March 2007 - page 1

The TMLRA is getting a new look!

We're changing. New look, new logo, same commitment and service to Muskoka. Watch for the Victoria Day long-weekend edition of the Muskokan, and the 2007 Yearbook for the exciting release.

Winter came in like a lamb, but it's going out like a lion!

It seems like only yesterday that I was writing the Boat Show edition of the Arrow and hoping for snow in early January. Well we certainly got it! As I write this, we are in a major snowstorm and expecting freezing rain, so thoughts of summer and the Cottage Life show are very welcome. This year the show has a new Green Cottaging Centre.

And speaking of green...the TMLRA will be presenting our third Environmental Showcase at out Annual General Meeting this summer. Make sure you mark your calendars for Saturday, July 14th when we hold our AGM at the Port Carling Community Centre. Stay tuned for more details about guest speakers and the Showcase.

Lake System Health

Good water quality is the cornerstone to maintaining our wonderful Lake area. To date, our District's monitoring programs show that our water quality is generally good. However, there are a few areas that have declined and action is needed to get the water up to par.

The new Lake System Health By-law imposes a number of Development controls for "high sensitivity" and "over threshold" lakes and bays based on phosphorus readings. In our township, the over threshold areas are: Clear Lake, Dark Lake, High Lake, Cox Bay (Lake Joseph), Leonard Lake, Long Lake, Medora Lake, Mirror Lake, Nutt Lake, Brackenrig and Portage Bays (Lake Rosseau), Rutter Lake, Silver Lake, Stewart Lake, and Three Mile Lake. Muskoka Bay near Gravenhurst is also over threshold, while Lake Joseph and Lili Lake require care, as they are highly sensitive but not yet over threshold. Three new lakes were added to the over threshold list in 2006 but none were removed. The lakes require monitoring over several years before they are added to or removed from the list of over threshold lakes.

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