Lake Stewardship

There are many reasons people buy property at a lake. Some properties have been in the family for generations. Whether old or new, properties tend to have great value to the people who own them. But people living near lakes have many different ideas about how lakes should be used. They also differ in opinions about their responsibility for taking care of these waters. Opinions often vary from fact. We hope these documents will give you some food for thought when tackling the varied issues that can arise when dealing with stewardship practices concerning our lake properties and making good decisions as a lake community.

The RVCA produces individual reports for 14 catchments in the Tay River Subwatershed.  Using data collected and analysed by the RVCA a summary of environmental conditions is reported for Christie, Davern, Farren, Little Silver, O’Brien, Rainbow and Silver Lakes and the Tay River along with the surrounding countryside every six years.  This information is used to help better understand the effects of human activity on our water resources, allows us to better track environmental change over time and helps focus watershed management actions where they are needed the most.  For other Tay River Catchments and the Tay River Subwatershed Report, please visit the RVCA website at www.rvca.ca.

 

General Stewardship Information

  • Christie Lake Community Stewardship Survey Results – pdf 403kb
    • Firstly, thank you to all of you who responded to our Christie Lake Community Stewardship Survey distributed in February 2015. Many of your comments complemented the short format, straightforward questions and the dedicated work by the CLA executive. Thank you for your valuable input which has greatly assisted us in better understanding the needs and issues concerning our Lake community.
  • CLA Initiative for a Fishsticks program
    • What Is Fishsticks? -For a few years now we have been placing artificial fish habitat along selected shorelines.  Often referred to as a  “Fishsticks” program, it involves the placement of submerged trees along inactive or remote shorelines to provide enhanced aquatic habitat for a variety of fish species as well as other invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles.  Trees that have fallen or were cut down by their owners were floated to secluded locations around the lake and anchored to rocks or trees on the shore.  These trees slowly submerge to form great subsurface habitat.  In the summer and fall of 2015 we also began another fish habitat project to construct “brush bundles” which are assembled and secured with wire or cable and then anchored and submerged on the bottom of the lake in areas deeper than 15 feet.  Brush bundles have been successfully deployed in recent years at some other local lakes.  Again the idea is to provide improved fish habitat, in particular a place for young-of–the-year to hang out and avoid predators.The 2015 work was carried out by keen volunteers from around the lake and Venturer Scouts from Camp Opemikon.  We gathered on 5 occasions to assemble and deploy bundles at 15 locations mostly in the north and west sectors of the lake.  Financial assistance to buy supplies was secured through a Fisheries and Oceans grant submitted in partnership with the Lanark County Stewardship Council, Watersheds Canada and the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA).  We have submitted a similar grant application to continue the program in 2016.  Bundle placement will focus on east and south sectors this year.  We will also be conducting underwater camera inspections of existing fishsticks trees and brush bundles to assess how successful these habitats are.
  • RVCA Algae & Aquatics Plant Educational Manual 2016 – pdf 2.59MB
  • Bird Studies Canada has recently published an article in the journal Avian Conservation and Ecology summarizing patters of Common Loon reproductive success between 1992-2010 across Southern Canada, using data collected by participants in BSC’s Canadian Lakes Loon Survey.  The reproductive success of the Common Loon is a good indicator of the health of waterways, especially to mercury and acid precipitation.  To view the complete article select http://www.birdscanada.org/download/BWCwi13.pdf
  • Ontario’s Approach to Climate Change Adaptation – Gary Nielsen (Climate Change Coordinator, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources)
    • this presentation introduced ‘A Practioner’s Guide to Climate Change’.  Although the example in the guide does not cover our area, the guide may be adopted to any region using the framework and inserting our Christie Lake and Tay Watershed data
  • Climate Change for Lake Environments – Paul Lehman (General Manager Mississippi Valley Conservation)
    • this presentation covers the History and description the Mississippi River watershed, Local impact risk assessment, Reservoir implications, Water management implications and Adaptation options
    • there are some very good graphs regarding winter and summer stream flows
  • Climate change risks and adaptation strategies for local communities – Dr. Robert Mcleman (Associate professor, Wilfred Laurier University)
    • correlation of demographics and climate change focusing on the Eastern Ontario Highlands, includes winter and summer trends
  • Climate Change, Water Resources, Fish and Fisheries: Driving Environmental Factors and Shifting Baselines – Dr. John M. Casselman Adjunct Professor, Department of Biology, Biosciences Complex Queen’s University)
    • emphasis on the relationship of water temperatures on varied fish species being an important indicator of change – What to Expect, How to Adapt, Resiliency and Adaptation
  • RVCA Tay-Valley-Lake-Association-SurveySummary_Jan30_2012 – pdf 384kB   This document shows the results of a RVCA survey conducted in January 2012 canvassing representatives of Tay Watershed Lake Associations/Lake Groups in the Lake Networking Group: Eagle, Bobs and Crow, Pike, Crosby, Christie, Farren, O’Brien and Otty Lakes – a 90% response.  The purpose of the survey was to capture some data in support of preparation for the upcoming Tay River Subwatershed Report.  All text responses, though included in the survey, were anonymous.  The bottom line is that the survey results reflect to a large extent the concerns expressed by Christie Lake residents during development of both our State of the Lake Report and Lake Stewardship Guideline.