AGM & Director's Reports

Please see the downloadable Financial Reports.

Your board continues to be very active in spite of the challenges of the past year. Actual expenditures, which reflect the varied nature of your board’s activities, are in line with approved budgeted amounts for the year.

Surplus funds are invested in two bank GIC’s of $18,291.67 and $20,873.21 which will mature December 2021 and November 2025 respectively. The GIC that matures in December 2021 earns 1.9% compounded annually. The second GIC is a 5 year variable rate GIC and interest is calculated on a simple annual basis starting at .5% in year 1 and gradually increasing each year to 1.25% in year 5. Interest is recognized on an accrual basis in these statements. The GIC interest is shared on a weighted average basis between the general fund and the Catherine Rathbun Environmental Fund.

The Catherine Rathbun Environmental fund grew by individual contributions of $445 ($1,470 in 2019) and allocated interest of $247 ($247 in 2019). Expenditures from this fund were for water quality testing in the amount of $1,305 ($1,305 in 2019) and was approved at the 2018 annual general meeting as required.

The remaining unrestricted surplus of $37,536 is available for the general purposes of the association.

•  new cottage numbering and naming of islands by Township are both continuing but happening slowly
• LWCA continues to receive and monitor development proposals
• next Municipal election is in 2022; we will invite our elected officials to our AGM to try to hold them accountable to their promises
• can members contact our elected officials asking them to provide interim report of what they’ve accomplished?
• Hartsmere Rd - still waiting for conveyance from Ministry
• Emergency site at south end - still waiting for Municipality to pick a site
• municipal boat speed signs installed

a) Communiques (via email)

- 16 communiques have been sent in 2021

- the open rate is between 70% and 80%

-  we appreciate replies to communiques and get back to members asap

b) Website and Blog (weslemkoon.com)

- there have been several updates to the website, including the addition of a page on the Cockeyed Loons and attached database

- on average 250 visitors / month - we aim to make the website easy to navigate - your feedback is very helpful

- there have been 0 blog posts in 2021 - perhaps this is something that we need to focus on, although we have had no requests for content

c) Facebook LWCA group

- private group

- currently 288 members 

- posts include helpful information about boating & camping, photo contest particulars, general reminders about upcoming events, answers to members’ questions

- members post on this group for various reasons (e.g., to share cottage related stories, sell items, ask cottagers to claim something that has floated ashore)

d) LWCA Facebook Page

• 268 people follow the page 
• open to all who search for the page 
• we have been posting information on environmental issues, safe boating, events and educational opportunities

e) Instagram (lwca_ontario)

- currently 158  followers (anyone is able to join)

- photos of the lake and surrounds, with a focus on LWCA issues such as wildlife, conservation, weather

- we are looking for volunteers who would like to help to keep our Instagram feed fresh 

Membership numbers as of Sept 30, 2021

Members  221 (11 new)

Friends    21 (2 new) 

Total =                    242 (246 in 2020)

• Payment methods in order of popularity: PayPal > e-transfer > cheque
• Thanks to all who sent in contact information updates; database update is complete

Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Coliforms, E-Coli - August Sampling

• Phosphorus and E. coli results over the years have been relatively stable, with the exception of somewhat higher E. coli and lower phosphorus in 2020
• TKN (Nitrogen) and Total Coliforms have been showing an increasing trend across all years, but a flat trend since 2017.
• Additional stations were added in 2011 and 2017 which have shown somewhat higher values which push up the averages.

Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and Temperature readings in  2021:

• Temperature and DO readings continue to show a healthy band of sufficiently oxygenated and sufficiently cold water for Lake Trout survival (blue band on graph).  This plot is for Elmardon; other deep stations show similar patterns, including Otter Lake

Clarity - Turbidity

• We began taking water clarity readings in 2021, using the Secchi disk.  We now have some baseline information to which we can compare observations in future years.

Courtesy Markers

• We have a new contract for the next 5 years for the courtesy marker deployment, removal and storage.
• All markers were removed last fall, checked over and stored. 
• 4 new lights were purchased and will be installed in the spring to replace aging units.
• if you notice that a light is missing or not functioning, please contact us.

Custodial Visits

• Nothing out of the ordinary to report for last fall and this past spring.
• All visits went off without a hitch and there were no reported losses or damage to our cottages.

Forest Management Plan (FMP)

Lake Associations additional protection request from Forestry harvest turned down by MNRF. They were granted a 30 meter protection around trails recognized by the province

Good news, LWCA’s previously agreed to additional setbacks for the harvest blocks close to Weslemkoon, Heath/Mink, and Arnott/McKenzie lakes will be part of the 10 year FMP.   

Inspection of the MNRF approved FMP.  August 2021.  Final approval is delayed.  

However, we have verbal and written confirmation from the Lead Forester at MLFI (Margaret Hatton) and the Regional Director of the MNRF (Sharon Rew) that our agreement for additional setbacks for the harvest blocks that impact Weslemkoon, Mink, and McKenzie Lakes will be in the final FMP.

The first annual work schedule of the next FMP will not have any of the harvest blocks of concern in it.  

MLFI and MNRF will complete the viewscape analysis when the annual work schedule is slated for our harvest blocks of concern.

Thunder Box Project

Again, higher than normal use of trails and campsites this year due to COVID-19.  

Higher than normal TP litter left behind.  Thus Thunder Box construction and installation project.  

Three years to achieve the installation of a Thunder Box at the following sites:  

 1.       Mink Lake, big rock landing camp site…  Jon Keeble, built, 2022 installation

 2.       Mink Lake, island camp site

 3.       Little Long Lake

 4.       Canoe Lake

 5.       Green Lake site on North shore…  Perry Cornell, built and installed

 6.       Sundy Cove, by the cliffs

 7.  “Algonquin” Point (AKA Squaw Point)

 8.  Channel Island into Caverly’s landing…  Will Vegter, done, built and installed

 9.  Picnic island west of Rockwell island…  previously installed

10.  Buck Lake

11.  Little Wes

12.  Shiner Lake

Work in progress:

  Alan Thomas location TBD

  Glenn Thompson location TBD

We need your stories, photos, memories, poems and ideas. Please make sure to share notes of passings, births and big birthdays or anniversaries too!

Please send along to looncall.editor@gmail.com or get in touch through the website or social posts and it will make its way to me. Items need to be submitted by the end of December to give us time to put it all together.

Please encourage your children to send in their stories and photos from the summer.

The Loon Call is only as good as the content within it - let’s continue to make it fun, relevant and all about our Weslemkoon.

Water levels were a little higher than the MNR target but within the range of “normal”.