July 2023 Newsletter
Included in this issue:
KWEF’s info package – help with distribution needed
Canada Geese
Natural Shorelines
Bathing in the lake
Hazardous Waste Day
KWEF’s info package – help with distribution needed
KWEF has developed a printed information package for general distribution to residents and guests in and round our local lakes this coming summer. It will include:
• Tips for a Great Cottage Experience
• Our Good Neighbour Guide
• Caring for Your Sewage System
• Information about Town Services including Transfer Station, Fire and Emergency Services
• 2 copies of Our Clean Green Thirteen and Don’t Give Our Septic Indigestion brochure to post on your fridge or in your bathroom.
• Our newly designed and updated Green Guest Guide
• Lake Health & Algae
• Waterfront Living
We need volunteers to help hand deliver these to local lakefront residents. If you are willing to help, please contact us at chair.kwef@gmail.com, or call 705-636-7371. Leave a message if need be.
Canada Geese
Gotta love ‘em! (or not). ‘Tis the season….it seems they are everywhere and abundant. Although majestic when in flight, Canada Geese can be problematic on the ground – mainly because they poop – a lot! Geese excrete 1 to 3 lbs. of feces a day, depending on the current food source; this means that there is the potential for large amounts of fecal material to enter our water system. Geese droppings collect in runoff water that eventually make it into the water, increasing E. coli counts. The problem is then exacerbated by the hot temperatures, which make it easier for bacteria to grow.
However, the impact of geese droppings and other pollutants can be reduced by maintaining the vegetated buffers around waterways. Natural shorelines along the water’s edge gives fecal runoff more time to be filtered by the soil and utilized by plants. This buffer will also keep geese further away from the water’s edge, as they prefer shorter grass.
Fun fact: Canada geese lose their flight feathers in the summer, while raising their young.
Our website has a link to an Environment Canada resource on Canada Geese: https://www.kwef.ca/resources/livingwithwildlife
For those who would like to explore the science of the effect of goose management on water quality, here is a link to a study on this: https://escholarship.org/content/qt3zj01607/qt3zj01607_noSplash_77c3545ceb0e625571fbeca540e481cf.pdf?t=pj62q0
Natural Shorelines
Why are shorelines important? Shorelines are vital habitat. Throughout their lifetimes, over 90% of aquatic species use shorelines for food, shelter, breeding, and rearing areas. Protect your shoreline with native plants, which help protect your property from erosion, reduce flood water damage, discourage geese and deal with their poop, and improve water quality.
There are a number of resources available to create a natural shoreline, including “Guide to Building Resilient Shoreline: Mitigating the Impacts of Climate Change”, available at: https://naturaledge.watersheds.ca/resources/
Is your shoreline healthy? – here are some signs:
Unhealthy
× Erosion – often caused by a lack of native shoreline vegetation and too much boat and PWC wake too close to the shore
× Hardscaping the water’s edge. Hardscaping refers to any man-made structure or placement of materials, such as gravel, stone or rock; none of these materials prevent erosion of the shoreline
× A manicured lawn – or any lawn. Lawns are useless as habitat for almost anything except Canada Geese and golf balls. Stop mowing right to the water’s edge and leave a buffer zone – the bigger the better
× An unbalanced shoreline. According to Watersheds Canada, we should leave 75% of our shoreline in its natural state, and take only 25% for boating and swimming. *Note: The Town of Kearney requires that 75% of your shoreline remain in a natural state.
Healthy
✓ Lots of frogs and turtles
✓ Woody debris, fallen logs and brush along the water’s edge – these make a transition zone that turtles and other critters can use to move from water to shore and provides a resting place for waterfowl. It also helps to buffer any boat wake.
✓ Root systems growing within the water, such as water lilies; these create hiding spots for fish and other aquatic life
Source: www.cottagelife.com
Bathing in the lake
Can you bathe in the lake using soap? The answer is a definitive “NO”, not even with biodegradable soap.
Biodegradable soap is not a safe alternative to regular soaps when it comes to maintaining healthy lake ecosystems. Soaps and shampoos, even biodegradable ones, should not be used in our lakes. Although they are labelled ‘biodegradable,’ these alternative soaps are still adding foreign substances to the lake ecosystem. All soaps negatively affect lake chemistry.
Biodegradable does not mean that the substance will simply dissolve into nothing. Biodegradable means that the product will be broken down into naturally occurring substances like water and carbon dioxide but, this requires soil to biodegrade, which is obviously absent in water. Soaps and shampoos may be labelled as “biodegradable” but can contain chemicals such as preservatives and surfactants, some of which may not be included in the ingredients list, and all of which negatively affect lake chemistry; this can result in increased algae growth.
If you must bathe in the lake, then keep it simple – scrub with lake water and a wash cloth or brush.
Source: Muskoka Watershed Council
A quick note about outdoor showers: these fall under the Ontario Building Code and require a connection to either a septic system or leaching pit; this helps protect the quality of groundwater.
Hazardous Waste Day in Kearney:
August 19, 2023
Accepted hazard waste materials:
Acids
Aerosol Cans
Antifreeze
Bases (Caustic / Alkaline)
Batteries (all types including car)
Fertilizers and Pesticides
Fire Extinguishers (portable)
Fluorescent Lamps
Flammable Products
Fuels
Mercury Switches
Oil and Filters
Organic Peroxides
Oxidizing Materials
Paints and Coatings
Pharmaceuticals
Propane Cylinders (Camping and BBQ)
Sharps (MUST be in solid, sealed, and leakproof container
Solvents
NEW! We have accepted e-transfers of your donations to treasurer.kwef@gmail.com for a while now, but NEW to KWEF is direct deposit of your donations – no security question and answer is required.
We’d love it though if you could also send a quick email to stan.kwef@gmail.com with your name and contact information, so that we can thank you for your support!
Thank you to all of you who have supported us recently – we have received e-transfers from many of you, but have no way of thanking some of you as we do not have your name and contact information. Please know that your support is very much appreciated !