A quick update on activities in our area of interest.
Goulard Lumber is currently harvesting along the railbed a few kilometres East of the Kukagami Road. Hauling has begun as you are probably aware with the wood coming down the Kukagami Rd. Things are progressing well in this block.
Some equipment was also moved to the Wolf Mountain area this week and some work is being done to prepare roads for harvesting in that area this Fall. Brushing of roads as well as a few culvert replacements.
Information is courtesy of Vermilion Forest Management
Jul 22, 2012
Logging Update
Jun 22, 2012
Kukagami Summer News 2012
Kukagami Environment Watch Area News
http://www.kewatch.blogspot.com/ Summer 2012
The rainbows of life follow the storm. Anon
Summer is here and the swimming is wonderful!
Can it be that just 10 weeks ago there was ice on the lake? Will we get 10 weeks of warm water for swimming? Then 10 weeks of chilling water before the ice comes again. Round and round the cycle goes. Life at the lake is a marvel every day. Especially on these hot summer days. It's all about the water: cool, clear, clean…love it!
KEW celebrates 7th year with New online photo album!
Go to the KEW photo webpage whenever you feel a need to breathe in the fresh air and peace of life at the lake. Submit your own photos and we'll post them! kewatch@gmail.com.
Kukagami Forest Reserve Review
In 1999 Kukagami Lake was included in Ontario's Living Legacy as a Forest Reserve. Forest Reserves were designated on important ecological, historical and recreational lands where they overlapped with mining claims. Once the mining claims lapsed through normal processes, the reserved land would be regulated as Provincial Park or Conservation Reserve.
Thirteen years later, Kukagami Lake is still protected from logging, new claim staking, etc. With the ever-shrinking resources of the Ministry of Natural Resources, it is unlikely that the change from Forest Reserve will happen any time soon.
If you want to learn more about the differences between Parks, Conservation Reserves and Forest Reserves, click on the link above.
For a short summary, go to the link on the KEW webpage.
John Royer 1936 – 2011
Our Kukagami "Mayor" was a big city boy, born and raised in downtown Toronto. In 1962, he discovered the joys of hunting in the Kukagami wilderness; the city man fell in love with the Kukagami lake area and the lifestyle.
He had married Betty DelBosco in 1957; her brothers welcomed him to their favourite place and Kukagami shores became central to the Royer family happiness. No hydro, no phones, no running water, no road to their lot after the hours long ride from Toronto; nothing could stop their trek.
Life at camp was a series of adventures; hauling the material to build the camp down the lake, living in a tent, helping friends build their camps- not one experienced builder among them, but the friendships and the camps have lasted a lifetime.
Only true Kukagami enthusiasts enjoyed cold winter holidays in their snow covered camps. The Royer family - John and Betty, brother Bill, 5 kids, 2 dogs - drove 7 hours from Belleville to the Kukagami turnoff. In the dark, they skidooed the 30 kms down the unplowed road to their freezing camp. John happily lit the fire while everyone shivered in their sleeping bags.
When not building, chopping wood, hunting or laughing with friends, John worked tirelessly for the Kukagami community. In late 1970's, John, helped by Norm McGillis, founded the Kukagami Lake Campers' Association. To raise money, a winter dance was held in Garson; in the summer, neighbours gathered at the airstrip for a barbecue, baseball games, an auction and prizes for winners. Soon the gathering evolved into a variety of events for children and adults and the half and half draw. The countless volunteer hours guaranteed that enough money was raised for the essential projects initiated and carried out by KLCA; all of the work once again done by cooperation of fun loving volunteers.
• Equipment for the Volunteer Fire Department
• Marking hazards on the lake
• Neighbourhood Watch and Road Blocks
• Maintenance of the area dump
John volunteered even more time as a trustee on the Kukagami Lake Local Roads Board. He donated his own money to ensure that a road was built and maintained to the last camp.
He never lost his enthusiasm for the area and the people. Even as his health deteriorated, he attended meetings and the family picnics. Though John Royer never built the Community Center of his dreams, he earned his title as our Kukagami "Mayor".
John's final trip away from Kukagami was by helicopter; conscious of his surroundings he had his first panoramic view of his favourite place on earth.
Blog from the bog ... is back!
Time to check out some of the spring or should I say summer nature happenings around the lake.
Snapping turtles --This time of the year – you might see snapping turtles laying their eggs on sandy or gravelly sites. They come out of the water and dig a hole –using one back foot at a time and lay their eggs in the hole in the sand counting on the warm sand to help hatch them in September or October. If you see soft rubbery ping pong like shells in an area near water – they are most likely turtle eggs that some fox has had for dinner!! Very few of these eggs make it to adulthood – but some of them live up to 90 years!! Look for the jagged-ridge dragon tail.
Moths – two of my favourites I watch for in the spring are the Luna moth and rosy maple. Once a week or so – leave your back porch light on all night and in the morning you will find moths covering your wall – it is great to be able to check them out – BUT please leave them to fly away the next night.
The rosy maple is a smaller moth –cream in colour with a pink tinge on the upper and lower parts of the wings. The Luna moth is a large moth with a wingspan of 95mm and is a pale green in colour. Spotting a Luna moth is always a cool find!!
Wascally wabbits – better fence your veggies and even your flowers – word has it they like pansies. why don't we see them in the winter – because their new fur that grows in the fall is white and similarly the new fur in the spring comes in brown. The new growth is triggered by decreasing or increasing sunlight . If there is a winter with little snow – the rabbit (hare) stands out with its white coat and makes an easy mark for foxes, martens and even owls!!
From the dog whisperer - Did you know there is a disease that dogs can catch from digging in the dirt – blastomycosis. It would be good just to be aware of the possibility so if your dog develops an unexplained illness – this might be the reason. Check out these websites for more information. http://blastomycosis.ca/doginfo.html http://cottagelife.com/14413/qa/blastomycosis
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.
Website and Newsletter---The KEW newsletter is published quarterly, and sent by email to any interested person. The Website is updated randomly through the year – so check 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 kewatch@gmail.com. If you would like to be removed from the list, please reply to this address.
May 25, 2012
May Update: Wolf Lake, Fire!, Logging
Kukagami Environment Watch Spring Update
Wolf Lake, the Largest Area of Old Growth Red Pine in the World!
Efforts to bring the Wolf Lake area into the Chiniguchi Waterway Park continue. On May 31st, one of the leases at Wolf Lake will expire...IF the Minster of Northern Development and Mines allows it to go. Rick Bartolucci, our Sudbury MPP is the Minister! Please call his office and tell him you want this beautiful area to be protected. 705-675-1914 Stop the lease renewal!
See www.savewolflake.org, click on "Report..." for more information.
Fire on Kukagami Lake!
Last weekend, 2 cars and a truck burned in a parking lot. It is suspected the hot pipes under one car ignited the tinder dry pine needles, which spread to the tires and got worse from there. Tires exploded, the next car caught, gas tanks exploded, the wind blew the fire across more dry needles, then a truck 60 feet away joined the inferno. Our local volunteers responded very quickly and were able to bring the fire under control.
It is exceedingly dry in the forest! Look around your camp for possible fire hazards, rake your driveway, inspect your sauna, be vigilant!
Saunas are the most likely buildings to burn. After decades of use, the wood inside the sauna will get very, very dry. Sometimes the wood will char. Check your sauna walls by scratching with your fingernail. If the fibres easily scratch off, it's time to replace that wood! It can spontaneously combust at temperatures that are normal in a sauna.
Summer Logging Plans
Road and bridge construction has already begun approximately 3km East of Kukagami Rd and South of the rail-bed. Logging will continue through the summer in this location. If you have any questions, contact Pat Bazinet at Vermilion Forest Management Company Ltd. cell: 705-929-1677
If you have news or photos to share with neighbours at Kukagami Lake, send them to KEWatch@gmail.com.
Apr 9, 2012
Spring Newsletter
Kukagami Environment Watch Area News
http://www.kewatch.blogspot.com/ Spring 2012
In the spring,
at the end of the day,
you should smell like dirt. Margaret Atwood
(here's hoping you can get out to the garden soon!)
The Ice is Gone!
Early afternoon, Monday April 9th, the last floes of ice were blowing down the lake with the strong northwest winds. This is one of the earliest dates for an ice free lake, second only to 2010, when the ice blew away on April 3rd. The average ice-out date for the past 30 years occurred in the last ten days of April.
The long warm weeks of mid-March almost resulted in the earliest ever ice-off Kukagami Lake. But alas, seasonal temperatures returned, and the ice got thicker for a week or two. Even though all the ice was gone from Klondike Bay by April 5th, it was just possible to walk on the ice of the big lake on the morning of Friday April 6th. This was only possible because the overnight temperature dipped well below freezing each of the preceding 5 nights. See lots of photos on the KEW website.
Oops!
Someone went skidooing a little late this year, don't ya think? If it was you let us know and we'll help get a crew to pull the skidoo out of the water!
Spring Road Clean-up
Early spring means we can get an early start to the annual spring Road Clean up! Between now and May 5th, you can sign up to clear the litter from a section of Kukagami and Fox Roads. To register for your section of the road, drop a line here at kewatch@gmail.com.
Bring a friend – it's a fine way to spend a spring day while at camp.
**Please note! The City wants us to sort the roadside trash into separate bags of recyclables and garbage. We have clear bags for the recyclables, and black bags for the garbage. Please let us know if you need these supplies!**
You also need to sign a waiver. Please wear a bright orange vest while working…and keep yourself safe!
Wolf Lake!
Efforts are underway to bring stronger protection to Wolf Lake and the Chiniguchi River system. A postcard campaign to encourage the Minister of Northern Development and Mines, our own Rick Bartolucci, to stop auto-renewing the mining claims and leases in the area. Check out www.savewolflake.org and request a postcard from KEW at KEWatch@gmail.com
Water Watcher
Now that the ice is off the lake, it's time to think about how we can keep the water clean – clean enough to drink while having a swim this summer!
#1 Check your septic system…is it working properly?
#2 Does the drainage from your sump pump and eaves troughs go to a leaching pit at least 50 feet from the lake?
#3 Check your boat…clean before launching? Motor working properly? All bilge water dumped before changing lakes?
#4 Do you have a place far from the lake for cleaning your car and/or ATV?
Website and Newsletter
The KEW newsletter is published quarterly, and sent by email to any interested person. The Website is updated randomly through the year – so check 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 kewatch@gmail.com. If you would like to be removed from the list, please reply to this address.
Satellite Photo from April 6th
You can see that Klondike Bay is ice-free, as is Ashigami Lake and most of Wanapitae. Ice still lingered in the northeast bay on Wanapitae, and great sheets of ice remained on Lake Nipissing.
Apr 8, 2012
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