Last year cottagers in the Kawartha Lakes area of southern Ontario, particularly Shamong Lake, started finding 100’s of dead carp rotting on their shoreline.   

This year cottagers on Rice Lake and Lake Simcoe are also starting to find the dead carcases dotting their shoreline.

Between 12,000 to 24,000 carp have died, at least 1,200 of them were found on Rice Lake and the canal between Trent University and Little Lake.

The virus, one of the factors being attributed to their death, is called the koi herpes virus.  The koi virus, new to Ontario, is believed to have been introduced to the water when hobby fish for backyard ponds, such as carp or koi fish imported from Asia, were thrown into the lakes according to a spokesperson from the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The virus is weakening the fishes’ immune system, leaving them more susceptible to bacteria.  Spawning and higher water temperatures are also putting the fish under increased stress.

While the virus poses no threat to human health, continually bagging and removing the dead fish carcuses has angered cottagers in the Peterborough area to the point where they have staged a protest at the Ministry of Natural Resources local office. 

If you have a cottage that is connected to the Trent Severn Waterway system and are starting to notice dead carp washing up on your shoreline, you’re asked to to call 1-866-929-0884.

Cheers,

Julie

Our cottage neigbours, Ted and Maria, have lost their wooden retaining wall. The stacked wooded poles that held their infill lawn in place gave way this spring; the result of too much rain and poor construction. Their buckled front lawn is pouring into the lake.

It seems the previous owner wanted a level lawn, so he poured dump truck after dump truck of fill onto his lot and secured it with a round wooden poles stacked on top of one another. This lush green lawn is now a crumbling mass.

The cost to fix the mess is pegged at $10,000 - the cost to bring in a bobcat to move the dirt and secure the wall.

For many cottagers, managing erosion takes time and money. And then there are the environmental regulations. Ted and Maria won’t be able to restore their lawn to it’s original structure, but with the help of a product called, Deltalok, they can build a sloping lawn for about one third of the cost to bring in a bobcat.

The Deltalok system uses a GTX soil bag filled with dirt held in place by metal connectors. Over time, the bags allow vegetation to grow, and the structure becomes even stronger as plant and tree root systems grow throughout.
It is used extensively on banks, slopes and walls.

This product is fairly new to Canada, but due to it’s low cost, ease of installation and ability to protect the environment, it will no doubt be a popular alternative for cottagers seeking bank, slope and wall protection.

Cheers,

Julie

First to arrive are the black flies, tiny little bugs that crawl under your hat, crash into your hair and disappear into your ears, followed by the high pitched screaming mosquitoes. Summer, with its long hot sunny days, beckons these annoying pests out of hibernation and into our lives, where we will spend the next several months waging war on these blood thirsty insects.

Natural Bug Repellents

Scared off by the dire threats of Deet, and inspired by an article written by Dr. David Suzuki, I decided to investigate some natural options to insect repellents. Here is what the “naturalists” are saying:

Best Bug Repellents

It seems mosquitoes, like vampires, have a strong aversion to garlic. EarthEasy.com recommends putting one part garlic to five parts water in a spray container and misting your body. Don’t be surprised if you repel more than just bugs.

Oils - Soybean, Eucalyptus, Citronella, Catnip (be careful with this one), Tea Tree and Neem oil are all touted as having bug repellent properties. Among them, Eucalyptus was reported to be the most effective in keeping the bugs away. Again, the concentration of oil will impact the outcome. My experience has been that concentrated oils can be pricey, but a little does go a long way.

A lot of people swear by Avon’s Skin So Soft - great bath oil, but I’m not a big fan of greasy. Not sure what the success rate is with this product.

Other ways to deter mosquitoes is to:

1. wear dark clothing,
   
2. avoid sweating as mosquitoes are drawn to moisture
   
3. mist yourself with vanilla. According to one message board pure vanilla (the higher the alcohol content the better) is very effective, but don’t be surprised if bears suddenly find you very desirable.

If you love to garden, marigolds are reported to be a good bug deterrent. Perhaps even a few potted plants on a picnic table may just keep the pesky bugs away while you enjoy dinner.

Bite Blocker - if all of the above seems like just too much effort, Bite Blocker seems to be getting some good reviews. Its ingredients include:

• soybean oil
• coconut oil
• geranium oil
• citric acid
• vanilla

Hmmm, maybe the natural oils do work after all. If anyone has any good natural remedies, please leave me a comment.

Cheers,

Julie

Gary Shelton makes his living training people on how to survive bear encounters. In addition to his Bear Safety Training Program, he’s authored two books: Bear Encounter Survival Guide and Bear Attacks - The Deadly Truth. Having lived most of his life in “bear country,” Shelton knows a thing or two about fending off a deadly attack.

Taken from his website, Shelton writes, “There are three possible strategies for dealing with bears, and each has a different success rate.” They are:

1. Play dead/fight back - 30 - 40% success rate

2. Bear spray - 75 - 80% success rate

3. Firearms - 95 - 100% success rate

Shelton has recorded numerous bear attacks and strongly recommends if you have no defense system at all, do not yell at a bear that is blowing, growling, or popping its teeth and trying to locate you visually. He suggests stand still and be quiet; it will most likely leave in a hurry after about a minute.

Given the above statistics and the fact that most people don’t own a firearm, bear spray offers the most accessible defense weapon. I must admit, I have a can of bear spray, but I have yet to ever take it from its holster.

Shelton admonishes, if you’re going into bear country you’d better have bear spray. He writes,”Every year in B.C. there are three to four people who save themselves from death or injury with sprays. Even though spray success runs at about 75%, it is a far better strategy than the ‘play dead/fight back’ concept.”

Here are his tips on using the peppery spray:

1. You need plenty of spray; the 260 gram size can or two smaller can- a small can only has two blasts in it
2. Your spray must be in a holster on your belt for quick use
3. Everyone in the group must have spray and be ready to use it simultaneously
4. The effect on the bear may be temporary, so leave immediately
5. If you’re dealing with a persistent bear and you’ve used up all your spray, beat the bear off with anything available
6. The bear must be sprayed at close range so if the wind is blowing in your direction, the bear will get more spray than you.

Bears, like people are unpredictable. It’s better to be prepared than caught off guard. If you’ve had any bear encounters I invite you to share them with us.

Cheers,

Julie

Now that the weather’s warmer everyone is coming out of hibernation and heading outdoors. From now until late fall, an average of six people will be attacked by bears, here in BC.

Bella Coola Valley BC, situated in the Central Coast mountains, about one-third of the way up the province, has been described as “The Killer Bear Capital of the World,” due to its high level of human bear conflicts. It’s an area with special grizzly bear management issues.

It was here, this past Saturday, where the province’s first bear attack of the year took place, according today’s Globe and Mail article, Animal Control. It has yet to be confirmed whether the attack was related to a food or garbage problem, but the article goes on to explain that over 700 bears are destroyed each year because they pose a danger to the public, largely because they’re looking for food.

It’s carelessness with garbage and food that attracts bears into areas where they shouldn’t be.

Our cottage, and many others across Canada is located in bear country. Below are are 10 tips from the Bear Aware program designed to reduce the incidents of problem people - opps, that should read bears.

Bear Aware Tip Sheet

1. Keep Garbage inside the house
2. Don’t add meat products or cooked food to compost, turn it regularly and keep it covered
3. Pick ripe and fallen fruit daily*
4. Remove unused fruit trees*
5. Use bird feeders only in winter*
6. Keep ground free of seeds
7. Clean barbecue grill after each use
8. Store grill in a covered area
9. Bring pet dishes inside and clean up spills
10. Store pet food indoors

* Our cottage association discourages us from having fruit trees and bird feeders at the lake

Tomorrow we will test your bear knowledge and provide tips on how to use bear spray.

Cheers,

Julie

For anyone considering a pontoon boat, the Loon, built near Orilla, Ont., is an emissions-free electric boat. Solar-assisted, this pontoon boat comes with built-in battery charger. The panels charge the eight - six volt deep cell batteries that operate the Briggs and Stratton electric outboard motor.

On a sunny day, the boat can travel up to 50 km at a cruising speed of about five knots. The six-metre, eight passenger Loon weighs about 1,000 kilograms, slightly heavier than it’s gas-guzzling cousin. According to the boat’s builder, Monte Gisborne, the Loon can travel at least eight times further on a unit of energy than the most efficient gas-powered boat.

Monte concedes that the solar panels (installed on the roof) will provide about 16 km of free travel on a sunny day and you can even stretch it to 32 km, but you won’t be going anywhere after that, as the batteries will need to be recharged, either by sun or by plugging in the boat the grid.

The boats sell for anywhere from $25,000 to $35,000, but a new prototype is currently under construction so don’t quote me on that figure. While the boats save money on gas, the break-even point is somewhere between five to seven years, assuming people spend $100 a weekend on gas over 16 week period.

If you’d like more information on Tamarack Lake Electric Boats visit www.tamarackelectricboats.com TheNew York State Energy Research and Development department recently offered this company a $500,000 grant, so there is a chance they may be relocating to the US, but according to Monte, the Loon will still be available for sale in Canada.

Cheers,

Julie

Weeds across Canada are breathing a sigh of relief as Home Depot announced Wednesday it’s going to discontinue selling pesticides by the end of this year.

I must admit while visiting my brother’s cabin last year on Lake Qu’Appelle, I did try to hide his gallon of Roundup. He has a beautiful lush green lawn, the kind my feet love, especially after a pedicure. Unfortunately, beautiful lawns are not always good for the environment.

Curious as to what people should be using on their lawns instead of pesticides I consulted one of my favourite websites, Living By Water. Started by Clive Callaway and Sarah Kipp of British Columbia (longtime shoreline residents), this site is a great resource for cottagers. It explains how to prevent erosion, maintain water quality, site planning for cabins and good day-to-day living habits for those of us on the water.

Below are their suggestions for lawn maintenance. It seems the best way to get rid of weeds is the old fashion way - bend down and dig ‘em out. Their yard maintenance tips are not only relevant for the cottage but also at home.

Home and Yard Maintenance (from Living By Water)

Plan for the smallest possible lawn, built on the opposite side of your home from the water. If you already have a property with a lawn to the water’s edge, read the tips on starting a buffer zone.

Consider replacing some of the grass in your lawn with clover or other groundcovers that don’t need watering. Good lawn maintenance practices will keep your grass healthier and reduce your need for fertilizers and pesticides.

• “Grasscycle”: Use a mulching mower and leave grass clippings on your lawn where possible. They can increase your soil’s fertility by up to 50 percent! The clippings will be gone in about two to three days as they turn into food for your turf’s roots.
• Keep clippings well back from water and drainage ditches. Never push them over the edge of a bank into a ravine, river or lake.
• Mow when the grass is dry to prevent clumping.
• Increase the mowing height of your lawn to approximately 8 cm (2.5 cm). Taller grass provides shade for better root growth, which helps with absorption.
• Keep lawn mower blades sharp so you don’t tear the grass; this can result in increased water loss and susceptibility to disease.
• Before you consider fertilizing your lawn, aerate it and see if that improves its health. If you still believe fertilizer is necessary, take a sample of your soil to a nursery or agricultural field office for testing.
• Choose a fertilizer high in Water Insoluble Nitrogen (WIN). WIN is released slowly and helps prevent “lawn bum” and groundwater contamination. WIN fertilizers cost more, but they’re worth it.
• Remove dandelions and other unwanted plants from your lawn using long-handled tools. Invest in a good quality weed remover; check with your local gardening centre. If you feel you must use a pesticide, do not apply it to the whole lawn. Instead, use an applicator which allows you to direct a small spray towards each unwanted plant. Avoid products like the fertilizer / herbicide mixes which provide blanket applications.

Cheers,

Julie

In case you’ve been hiding under a rock lately and have missed all the news on the government’s warning about plastic water bottles, here’s an update for you. It’s especially important for those cottagers, myself included, who bring bottled water to the cottage.

Here are five things you should know about plastic water bottles:

1. A synthetic compound called Bisphenol A is used to make polycarbonate plastic food containers as well as clear plastic reusable water bottles
2. As the water bottles heat up (i.e. in the summer time when the cottage is closed up) Bisphenol A gets leached into the water
3. Bisphenol A has been linked to:
   1. increased prostate weight
   2. decline in testosterone
   3. hasten the development of cancer
4. To determine if the water container is made with polycarbonate flip over the bottom. If it has a PC underneath the triangle, it’s made of polycarbonate and contains Bisphenol A. If it has a “7″ inside the triangle, then it may be may contain polycarbonate.
5. Installing a water-treatment system costs anywhere from $400 - $700 (according to Cottage Life Magazine) but the cost per litre is about $0.04 - $0.08.

Here’s to safe drinking water.

Cheers,

Julie

Every year for Mother’s Day my children buy me a plant, shrub or tree. Last year I received two magnolia trees. This year I’m hoping to receive something that bares fruit- ideally a cherry tree.

Inspired by last weekend’s Vancouver Sun columnist, Steve Whysall, (see Sweet Treats) I’d like to turn our backyard into a fruit orchard of sorts.

Due to bears, deer and other little four-legged creatures, we are discouraged from planting any kind of fruit trees at the cabin. Although my neighbour Ed has a great apple tree that kids and animals both enjoy, I’ve shied away from planting anything edible.

This article offered some great advice on buying buying fruit producing plants and trees. Specifically, if you’re planting a fruiting tree, vine or bush this year, don’t expect a bumper crop. You have to be patient as it can take several seasons before a plant starts producing lots of fruit. It goes on to explain that most fruit trees are sold in three or five gallon pots, but if they’re available, it’s recommended to buy more mature specimens in seven or 10-gallon pots, in order get more fruit sooner.

If you want more information on how to plant the trees and bushes, including pruning techniques, the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands is your best source see www.agf.gov.bc.ca/aboutind/products/plant/raspberry.htm

The following are a list of the best fruiting trees and berry-bearing shrubs for the Lower Mainland of Vancouver which is classified as a zone 7-8. Vancouver Island is a zone 8.

Cheery Tree Varieties

When buying a cherry tree, buy a variety that is self-pollinating, so you don’t need to plant more than one kind. The most popular varieties are:

• Lapins, Glacier, Stella and Sweetheart

Apples

Apple trees need a pollinator. As long as there is another tree in the neighborhood, there should be no problem with pollination. Crabapple trees make great pollinators. Recommended varieties include:

• Honeycrisp, Liberty, Braeburn, King Gravenstein, Melrose

Blueberries

Blueberries are self-furtile, but you get more fruit if you have more bushes with similar flowering times, early, mid or late bloomers. Recommended cultivars:

• Duke, Patriot, Blue Crop, Chippewa and Blue Gold

Raspberries

Recommended varieties:

• Heritage, Meeker, Autumn Bliss, Tulimeen

I’m looking forward to building up our back yard garden. Planting trees and shrub given to me by the kids makes it even more special. We might get started a little earlier this year as Earth Day is next Sunday. What better way to celebrate than planting a cherry tree or some blueberry bushes.

Cheers,

Julie

Walking out the front door of my night class I can’t quite make out what’s going on. It’s “snraining” - snow mixed with rain.

Yes, it’s April 18th, and exactly one month from tonight I will be sitting on the ferry en-route to the cabin. Some people get excited about Christmas, but for me the May “two-four weekend” (an Ontario expression) is all about the start of cottage season.

I must admit, I’m starting to get a bit worried. The last three long weekend openers have been cold and rainy, but this year I’m afraid it’s going to be cold and snowy. There’s nothing like opening up the cabin in the freezing rain.

In Ontario it’s customary to take your docks out on Thanksgiving weekend so it doesn’t get smashed by the ice. The beauty of west coast cottaging is the lakes don’t freeze. We leave our dock in, loosen off the lines and let it float.

Standing in hip waders trying to mount pieces of dock onto pipes, or worse, hunting for cement blocks to secure posts in frigid water was always my least favourite job, usually because we did such a bad job of taking it out in the first place.

We still have to crawl under the cabin to get the pump primed and close all the open valves, but I don’t get too fussed about it, especially since it’s a “blue” job. Bill gets to do it. I do the “pink” jobs, bedding, cleaning, organizing, and yard work.

While part of me is really excited about the approachiing cottage season, another part of me is worried we’re going to have another cold rainy wet summer like last year.

Oh well only time will tell. Until water skiing starts, I think I’ll keep downhill skiing. Whistler has 5 cm fresh snow and more expected this weekend.

The last day to ski Whistler is April 20th, but Blackcomb stays open until June 8th. You can buy an $89 lift ticket and ski the rest of the season on it. The irony is they’re closing Whistler so the mountain biking can start. Good luck, there’s so much snow on those trails, unless you’ve got snow tires, it’s going to be pretty tough slogging.

On one final note, it seems Quebecers aren’t the only ones hosing down their snow in an attempt to get rid of it. Rumour has it Grouse Mountain, one of the north shore mountains, is hosing the snow off the trails so people can go hiking.

I guess that’s why they call us “the Great White North.”

Cheers,

Julie