Invasive Species Alert

At this year’s Annual General Meeting, we had a very informative presentation from Marilee Koenderin, from the Phragmites Working Group of Lake Bernard and her team.  They were gracious enough to share their time to educate us about the dangers of invasive species to our water and our land. As cottage owners, it is everyone’s responsibility to identify and report them before they infest Clear Lake. Please see the group’s presentation by clicking here and download one of the 2 suggested apps to help you identify invasive species. Share this information with your neighbours, check your shorelines, your driveways and road frontages.

KEY MESSAGES FOR ALL CLEAR LAKE PROPERTY OWNERS

  1. Invasive species of plants, crustaceans (spiny water flees) and animals (Chinese mystery snails in Jacks Lake) are here in Ontario.
  2. Clean Drain Dry is the law in Ontario for boaters.
  3. If you find invasive species on your property or in your lake – identify and report them.
  4. Funding is available to resolve issues but ignoring the threats is not sensible, can cost the municipality and even private property owners if not addressed.
  5. Property values can decrease when not resolved.
  6. Both Phragmites and Japanese knotweed can contribute to flooding, fires and road infrastructure failure.

To understand what other lakes in Almaguin are doing to resolve their invasive issues, visit the Invasive Species Lake Bernard Working Group site. https://www.nneec.ca/phragmites

Resource links for additional information, 2 app options to help identify and report invasive species and future updates from these resources:

iNaturalist App for download www.inaturalist.org
EDDMapsS App for download www.EDDMapS.org.
Invasive Species Centre Canada www.invasivespeciescentre.ca/
Invasive Species Ontario www.ontario.ca/page/invasive-species-ontario
Great Lakes Phragmites Collaborative www.greatlakesphragmites.net/pamf/
Clean Equipment Protocol www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Clean-Equipment-Protocol_June2016_D3_WEB-1.pdf

Don’t let your lake and shore and property be taken over – Grow native plants instead. Here is a link for more native plants information https://www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca/resources/grow-me-instead/

Remember we are in this together and it’s important that we remain diligent or it can affect all of us.

Your CLPOA Board