Kukagami Environment Watch Area News http://www.kewatch.blogspot.com/ Summer 2016
Blueberries!
It seems the rains came just in time to save the blueberry crop. While they are still scarce on islands and some of the regular lake spots, people are heading out to the clear-cuts and along the tracks to fill their baskets.
A PERFECT KUKAGAMI NIGHT
Full moon sends beams of shimmering light,
Through the darkness that is night,
They touch the water and disperse with haste,
But never fear, 'twill not go to waste,
For I never cease to be in awe,
Of the recurring beauty in the raw.
Star-like twinkles on a sheet of glass,
Only broken by an amorous, leaping bass,
The haunting call of a lonely loon,
Is always my very favorite tune,
Oh these perfect Kukagami nights,
Leave no need to soar to further heights! by Vicki Thurlow
Logging Report
The cutting around Ashigami Lake started several weeks ago. Through talks with the residents of Ashigami Lake, it was agreed to allow the cutting to continue through the summer. The expectation is to get the cutting over with all in one shot.
Herbicide spraying will occur late summer within the clear-cuts on Kukagami and Matagamasi Roads. Detailed maps will be available on the KEW website in early August.
Forest Fire Watch
Want to know more about what is happening with forest fires in Ontario? Click here. You will have to agree to the terms, then you can play around with the maps to see current and 'out' fires from this season. The fire on the camping island just outside Klondike Bay is Sudbury fire number 032 on June 19th in the afternoon. It was caused by recreational users.
A recent tour of the site shows it is recovering nicely, and is still usable for camping. However, the wood remaining in the fire pit is huge! Did that cause the island to catch on fire?
Note: if you need a chainsaw to cut your wood, your campfire is too big.
KEW is working to keep the four main campsites on the lake clean. Each site is visited a couple of times from spring through autumn. If needed, garbage is removed, fire pits put in order and toiletry dealt with. Some sites have old Thunder Boxes…these are fresh air outhouses. They are due for replacement. Donations of time, materials or financial assistance are sought so the boxes can be placed on all the popular sites. Would you like to take on the care and maintenance of one of the campsites? Let KEW know! kewatch@gmail.com
Three of the campsites are in the north end: One on the west shore, just south of the creek from Doon Lake; one on Sturgeon Point, which is points north just as you head east, and one at the north end of the biggest island in the north end. The fourth campsite is just outside Klondike Bay, as described above.
Hello from your friend across the lake. Thought I had best take the time to compliment you on your artistic display of solar lights. I am certain that you are quite proud of your purchase. But I could better share in your enthusiasm had you got some with a shut off switch or motion detector.
Please, let's cut down on the light pollution and enjoy the nights...
Visiting other lakes?
Did you know? There is blue-green algae in Ramsey Lake, Lake Wanapitei, and Hannah Lake.
Did you know? Invasive spiny waterfleas are in Lakes Nepahwin and Penage.
If you take your boat to these or other lakes: - Check your swim gear and do not use it to swim in an-other lake until it has been washed thoroughly in hot water or dried in a clothes drier. - When you take your boat out of the water, drain your boat and motor, and wash your boat with hot water or at high pressure and be sure to remove any plant or animal material on it.
Protect natural habitat where plants, fish and other animals live, grow and help keep our lakes clean and healthy.
· Leave or create shoreline buffer strips.
· Keep most of your shoreline natural.
· Use dock designs that don't obstruct water circulation or disturb the lake or stream bed (e.g. floating docks or docks constructed on stilts).
· Leave aquatic plants in the water.
· Avoid disrupting fish habitat during spawning and early rearing periods.
Dock spiders are most commonly found in and around water. They are the largest spiders in Ontario, with a leg span of up to six centimetres. Although insects are their usual prey, dock spiders are able to dive beneath the water to catch small fish. These spiders will also eat small invertebrates and are known to have captured and eaten small rodents such as mice. Luckily for sunbathing cottagers, dock spiders hide in cracks and crevices during the day and usually come out to hunt only at night.
Don Creswell was a long-time resident of Kukagami Lake. Even as his mobility declined over the past few years, he happily attended picnics and parties at the lodge. Always a smile on his face and happy to be a part of life at the lake. His favourite time was hunting season. The times spent with his hunting partners were precious including all the sing alongs. Don was a devoted hunter and never missed a year. He never complained even though his health was failing. He loved living at his home on the lake at Kukagami. He enjoyed life to the fullest.
The arrival home from the sunny south each spring always brings a surprise or two. We spent 2 days unpacking suitcases, grocery bags, boxes, bags, dog "stuff" etc. and wondering where everything would go. Each year I swear to travel lighter, until eventually I'll be down to one suitcase but, somehow I never make it....not even close! There is always one more "must have" that has to come with me because I can't do without it. Add to that all the scrap booking supplies & tools & I'm close to needing a U-Haul! Mission accomplished, everything was put away & it was time to check out what had transpired outside during the winter. I happily snapped pics of the snow pile in the yard (I still truly miss the snow & change of season) until I gradually made it to the side & front yards. I was speechless!
Now before I go any further, you need to understand that hubby has an "in town" mentality when it comes to the yard. By that I mean he thinks it is perfectly sane to have a lush lawn........ in the middle of the freakin' forest!!!! He started this years ago in his efforts to clean up the yard & make it easier to take care of. Really????? He spent hundreds of $ to buy top soil, bottom soil, sod, seed, fertilizer, lime & whatever else is needed to have the equivalent of a one hole golf course in the middle of nowhere. The more I think about it the more I'm sure that this has cost us thousands of $. That said, you can imagine how tenacious, tender & loving he would be of his lawn considering how he has made it his life's work to save a buck whenever & however he can. I'm pretty sure the yard has been resodded at least once & seeded at least twice. Just this week he again removed a whole big plot of dead grass from the front. Not sure yet how much this will cost but I started to wonder if it will mean we'll be spending the winter at home this year. I marched out & laid down the law.......he is not to be buying any more sod to re-carpet the front! All I know is that several bags of black earth have disappeared & the denuded spot is sporting a black blanket of earth. I see a bag of seed in the not too distant future.
Back to my story. Biggest party of the season & I hadn't been invited! I'm sure The Voles had invited all their kith & kin, close relatives, The Moles, all their kith & kin & any other critter capable of tunneling. They threw a Tunneling Bash to put all predecessors to shame! A regular Olympic event, no doubt. Of course, they had to come up for air.....on many occasions..... judging by the holes in the lawn. Every so often I notice the dog yelps & when I look he is standing lop-sided as he steps into one of the holes. The critters must have partied for days to wreak such havoc & devastation!
Holey, moley......if I had a cannoli for every hole & tunnel they dug, I'd be richer than Donald Trump!
At this point, hubby is not too thrilled either. Now our daughter-in-law, who has without a doubt the best kept lawn in Azilda, does not allow anyone other than herself to cut her lawn. We are only allowed to praise it & deservedly so. Weeds be warned, you have no chance against her eagle eye. Once spied, you are toast, & you will be spied!
This week while religiously tending to her pride & joy........a vole had the audacity to poke its head out from under the deck & I'm pretty sure it winked at her as it put out the challenge....catch me if you can! Good luck with that. I still haven't figured out where ours have gone but I'm pretty sure they'll be back soon! Said daughter-in-law has seen our yard & is cringing in her boots!
A great many young people bought Kukagami lakeshore properties in the late 1950's. Now, far too many of these aging men and women are passing away. Their children and grandchildren now enjoy life at Kukagami, simply because we were lucky enough to have parents and grandparents who forged the way. KEW would like to encourage all generations to send stories, memories, events for future issues of this newsletter.
Submissions for the Summer issue need to arrive by early June to: kewatch@gmail.com .
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