Dec 21, 2008

Area News December 2008

Kukagami Environment Watch                                       Area News

www.KEWatch.blogspot.com                                                                    December 2008

 

 


Happy Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!   Santa Claus 

 

 

 

Winter is here!

            Technically, winter arrived with the winter solstice on the morning of December 21st.  However, the snow arrived in the middle of November and the ice came on December 8th.   Here at the lake, winter comes early and stays late.  At Kukagami, winter is not a three-month season, but five months of quiet under the blanket of snow. 

 

close-up of new ice forming, December 1st

 

All About the Ice

            The first ice rimmed edges of the lake in early November.  By the end of the month, the smaller bays had frozen over.  Then the winds of November pushed the ice right back to the shore.  As soon as the wind died down, the ice slipped over the surface of the lake once again.  Cold, calm nights brought new ice, blustery days blew it away.  On the first weekend of December, most of the lake was open – the cold dark waters rippled in the morning mist. 

            Then, we woke on the morning of December 8th to find ice everywhere.  By noon, at least an inch of ice had covered the whole of the lake.  On December 9th, we had a beautiful 6 inches of snow that effectively insulated the new ice, keeping it from getting any thicker.  For the next 6 days we looked out to the pure winter beauty of the lake, but dared not venture upon its surface.  Then came 24 hours of rain.  Lots of rain.  Snow on the lake washed away.  Great puddles formed on top of the ice.

            Next, the temperature suddenly dropped.  The wind blew, rain changed to snow.   The puddles froze, the slushy remains froze, and new ice could form.  By mid-morning on December 16th, the ice measured a minimum of five inches.  Lots of ice!

            On December 20th, the beginning efforts to open the snowmobile trail across the lake began in earnest.  Ice depths were measured in several places, varying between 8 and 12 inches.  The trail could be officially opened by Christmas!

           

Local Trails

            Caution is advised for travellers on local lakes and forests.  While the ice on Kukagami has been measured and found to be safe, that may not be the case in other areas.  Because the snow came early, the ground underneath has not frozen, meaning that in some swamps there could be wet areas, and possibly less ice than we have on the lake.  On any lake where currents run, there may not be enough ice for travel. 

            If you don’t know the area where you are travelling, it’s best to wait for the trails to be opened, and stay on the marked trail!  

 

 

 

Website and Newsletter

  The KEW newsletter is published online, and sent by email to any interested person.  Paper copies can be provided to residents upon request.  Drop a note to Kukagami Environment Watch, 432 Fox Road, Wahnapitae, ON, P0M 3C0.   Check KEWatch.blogspot.com to post your own messages, photos, or to see what’s new between newsletters.

 

           

 

 

 

Oct 16, 2008

Fall Road Clean-up

Gabrielle picking up garbage on Kukagami Road on Thanksgiving weekend

Sep 23, 2008

Area News Autumn 2008

Kukagami Environment Watch                                       Area News

www.KEWatch.blogspot.com                                                                    Autumn 2008

 

The landscape belongs to the person who looks at it.    Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

Fall Road Clean-up

The official fall road clean-up will take place from September 26th Thanksgiving Day.  This allows lots of time so that it can fit into most folks’ schedules and allow you to pick a sunny day.  To register for your section of the road, drop a line here at KEW@kukagami.infosathse.com, or leave a message at 853-1571.  We can provide garbage bags and work gloves.  Bring a friend – it’s a fine way to spend a fall day while at camp. 

Folks who have helped with this effort over the past year – let us know if you want to keep the same section you worked on in the spring.

 

 

North Island Fire! 

 

Friday August 25, Laurentian University Adventure leadership program was completing their 4 day canoe trip in the area under the leadership of Mary Waddell. They camped on the island in the North end and upon departing Saturday morning, met 2 young fellows with a boat full of equipment for camping.  The departing canoers chatted with the young men and learned they were planning to stay on the island for a few days .

 

On August 31st, another Laurentian group travelled this same route. The leader of this second trip, Darcy, had been on the previous the trip and knew the island would be a nice place to stop for lunch. He was shocked to discover that the fishermen had cut down a huge red pine and dug a huge trench - 4' long, 2' wide for a fire. The logs in the trench were still smouldering -so the LU students poured a lot of water on the fire and continued on to camp at Sturgeon Point.

 

The next morning Darcy reported this to Mary as he travelled by her camp. Mary jumped in her boat and drove up to check it out. The fire was now rekindled, smouldering in at least 3 different places and was into the roots of the surrounding trees. Mary returned to camp and called MNR and Hank Richer fire chief.

 MNR had a spotter plane and helicopter in within the hour. and the fire was successfully contained

 

So - many thanks to Laurentian University for dousing the fire the fishermen started, and alerting the locals !!

 

 

Lakeshore Clean-up

  KEW once again worked with the TD Canada Trust Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup project.  In early September we concentrated on an old dumpsite on a point across from Lion’s Head narrows.  We took out a huge load of ancient garbage.  Another crew has worked through the summer to reduce the garbage at the public landing at the causeway.  Others have concentrated on cleaning up campsites in the north end of Kukagami and on Donald Lake.  There are still a few campsites on the main lake that need some attention!  Free tee-shirts are available to anyone who leads a clean up on Kukagami Lake.

 Let us know you are interested by dropping a note to KEW@kukagami.infosathse.com

All though the year, we ask all our Kukagami neighbours to take a few minutes to pick up stuff you find while boating along our beautiful shoreline.

 

                                         North Island Clean-up                                            by M. Waddell

 

On August 22-25, 12 Adventure Leadership students from Laurentian University completed a 4-day, 80 km canoe trip in our area.  Their final campsite was on the North end of Kukagami on the island . They cleaned up a number of branches that had been cut from live trees and a large part of the old dump - 6 garbage bags.  Great job - keep it up and pass on that interest in the care of our environment.

 

 

Don’t Cut All the Dead Trees!

(Tips from Cottage Life website)

Leave standing dead trees Not just for woodpeckers, these “snags” are a veritable hotel for a host of other birds, mammals, and insects. Let them stand, unless they pose a safety hazard; if felled, leave them on the ground to decay, providing another source of food and habitat for creatures such as salamanders and chipmunks. 

In our area, those tall dead pines along the shore have been hoisting eagles all summer!  Large birds often rest in tall dead trees to soak up the sun, and to keep a sharp eye on the water for their next meal.

 

 

Website and Newsletter

  The KEW newsletter is published online, and sent by email to any interested person.  Paper copies can be provided to residents upon request.  Drop a note to Kukagami Environment Watch, 432 Fox Road, Wahnapitae, ON, P0M 3C0.   Check KEWatch.blogspot.com to post your own messages, photos, or to see what’s new between newsletters.

 

Kukagami Spirit Trumps Kukagami Oops

 

            For years to come, stories (some real, some exaggerated) will be told and retold about the summer of 2008.

 

            After the last snowflake had fallen, after the ice guessing contest winnings had been spent, after snow boots, snowmachines and snowblowers had been put away, Kukagami neighbours smiled broadly.  Summer fun would soon begin.  The men of the camps lifted their well-worn tools and polished their fishing gear.  The ladies of the camps gathered garden paraphernalia and eagerly prepared to escape cooking in the kitchen, as dads would be grilling on sunny decks.  Children of all ages put on colourful bathing suits, grabbed their favourite water toys and waited.  They waited with moms and dads; they waited with grandmas and grandpas, they waited with aunts and uncles; they waited with cousins and friends.  They all waited for the long, hot, sunny days of summer to begin.

 

            Somewhere, well hidden, Kukagami Oops giggled.

 

            Every morning, families gathered to gaze longingly at the eastern horizon, expecting the red sun to break through the dark clouds.  But, more rain drizzled, it poured, it fell in heavy sheets.  Families huddled around TV’s; maybe the Weather Channel would give them hope for tomorrow….for the weekend…for next month…

 

            The usual gatherings were planned, from crowded reunions to romantic getaways in the North end; everyone believed the sun would shine on that chosen day.  It couldn’t rain every day.

 

            Peaking out from his hidey-hole, Kukagami Oops grinned.

 

            So, hope filled Kukagami neighbours got busy.  They would be ready for those lazy, hazy days, when family and friends would eagerly come for fun in the sun on our beautiful shores.

 

            And, more rain came, driven by howling winds, storms with flashing lightning and crashing thunder, steady rain pounded on our roofs through the dark nights.

 

            And so, families heaved a sigh, then carried on with their summer plans.  Kukagami bays bustled with activities, resounded with sounds of work and pleasure, drills and saws combined with drums and guitars, melded with shouts and laughter.

 

           

 

 

When the sun did briefly pierce through overcast skies, motor boats of all types crisscrossed the lake; children noisily splashed through waves; canoes glided silently around islands; beautiful people draped themselves on lounge chairs.  Oh! Ah! The feel of baking under the hot rays of summer.

 

Kukagami Oops danced a little jig, ducked back into his hole and guffawed.

 

In an instant, the summer moment ended.  Boats roared back to shore; soaking wet children ran for cover; canoeists frantically paddled for home; drenched, beautiful people donned sweatshirts & baggy pants.

 

But, somehow all the hopeful plans continued.  Costco tents dotted properties, garages were decorated, a new gazebo was built.  Guests would find cover.  Happily, there were some sunny mornings, a few warm afternoons, now and then a starry, moonlit sky.  Kukagami hosted gatherings:  Proud Canada Day celebrations, a fun filled neighbourly picnic, memorable family and friend gatherings.  And work got done…homes got built, roofs repaired, decks & trim painted.   Families gazed at the beauty of their wilderness havens; souls filled with contentment.

 

·        Loons serenely glided by - their haunting calls a comfort.

·        Stormy skies left us awestruck – no artist could capture such colours

·        The blue herons flew by just above the water – a daily treasure.

·        The reflections on the water constantly changed – a kaleidoscope of wonder.

·        And oh…the butterflies…the flowers…the birds…all the shades of greens of our forest.

 

Kukagami Oops stamped his feet and slunk off into the underbrush muttering;  “No blueberries for their pies…big hungry bears in their camps…miles of rough roads for them to drive over…”

 

Ah, yes, more stories about the Summer of 2008, stories to be told around our campfires for decades, but the best of all remind us that the Kukagami Spirit can never be dampened.

_________________________________________________________

 

If you have ideas for a Kukagami story, send them to KEW or call 853-4772.  If you don’t want to write the story, the storyteller will use your details to write for you.  You will get to edit before final printing.                                   

 

 

    One of the main objectives of Kukagami Environment Watch is to serve as a source of accurate and timely information for residents and friends of Kukagami Lake and area.  Ask you neighbours of they are receiving this newsletter!  Offer to forward it to them, or ask them to send their address to KEW@kukagami.infosathse.com.

 

Aug 27, 2008

August News

Kukagami Environment Watch Area News
www.KEWatch.blogspot.com August 2008

"I would rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than in any city on earth"
Steve McQueen

Blueberry Report:
There isn’t really very much to report. All around the lake, blueberries are hard to come by. “Blueberry Hill” has nothing to offer. Islands once rich with berries are barren this summer. However, there seems to be more berries some places along the road, and at the tracks – if the number of folks parked there is a good indication….
The scarcity of berries was likely caused by the two nights of –2 temperatures in the middle of May that would have killed the blossoms. Maybe next year!

Lakeshore Clean-up
KEW once again will work with the TD Canada Trust Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup project. Last September we concentrated on an old dumpsite on a point across from Lion’s Head narrows. We took out two boatloads of garbage. This year, we will revisit that site on September 6th, at 10 am. If enough people sign up, we will also begin clean-ups at the mid lake dumpsite, and on the old lodge island in the north end. The locations will be published on a map in the next newsletter. Let us know you are interested by dropping a note to KEW@kukagami.infosathse.com
All though the summer, we ask all our Kukagami neighbours to take a few minutes to pick up stuff you find while boating along our beautiful shoreline.

The Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup project welcomes opportunities to add more lakes to its roster. Anyone with a strong interest in restoring any lakeshore to its natural beauty is encouraged to contact them at www.vanaqua.org/cleanup. You can go to this site to see a list of lakes that already have organized clean-up dates, as well as to register new lakes.

Bears at Kukagami
There have been more than a few bear stories at Kukagami this summer; lots of torn screens, lots of scattered garbage. Is it because of the poor berry year? Did the cancellation of the spring bear hunt have an impact? Is the transfer station is too close to the camps? Were the bears happier to stay at the dump when it was open all the time?
Some shots have been fired at the bear, MNR has placed a trap at a camp on Fox Road. Neighbours need information! If the bear is caught or killed, KEW will post this on the web at www.kukibears.blogspot.com you can go to this site to find information, and to post new information. Once we know the bear who rips screens is gone, we can all sleep better at night.
Meanwhile, keep your garbage locked up in a secure outbuilding, take it to the dump twice a week. Clean outdoor food areas with PineSol – it will reduce the smells that attact bears.
Go to the MNR website to learn more about living in peace with bears.

Free Canoe Lessons for all ages and skill levels will be offered by request this summer.
We’ll come to your camp, or we can arrange a date with you for larger groups at the beach at Sportsman’s Lodge. Beat the high gas prices and get closer to nature in a canoe or kayak this summer! If you don’t own a canoe, we’ll provide them for the lessons, along with advice for what to look for in a canoe that will suit your needs. Drop a note to KEW@kukagami.infosathse.com

Looking for a new Home
A well-used and well-loved wood cookstove is looking for a new home. Contact kmgs@sympatico.ca , or call 691-0727. Asking $100.


Keep Our Water Clean!
(Tips from Cottage Life website)
Don’t soap in the lake, ever! Even if a soap says it’s phosphate-free and biodegradable, don’t assume it’s safe for the lake. The soap can be harmful to fish and other aquatic animals; all “biodegradable” means is that it’s capable of breaking down (with the help of soil bacteria) into its constituent parts. However, do use this type of soap if bathing on land, and dump the washwater well back from the lake, so it doesn’t filter down as runoff.






Keep our land clean too!
A lot of brush has been dumped over the years just off the road past the Heliport. Brush is probably OK, but old building materials are not. Painted and treated wood create toxic runoff, which no one wants leaching into the soil and water that flows into our lakes. Please take you old building refuse to the landfill off Moonlight drive in Sudbury!

Bears at Kukagami
There have been more than a few bear stories at Kukagami this summer; lots of torn screens, lots of scattered garbage. Is it because of the poor berry year? Did the cancellation of the spring bear hunt have an impact? Is the transfer station is too close to the camps? Were the bears happier to stay at the dump when it was open all the time?
Some shots have been fired at the bear, MNR has placed a trap at a camp on Fox Road. Neighbours need information! If the bear is caught or shot, KEW will post this on the web at www.kukibears.blogspot.com you can go to this site to find information, and to post new information. Once we know the bear who rips screens is gone, we can all sleep better at night.

City of Sudbury staff recently reviewed the revenue and cost of services to our area. This report was done to “provide Council with an update on service delivery and community issues in the area of Kukagami Lake”. You can read the report online by clicking here.

Website and Newsletter
The KEW newsletter is published online, and sent by email to any interested person. Paper copies can be provided to residents upon request. Drop a note to Kukagami Environment Watch, 432 Fox Road, Wahnapitae, ON, P0M 3C0. The Website is updated randomly through the month – so check KEWatch.blogspot.com to post your own messages, photos, or to see what’s new between newsletters.


Our Stories
GOD'S COUNTRY!
Over 15 years ago, the previous owners of our place left a hat prominently displayed on the fireplace mantle. It said "God's Country".
While they are a little rarer now, back then these hats were plentiful & could often be found at yard sales & flea markets in large numbers. They promoted places like Muskoka, Georgian Bay, Kukagami Lake etc. Just how could all these places lay claim to being "God's Country?"
I never thought much in the ensuing years about that now long gone hat, and even less about what "God's Country" really meant.
One night not long ago that phrase came to mind as I reached my own determination of its definition from my perspective. It was a clear,
Cloudless late spring night, not too cold & the lake was like glass. I have a tendency to pass up opportunities like this in favor of some job that needs doing--------------but, something told me "NOT TONIGHT"!
I grabbed a jacket, my fishing gear & the dog & headed out to try my luck. I slipped through the small opening into the north end of Kukagami. Loons called to each other in the background as the trolling motor slowly propelled the boat along the water, So still except for the boat's ripples, so quiet except for the odd loon call or the gently panting of the dog.
The stars turned on their twinkling lights one by one & all of a sudden a glance to my left made the picture complete. A beaver swam quietly alongside the boat about five feet away.
What a perfect, peaceful night! The words "God's Country" flashed to mind. Now I too know what "God's Country" means to me!
I.G.T.

One of the main objectives of Kukagami Environment Watch is to serve as a source of accurate and timely information for residents and friends of Kukagami Lake and area. Ask you neighbours of they are receiving this newsletter! Offer to forward it to them, or ask them to send their address to KEW@kukagami.infosathse.com.

Jul 11, 2008

Fw: Notification of Operations - Red pine thinning (Jackson Lake)

FYI
 
Please be aware that there will be a few logging trucks on the southern part of Kukagami Road for the next few months, as described below.  Drive safely!
 
Also, KEW is collecting information for the July Newsletter, which will be sent out late next week.  Send any information you would like to have included to this email address.
 
Check for previous news at www.KEWatch.blogspot.com 
 
Sent: Friday, July 11, 2008 12:04 PM
Subject: Notification of Operations - Red pine thinning (Jackson Lake)
 
Activities are set to resume in the red pine commercial thinning area by Jackson Lake beginning Monday, July 14th.
 
The work is being done by Armand Gagnon and his son (contractors for Gervais Forest Products).
 
They will be building a bit of road to access the harvest area.
 
Hauling is expected to start a week later (around July 21st), with one truck hauling between 2 - 3 loads per day.
 
The thinning operation will continue into September.
 
I'd appreciate it if you would pass on this information to the membership. I have also sent notice to the KLCA.
 
If you have any questions or concerns, please do give me a call. Alternately, you could also contact Patrick Bazinet (929-1677 cell). He will be VFM's on-site representative.
 
Ron
 

Jun 19, 2008

Area News June 2008

Kukagami Environment Watch

Area News June 2008

www.kukagami.infosathse.com/KEW

"We do not cease to play because we grow old.
We grow old because we cease to play."
- George Bernard Shaw

With this June issue of KEW news, we move back to a monthly schedule of publication for the summer. You can also go to KEWatch.blogspot.com to post your own messages, photos, or to see what’s new between newsletters.

KUKAGAMI SUMMERS
Another summer begins on Kukagami Lake
Swimming, boating, good times in which we all partake
Serene morning waters, the lake smooth as glass
Ever growing circles with each silent paddle pass
A quiet cup of coffee on a patio or deck
Listening to the sounds of birds who sing and peck
Kids in bathing suits, out the door in a flash
Squeals of laughter, down the dock then a BIG splash!!
Hot is the word from Bar B Q's, to saunas to sun
Many activities and they're all so much fun
Families and friends will gather with anticipation
The campers' picnic delights in participation
Picnics at the rapids, picking blueberries off a bush
Careful not to step on them because they'll turn to mush
Lake trout, pickerel and bass tugging on fishermen's line
Beavers, otters, muskrats and loons they also get to dine
Gather round the picnic table loaded down with food
Burgers, steaks and watermelon mmm mmm good
End the perfect day roasting marshmallows over a campfire
Get a good night's sleep, tomorrow brings more that you desire!


June 21st Annual Meeting of Campers Association, 10 am, at Sportsman’s Lodge.

July 6 - Open House at Kukagami Lodge, 2 to 4 pm

Viki and Allan, owners of Kukagami Lodge, will welcome neighbours to their little log cabin resort on Sunday, July 6th. For a special treat at this fifth annual tour of the Lodge, they’ll be serving homemade rhubarb-strawberry cooler along with other yummy snacks. Drop in for a visit to one of Kukagami’s well-preserved historical sites. Kukagami Lodge is only accessible by boat – so if you need a ride, call the lodge at 521-6587, and ‘boatpooling’ will be arranged.

Free Canoe Lessons for all ages and skill levels will be offered by request this summer. We’ll come to your camp, or we can arrange a date with you for larger groups at the beach at Sportsman’s Lodge. Beat the high gas prices and get closer to nature in a canoe or kayak this summer! If you don’t own a canoe, we’ll provide them for the lessons, along with advice for what to look for in a canoe that will suit our needs. Drop a note to KEW@kukagami.infosathse.com

Changes on Our Shores

The shores of Kukagami Lake have lost another of our pioneers. Bob McDougal was among the first group of cottagers to have land surveyed; he received his deed in 1958. When the camp road was cut through wilderness, Bob worked alongside other pioneers. We offer our condolences to his family and friends. He will be missed. We know that his family will continue to enjoy summers at camp where they will share many happy stories of life with Winona and Bob.

Long time camper André Leduc enjoyed her years on Klondike Bay, but has moved on. Andre created the KLCA flag; we will remember her whenever we see the flag unfurled.The Jussela family will be joining our community; we look forward to meeting them all.

Road Clean-up

KEW hosted its 4th annual spring road clean up just before the blackflies descended. Alas, it only took a day for new garbage to show up. On the positive side though, we have many neighbours from Kukagami and surrounding lakes who often pick up litter throughout the summer – thank you to all!

Kukagami Library has moved!

Now located in the first floor of the tower at Sportsman’s Lodge Wilderness Resort. Jody, George, Cortlin and Luke welcome all their neighbours to the community library. Come and select a book in the new location, a cozy sitting room on first level of The Tower. These rainy, mosquito days are the perfect time to escape into a good book. Your library has an excellent selection to choose from- mysteries galore, best sellers, Canadian authors. Have extra books at camp? Drop them off here for others to enjoy!

Sportsman’s Lodge would also like to let Kukagami neighbors know that they have too many rhubarb plants! Feel free to stop in to pick the stalks, or to dig up a plant to grow your own at home next summer.

One of the main objectives of Kukagami Environment Watch is to serve as a source of accurate and timely information for residents and friends of Kukagami Lake and area. Ask you neighbors of they are receiving this newsletter! Offer to forward it to them, or ask them to send their address to KEW@kukagami.infosathse.com.

Kukagami Neighbours appreciate the hard work of the Kukagami Lake Campers Association

Over the past year, the KLCA has acquired funding for several projects that will benefit the health of Kukagami Lake and our residents:

Defibrillator---Sudbury EMS has placed a defibrillator at Sportsman’s Lodge Wilderness Resort. The defibrillator is available to all residents and visitors in our area.

Defibrillator 1 Saves lives, 2 Can be used without training 3 Will not defibrillate a heart that is beating 4 Can be used on person from 2 years of age

Septic Tanks---The Water Committee has obtained funding to assist local residents with the cost of pumping septic tanks this summer.

Sniff out a sick septic system(Tips from Cottage Life website)

There are still cottagers out there with leaking and overloaded septic systems, a major source of contaminated runoff to the lake. Human waste contains phosphorus, a nutrient that algae thrive on; too much of it, and your lake will get algal blooms and decline in water quality. Inspect your septic bed and surrounding area periodically for odours or puddling and, if you detect trouble, call in the professionals. And get the tank pumped out every three to five years. If you’re having a huge crowd to the cottage, say for a wedding, rent a porta-potty instead of stressing the septic system.

Provincial Land Tax Reform

Campers who live in Davis, Rathbun and Kelly Townships got a letter last year about upcoming changes to the way they are taxed. There will be a ‘current value property assessment’ system in the unincorporated territory, which is similar to that in the rest of Ontario. Changes to the tax system take effect in 2009. Local information centers are likely to happen late this summer. You can get on the mailing list by calling 1-800-263-7965. Ask for “Land Tax Reform”

Summer’s Madmen - Bruce Hutchison

After a winter of reasonable unity, Canada is split, by June, into factions forever irreconcilable. Two distinct kinds of men, almost two different species, go their separate ways .

The orthodox and civilized live on as usual in town. The heretics, most Canadian of Canadians, begin the tribe’s oldest summer ritual. With the overpowering impulse of the wild goose, the death wish of the lemming, they swarm to the wilderness. Now, throughout the land, a mass migration is heading toward the summer shack.

The student of our folkways will find on every road out of town a steady stream of cars overloaded with food, bedding, lumber, tools, paint, cement , and no one knows what else- more than enough, you would think, to sustain an army’s campaign. All the passengers are bound for some quiet waterfront by the outer gate of paradise, for a dilapidated house of no conceivable value and thus valuable beyond price.

Some people say that Canada has contributed no great thing to the world’s culture. They have overlooked the Canadian summer shack. No doubt other peoples have country resorts, perhaps better and certainly more elaborate than ours, but it can be proved, I think that our shack is indigenous, peculiar, Canadian and mad. Though aliens may misunderstand it and foreign architects despise it, though it may violate every rule of construction and defy the laws of gravity, the shack remains the truest symbol of Canadian civilization because of course, it is a revolt against a civilization at large . Moreover it is a miracle.

The shack is usually made of cardboard, fastened to a rock by a few rusty nails, built like an incompetent swallow’s nest or a gopher’s hole, and supported by some obscure principle unknown to science. Like all durable things, it rests on the foundation of a dream. It is held together by nothing more than invisible hoops of pure affection and human faith-sufficient to resist not only the fierce Canadian winter but also the deranged climate of mankind.

A summer shackman sets out on a trail that may appear new, but as old as the white man’s life in Canada, a branch of Champlain’s trail leading straight from Quebec. Every year since 1603 the first odyssey has been repeated.The latest version differs superficially from the original, is commonly carried by an automobile rather than a birchbark canoe but inwardly it is unchanged and unchangeable.

A shackman seeks summer, as his fathers have always sought, in the only place where the summer of Canada can be found.As he emerges from the woods, he sees in his shack one of the few certainties left on Earth. Empires may reel, stock markets fall and bombs explode, but the shack will be there. It has been waiting patiently for its owner. Its windows light up at his approach with a glitter of welcome. Its monstrous shape is charged with memories of laughter, tears and vanished children.When , at the sacramental moment, the shackman finds a rusty key ( secreted last autumn, where anyone could find it ) turns a broken lock , and shoulders open a warped door, he enters a dank, musty cell, like a mountain cavern or the lair of the woodland beasts.

But when the fire is lighted, the bedding dried out, and the first meal of summer cooked, the cell instantly becomes a cloister in the New Jerusalem.Then begins the heretic’s summer of freedom, which the orthodox would call a sentence of hard labour, a cruel, un-natural punishment: freedom to mend the ever leaking roof, to paint the decaying boat, to fix the unworkable pump, to cut firewood and perform that infinite toil of preparation which the summer guest will take as his due while complaining bitterly about the service. The freedom, in short, of voluntary servitude, the summer slave of a free country.Opening camp is not really a labour. It is a transfiguration .

The shackman is so transfigured that the orthodox will hardly recognize him in a fortnight. For only here in the open, away from human beings, can a man rediscover his humanity and be himself, do what he likes, build what he pleases and return to the wisdom of a child building sand castles and perceiving the ultimate.

The nation is safe in the hands of the species that made it in the first place of native materials. No doubts about the future alarm the shackman. He mends his roof as if it would last forever. He adds a clumsy porch as if he were building for the ages. He paints his waterlogged boat as if it would carry him across the river of immortality. If the final bomb should drop and civilization perishes, somewhere, somehow a shackman and his wife will survive - the first Canadian and the last.

Website and Newsletter The KEW newsletter is published monthly through the summer, and sent by email to any interested person. Paper copies can be provided to residents upon request. Drop a note to Kukagami Environment Watch, 432 Fox Road, Wahnapitae, ON, P0M 3C0. The Website is updated randomly through the month – so check www.kukagami.infosathse.com/KEW for new information and photos! Submit photos and news items to our email – listed below.

If you know anyone who would like to receive the KEW newsletter, send his or her e-mail address to KEW@kukagami.infosathse.com . If you would like to be removed from the list, please reply to this address.

Apr 24, 2008

Return of the Loons

The Loons are Back!                                                                             

 

            First thing each morning I go out to have a look at the ice.  This last remnant of winter is slowly receding from the lake.  The solid surface we travelled on for the past four months is melting away.  Saturday April 19th, I crossed the lake on the ice for the last time.  The following Monday, I walked out a hundred metres to measure the thickness of the ice. 

Wednesday, I launched the canoe!  Oh it did feel good to be afloat again…even if the travel was restricted to a two to three-metre ribbon of water along the shore.  By evening, all the ice from the dock out to the island was gone.

            Thursday morning there was twice as much water showing.  I stood on the sauna dock, looking out toward the end of the bay.  Packs of ice had shifted halfway out, blocking off the shoreline route I had paddled Wednesday morning.  Then I heard the loon!

            Ahhhh!  They are back!  Our loons made it through another winter, another migration.  This loon came from the southeast, as it does every spring.  First I heard its ‘I’m Home!’ tremolo.  Then I heard the beat of its wings.  I love to hear the whoosh of wind as the loon pushes its way though the air. 

            Next I saw the reflection of the loon in the lake as it rushed by.  The clear still water of morning gave the perfect mirror image – a sight we’ve not had since late November.

            The loon kept on flying, out the bay, then over the hill to the south bay of the lake.  I walked along the shore toward the boat dock so I could catch the warmth of the morning sun. 

            As I walked, I slowly became conscious of another call.  It seemed so commonplace that at first I hadn’t noticed – then suddenly, I recognized another of the loon’s calls, the wail.  Another loon was calling from MacDonald’s pond, just a half kilometre to the south.  The ice likely went off the pond Wednesday.  One of the loons who will spend the summer there was calling for its mate. Wooooooo………

            From the bay to the north, a third loon called out with the yodel. OooooOooOoooooOoo!!!!  The first loon called its tremolo from the south bay, and the second wailed from the pond. The loons are back!

A pileated woodpecker tapped its resonant call on a hollow tree, the white-throated sparrow sang its clear sweet song, the grouse pounded out it mating rhythm, and the chickadees are courting too.

            With the return of ‘soft water’ to the lake, the silence of winter ends, and the joyful noise of spring begins.