lake health

Wood Ash in Muskoka: Revitalizing Lakes and Forests

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In the pristine regions of Muskoka, Ontario, a groundbreaking environmental initiative is breathing new life into the forests that drape the landscape via wood ash additions! The local community, with the support of the Friends of the Muskoka Watershed (FOTMW), has embarked on a mission to counteract the effects of acid rain and calcium depletion—a … Read more

Muskoka’s Lakes: The Calcium Story

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As mentioned last month in this cottageinmuskoka blog entry and this news story from the Huntsville Forester (Cottage Country Now), the decline of calcium in our lakes can affect our lakes recovery from acid rain as well as zooplankton in our lakes, which are are very sensitive to declining calcium levels. From the Muskoka Watershed … Read more

Reminder: The Great Muskoka Paddling Experience is this Saturday!

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Even if you aren’t paddling in the event, it’s an … ahem… Great Experience to watch. This Saturday, at Annie Williams Park in Bracebridge, come out and see why The Great Muskoka Paddling Experience has become an epic one in Ontario paddling and beyond. https://vimeo.com/76351898 The Great Muskoka Paddling Experience generously supports the work of the … Read more

Timber harvesting and the health of our lakes: The Calcium Story

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Mentioned in a number of Muskoka Watershed Council lectures over the past few years, calcium decline in Muskoka Lakes and in particular, the consequences of timber harvesting on lake calcium levels have been hinted at as a potential direct cause of declining health of our lakes in Muskoka. Here’s a past primer news story from the … Read more

The Great Muskoka Paddling Experience

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I’ve just finished post-processing and editing this video for the Great Muskoka Paddling Experience. This event, held annually on the Saturday of the Thanksgiving weekend is a great opportunity for anyone – even if you don’t have a canoe or kayak, you can rent one there – to get out on the water for perhaps the … Read more

Muskoka and Global: Environmental Good News Stories.

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Did you know that Gravenhurst Bay in Lake Muskoka is 4 to 5 times cleaner than it was 1970? Did you know that everyone alive in the 70’s had toxic levels of lead in their blood? Did you know that Muskoka has only half as many acid lakes as it once did? Well, how about … Read more

Muskoka. Our environment is far more than our economy.

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From the Muskoka Watershed Council Lecture Series I have just finished editing and have just posted this video on the Muskoka Watershed Council’s YouTube page. All of us should be familiar with the fact that in Muskoka, our environment is our economy; over half our GDP comes from tourism and cottaging. In this lecture, Peter … Read more

Algae and Water Quality. Looking back to see the future

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As mentioned in previous posts, cottage owners and cottage buyers want to know about water quality on lakes in Muskoka. Because water quality has a direct relationship to property value, and algae – particularly algal blooms – directly affect water quality, we all want to know as much as we can . I just completed … Read more

What do you really want to know? Muskoka Watershed Council wants to hear from you.

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In cottage real estate we get asked a lot of questions: Is it weedy?; Eeeew! What’s that stuff?; Why don’t we see crayfish anymore?; My boathouse dock’s underwater – what’s with the water levels this year?; Is my water safe for swimming?; etc. It’s really a lot of fun to answer most of the time! … Read more