Hello Six Mile Lake Cottagers

As spring has arrived, we would have expected it to be more advanced by now. Certainly, one month ago it seemed that the ice would be out early on the lake. But with March coming in like a lion, it appears that we won’t be putting our boats in until the latter half of April.

Environmental Concerns

On the environmental front, we have had a few bits of good news regarding water quality monitoring. It appears the township council will continue to support annual water quality testing now that long serving Paul Wiancko has retired. In fact, they will likely be contracting with one environmental company to service all inland lakes as well as Georgian Bay. The price tag will be higher because Paul was donating his own time and only charging the township for reimbursement of his costs. However, there are advantages to having one supplier covering the whole region and there will be more comprehensive data with such features as DNA testing to determine if trouble areas are the result of human waste from poor septic beds. We will monitor this and keep you informed on any township decisions.

It appears the township will also continue its support of our shoreline algae and Eurasian milfoil surveys. These projects are about half way complete and we hope to be continuing the work this year with our summer students.

The Muskoka Watershed Council has been working with Watersheds Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Federation to deliver the “Love Your Lake” program to lakes within the Muskoka region. This is Canada’s most comprehensive shoreline evaluation and education tool available and we are both pleased and proud to find out that Six Mile Lake has been invited to participate as one of the areas of focus this year. They will be conducting their own survey and testing of the water this summer and the SMLCA will be assisting them in this effort.

The benefits of the Love Your Lake program include:

• The ability to enhance the program with local information and resources;
• Standardized evaluations of every shoreline property on the lake;
• Consistent stewardship information and confidential recommended actions delivered directly to shoreline property owners to encourage long-term actions; and
• A summary report, useful to help determine shoreline improvements or changes over time and guide community stewardship efforts. While high level consolidated data will be published, no information about individual properties will be publicly available. Individual cottagers can request a full report about their property.

Finally, as we are members of FOCA, we participate in their Lake Partner program. Every year, we test water quality in several parts of the lake for things such as water clarity and phosphorus levels. For several years Claude Bagley has overseen this program. He will no longer be able to help us, so we are asking for a volunteer to take his place. If you are interested in helping out, please send a note to info@sixmilelake.net . Claude has been heartened that over the years the quality of the water has gradually improved. He has enjoyed doing these tests with his junior scientist granddaughter, Chloe, impressing upon the next generation the importance of being a lake steward.

Summer Job Available – Eurasian Milfoil Survey

The SMLCA has a part time (flexible hours during August) summer job opportunity completing the second year of our Eurasian Water Milfoil survey. The successful candidate will learn how to identify the Eurasian Water Milfoil plant and survey parts of our lake to determine where the plant growth is occurring and recording how dense this invasive plant is in different parts of our lake. If you are interested in this job send your resume to http://info@sixmilelake.net .

Miley the Moose

For a few months now, we have been treated on social media with pictures of a friendly female moose. The northeast end of the lake has had the privilege of getting to know her as she has visited their properties. They have even settled on a name, Miley, as in Six Miley. We think it is a gift to be able to observe natural animals so close to us, however we have to appeal to everyone to please exercise discretion and avoid getting too close to her and not to feed her. Also, as too much human contact may compromise her ability to exist in the wild, please keep your pets at a distance. Remember that she is a wild animal and her actions may be unpredictable.

Increase in Property Taxes

We have been monitoring township council budget meetings since late last year and it appears there will be a significant increase in property taxes this year and in the next three years to avoid draining the reserve fund. You will already have received the interim (first half) of your tax bill which is based on half of last year’s bill. Any increase will show up in the second half billing later this summer. Council has been working diligently to make cuts in township spending in order to mitigate this increase. We will update you with more information regarding this matter once the budget has been finalized.

Floating Container/Cottage Update

On February 24, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry issued a request for public comments on the issue of “floating accommodations”, which are floating structures designed primarily to provide accommodation for longer stays (i.e., similar to a cottage).  This was updated on March 16 to include proposed changes that would prohibit such

structures.  Cottagers are encouraged to read the material and send in comments; the deadline is April 11.  While we have been fortunate not to have such “floating accommodations” on Six Mile Lake, it is safe to say that few if any cottagers would welcome a 53-foot (or longer) floating home constructed from shipping containers parked in front of their dock for the entire summer.  The link to this site is here: https://ero.ontario.ca/notice/019-6590

Stay Safe Regarding the Ice

Please avoid going onto the ice especially if you do not know how safe it is. This winter’s sad news of a death through the ice at SML should make us all hyper-conscious of lake safety. The ice starts to get soft in March due to the warm days and lack of freezing during the nights. Even though it may appear thick, later in the season it changes due to warming and can become structurally weak, a condition known as honeycomb or white ice.

When you drill a hole and look down, the first 3-6 inches will appear “white” or refreeze of frozen snow. When the entire column of ice becomes white and you no longer see the strong black ice, be especially careful.