Lake Weslemkoon Conservation Association

50th Annual General Meeting, August 4, 2007
Four Loons Marina

Downloadable: .doc or .rtf or .pdf

Directors in attendance: Chris Cromien (President), Terry Beettam, Sean Boyle, Dan Derumaux, Barrie Evans, Glen Hogg, Stuart Inglis, Jon Keeble (Secretary), Susan McTavish, Jim Reynolds, Mike Scrimgeour (interim)

Opening Comments and Review and Approval of the 2006 AGM Minutes (Chris Cromien, President)

Meeting began at about 10:10. Appreciation to Ruth and Gary Blanchard, proprietors of 4 Loons Marina for their hospitality and use of their open space.

Availability of various printed materials at membership table was announced. Guests at hand were Helen Yanch, Councilor standing in for Reeve Henry Hogg and Arnie Mikkelsen of the MNR.

Annual minutes were on web site and in a dozen copies at the meeting. No amendments were made. Motion to accept from Mel Johnson (#637), seconded by Marcia Scrimgeour (#710). Carried.

LWCA Membership Report & Website-update (Mike Scrimgeour)

At start of meeting, membership stood at the same total as at the end of last year—219 and 10 Friends of the lake. New members included Grayson Burke of Cedar Ridge Camp, Michele and Frederick Borden, Paul Caverly, Warren Kinsella John and Eudora Prendergast, Betty and Roy Reinhart and Brennan and Linda Stewart. Memberships paid this morning were 5, bringing total to 224.

Website (www.weslemkoon.com) update 1. Members will be able to write a question or comment to a particular director and it will be automatically sent to that director’s e-mail for response.

Website update 2. Next year’s membership renewal form will allow data to be filled in on the form and be returned electronically to membership director Mike Scrimgeour. It will make for more accurate lists and spellings. Those with new or revised e-mails were asked to forward that to Mike. The website address is www.weslemkoon.com

Financial Report & Environmental Fund-Update (Terry Beettam)

Terry highlighted information from the published report:

• Revenues are up 3%
• Map sales remain a good income source
• Ads in the Loon Call were down this year and steps are being taken to try and improve that
• e-mail is saving on communication costs
• Liability and Directors and Officers Insurance was now being obtained via a new company working through Federation of Ontario Cottage Assocations (FOCA) for a saving of 30% over prior company
• Money has been spent on new and replacement shoal markers
• The association holds equity of $32,000
• The Lake Book account continues to grow
• The Environment fund at $6,557 at year end has received a further $1,100
• Membership accounts for 75% of revenue
• We're on budget this year with a modest surplus expected

Motion to accept report moved by Catherine Rathbun (#890) and seconded by Jim Reynolds (#293). Carried

Marker Lights/Custodial/Non-Marina Commercial Liaison-Renewal Program update (Susan McTavish)

In her report, Susan highlighted:

• The shoal marker light replacement program has been completed
• There are 18 lights on the lake
• Funding bought 4 new lights in December to standby for use
• Reg Smith checks them 5 times a year, scheduled prior to each holiday weekend
• Lights are pulled and stored at the end of the season
• Reg has Bill Gunter as his backup to assure operating schedule and maintenance

Water Quality Improvement - Boater Environmental Awareness Program Information Package (Barrie Evans)

Barrie began his report with a reference to an article in 1963 by Dr. John Brown in an earlier version of the Loon Call who noted that the lake was becoming busier and water quality would need to be monitored. Especially now, some 44 years, later his words remain valid.

• The Ministry of the Environment tests for the last year show a lowering of phosphorus in both shallow and deep water.
• In unfortunate contrast, Nitrogen is up. It feeds algae and clouds the water. Possible sources are faulty septic beds and fertilizer.
• Barrie’s own tests as part of FOCA’s Lake Partner Program showed lake water clarity was quite good with the black and white sechi disk remaining visible to 5 metres.

A new initiative for this year and next will be a visiting boater and angler information package. It’s a package designed to impart 5 basic pieces of information without adding to paper waste. A stick on label attached to two garbage bags—one for recycling, the other for garbage—will request they leave as small a “boatprint” as possible by:

• Taking their garbage and recycling out with them
• Cleaning their boat to reduce transmission of organisms between lakes
• Being careful when using gas and oil, run a tuned motor and when replacing buy an EPA 2006 approved unit
• Respecting the private property on the lake
• Observing the angling rules established by the province of Ontario

Barrie completed his report by announcing a survey is being undertaken by a lake resident and licenced septic installer and sewage hauler. Mark Dillabough (#112) is proposing an on-lake pumping service which would pump septic tanks from a different section of the lake every 5 years to maintain septic bed health. As it is an expensive operation to set up and maintain, his survey of cottagers is to decide if there is enough demand to proceed. Forms were circulated at the meeting and members were asked to take extras to share with neighbours. At the moment the projected costs is about $500, similar to the Get Pumped program of two years ago.

Land Use Planning & Zoning Bylaws-update (Glen Hogg)

Glen announced that the Township’s bylaws had been amended to match the provisions in the new Official Plan as of November 2006. He mentioned that the provisions impact most on “new” lots which includes subdividing present lots. The most noticeable impact is setbacks of 30 metres from buildings and septic fields except for building such as boathouses which must be at the water’s edge. Existing buildings can be replaced or expanded to some extent if the modifications project away from the water. Building permits must be acquired for all construction.

In answer to a question it was pointed out that the bylaws are county wide, affecting all lakes and lands in the county.

A second question relating to a building on a small island off camp 565 was held until Deputy Reeve Yanch could speak in the next section.

Township of Addington Highlands-presentation (Dan Derumaux/ Deputy Reeve Helen Yanch)

Dan made mention of the ongoing impact of a proposed development on Limerick lake near St. Ola. The multi year dispute involving the OMB, the county, the developer and the cottage association can be found on www.addingtonhighlands.ca). A request emerged that the council minutes be placed on the county website. Ms. Yanch believed they were supposed to be there.

• asked about the dock and building on the island off camp 565 she said she knew little about it but believed it was be discussed at the upcoming council meeting on Tuesday August 8th. An offer was made to show her the site before she left the lake and this was done.
• members were concerned about garbage. She asked members to continue to use bag tags which can be obtained for free if recycling is brought to the marinas at the same or different times because recycling will preserve the shortening life of the landfills at the north and south ends.
• the changing of the locks at both land fills has caused garbage backup problems for both marina operators and local contractors. Noting that the issue “may have been mishandled”, Ms Yanch noted that they were looking at increasing the times per week when the gates were officially opened and monitored. But she also noted that the south end landfill had been in bad shape and they made the lock change decision based on that.
• If the signage for operating hours were not clear she said she’d try and get that dealt with.
• Dan Deremaux added that the Association was trying to help the marina operators get an improved deal with the county regarding access.
• One contractor noted that the one block of 3 hours midweek did not match the waste load emerging from the many projects on the lake and forced crews to work weekends to clear the back log.

Logging-MNR Lanark Forest Management-presentation Glen Hogg/Arnie Mikkelsen

Glen noted that members and friends are coming to the hikes that he announced in the Loon Call. The next on August 11 would be to the north end of Otter Lake and would show off a site most recently logged and closed off—site 166. Most apparent to the hikers would be the number of trees left after a “clear cut”,

Arnie Mikkelsen of the MNR made his last appearance at our annual meeting due to his pending retirement. The points below reflect his presentation:

• the logging of site 166 was done in consultation with the Association and resulted in deeper setbacks to preserved the lake view, smaller staging areas for logs and cutting in the winter to reduce the impact of noise from the operation.
• site 166 is one of 5 affecting the lakes. Several others surround Effingham/little Wes. The timing of the logging is done by the approved companies but will be done before 2011. When they begin, MNR sends compliance technicians. In addition the companies file annual reports as to their activities.
• later in the meeting, but relevant to this topic, the sounds of summer logging are being heard in Otter lake. This is in site 147, north and east of 166. In a case by case basis, this logging is occurring in the summer to maintain the local economies and to work within a narrow time window related to fish habitat.
• In answer to a question about re-planting, Arnie noted that not all sites get this remediation. Where they do it’s part of a 100 year cycle for Oak, Pine and Spruce with the process monitored and assessed in four 25-year periods leading to re-harvesting of the site.
• The noticeable red pine die off on the lake is probably due to 7 to 8 years of drought during the summers, not withstanding the wet June/July of this year. The substrate of rock under the shallow roots is apparently so warm that the roots die off and now insects are probably contributing to the demise of the weakened trees. Most likely insects are the Red Headed pine sawfly and Sawyer Beetles (often confused with Asian long horn beetles). Trees near our cottages could be helped by watering but the long term answer is more and more frequent rains which Arnie felt might be unlikely due to climate change. If tempted to use fertilizer it must be low in nitrogen such as 6:6:6
• Arnie brought published materials that covered a variety of insects that are in our forests or nearby. He emphasized how dangerous it is to move firewood from home to cottage and back again as it can give insects a foothold in a whole new area. An example was the Emerald Ash beetle destroying trees in the London area.
• Cottagers are bringing in Sawyer beetles to the MNR believing they may be Asian Longhorns. Arnie indicated this vigilance is useful and appreciated as there is an aggressive program in place to address the Asian Longhorn and the sooner an infestation is identified the better.
• Gypsy moth infestations are cycling back up though Ontario is less concerned than in the first outbreak as our trees have turned out to be more resilient due to growing/surviving on the Canadian shield versus the US trees in the North east which were devastated.
• In long term trends, Arnie warned that powerful windstorms such as those of August 2006 come in ten year cycles and so more can be expected.

MNR & LWCA Lake water Level Management-update (Jim Reynolds)

The Association’s agreement to operate the north end dam through a designate under MNR guidelines and instructions is in its fifth year. The agreement covers the spring summer and fall of each year.

In response to the many calls arising from the levels on the June 9th weekend, Jim had prepared a multipage coloured handout dealing with levels, frequently asked questions and myths regarding what can and cannot be done about levels. Among the points made during the verbal presentation were:

• After the very high waters of 2003, the Association, at the members’ request, sought the agreement that allows us to control the levels within MRN guidelines.
• Our agreement covers May 1 to October 31
• We try and meet a level in the spring and summer while reacting to weather and constraints as to how much water can be released to downstream communities
• This year on May 31 the levels were well below the target. From June 1 to 9 there were about 8 days of rain which put docks and other structures under water by the Saturday the 9th.
• Our designate, Ralph Seamons of Tanglewood marina, possibly could have removed a log on the prior Wednesday (June 6th) but acted two days later
• We are allowed to pull one log per 24 hours, not two at the same time
• South end marina operators do NOT want spring levels to be lower than they are now in anticipation of heavy spring rains. The spring levels directly affect their ability to lower and launch stored boats

In answer to questions:

• The MNR is accountable for water level targets if they are not met. The Association is their designate. "They lend us the responsibility."
• The MNR does not have Spring level targets. The summer level on July 1 is to be between 318.0 and 318.05 metres over sea level.
• Lake Weslemkoon is the hardest lake to manage in the MNR district due to the large area and small dam outlet.
• Does the MNR measure levels? - Yes, frequently
• Does the MNR have plans to replace the dam? - Not known.
• Does the MNR know the concrete is spalling? - Not known, Action: Inquire about integrity of dam to the MNR.
• What is the actual log count at the dam? - There was a "spare" log but it rotted and was taken away. Log count when all in is 9.

LWCA History of the Lake Book Project-update (Stuart Inglis)

Stuart did a review of the book's progress:

• There is considerable evidence that the book has support
• People have contributed an ever growing archive
• Still accepting photographs that cover beauty, informative and historical
• Would love a picture of Ted Carr at work
• Have an NFB film shot on the lake in the 30's to go on the DVD along with the many pictures that will not fit in the book
• Has a complete set of maps that will show how the lake was opened
• Some tax documents and deeds from the early days
• There will be an article on the first nations people's contact with the lake
• Daphne Nicholls (#173) is seeking pictures and stories about Lake outhouses for a section called "spiffy biffies"
• Book must be self funded. We are 1/3 of the way to the $21,000
• Will be published to order, no excess for late deciders so orders have to be in hand
• Order sheets on web site and at the membership table

Cockeyed Loon Awards 2007 (Grand Loon Catherine Rathbun)

The Association recognized the significant efforts on behalf of the members by retiring Board member Marcia Scrimgeour.

Awards went this year to the team of local people who stepped forward in the aftermath of the August 2, 2006 tornado and downblasts. More complete details of the extraordinary effort on behalf of cottagers can be found in the 2007 Loon Call. Certificates went to those we know of at this time and more names can be brought to our attention.

Our thanks to:

• Mark Dillabough
• Elwin "Beans" Snider
• Jennifer Snider
• Mark Snider
• Irwin Snider
• Clinton Snider
• Jesse Snider
• Stacey Harley

A “proclamation” was read to the members in attendance to offer thanks for the many years of service provided by our members who have medical and emergency training. Though the recipients remain anonymous the entire meeting stood and performed the famous “loon salute” including the final on-your-toes trill. Thanks to you all.

In a break with tradition, the Board and Association awarded certificates to our retiring Presidential team of Chris and Heather Cromien. We wish you both long and happy journeys and we’ll miss you on the lake.

Election Of Directors-Nominating Committee (Jim Reynolds, Past President)

Jim announced the following Members were retiring from the Board:
Terry Boucher - business assignment
Chris Cromien - relocation
Jim Reynolds - LWCA term limit

Having determined that the AGM had a quorum and that those standing for the board are members in good standing the following slate was proposed:

Members of the Board for re-election as directors:
Terry Beettam
Sean Boyle
Dan Derumaux
Barrie Evans
Glen Hogg
Stuart Inglis
Jon Keeble
Susan McTavish

Interim Member of the Board for election as director:
Mike Scrimgeour

Nominees as new members of the Board for election as directors:
Paul Bottos
Ian Mackenzie
Diane Morden

Motion to elect the above slate for the 2007-2008 Board made by Alan Whyte (#955) and seconded by Peggy Thorne (#626). Carried.

As the board stood at 12 and can be 15, nominations were opened to the floor. No member stepped forward at the time.

Remembrance of Deceased Members (Dan Derumaux)

A moment of silence was observed for the following members and friends of our lake community:

• Frances Hawley
• Bob Weeks
• Vernys “Paddy” John
• Dwight B. Dempsey
• Nancy Shannon
• Glen Walker
• John Hickey

New Business (Chris Cromien)

No new business was proposed from the floor

Closing Remarks, Termination of Meeting, Refreshments (Chris Cromien)

As the meeting had rolled on past the usual 12 noon conclusion, Chris adjourned quickly so that members could enjoy the sandwiches, fruit and cake prepared by Ruth and Gary Blanchard with the able assistance of the 4 Loons staff and Heather Cromien.