new: 2022 FOCA Lake Stewards Newsletter
The latest edition of our annual Newsletter has arrived!
Please enjoy the digital version:
We welcome you to share the articles and updates with everyone in your waterfront community. Please credit FOCA as the source. If you need help with a file format or images to reproduce in your association news, contact us.
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FOCA Champions Safe & Affordable Rural Living |
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Power to the end of the line
While most of us across central Ontario had power back within a few days following the May long weekend windstorm, in remote locations the wait was much, much longer.
FOCA received an update from Hydro One on July 15, as crews finally returned power to some customers in North Frontenac, including FOCA members on Mazinaw Lake. Hydro One created a video update illustrating the extent of the challenges caused by the storm, that you can view on Twitter.
If you haven't already seen it, check out FOCA's articles about power outages and rural emergency preparedness in the 2022 Lake Stewards Newsletter. (See the link in the item immediately above.)
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Electrical Safety after Flooding
After extensive flooding in the Northwestern region of Ontario earlier this season, the Minaki Volunteer Fire Service are reminding the public to be aware of household electrical safety around any remaining pooled or standing water. Read more in the July 26th article from Kenora Online.
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FireSmart
While you’re enjoying the outdoors this summer, remember that firefighting aircraft do not share airspace with drones. Do not fly drones within 9km of a wildland fire area; doing so could put the lives of pilots, firefighters, and emergency workers at risk. Not only is it dangerous but it’s illegal. Before you fly your drone, make sure you understand the rules and regulations.
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Boat Rental Considerations
Thinking about renting out your boat? Transport Canada (TC) reminds you that - as with short-term property rental and ride sharing services - there are insurance considerations, as well as laws and regulations that must be adhered to, and explained to the renters. A new TC bulletin, Using pleasure craft as non-pleasure craft is available from a link on FOCA's webpage: https://foca.on.ca/boating-overview/.
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Register now: FOCA Cottage Succession Planning Seminar
Wednesday, August 17, 2022 by webinar from 7:00-8:30pm. Join FOCA and estate lawyer Peter Lillico for the introductory session in our annual Cottage Succession Seminar Series: "Keeping the 'Family' in the Family Cottage." This event is free to all FOCA members (member families of our Member Associations), as well as our Annual Supporters, but pre-registration is required. Please include your FOCA affiliation when you register here.
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FOCA's Gold level sponsors |
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Sponsors support our work, please support them. |
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FOCA Advocates for Responsive Government |
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FOCA webinar recap: Municipal Election Engagement for Associations
What this webinar covers: Who is entitled to vote in a Municipal Election. Important dates and deadlines. Understanding who can vote at a second home. Getting registered to vote. Getting to know your candidates. Ideas for Associations to increase engagement.
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FOCA Serves Lake & Road Associations |
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member resources: About FOCA video & ad
If you are having your AGM soon, consider sharing a 10 minute video FOCA has created that explains how we put your membership dollars to work, and what your member benefits are. We also have a small digital ad that you can slip into your next Newsletter, or add to your website with a link back to our Member Benefits webpage.
Contact the FOCA office for the link to a cloud folder where you can download copies of the ad and the video file (so you can run it from your device without needing access to internet streaming in order to show it to fellow members). While you're at it, you can also request copies of the member benefits sheet, the member login, metal dock signs about "clean, drain, dry," or print materials for your community welcome packages.
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borrow this idea: "Nature Flotilla"
FOCA's member group in Lanark County, the Otty Lake Association, took a spin on the idea of a "studio tour" by creating a Nature Flotilla event on Saturday, July 16th. Residents and guests were invited to tour 5 sites at the north end of the lake, to hear from area nature experts on various topics of interest. Visits could be made at any time over a 2-hour period, and presentations were flexible. Talks included:
- eagles, osprey and others
- bass habitat
- ticks
- snakes, iNaturalist and cultural heritage
- turtles, reptiles and birds.
What could YOUR association do with this idea? Let FOCA know what you come up with.
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FOCA Associations in Action
As events begin to return to in-person gatherings this summer, FOCA asks our Member Associations to remember the annual FOCA Achievement Award, and take some pictures of your association in action. We'll prompt you later this summer to apply for the 2022 Award on behalf of your great lake or road association. In the meantime, be safe, have fun, and TAKE PICTURES!
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FOCA's Silver level sponsors |
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Sponsors support our work, please support them. |
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FOCA Promotes Healthy Lands, Lakes & Rivers |
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very last call!: Green Shovels funding for Invasive Phragmites projects
We are down to the wire to submit your funding proposal for on-the-ground projects focused on invasive Phragmites, to start this summer and be completed by February 2023. Get details and the quick application form on FOCA's webpage: https://foca.on.ca/phragmites/
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IsampleON is underway
FOCA's IsampleON volunteers have been busy sampling and sharing educational messages about preventing the spread of invasive species at the lake. Keep up the great work, and keep sharing your pictures with us! For more about IsampleON (Invasive Species Awareness Monitoring Program for Lakes Education Ontario) visit FOCA's webpage: https://foca.on.ca/isampleon/
pictured: samplers hard at work on Trout Lake in Sudbury
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Lake Partner Program Update
The Lake Partner Program is in full operation, and our many volunteers are encouraged to continue your sampling for this season! Our goal is to continue to engage our hundreds of volunteers and build our collective knowledge about the province's fabulous aquatic resources. Many thanks to all the volunteers that keep this program going. Please send us your pictures of sampling in action!
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Asian Carps Prevention
Great Lakes members: Did you know that vegetated nearshore areas would be the most vulnerable habitats, if Grass carp were to become established in the Great Lakes? Grass Carp can eat up to 40% of their body weight in aquatic plants every day. The loss of nearshore vegetation would reduce your water quality, as plants along the shoreline slow surface runoff and filter contaminants, keeping the water clean. Learn more about Grass Carp and the other Asian carp species, here: https://foca.on.ca/asian-carp/.
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Partner Updates & Regional Notices |
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event recap: Muskoka Boat & Cottage Show
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event recap: Windstorm Damage - Practical Advice for Salvage & Clean-up
June, 2022 - After May's severe windstorms, the Ontario Woodlot Association (OWA) held a webinar on practical tips and safe practices for tree clean-up. You can watch the recording of the webinar on OWA's YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/0UyX-jF6T5Q
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regional survey: Environmental Vital Signs in North Simcoe
The Huronia Community Foundation is conducting a Vital Signs® survey of environmentally focused organizations in North Simcoe (Midland, Penetanguishene, Tiny, Tay, Township of Georgian Bay, and Christian Island) to understand pressing needs impacting the environment, leading to a 2023 report. If your association is in the region, and has not yet responded, please participate in the survey by midnight on August 5, 2022.
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video resources: Living on Shorelines
A coalition of partners in the Lake Huron region have created a series of 4 videos about living along or near the lake. Although created for Lake Huron, the information is widely relevant, particularly on subjects like living with erosion, and what to know before buying a property along the shoreline. Get links to these, and additional video resources on FOCA's "Welcome to Cottage Country" webpage: https://foca.on.ca/cottage/
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Visit a Conservation Area in Ontario
FOCA's partners at Conservation Ontario have launched a "Healthy Hikes" campaign for 2022 from May through October, encouraging everyone to #StepIntoNature and discover Ontario's Conservation Areas. Online resources include a "Healthy Hikes Toolkit" and a map you can filter by activity (how about biking? dog walking? geocaching?) so you can plan your next trip to a Conservation Area near you.
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Hit the Beach!
For water quality reports on thousands of public beaches, consult the Swim Guide app or website.
Your local Public Health Unit may also post beach water quality results. Get links here.
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FOCA's Bronze level sponsors |
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Sponsors support our work, please support them. |
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Kelli Saunders: a strong international legacy
After 10 years as the International Watershed Coordinator with the Lake of the Woods Water Sustainability Foundation (LOWWSF), FOCA's colleague Kelli Saunders is retiring.
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Kelli has been a great friend of the Lake and beyond, and a critical contributor to the watershed-scale work and important public outreach on both sides of the border. Her colleagues at Minnesota Pollution Control, Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Province of Manitoba, the International Joint Commission (and us here at FOCA!) will greatly miss her input and guidance, but we are on a stronger footing for all her great work over the years.
According to Todd Sellers, Executive Director at LOWWSF, “Kelli’s expertise and her professional approach allowed us to accomplish so much over her tenure, and we are eternally grateful for all her contributions.” Learn more about the LOWWSF and the International Watershed Coordinator Program: https://lowwsf.com/
Pictured above, key partners in the Lake of the Woods team: Andrew Paterson (of the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks) and Kelli Saunders, taken at a previous LotW International Forum
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As we round out "Lakes Appreciation Month", celebrated across North America each July, we invite you to review the creativity displayed in the annual Student Poster Contest of the North American Lake Management Society (NALMS). View all the student entries here.
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The FOCA office will be closed Monday, August 1, 2022. We wish you and your families well on this Civic Holiday long weekend! Be safe & enjoy the great outdoors.
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FOCA is the Federation of Ontario Cottagers' Associations,
the voice of the waterfront for the past 60 years.
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