Click to win a book!
You will automatically be entered to win Two Billion Trees and Counting when you "like" the Sturgeon Lake Management Plan page on Facebook.
Click here to "like" the Sturgeon Lake management Plan and win!
The draw will be held on November 30, 2011. Everyone who has "liked" the page by 10 a.m. that day will be entered into the draw.
See more about the book. |
Want to know more about lake management planning in the City of Kawartha Lakes?
Click here to visit the new web page. |
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11th Annual Lakeland Conference
Saturday, September 10th
8:30am-12:00pm
Faraday Community Centre
This Year's Topic: The 'At Capacity' Designation and its Implications for Municipal Planning on Lake Trout Lakes.
Click here for more. |
Conservation area reopened
Pigeon River Headwaters Conservation is now open, after being temporarily closed due to recent fire damage to the workshop buildings.
We apologize for any inconvenience.
Click here for more about the conservation area. |
Scugog Connections is your local environmental action centre, focused on the health of Lake Scugog and the surrounding watershed.
www.scugog
connections.ca |
Receive news from Ontario's network of 36 conservation authorities, Conservation Ontario.
Click here. |
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Research begins to uncover impacts on Sturgeon Lake health
After the first year of intensive water quality monitoring on Sturgeon Lake, we are beginning to uncover factors that could be affecting the health of the lake.
 The findings have been published in a new, preliminary report, Sturgeon Lake Management Plan 2010 to 2011 Monitoring Results . Click here to download the report (PDF, 3.1 MB)
While water quality was good in most areas, there was a significant amount of phosphorus entering the lake from the Scugog River, attributed to stormwater and seasonal runoff from the Town of Lindsay.
Phosphorus is a nutrient that, along with other factors, can increase the potential for excessive aquatic plant growth, blue-green algae blooms, and lower water quality. It is present in lawn and agricultural fertilizers; waterfowl and animal waste; soil particles that run into water bodies from erosion; rain and snow; and effluent from septic systems around the lake.
High levels of phosphorus were also detected in the smaller creeks and rivers that drain to the lake, with Jennings and McLaren creeks having the highest. Although these tributaries have a smaller influence on the lake than the Scugog River, they can impact their immediate outflow areas. Click here to see a map of the Sturgeon Lake watershed and tributaries.
A positive finding was that the large amount of water entering Sturgeon Lake at Fenelon Falls had lower phosphorus levels. This water combines with water from the Scugog River and the smaller tributaries as it flows toward Bobcaygeon. The average phosphorus concentration at the Bobcaygeon outflow from Sturgeon Lake was either at, or just below, the upper limit of what the province considers healthy.
As we continue our monitoring over the next two years and look at other types of contaminants and factors influencing lake health, we will develop the basis for an action plan that can address the problems, while protecting the areas that are in good condition.
While the plan is being developed, we are working with landowners on early actions that will help protect the lake. This includes shoreline restoration support through free consultations and grants, the development of shoreline naturalization sites on municipal properties, and education and outreach in urban and other areas.
The Sturgeon Lake Management Plan is one of several being developed in partnership with various groups, agencies and stakeholders from across the region, with support from the City of Kawartha Lakes. Each plan involves 3 years of monitoring and then the development of an action plan in year 4, with the goal of maintaining and enhancing the environmental health and economic sustainability of the lake and the surrounding lands that drain to it. For more information, visit kawarthaconservation.com/cklplans. |
Over 50 kilometres of old trails being returned to nature
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Some of the unsustainable trails in Durham East Cross Forest Conservation Area are visible from the air in this photo by Lou Wise, taken in 2007.
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Durham East Cross Forest Conservation Area currently has about 3 kilometres of trails open for low impact uses, such as hiking, bicycling and horseback riding, with another 4 kilometres to be opened by the end of this year. During the past, over 50 kilometres of unsustainable trails were created, primarily through illegal trespassing, within a 1,000-acre area that is now part of the conservation area. This summer, we have begun closing some of these trails as part of our restoration plan for the area. Click here to view the plan (PDF, 750 KB). The trails were unsustainable because they created access to sensitive ecological features, including seeps and springs, and important wildlife habitat, caused soil erosion, and had potential to introduce invasive plant species.  | |
Old trails such as this have been closed to protect the forest floor from further damage
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To increase the ecological function of this land, we have been closing the trails by blocking their access. The types of barriers we use include boulders, temporary fencing, planted vegetation, downed logs, standing dead trees, and intentionally cut trees, primarily the non-native Scots Pine.
Recently, we've been asked why we would intentionally cut trees such as Scots pine in a conservation area. In addition to creating a barrier to the use of unauthorized trails, cutting down Scots Pine is a method of encouraging openings for a greater diversity of native tree species and enhancing wildlife habitat.
We encourage everyone to come out and enjoy the marked trails that are opened, and see the environmental protection, and nature's own restoration, taking place on the landscape.
Click here for more information and a map that shows trails that are open. |
Still time to access grants for shoreline projects
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Wildflowers and other plants with deep root systems protect this shoreline from erosion and ice damage, while filtering surface water flowing into the lake during a rainstorm. A grant from Kawartha Conservation can help pay for these plants.
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Free consultations and grants of up to $300 (on a first-come, first served-basis), are available to assist with shoreline restoration projects.
Supported by the Victoria Stewardship Council and the City of Kawartha Lakes, the free shoreline consultations are available on all lakes and rivers within the Kawartha Conservation watershed, with grants available for eligible projects within the watershed area in the City of Kawartha Lakes. All of the recommendations provided during the consultations are non-obligatory and completely confidential.
Click here for more information or call Shalin Abbott at 705.328.2271 ext. 223. |
Local collaborative wins Minister's Award for Environmental Excellence
The Kawartha Farm Stewardship Collaborative has won the 2011 Minister's Award for Environmental Excellence, for the protection of water quality through on-farm  improvements.
The recently formed collaborative is a partnership of twelve organizations in the Kawartha region, including Kawartha Conservation. Together, we are able to provide funding, technical support and physical resources to farmland owners looking to reduce on-farm risks to the environment.
In 2010, we funded twenty projects totalling more than $240,000. The recipients also contributed to the projects, either financially, or through physical labour or using on-farm materials or equipment to carry out the project. Projects were focused on water quality and habitat protection on farmland, as well as areas downstream, and included restoring wetlands, controlling erosion, and separating livestock from watercourses, wetlands and ponds.
Click here for more on the Kawartha Farm Stewardship Collaborative (PDF, 435 KB) |
Photo contest ends Oct. 31
Click here for details. |
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