Stewardship starts at home—or the cottage!
Caring for our lakes, rivers, wildlife, and people begins at home or the cottage. There are many ways you can be a steward of our region, starting right where you live or camp, through small actions that make a big difference.
Being Septic-safe
Septic systems can be an efficient and effective way to treat household wastewater.
If properly designed and maintained, systems can last over 30 years, however if septic systems are not maintained they can quickly fail, causing damage to the environment and the potential for high maintenance or replacement costs.
Grow me instead!
The Grow Me Instead program is a provincial initiative by the Ontario Invasive Plant Council which aims to promote native or non-invasive garden plants, and to educate gardeners on potentially invasive garden species. As a part of our commitment to environmental stewardship and member education and communication, LOWDSA currently features a “Grow Me Instead” article annually in the Lake of the Woods Area News magazine.
Healthy Shorelines
Our lake shorelines are amazing places, and we can only see a tiny portion of what goes on along the water’s edge. The land located along shorelines is known as a riparian zone or the “Ribbon of Life”, providing a habitat for fish, animals, and plants. The shoreline’s ecosystem also filters out sediment and traps pollutants. It absorbs excess nutrients from human and natural sources, limits flooding, and it can stabilize and protect banks from erosion when vegetation with dense root masses exist there.
The bottom line: healthy shorelines are essential for all who share our lakes and rivers. Let’s do our part to understand, protect, restore, and enhance the Ribbon of Life on our properties.
FOR BOATERS
Enjoy the day but make the right choice—observe the 30 meter law. Boating too close to the shore causing increased wave action can be extremely damaging to the shoreline, impacting the waterfront ecosystem and lakeshore properties. This is especially true when skiing wakeboarding, or tubing with the family.
Causes of shoreline erosion:
- Removal of trees, rocks, and other vegetation from the shoreline
- Building obstructions like docks in streams that change water pathways and speeds around them, influencing the natural erosion
- Installation of drainage systems that do not include the use of baffles to reduce the flow of water
- Use of watercraft of any kind for any purpose at too high a speed (anything over 10 km/h) close to the shore
The results:
- Disturbed fish habitat and spawning beds
- Increased growth of algae and aquatic weeds
- Swamped loon, duck, and turtle nests
- Reduced clarity of the lake
- Neighbouring property damage
What you can do:
- Find open areas or areas with rocky shorelines for boating activities
- Stay away from docks, boats, and cottages
- Stay away from marshy areas and potential fish habitats
- Always leave and approach the shore in a straight line, diminishing “turning waves”
- Look behind you to see where your wake is travelling
- Maintain the natural shoreline of your property
We thrive on your support
All of our environmental initiatives are possible through the financial support of our members and people like you. Consider making a donation to our Environmental Initiatives & Special Projects (EISP) Fund. Your contributions today and in the future will allow us to continue providing and growing those programs and services you have come to expect from LOWDSA.
