July 2022 Newsletter
Included in this issue:
KWEF Informational Meeting Update
Volunteers still needed
Support still needed
Boating Etiquette
Think before you flick
Our Majestic Hemlocks - by Doris Villemaire
KWEF Informational Meeting Update
Thank you to all who attended our General Information Meeting at the Kearney Community Centre on July 9, and to all who have supported us in the last month. The funds raised will help with with the development and publication of our much-needed website, which is key to our goal to educate and encourage people to be environmentally responsible. Learn more about what we do here.
Volunteers Still Needed
At the meeting, we did slightly expand our pool of volunteers, but more volunteers are still needed, both immediate and long-term.
Immediate needs:
Manning the Regatta Table. We plan on having an informational table at the revived Kearney Regatta (yea!) July 30 and 31.
Creating long term database for Water Quality Sampling records to show trends.
Creating and distributing Owners’ / Guests’ Packages
Writing topical articles for the Newsletter
Recruiting business supporters for inclusion in Supporters section on Website page
Monitoring the Kearney Council meetings, virtually or in person and notifying KWEF if there is something that might require further exploration.
Click here for further information about our volunteer opportunities.
Please contact us at Chair.kwef@gmail.com if you can help or for more detailed information.
Support Still Needed
KWEF is a not-for-profit organization running on a shoe-string budget and we do so much with so little. We currently have just over $2000 in our bank account. Annual expenses include $1000 for Director’s Insurance and $350 for website hosting. All of our Directors not only contribute their time, but pay for various KWEF expenses (printing, etc.) out of their own pocket, with no expectation that we will be reimbursed.
KWEF has a dual role - to gather data and information to allow people to make sound decisions about environmental issues and to educate and encourage people to be environmentally responsible.
We’d love it if you could be a 2022 KWEF supporter - only $10. Every little bit helps!
We accept e-transfers at treasurer.kwef@gmail.com. Please send a separate email with your answer to your security question and please also include your name and email address, so that we can thank you and keep in touch. Unfortunately, we cannot issue donation tax receipts.
Boating Etiquette
How is your boating etiquette? Boaters and PWC drivers must share the waterways with other boaters, fishermen, swimmers, surfers, and skiers. We therefore all have a responsibility to respect each other’s rights to safe enjoyment of the water. Responsible boating, towing, and riding is about minimizing your watercraft’s impact on the environment, and minimizing the impact of your boating on your neighbours.
Check your speed: As you motor around the lake, follow the 10 km/h limit within 30 metres of shore. For one thing, it’s the law. It also reduces your wake’s impact on the shoreline.
Riding a PWC? Don’t endlessly circle in the same spot, especially not if it means that you’re buzzing by swimmers. That’s dangerous and rude.
Be quiet. Out on the water, sound travels farther and sounds clearer – those on the shore don’t really want to hear your conversation or your music.
Know who has the right of way when approaching other boats:
Yield to non-motorized vessels (canoes, kayaks, sailboats, rowboats and paddleboards)
When crossing paths, the vessel on the right has the right of way.
In a head on approach neither vessel has the right of way; both should slow down and steer to the right.
When passing, the vessel you are passing has the right of way; sound an alert by using one short horn blast if passing on the right, two if on the left.
Be aware of your wake and slow down when crossing wakes. Keep a lookout for skiers, wakeboarders and tubers. Try to stay at least 150 feet from other vessels, swimming areas, anglers, etc. If you must pass closer, do so at a no-wake speed.
Keep your engine well-tuned and within acceptable noise and emission levels.
Be careful when re-fuelling; if possible, refuel on shore
Don’t wash your boat on the lake or at the boat launch - do it on shore, well away from any watercourse. Biodegradable cleaning products are not made to be directly released into our waterways. They are meant to go through wastewater treatment facilities, where the majority of contaminants and chemicals are removed before the water goes back into rivers, lakes and the ocean.
Information for this topic is credited to: Cottage Life, Discover Boating, and Boat-ed.com
Think Before You Flick
Cigarette butts are the forgotten plastic pollution. Cigarette butts are not biodegradable; flicked cigarettes don't disappear.
Even as the smoking rate has gone down, cigarette butts seem to be everywhere, scattered along green spaces, sidewalks, roadsides, beaches, waterways—virtually everywhere we go.
Contrary to popular belief, those white sponge-like cigarette butts aren't made from cotton or paper — instead they're a synthetic microfibre that takes years to break down and those butts are one of the most littered items on earth. Worldwide, about 4.5 trillion cigarettes are littered each year.
Most filters are made from cellulose acetate, a type of plastic that either comes from tree fibre, nylon or polyester and is then coated to become durable. The fibres are supposed to absorb some of the chemicals in the tobacco. The filters are made up of hundreds or thousands of tiny microfibres. Littered cigarette butts break down, leach toxic chemicals, such as arsenic and lead, into our lakes and soil. The toxic exposure poisons fish and wildlife, which then gets ingested by those who fish or hunt for food.
So, remind your friends to think before they flick, and dispose of cigarette butts only in the garbage, not on the ground.
Information for this topic is credited to Natalie Nanowski· CBC News and Truth Initiative
Our Majestic Hemlocks
Photo and research by Doris Villemaire
Our trees are by far the largest living things in our area and they almost completely blanket the landscape. With a little practice you can quickly become adept at identifying all of our trees and this will open the door to understanding our fascinating natural world.
In my past columns, I have written about the white pine, balsam, spruce, birch, and maple. The white pine and the hemlock are our most majestic trees. Hemlocks are conifers, but produce very small cones relative to the height/breadth of a mature tree. They are a long-lived species, with some trees as old as 300 years. There are also shrub type hemlocks that are great for wildlife... especially deer.
Dozens of bird species use hemlock as a food source, for nesting and roost sites and for shelter. Eastern Hemlock stands provide important cover for ruffed grouse, deer, wild turkey, rabbits – and homes for innumerable insects and other invertebrates. Hemlock bark was for many years the most important tanning material used in Canada, and was, along with oak bark, the principal material used in tanning leather on a commercial scale.
Most of the old growth was harvested by the late 1800's for the tannin found in great quantity in the inner bark. Trees were felled, stripped, and left in a tangled mess to rot. More recently the Hemlock stands in the Algonquin Park were greatly reduced to provide rail ties for the Toronto Ontario subways, which in return resulted in substantial reductions in the deer populations. We must try to conserve the few hemlock stands that are remaining.