when there isn’t garbage lying around. I also want to enjoy Georgian Bay for a long, long time so we have to keep it nice and clean. - What’s your story that helps to show your Guardian of the Bay values? Every year we walk around the shoreline of ou
Go Wild and Protect the Bay What is your connection to Georgian Bay? I came from a family of campers. We didn’t have a cottage. This was back in the 1960s and early 70s and Killbear Provincial Park was one of my favourite campgrounds. It’s where I saw my first rattlesnake and caught my first smallmouth bass. I was introduced to the South Channel in the early 1980s when my wife, Beth, invited me to her family cottage. We bought our own property in the late 90s and have made the annual trek from Alberta to Georgian Bay every year since. - Why is being a Guardian of the Bay important to you? I believe that an individual’s actions are as important as government regulations for protecting Georgian Bay. We are the guardians of our property’s ecological health. Collectively, Guardi
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