There are so many ways you can get involved in and around the Bay.
Take a minute to learn about all the organizations working to protect the Bay by exploring our guide to the GB5.
Or see how you and your entire family can contribute by becoming a Guardians of the Bay.
Who Does What on Georgian Bay? Your Guide to the GB5 Organizations Working to Protect the Bay
Read More...The “Guardians of the Bay” (GOTB) is an initiative to permeate a mentality of protection and preservation across all parties that touch Georgian Bay, in any way, big or small.
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We all want to protect our properties as best we can over the long winter, but if you use or are considering installing a bubbler to prevent ice damage, there are some import issues to consider. Bubblers are a type of de-icing system that prevent ice from forming around waterfront structures by creating zones of agitated and warmer water. Without careful planning, management and consideration of the nature of your waterfront area, your bubbler can de-ice a significantly larger portion of the water than is necessary to protect your property creating large areas of open water. Legal Implications There is no law against using a bubbler, but Section 263 (1) of the Criminal Code of Canada (Duty to safeguard opening in ice) is very clear that those who make or cause to be made an openin
Lake Sturgeon are one of the largest and longest-lived native fish species in the Great Lakes. Once abundant, the population of these giants is now only a fraction of what it used to be largely due to a century of overfishing coupled with habitat alteration and environmental pollution. - The IJC has been successfully integrating Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into the recovery efforts for lake sturgeon whose populations are steadily increasing throughout all the Great Lakes. Many threats remain, particularly to spawning sites, but greater understanding will help to identify and act on solutions. Read more here. -
This month outflows from Lake Superior into the St. Mary’s River are predicted to be below average, not above average as they have been for almost 3 years prior to the spring of 2021. This shows that, under Plan 2012 balancing, the flow into Lake Michigan-Huron continues to be reduced. - Lake Michigan-Huron continues to be below the level it was at this time last year – see first graph below. All the lakes are now lower than they were at this time last year. - From a month ago the water levels on Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair, Erie and Ontario are down 1, 3, 5, 6 & 2 inches respectively. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair, Erie & Ontario, are lower by 11, 16, 11, 7 & 2 inches, respectively, than they were at this time last year. Lakes Michi
The Canadian Safe Boating Council (CSBC) is once again hosting virtual Cold Water Awareness workshops featuring Dr. Gordon Giesbrecht (aka Professor Popsicle), a world-renowned expert in hypothermia. Workshops take place over 2 evenings from 8:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. There are three workshops currently open for registration: Tuesday September 28th & Thursday September 30th Tuesday October 19th & Thursday October 21st Tuesday November 23rd & Thursday November 25th The workshops focus on everything you need to know to survive an accidental cold water immersion and how to help others who may have become hypothermic. Topics include: Understanding the Myths Around Cold Water Immersion and Hypothermia How Our Bodies React to Heat and Cold Stimuli 4 Ways Our B
This month outflows from Lake Superior into the St. Mary’s River are predicted to be below average, not above average as they have been for almost 3 years prior to the spring of 2021. This shows that, under Plan 2012 balancing, the flow into Lake Michigan-Huron continues to be reduced. - Lake Michigan-Huron continues to be below the level it was at this time last year – see first graph below. All the lakes are now lower than they were at this time last year. - From a month ago the water levels on Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair, Erie and Ontario are down 2, 4, 4, 5 & 2 inches respectively. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair, Erie & Ontario, are lower by 11, 16, 14, 8 & 4 inches, respectively, than they were at this time last year. Lakes Michi
Does excessively loud boat noise impinge on your summer enjoyment? The Decibel Coalition wants to change this in Canada. The Decibel Coalition was formed by Safe Quiet Lakes with the objective of lobbying Transport Canada to enhance Small Vessel Regulations SOR/2010-91 to include decibel limits on boat motor noise. GBA as well as over 40 associations and 7 municipalities have joined the coalition to support this initiative (a full list of Coalition members can be found here). This is not overly complicated or new. About 30 states in the USA have had decibel limits in place, some since the late 1980’s. The EU has decibel standards on boat motor noise as well. The decibel limits set are very consistent. Canada needs to modernize its regulations and to bring us up to international sta
Since 1981, thousands of citizen scientists have been watching loons on 4500 lakes across Canada and submitting their observations as part of the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey. Researchers with Birds Canada have used this data to produce the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey 40-Year Report. This extensive report reviews the results from the program, including how loons are faring nationally and regionally, what factors influence loon productivity, and what you can do to help protect common loons. You can read the full report here. To find out more about the survey, tips to help loons, and how to get involved visit www.birdscanada.org/loons.
We have a Federal election on September 20. 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? In this respect, the “Action Plan 2030 to protect the Great Lakes”
The Ontario government has made it easier for the public to help protect the environment by introducing a new way to report spills and pollution incidents. In addition to the existing Spills Action Centre call line, which is available 24/7, the public now has a user-friendly online option to quickly report occurrences of illegal waste dumping, improper pesticide use, and pollution on land, in the water or air. This new digital reporting system can be accessed via computer and smart phone and allows users to upload photos and videos so that quick action can be taken to mitigate potential environmental damages and keep our communities safe. Need to report a spill? Please call 1-866-MOE-TIPS (663-8477) or use the online reporting tool here.
GBA is seeking a recent graduate from university or college to carry out research and analysis and prepare presentations and reports on several coastal protection projects. - This is a 12-month full time position based in Parry Sound and applicants must meet Northern Ontario Heritage Fund (NOHFC) requirements. For more details, see the job description here. - Interested candidates can forward résumés and inquiries to gba@georgianbay.ca.
This month outflows from Lake Superior into the St. Mary’s River are predicted to be below average, not above average as they have been for almost 3 years prior to the spring of 2021. This shows that, under Plan 2012 balancing, the flow into Lake Michigan-Huron continues to be reduced. Lake Michigan-Huron continues to be below the level it was at this time last year – see first graph below. All the lakes are now lower than they were at this time last year. - From a month ago the water levels on Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair, Erie and Ontario are down 2, 2, 1, 3 & 2 inches respectively. Lakes Superior, Michigan-Huron, St Clair, Erie & Ontario, are lower by 12, 17, 9, 5 & 6 inches, respectively, than they were at this time last year. Lakes Michigan
Boating fatalities are on the rise and the 2021 boating season has been a terrible one so far. The OPP Marine Unit wants to remind everyone to be safe on the water this holiday weekend and beyond. Please watch this short video below and consider these safety tips before you head out on the water.
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
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 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
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
