For RAC Produced By: Raven Starr

Welcome to our Lakes!!! GRASSY LAKE AUSTIN LAKE SCHNARR LAKE

Year round resident, John Tattersall, has been living at Deacon Lake without hydro for over 15 years.

Austin, Grassy and Schnarr are all sister lakes. Development at each of the lakes will affect the other.

Austin, Grassy, Schnarr and Deacon lakes all lie up stream in the Black Sturgeon watershed. Phosphates, nutrients are shared as they travel through the watershed.

Nestled between Austin and Deacon Lake are the remains of the old Haney cabin, a tribute to the homesteader who raised 10 children inside these walls.

Dedicated boaters are beginning to trade their motors for non-motorized pleasure craft.

Austin Lake Ski Trail Volunteers Ski trails are maintained for non- motorized use only. Thank you Grant, family and friends for your years of dedication and helping us to enjoy nature in a eco- friendly way.

Lil Anderson’s advice with regard to wild life habitat is always greatly appreciated.

Thanks to Kathy's hard work and the co-operation of Austin Lake residents baby loons are able to hatch successfully. Thank you to everyone for not boating that July long week-end, the chicks hatched! Kathy collects data for Longpoint Bird Conservatory

In 1993 the A.G.S.P.O.A. in partnership with M.N.R. and the Kenora Sportsman’s Association built a spawning bed at Austin Lake. The project was successful in reviving the depleted fish population.

Grassy comes by its name sake honestly. At 160 feet from the shoreline the water averages feet deep.

The narrowness of the lake makes safe boating a challenge.

To maintain safe boating, boaters are compliant with the association request that after two rounds on the lake you give someone else a turn.

Social crowding is another challenge. “When you hear your neighbor sneeze you quickly realize that your lot is not entirely private.”

The densely inhabited shoreline is off set only by a view to undeveloped crown land. Currently further development has come to a stalemate.

Current MOE policies do not endorse any additional development of such “at/over capacity” lakes.

Certainly we are “at/over capacity” for development as stated in M.O.E. reports.

Residents of Grassy have an ongoing concern with fluctuating lake levels and consequential dock damage.

The City of Kenora Official Plan 6.1G also protects Austin, Grassy and Schnarr lakes from further development. “ There shall be no new development on Grassy, Austin, and Schnarr Lakes without the availability of municipal sewer and water.”

In partnership with the M.O.E. Lake Partner Program, secchi disc readings have been done on our lakes since 1992.

“When I was younger our family drank the water straight from Austin Lake.” Today UV filters are required to make the water safe for drinking. Today regular water testing and UV filters are required to make the water safe for drinking.

In the fall of 2008 the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care issued a warning to Austin Lake residents that Austin Lake water was not safe to drink.

In 2005, Jim Sutton (surface water specialist, M.O.E.) tested the water quality at Austin & Grassy Lake. The data confirmed that both lakes are Level 3 lakes with a total phosphorous between 18.5 and 29. Oug/L.

Today concerned residents of Schnarr Lake still refer to the algae bloom of 2003, which made water activities impossible to enjoy.

Area biologist, Mary Duda, reported on the algae outbreak and attributed it to a combination of the following factors. The first being additional nutrient loadings resulting from development. Then temperature, water level and natural phosphorus.

The report recommended: 1) Monitoring water quality 2) Limiting nutrient input 3) Limit development “Given that there was no reported occurrences of blooms prior to cottage development the lines of evidence suggest that this is the dominant factor in nutrient loading and subsequent biological response.”

The AGSPOA shared the implications of the Black Sturgeon report (2007) with the Lake of the Woods Property Owners Association. Their support helped to create an amendment to the new official city plan, which made water quality a top priority and ensured that future development is managed to prevent detrimental impacts to water and other aspects of the natural environment and the human amenities values. (City of Kenora Official Plan 5.3)

WATER? WILD LIFE? DEVELOPMENT? WHAT IS OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR LAKES? WHAT ARE OUR VALUES?

Thank you Kenora! We trust that you will help us to protect our values.