INSIGHTS:

Did a UFO land on the other side of the lake, or is that a new Subway stop?
On our 20th Wedding anniversary my wife and I decided to celebrate it in the middle of Lake Muskoka. As we came out of the mouth of the Muskoka River we couldn't believe the amount of light coming of the far shore. While we cruised slowly to the site we theorized that it must be a new commercial resort or business. Why would anyone want that much light around their cottage? [ READ MORE ]

Rabbit + Habitat = Rabbitat
A wise person once told me the story of Rabbitat. I sure wish I could remember who that person was, but the lesson went something like this. "We must start thinking in a comprehensive way about our wildlife and their habitat. We must think about Rabbitat, that's a combination of the Rabbits and Habitat." [ READ MORE ]

Ontario Municipal Board Hearings - Love them or hate them
Personally, I love to hate them. However, for many lake associations or individuals, Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearings may be the last resort to have your views heard about a development application. [ READ MORE ]

Natural Buffers Anyone? … or from curbside to lakeside
Ok, I confess, when my family moved to Muskoka and purchased our shoreline property in the early '80s we had visions of landscaping schemes in our heads. Our property already had a lawn that stretched from the house to the shoreline and our new job was to keep it neat and tidy. [ READ MORE ]

The Peninsula Lake Association has initiated a lake planning process to identify and protect the important NATURAL, PHYSICAL and SOCIAL values on Penlake. A copy of the "Penlake plan" update is available here in Adobe Acrobat format.

LAKESHORE CAPACITY MODEL , Updating the Current Approach.
This article appeared in the "Keeping Your Lake Great" FOCA May 2000 newsletter. Prepared by Randy P. French, Chairman, Land Use Committee. ince the mid 1970's the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) have used a water quality assessment model to set development capacities on lakes throughout Ontario. The model, called the Lakeshore Capacity Assessment, is based on predicting the inputs of one key pollutant, that being anthropogenic (man made) sources of phosphorus from septic systems. The Lakeshore Capacity Model is a planning tool that will help to achieve a consistent approach to protecting water quality by defining shoreline development capacities on inland lakes across the province. [ READ MORE ]

Influencing changes to lakes through lake planning
Randy French (French Planning Services) Ian Gilmour (Peninsula Lake Association) Most cottagers and lake stewards value the timeless quality of the lake experience. We may view changes in city life or our work experience as exciting or challenging. At the lake, we view change as a threat to what we value most about our lake experience: water quality, tranquility, natural landscapes, privacy, encounters with nature, fishing and recreation. Our lakes are sacred to us because they are where we rest and recreate. [ READ MORE ]

Big Words on the Environment
Last night on the radio, someone announced in a deep scary voice "… the cumulative impacts are now surpassing environmental threshold limits and development is no longer sustainable". "Yikes" I thought, and then wondered if anyone really understood the message. [ READ MORE ]