Fall News 🍂🍂🍂

Board of Directors - changes

At our August Annual General Meeting we announced that Judith Mills is stepping down from the role of LBHF President. For the past seven years, Judith gracefully and skillfully guided the Foundation’s work. On behalf of our members, we thank Judith for her leadership, dedication, hard work, and good humour. Much was accomplished in the past seven years as this list attests. Judith stays on the board as Past President.

Our new President is Margaret Casey. Margaret rejoined the board in 2017 and became Secretary in 2021. She has decades of volunteer experience on environmental issues and was a two-term Councillor with the Township of Lake of Bays.

Jennifer Wiser, a board member since 2021, is our new board Secretary. Jennifer is a long-time Foundation member and a recently retired instructional designer.

Continuing in their board roles are Robert Little (Vice President), Jeff Richmond (Treasurer) and Directors Tracey Macey, Mark McLean, John Saunders, Paul Shoniker, Rick Stronks and Gloria Woodside.

Marsh's Falls Nature Reserve - update

Monitoring species
As a land trust, we have a responsibility to track and measure the presence of resident species. Some species, like plants, are easy to monitor – they don’t move! Others, like birds and frogs, can be readily seen and heard. But we need special equipment and techniques to track animals that don’t make sounds and are rarely visible.

Consider the salamander, a lizard-like amphibian. Searching under objects like logs or rocks is the best way to find them, but this can damage their habitats. Specially designed and placed small wood structures, called cover boards, provide a repeatable approach that doesn’t intrude on natural habitat.

Cover boards simulate the salamander’s preferred moist hideouts such as fallen logs and forest debris. They have two layers with a space in between for the salamanders to hang out and stay moist. We can leave cover boards out for years and check them regularly. With the help of volunteers, we assembled and placed six cover boards at the Marsh’s Falls Nature Reserve in the fall of 2022.

It took a while for the boards to season before any salamander would use them. Our patience paid off in late August when we discovered a Red-backed Salamander under one of the boards. Check out a video here.

We will continue to monitor the cover boards and report our findings next year!

Volunteer activities
Thank you to all the volunteers who contributed their time, skills, and hard work over the summer months. Much was accomplished:

the trails were monitored and the grass cut around the Education Centre
the Education Centre deck was stained and a railing repaired, a new outdoor light and smoke detector were installed
the trail benches were stained and the meadow by the Education Centre was cleared of saplings and small trees.

Reminders
Many visitors took in the falls and walking trails this summer. If you wish to visit the Nature Reserve please register first. Upon registering you will receive an email with access and parking information, and a trail map. Registrations help us monitor the amount of trail use and inform our grant applications.

Grant application volunteers needed

We’ve identified some leading organizations that provide grants for activities we want to do. For example: interpretive signage on the Marsh’s Falls trails, speakers for adult and children's education events, biologists to study species at risk, and costs of land acquisition and stewardship.

We need a couple of volunteers to help with grant applications and related activities. Could that be you?

Potential granting agencies for our education activities include Muskoka Community Grant Program, Muskoka Community Foundation, and TD Friends of the Environment Fund. Land acquisition and stewardship (including species at risk etc.) funding sources include Environment Canada, Government of Ontario, District of Muskoka, and private foundations.

Grant writing experience is a plus, but not essential. If you are interested in helping or have any ideas or questions, please send an email to volunteer@lakeofbaysheritage.ca

Summer events - highlights

Butterfly Count at Marsh's Falls

Unfortunately the Butterfly Count was rained out. However, Rick and Kelly Stronks, who visit the property regularly, have found two new species – Pearl Crescent and Eastern-tail Blue. We have recorded 31 butterfly species with iNaturalist to date!

Silent Boat Rally

The weather was perfect. Thirty intrepid paddlers took part. We started at Dwight Beach, paddled to the mouth of the Lower Oxtongue, then up the winding river to Marsh's Falls. Special thanks to Gary Best for driving the safety boat. And, to Dwight Market & Pharmacy, Henrietta’s Pine Bakery, and Langford Canoe for the fabulous prizes we awarded to paddlers who found the most species of plants and animals.

Mushroom Forays

Mark McLean led two remarkably successful forays this summer, at Bondi Resort in Port Cunnington and the Sherborne Lake trail south of Dorset. See the results here.