PaBIA's eBlast July 15, 2020

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Volume 12 No. 18

Greetings!

The sun was blistering hot last week (36 ^o C at 5 pm). And then it finally rained over the weekend...enough to cool off the extraordinary hot nights! PHEW! And the cooler temperatures are sticking around, at least for now!

So the ToA Fire Rating is 'reduced' to HIGH - but that still spells caution - so click on the icon in the top right hand corner of this eBlast if you are viewing it on your computer, or just below the signature if you are viewing the eBlast on your cell phone, to be sure of what the icon stands for!.

The Ontario government announced on Monday that Doug Ford is rolling back the COVID restrictions to Stage 3 for most of the province. The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit has announced that as of July 24th, everyone will be asked to wear masks when inside public places. " A face covering does not replace physical distancing and other protective health measures such as hand washing, and isolating yourself when you have symptoms or have come in close contact with someone with COVID-19 or suspected to have COVID-19. " Further explanations will be forthcoming on Friday, July 17th, by the Health Unit!

It is now (Tuesday at 2 pm EDT) being reported by multiple sources that the US-Canada border closure will be extended until August 21, given the rising numbers of confirmed COVID cases in the US.

The more quiet PaB has the various species of birds singing, the frogs croaking and the crickets chirping - quite the collective chorus! Please enjoy all the beauty that our island paradise provides!

In this eBlast:

PaBIA EdCom: Owls in the...Peacock Family?
PaBIA EdCom: Boat Safety - Driving at Night
PaBIA Recreational Sailing - Saturday July 18 1:00 pm
New Pine Sawfly Service Available
Ojibway Snack Bar Opening Up with Physical Distancing
Improving Fresh Water Protection: Canada Water Agency
IJC Role of Control Boards on Water Levels Webinar
GBLT Landmark Series: Conservation & Climate Change
GBLT Kids Conservation Quest - Ongoing
Ojibway Club Virtual Art Show 2020
Lake Michigan-Huron Water Levels July 13, 2020
Yearbook Updates
In Memoriam

Latest Updated Calendars for

July ( 7.7.20) and August (7.7.20)

Of Interest

New Pine Sawfly Service Available!

While it has been the policy of PaBIA not to endorse any one local business over others, in this current environment, we have an infestation threatening our cherished pine trees. As such we have decided to bring to our members’ attention this important news about a viable and now more affordable solution to this serious situation.

Over the last number of years, our Island community has been plagued with the pine sawfly. It and several other “bug” species have racked havoc in certain places, on pine, birch and other of our native trees. It’s often a wonder to us how our trees grow in this awesome but somewhat barren landscape we all love and cherish. The Environmental Committee has endeavoured to find a solution that could work for everybody.

Several years ago, a group of islanders contracted with Bartlett Tree Experts to come from their location in Bracebridge, Ontario, to inoculate our infested trees; their program works - the trees survived. It was, however, quite expensive as the folks from “Bartlett” had to trailer their boat here from Bracebridge; and we all know what that’s like.

In an effort to make this service available on a regular basis for individual cottagers, on a more cost effective basis, Neil West’s Northern Pest Control, located right here in Pointe au Baril, and Bartlett Tree Experts have joined forces to offer Pointe au Baril Islanders a service to get rid of infestations on their properties.

For further information regarding their joint program, please email Neil West .

Boating Safety

by Ann Dority, Education Committee

Pointe au Baril is a beautiful boater’s playground filled with inlets, coves, big open waters, islands and shoals to explore. We see a wide variety of boats on our waters including kayaks, canoes, sailboats, power boats, cruisers, speed boats and personal watercraft.

We all realize the importance of safe and responsible boating. It is fairly simple to PASS the Pleasure Craft Operators Exam … However, it is a different thing altogether to be a GOOD BOAT DRIVER.

I have polled quite a few people in the past weeks to get their input and feedback on this important topic. I have also read a lot of the information that is written by various Boating Associations such as the GBA, Transport Canada and the OPP.

In today’s article I want to focus on boating at night. In future articles, I will address the importance of alcohol and driving a boat, right of way, being aware of your wake, distracted driving and wearing life jackets that are the proper size/type (and any other issues that you would like to learn about)

BOATING AT NIGHT

Always make sure your running lights are working properly.
Lights must be turned on AT DUSK.
I have heard many complaints this summer about boats out at dusk with no lights on. Turn off stereos and please don’t even think of wearing headphones!
It is always a good idea to post a lookout person – the use of an extra pair of eyes is invaluable.
SLOW DOWN! This may seem obvious, but we have all seen or heard boats roaring along at highway speeds in the dark Ahead of you could be a log, a shoal, or, God forbid, a boat with no lights. Slowing down allows you to have more reaction time and makes night driving calmer and safer.

How to discern the direction of other boats at night:

Lights are located at the bow and stern of the boat and are meant to indicate to other vessels which way they are headed towards you.

If you see RED and white lights, it is coming on your right and you must give way.
If you see GREEN and white, it means It is coming on your left and you have the right of way.
If you see both red and green , it means boat is coming head on!
If you see white only lights, it is the stern and signifies that a boat is ahead of you. Be careful not to approach too fast - ensure that the other driver is aware you are approaching.
Don’t flash lights or spotlights directly at other boats - you will only blind their vision and disorient them.

Let’s make it our mission to work together to make our beloved Pointe au Baril safer and quieter to ensure the enjoyment of our treasure-shared resource.

Owls in the…Peacock Family?

by Trudy Irvine, Education Committee

Barry Peacock and Elizabeth Anderson- Peacock and their grandchildren were able to take a few pages out of Farley Mowat’s Canadian classic Owls in the Family earlier this season by watching a nest of Great Horned Owl owlets on Cambria Island.

Owlets on Cambria Island- photo: Barry Peacock

While it may be surprising to hear about Great Horned Owls on the shore of Georgian Bay, these birds do prefer a mix of wooded and open habitat for nesting and hunting. They have indiscriminate appetites and are known to eat large quantities of mice, snakes, and other birds, which makes them quite well suited to the area, although we do not have much of their favorite food- skunks! The Peacocks noted that Cambria used to have a large population of nesting Great Blue Herons, but those numbers have dwindled recently- perhaps the owl population has grown at the expense of the heron chicks?

Here are some interesting facts about these nocturnal hunters:

The owls stay in their home ranges (up to 10sq km) on Georgian Bay year- round- they do not migrate.
They are very early nesters- egg laying and incubation is well underway before the snow is gone. Nest making is simple- they do not make their own but take over the old nests of other raptors or use a hollow tree or a ledge on a cliff.
Their highly developed eyesight helps them see well in low light conditions. Their very large eyes are fixed in the sockets, but they have twice as many vertebrae in their necks as humans do- this allows them to swivel their heads up to 270 degrees when perched.
Adaptations like asymmetrically placed earholes and the disc-like shape of their faces make their hearing about 10 times more acute and directionally accurate than ours- they can locate prey even under snow.
Fine, comb-like feathers on the leading edges of their wings allow their flight to be silent

Owlets 8 days after top picture- growing quickly Photo: Barry Peacock

Owl fledgling spreading his/her wings- out of the nest

Photo: Barry Peacock

For more information on the Great Horned Owl, click here!

And if there is more you’d like to know about the owls and other birds in our region, don’t forget to mark your calendar for August 13 ^th at 11am for the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve’s webinar “Birds of the Biosphere”.

Efforts to Improve Fresh Water Protection

With our increasing concerns about record high water levels in the Great Lakes, the PaBIA Education Committee thought you might be interested in learning about and/or participating in this new effort on the part of the Canadian Federal government to work openly and collaboratively on fresh water management. Please read more on this launch below and visit their website for more details and to participate.

Recently, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) launched the consultation website to collect feedback from Canadians on the current and future freshwater management challenges in Canada and the role a new Canada Water Agency could play in protecting our water.

The Government of Canada is creating a new Canada Water Agency to work together with the provinces, territories, Indigenous communities, local authorities, scientists and others to find the best ways to keep our water safe, clean and well-managed.

ECCC, with support from Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, is leading this exercise on behalf of the Government of Canada and will be working with other federal departments and agencies over the coming months to explore current and projected future freshwater management challenges.

ECCC will also be engaging with provinces and territories, Indigenous peoples, and others, through a variety of mechanisms, including the new Canada Water Agency consultation website, hosted by the engagement platform PlaceSpeak.

Over the course of the consultation, the PlaceSpeak website will publish discussion aids and pose specific questions to find out what Canadians would like to see in the new Canada Water Agency and how Canada can further provide protections for its most important resource—fresh water.

Ojibway Club Update

Open 9 - 4:30 pm

The Snack Bar, as of Friday, will be open for walk in business and meals outside, with social distancing.

The Gift Shop, as of now, is open for business and serving coffee and croissants beginning at 9:00 am!

Upcoming Events

DISCOVER ABOUT THE ROLE OF

CONTROL BOARDS ON

WATER LEVELS

Friday July 17, 2020

12:00 pm to 1.30 pm EDT

All are invited to a webinar by the International Joint Commission's Board that promises to provide an overview of why the Great Lakes are at their current levels and how the International Joint Commission’s boards play a role in balancing the interests of all impacted by water levels in the Great Lakes. Date: REGISTER HERE.

Enjoy Recreational Sailing This Summer!

This year, we will be having a weekly recreational long distance sail each Saturday in July and August leaving about 1 pm from Ojibway Bay. All are welcome to join in regardless of skill level or interest in racing.

Last Saturday we had a glorious sail out Empress to the Blackbills with nice wind and moderate waves.

Come out and enjoy a few hours on the water. If you do not have a boat, please ask around as there are quite a few sailboats of various kinds that would benefit from getting into the water and being rigged.

Hope to see you out there! If, however, the weather is inclement on any one Saturday, PaBIA's Sailing Commodore, Stephen Griggs, sends out an PaBIA Sailing eBlast cancelling the sail. If you would like to receive this notification from Stephen, please email Stephen directly!

LANDMARK Speaker Series

Conservation and Climate Change

Presented by Dan Kraus

This Saturday July 18th, 10 am

30 minute interactive virtual presentation

LANDMARK Speaker Series continues on July 18th with Dan Kraus, Senior Conservation Biologist with the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Dan will speak to us about how the natural world is changing due to climate change, some of the expected impacts on humans, and the critical role conservation has to play in maintaining livable communities and slowing our planet's trajectory of warming.

2020 Ojibway Art Show ONLINE

July 31-August 9

The Ojibway Club Art Show is proud to showcase many local artists who are cottagers, and some who live, right here in our own Pointe au Baril community. They are so talented, creating wonders of art often inspired by the beauty of Georgian Bay. Here is a sampling of art from just a few of these local artists. Wouldn’t you love to have a piece hanging in your cottage or home! Mark your calendar – the virtual doors open on July 31.

Check out our Instagram account for short videos of various artists speaking to you from their own home studios and get a sneak peek at some of the artwork available for sale. For a full list of the 70+ participating artists, click here .

Make sure you follow along on our Instagram and Facebook over the coming weeks as we profile various artists and preview some of the art that will be available for sale or visit us at the: Ojibway Club Website .

For more information, contact Wendy Bunston .

Artist: Gill Cameron xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Artist: David Pepper

Artist: Scott Bowlby xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Artist: Elise Findlay

Artist: Jim Lorriman xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Artist: Kara McIntosh

Artist: Heather Stuart xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Artist: Jenn Wilkins

Lakes Michigan/Huron Water Levels July 13, 2020

To better read the charts, please click on the chart for the

Daily or Six Month Forecast Water level chart and the corresponding websites

Yearbook Update

With each eBlast, we will provide you a list of names for those who provided updated information. The details of all the changes since the Yearbook's came out in April is provided in a printable format for you to print out and insert into your own Yearbook copy!

Janet & Alan Veale (new address)

In Memoriam

Shelagh Grant , A52-1 ‘Hearts Content Islands’, past PaBIA Board member (Environment, Forestry), 2010 Unsung Hero Award recipient, wife of Jon, mother of David (Cecile Gambin), Susan (Bob Fitzgerald), Debbie Aben (Mike), July 2020.

John McCrodan , B824 ‘Seven Acres’, past PaBIA Director (Map Chair), husband of the late Joan, mother of Cathy, David (Carole), the late Christopher, Peter, James, Andrew (Judy), July 2020.