Notes from Kevin – August 14, 2019
I hope that your summer is going well. You may have seen the numerous groups of researchers out a Sunfish Lake over the past few months. So far all of our water results have been good and at safe levels though still trending in the wrong direction (fewer good green algae and increasing bad blue-green […]
Sunfish Weather Station
One of the University of Waterloo Ph’d students who is doing her research here at Sunfish Lake and assisting with our learning about our lake ecosystems would like to place a small weather station on the lake to help better record the date she needs on water and air temperatures, effect of winds, etc. Since we have no policy for rafts on Sunfish Lake our water committee deferred to the Sunfish Executive who would like to seek a vote of the Sunfish Lake Association membership on allowing this raft to be placed on the lake for the next year or so.
The raft would be anchored towards the north end of the lake in the middle alongside one of the buoys already in place. The raft apparently is about 8 feet by 8 feet in size and about five feet high. It consists of an anemometer, temperature and humidity sensors, a net radiometer, a solar panel and a data logger box. A photo of it is below.
The data from the various teams of researchers we have working at Sunfish Lake has been very important and helpful to our understanding of our watershed, as well as our e-coli, coliform and cyanobacteria issues. With thousands of lakes in Ontario we are lucky to have these researchers helping us here at Sunfish Lake and the hope is that most families won’t mind the visual appearance and mooring of the weather station for the next year while she completes her research.
Fishing Season
A reminder that fishing season – in particular for bass doesn’t open until June 22nd. Currently the bass are nesting around the lake and fishing can pull the parent fish off their nests allowing other fish to swoop in and eat all the eggs. Normally by the end of June the eggs have hatched and left the nest. If you see any bass nesting or hanging around a spot cleared of seaweed please do not disturb it.
Fishing season officially begins Saturday, June 22nd this year. Everyone is reminded that all fishing is catch and release. No live bait (minnows, frogs, etc.) is to be used to avoid introducing invasive species into the lake. Barbless hooks are required to limit the damage to our fish and if anyone needs advice, instructions, lessons or free approved tackle courtesy of the Lake Association they should contact Dave Carlisle-Weaver who is happy to help out.
We have had fishing issues already this year and in years past. Hopefully everyone can comply since we would like careful management of our fishery as it is already under stress and we need to ensure that it thrives.
AGM Reminder
A reminder that our Annual General Meeting is coming up on Thursday, June 27th at 7:00pm at the Strucke cottage (the former Weber/Wekerle cottage). We will have presentations from the Wilmot Fire Chief and some of our water expert researchers in addition to our usual financial update and social activities. A detailed agenda will be circulated closer to the date.
Lake Water Monitoring
Our water committee has continued to meet and work actively on developing a better understanding of the lake basin and for the safety of everyone will be undertaking both a water quality monitoring program and research program again this summer. We also have several teams of students from area universities doing research to help us better understand our lake ecosystem.
We still have a serious issue with an overabundance of nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen getting into the lake that is setting the stage for serious future problems be it algae, e-coli or cyanobacteria.
Not only will we need to closely monitor the safety of the lake (as other Canadian lakes with cyanobacteria issues saw dog and cattle deaths this past year) we need to find ways to significantly decrease the nutrient loading of the lake and remove existing nutrients being found in concerning levels to reduce the potential for future issues. Everyone needs to consider phosphorus filters on their septic tanks – particularly for any new systems or septics being upgraded.
Similar to last year there will be a Lake Association Annual Fee surcharge to help offset the costs of these very expensive tests and research. You can learn more at the Lake Association website – www.sunfishlake.ca and we will keep you posted as monitoring gets underway in the weeks ahead.
Thanks again to Nancy, Rob, and Bob for all the hours they have volunteered on our water issues.
We are members of FOCA
