KEW celebrates 10 years!

The Introduction to KEW from the 2005 initial newsletter…
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Kukagami Environment Watch

     Dedicated to the well being of the lands and waters surrounding Kukagami Lake   

We welcome participation of anyone interested in the Kukagami Lake area in all our activities. If you have an event you would like to have published in the newsletter, please send it to kewatch@gmail.com.

Kukagami Environment Watch Mandate:

KEW is dedicated to the well being of the lands and waters surrounding Kukagami Lake.
     -KEW will gather and verify information of interest from reliable sources
     -KEW will share facts with any interested parties
     -KEW will monitor lands, water and wild life
     -KEW will initiate and support projects that encourage the careful use of our environment.

Our area of concern includes the lands and waters on and around Kukagami Lake, including Portage, Donald, Doon and other small lakes nearby.

Kukagami Environment Watch                                Summer 2015 Newsletter 

Blue Moon Gathering

July 31^st marks the only blue moon for 2015. Neighbours will gather at the Bald Rock, just north of the Lion’s Head to see it happen. The sun sets just before 9 pm, just as the moon rises in the east. Meet at 8:30 to share stories and snacks while we wait for the blue moon rising.

Lakewater: Our Most Important Asset

     Greater Sudbury is the "City of Lakes" and many people living on waterfront properties are dedicated to protecting the water quality around their homes. Recently, several lakes in the Sudbury area have developed blue/green algae blooms affecting drinking water and closing beaches. Some of the causes of algae blooms are faulty septic systems, and increased levels of phosphorus and nitrogen. Many of the area cottages and camps are still owned by one of the original family members or one of their descendants. Because most of these “older family cottages” were intended for seasonal use and not designed for shower and laundry facilities, the existing septic/greywater handling systems on the properties may be outdated and ineffective.

     Greywater – The Silent Invader   Long gone are the days when grandpa used to scoop-up buckets of fresh camp water from the end of the dock so grandma could boil water in a stove top kettle to wash the dishes. The evolution of the piston water pump eliminated grandpa’s daily water-fetching trip to the lake however he had to retrofit grandma’s kitchen with a new sink and plumb an outside water outlet for her new wringer washing machine. With the advent of running water came the need to build a drainage pit (usually consisting of a couple of methodically punctured 45-gallon drums) directly adjacent to the cabin. Now-a-days, a high-capacity jet pump complete with reservoir sits where the old piston pump once was and is usually accompanied by a high efficiency hot water tank. More often than not, a warm shower has replaced the refreshing morning swim. We have gone from using 8 to 10 litres of water per day per person to 10 times that volume simply because it’s become so much more convenient. Have you asked yourself recently…where does all that soapy waste water go? Chances are that unless you have upgraded grandpa’s old drainage pit in recent years, much of this greywater may be finding its way to your shoreline and ultimately into the lake.

    Excerpts from Greater Sudbury Watershed Alliance booklet. Download the document for solutions.

Danger on Donald Lake  

     Beware of the newly named “Red Ant Point” - formerly known as Ward King’s old cabin on Donald Lake. We were up that way earlier this week on a canoe trip and stopped to camp. While we were setting up we got a few bites here and there. It was starting to get annoying. By the time we were settled in the bug tent, it was unbearable. We were screeching, howling and slapping as the little red ants would sneak up on us and take a chunk out of our skin. “Ouch” was only one of the words that came out of our mouths. 

     We had no choice – we had to move. I have never seen anything like this, but in talking with other canoe trippers, I discovered this does happen at the odd campsite throughout the north.

      So, to avoid chomping nasty little red biters, “STAY AWAY from RED ANT POINT”.

Logging Plans

     No logging is planned for the Kukagami area this Summer. The slash from last Fall / Winter's operations will be dealt with late this Summer / early Fall. Some roads will also be decommissioned at that time.
     There has been some tree planting done in the block South of the rail bed. All of the area that was site prepared last Summer has now been planted.
     There were also issues with the harvesting that was done along the road reserve in the Bassfin lake area last Fall. Residual basal area was a bit too low and MNRF asked for the area to be planted. A total of 13,000 Jack pine have been planted in that area.
     If any plans change we will let you know.
     We are looking to schedule a summer date for a field trip into the clearcut areas along Kukagami Road, sometime in the middle of August. Contact KEWatch@gmail.com if you are interested. Let us know which dates work best for you.

Citizens on Patrol

     The Kukagami Unit of COPS are like the crows....we leave late Fall, return early Spring.

     Some people may have noticed our return, driving a white cruiser with the COPS logo on the side panel and wondered who we are and what we are doing. We are part of the Greater Sudbury Police Citizens on Patrol program with our unit specifically patrolling the 5 lakes in our vicinity and surrounding areas while following a random schedule. 

     The program itself is a unique and innovative crime prevention program that involves trained volunteers who conduct mobile observations of their areas while on patrol. We drive a specifically marked vehicle and report suspicious or concerning behaviour to Sudbury Regional Police for follow-up via mobile radio. It is like a Neighbourhood Watch on wheels and it allows for an extra set of eyes and ears in our area.

     Who Can Volunteer ? Our volunteer base consists of people from various ages and occupations, ranging from students to married couples to retirees. The Program is looking for community-minded individuals who are 18 years of age or older, will pass a police background check and who can commit to 12 hours per month to the program. If you are interested in the Program, please call the Volunteer Co-ordinator of the Greater Sudbury Police Services at 705-675-9171, ext 2335.

Geography Lessons

     Here is a very cool website with geotours of Sudbury and other northern places, including our area. http://www.mndm.gov.on.ca/en/mines-and-minerals/geology/geoscience-topics/geotours-northern-ontario

Graffiti

     “This past week we enjoyed several boat trips on Kukagami Lake. We were disappointed at two different locations where paint graffiti has recently been applied to rocks. Is there any way we as a group can express our dissatisfaction with this type of behavior?” 

     The paint will soon be removed from the bare rocks, with great effort from volunteers. Care must be taken to prevent the paint and paint remover from entering the lake.

     As a community, we are fortunate to have the beauty of nature all around us. Learn about the rocks and their natural beauty. Respect the land that nurtures us.

     Please continue to report environmental degradation to Kukagami Environment Watch. We will follow up on all correspondence.

Road Clean-up. 

    Thanks to the many neighbours who took extra time to pick up litter from our roadsides this spring.  For many people this is not just a twice a year event.  The busy parts of the road are tended to frequently. 

     Summer is a good time to clean up lakeshores too!  If you are out and about in a boat, take a few minutes to gather in the junk that's washed up on shore.

A Quick Guide to Tree Cavities

     The most prolific cavity-makers in the woods are pileated woodpeckers, since they are the only woodpecker in the region that excavates sizeable cavities for feeding. These large birds generally make large oblong or rectangular cavities, looking for carpenter ants or wood-boring beetles deep in the wood. They also excavate deep cavities for their nests which are re-used by many owls, ducks, and other animals. Pileated woodpeckers reached very low numbers a few decades ago as many of the remaining old forests were logged or cleared for other reasons. Lately their numbers have been rebounding somewhat, and they may be adapting to younger forests.

     Although they don’t make cavities for feeding, hairy and downy woodpeckers, and sapsuckers excavate small, deep, perfectly round cavities for their nests. Active nests show very fresh wood. Older cavities may be taken over by a variety of other creatures, such as wrens, nuthatches, or flying squirrels.

     Medium-sized cavities 5-10 cm in diameter are excavated by northern flickers, and three-toed, black-backed, or red-headed woodpeckers. These can be re-used by wood ducks, and a variety of owls, among others.

     If your favourite tree has a woodpecker poking holes in it, the tree is already bug infested. These birds are simply the messenger! 

Life at the Lake                                                                                                      by Vicki Thurlow

     Grab a beverage & a comfy seat.....this could take a while & has a surprise ending....

Returning home from our winter sojourn in sunny Florida started off very promising with that wonderful feeling of relief experienced when you successfully cross the border & are once again back on home soil. So pleased to arrive back at Kukagami & find our home had been well taken care of by super neighbors with no issues to contend with...at first glance anyway.

     Don't mice have sweet little faces? & I mean literally!  The first cupboard I opened was full of mouse poop!  (They had escaped the dreaded sticky traps that hubby loves to set out but which I think should be banned as they are so cruel. I think the house was so cold that the sticky stuff gelled hard enough for mice to walk on without getting stuck.)  Mice had chewed through a plastic container lid to get at some semi-sweet chocolate chips & you would think they would die of "Death by Chocolate" but no, they weren't finished yet. They found an unopened bag of Twistos on a shelf at the back of the cupboard & nestled under it was a handful of rice in a plastic bag. They cleverly opened up the Twistos & then filled the bag up with the rice. Nowhere was there any evidence that any of the chocolate had survived their onslaught & gone into storage.

     I have now cleaned all kitchen cupboards as well as bedroom closets & the linen closet so it is obvious that chocolate Easter Bunnies now have some competition...chocolate mice!

Anyone who knows me well knows that I love mice & in fact collect Xmas mice but my "mice love" was certainly tested to the max as I emptied & scrubbed each drawer & cupboard & washed the contents.

     I guess the theme here is the letter "M" as my next complaint is the dreaded MOSQUITOES! This year's plague is certainly out to surpass last year's infestation, & I'm just talking about the ones that make it into the house. Did I say "ones"?  I meant thousands!  And how do they get in?  Boy can I answer that!

     Our dog, Winston, constantly wants to go out. He spends hours on the front deck & hates to come in except to eat or drink. Hubby insists that Winston is the one bringing in the army of buzzing bug#*^s on his fur every time he comes in & out. Of course the worse the mosquitoes get, the more often Winston comes in for relief from the relentless bloodsuckers. I hotly dispute his role in this as I totally smother him in a towel as he comes charging through the door.

     On the other hand...hubby is a whole different story. His daily routine is get up, put the coffee pot on & then head outside for a smoke. Once that's done, come back in to get the coffee & go back out. Half hour later it's back in for cup of java #2 & then right back out to work. A little while later it's back in for breakfast then back out until it's time for a potty break. Back out again until it's time to come in & check out the stock market. Out the door again & before you know it...lunch time. Back out after lunch, in for a drink of something cold & back out, in again to check the stock market & have a short nap before heading out again. Back in again for potty breaks, check BNN stock market ticker, & finally time to knock off the outside work for the day. Several smoke breaks later it's finally time for bed. You do the math!  

     I don't smother him in a towel every time he comes in but I sure do get my exercise running around the house zapping thousands mosquitoes all my waking hours. I'm sure I can now be officially classified as a mass murderer!  

     The floors are littered with dead carcasses & I go to bed with the sounds of buzzing & zapping in my head. Sleep is constantly interrupted with a well-placed but useless slap at the ones that get away. If they get so annoying that my sanity is threatened then the lights go on. The hunt is on to the death.

     All's well that ends well, right?  Well I'm now eating my words!  

     Winston also has a daily routine. He awakens, yawns, stretches & whines to get off the bed & head outside to relieve himself...about 6:00 a.m.!  I'm a night owl, often up until 1:00 a.m. or later & so consequently I'm not at my best that early in the a.m. Following his morning ritual (I had been up late writing this story), I let him out, smothered him in a towel when he came back in & he ran back to the bedroom, anxious to get back to the business of sleeping. I was right behind him. 

     Hubby quietly gets up about an hour later, closes the bedroom door & is off to start his day. Seconds later I hear bellowing & the air turns blue with words suitable for a men's locker room. He's back in the bedroom with the question "Did you let Winston out this a.m. & if so when?"

     I answered in the affirmative & said "About an hour ago." to which he replied (are you sitting down?) "Well the back was wide open when I got up & there are thousands of mosquitoes in the house!"  Never moved so fast in all my life!!! We spent an hour & a half zapping & vacuuming up mosquitoes while madly slapping ourselves silly. I've done the math & now have to reluctantly claim dubious "bragging" rights as to the number of mosquitoes I let in the house. Hubby & Winston are off the hook!   

Have a Super Summer!

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