Excerpts of importance from the 2009 Annual FOCA Newsletter:
- Be “fire smart” around your cottage – Clean, assess problems, keep combustibles 30 meters away from cottage, check your fire insurance, have someone check your cottage if you are away for extended periods.
- Water quality monitoring is important.
- Filter/filter/filter water with NSF standards equipment.
- Think about UV (ultraviolet) disinfection equipment.
- Prevent turtle trauma: visit Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre.
- Clean the belly of your boat with bleach inside and out if you are moving from one body of water to another, especially from region to region or Great Lake to inland lake and vice versa. If you think you saw an invasive species on a lake, call 1-800-563-7711.
- Protect our loons: Watch for pairs, chicks. Avoid nests. Steer clear of nests, and slow down near shoreline areas where loons are observed. Respect them as they respect you. Keep pets leashed. (Also remember that Loon call recordings disturb loons and have a negative effect on loon populations.)
- Sportfish Contaminant guide and books on where fish are good to eat may be found at 1-800-820-2716 or sportfish.moe@ontario.ca. The guide may be obtained from Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, LCBO and Health Units throughout Ontario.
- If you have a private well, get the water checked. Typically, people don’t have their water quality checked often enough. Remember, there are other issues beside bacteria: remember nitrates from fertilizers and sodium. Go to WellWise for more information.