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.
