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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
I posted a few videos today. One is the 1st of a Muskoka Moments collection. The idea of Muskoka Moments is to show people and places in Muskoka, but more importantly, to try to show the connection between the two. Our first video Backyard Swamp, Bracebridge, is a perfect example to lead off. The star … Read more
I recorded this lecture by Dr. Michelle Palmer in July. One of the Muskoka Watershed Council lecture series. Our Lakes: How they have changed over the last 25 years. Dr. Michelle Palmer discusses how recent climatic warming, changes in acidic deposition, and human-related activities such as road salting and the accidental spread of invasive species … Read more