Kukagami Environment Watch Area News
http://www.kewatch.blogspot.com/ Autumn 2009

The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature. Anne Frank



Annual Road Clean-up
The official fall road clean up will take place between October 3rd and 13th.. This allows two weekends so that it can fit into most folks’ schedules and allow you to pick a sunny day. This is also over the Thanksgiving weekend, so you can do a little litter cleanup while walking off that big TG dinner!
Many folks have committed to clean a section of the road every year. There are still some sections that could use a little help. Sign up to clean a one or two km section of the road. We can provide garbage bags and work gloves. To register for your section of the road, drop a line here at KEW@kukagami.infosathse.com.
Bring a friend – it’s a fine way to spend a autumn day while at camp.

Lakeshore Clean-up
All though the summer, Kukagami neighbours enjoyed boating, swimming, fishing and camping on and around Kukagami and Donald Lakes. Many of us took the time and effort to pick up stuff we found along the way: pop cans, beer bottles, bait containers, food wrappers, water bottles! Also found were: a 30 foot waterline, pieces of foam water toys, balloons, and sadly, dirty diapers.
Keeping our water and shoreline clean and healthy insures happy and healthy lakeside living for all of us, residents and visitors alike.
During our third annual Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up project on September 26th, we carted another boatful of rusty garbage from one of the ‘historic’ dumpsites on the lake. This year, the load included an old fridge!
Thanks to the dedicated folks who work to keep our shoreline beautiful!
The Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up 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.

Autumn is Here!
The International Year of Astronomy 2009 is a global effort (UNESCO) to help the citizens of the world rediscover their place in the Universe through the day- and night-time sky, and thereby engage a personal sense of wonder and discovery. KEW newsletters this year have been encouraging folks to pay attention to their outdoor lighting.
Here’s some information from the Campaign for Dark Skies. “The detrimental effect of bad lighting is now so serious that the American Medical Association has called for a national effort on light pollution, stating that "many species (including humans) need darkness to survive and thrive"
There is now significant evidence showing that exposure to light at night can disrupt the body's production of melatonin, a brain hormone best known for its daily role in resetting the body's biological clock. Secreted primarily in the brain, and at night, melatonin triggers a host of biochemical activities, including a nocturnal reduction in the body's production of oestrogen. Research has shown that decreasing nocturnal melatonin production increases an individual's risk of developing oestrogen-related malignancies, such as breast cancer.

Local Logging News
Piquette Logging, contractor for Domtar, began harvesting on Friday Sept 4. They are operating in a jack pine stand just North of Boot Lake. The Dump by-pass has been re-opened for truck traffic and will be used for hauling. Vermillion Forest Management (VFM) expects 4-6 loads of logs to be hauled out per day. They may also harvest a few poplar stands along Kukagami Lake road just south of the dump after the timing restrictions no longer apply. (Thanksgiving weekend). Whether they harvest these poplar stands or not will depend on market conditions at the time.

VFM is currently preparing the Draft Plan for logging from 2010 to 2020. An Open House for the public to view areas selected for cutting will be scheduled for early winter. KEW will post dates/places on the website when they are announced.


Blog from the Bog The Common Loon “Gavia Immer”
Common loons establish their breeding territories on freshwater lakes. New territories can be on vacant lakes or by replacing a missing pair member or by actively evicting a member of another pair of loons. If it is the female loon that is displaced she will move to an adjacent lake. When the intruder is a male, a vicious battle takes place and the winner stays and the loser leaves the lake. About 30% of male territorial battles are fatal and if a loon is killed it is almost always the resident male, not the intruder. If the intruding male loses the battle, he usually survives. Death usually occurs by one loon being speared underwater by the beak of the aggressor. Sometimes a battle can last an entire day!

Vocalizations: The male loons are the ones with the “yodel” and this yodel plays a role in the territorial defense. The male yodel is usually given in response to the potential intrusion of another male. Each male has his own characteristic yodel and it is stable from year to year. However if a male changes his territory he changes his yodel. The pitch of the yodel reflects the mass and physical condition of the male loon. The heavier the male loon, the lower the pitch of the yodel, and the lighter the male loon the higher the pitch of the yodel. Often males who are thinking of invading a territory will fly over it and listen to the yodels of the resident males to determine what shape they are in! The length of the yodel reflects the willingness to fight – a long yodel is much more of a threat than a shorter yodel.
The nervous call we hear from loons (both male and female) is called a tremolo.

Migration: In the fall there are often social gatherings of from 15-20 adult loons (there have been some of up to 75 loons in one place at one time). However when they are ready to start the migration, the larger group breaks up and they head south in smaller groups of from 2 to 10 adult loons. The loons migrate south to salt water. The adults tend to leave first for the south and the young are left on the lakes to fend for themselves and they wait until the last minute before the lake ices over to begin their migration south The young tend to stay on the salt water for 3 to 5 years before returning to the northern lakes. Interestingly, the male young tend to return to within 2 to 3 kilometers of their birth lake. The female young are more scattered when they return but still come to the same general area as they were born in.

Canadian Lakes Loon Survey: This project is volunteer based and provides a general summary of loon breeding success on Ontario lakes since 1995. You can take part in next year’s survey by contacting Canadian Lakes Loon Survey at Bird Studies Canada (1-888-448-2473 email: aqsurvey@bsc-eoc.org website: http://www.birdscanada.org/



Website and Newsletter
The KEW newsletter is published monthly, 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 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.