PATTERSON LAKE
NEWSLETTERPATTERSON LAKE
NEWSLETTER
September 2003
The Patterson Lake Association exists! After years of talking about the need, several concerns gave the final push for a Lake Association to be formed. The proposal grew out of an open meeting for the Lake on August 9, 2003 at the Robertson Lake Snowmobile Club. It didn't take long to realize that there were six different road associations or areas on the Lake, and it took even less time for a representative from each of the areas to be identified. Those representatives met at 151 Lakeside Road on August 30. They reviewed a proposed constitution, sorted out the jobs that needed doing for the Lake, and formed an executive.
The areas and the representatives are:
The aims and objectives of the new Association are:
Insofar as forming an executive, we decided to have one president and five vice-presidents, which is in keeping with the equal status of all of our areas. Lorne will take the first shift as President, but the plan is to rotate the job.
What we will not rotate are the various tasks
we identified as our main areas of concern for
the Lake. Each representative will be prime
for the following tasks:
Note that the concentration is on the Lake. Each of the road associations or areas will still look after their own roads. Each road association will still collect their own dues for the things done by each respective road association. Nothing will change in how your road association operates. What will change is that we now have a constituted body that can speak for matters that affect the whole Lake such a lake level or development. We speak now with a more powerful united voice.
A list of the representatives and contact information is at the bottom of this newsletter.
(It wasn't planned but we ended up with three who live all year at the Lake and three who are seasonal).
Funds
We had a good discussion on money. Our plan is to have the flow of communications to those on the Lake through the respective representatives. That means that when we have something to say, we will produce six copies and each of the representatives will produce enough copies to distribute to the dwellings in his or her area. We don't need much money but there is a cost associated of copying and mailing. So were are asking for initial funding of $5 per dwelling. This is not an annual fee. We will only collect it when it is needed. And note that the funds will remain within each area and be administered by each representative. We will have a totaling at least once a year so we can keep proper track of of funds received and expended.
I didn't know that!
One of the things that was most obvious at the meeting was that we know very little about each other. And most of us know even less about Patterson Lake. Yes we swim in it. Yes we use our boats on it. Yes we watch it with loving eyes hour after hour.
But did you know that the first inhabitant lived on Mary's Island? Do you know which of our seven islands is Mary's Island? Did you know that the small shack on the eastern side of the big bay was a hunting camp for John MacCrimmon, Dave's uncle? Did you know that some of our bottom silt problems at the eastern shallow end were caused by a sawmill dumping its sawdust into the Lake? Did you know that Fair's Lane does not have phones yet?
With Bill Brooks and Rhodena Bell steeped in the history of the area sitting together at the meeting, the rest listened attentively as Bill and Rhodena told the story of why some features of the Lake are that way today. There were a number of "I didn't know that"! So if you look at the task list, you will see that we have asked Bill and Rhodena to produce a history of Patterson Lake. It should be great reading. We will publish it at least on the Internet for a beginning as that is the least expensive way of doing it.
Water Level
One of the things that drew us together was concern about the water level of the Lake. From numerous sources we know that it is higher than it was thirty years ago, for some reason. For some that is a good thing; for others it is a real problem. Our aim is to find a level that will keep everyone happy, and that is a real challenge.
At the meeting at the Snowmobile Club, Ted Manning from the Hardwood Ridge Road proposed that 3" showing of the rock off the western island in the middle of the Lake might be a happy compromise for a mid-season level. That was how much of the rock was showing on July 1st of this year. Lorne Bowerman and Trevor Dee of Lakeside Road did a number of measurements on September 1st using a 4' level and a ruler and found an average reading of 215 mm or about 8.5 inches of rock showing. Arnie Stanzell and Terry Wilkie of Fair's Lane did the measurement as well in rougher water and thought it was about 8 inches. Arnie is probably the one most affected by higher waters levels on the Lake.
If you are concerned that higher or lower lake levels will cause problems for your property, measure the rock and then go back to your property and see how a compromise of 3" would affect you. Dave MacCrimmon is the one to contact with your concerns.
Finding Where Someone Lives on the Lake
This is sort of like - I don't know your name or face, but your dock is familiar.
When we were trying to deliver some mail or set a meeting place, we really had to get down to describing our docks, boats, or waterfronts, and relating that to the north or south side or to the eastern or western end.
Because our roads do not connect, it becomes difficult to reach all the six areas by road. The shortest and most direct route is by boat. And that is where the fun begins. Descriptions come into play such as "I have a grey deck and a Fendock dock", or "I am on the point in a red and white cottage", or "I have a set of concrete steps".
When we were talking about it at a Wine & Cheese for the White Pine Lane/Lakeside Road area, Kay Blakely of 195 Lakeside Road (north central close-to-shore dock and power and paddle boat) suggested the obvious solution. We can simply make a sign with our property identification numbers (PIN) and put it on our dock. That is a good suggestion.
It has the added advantage of identifying all our roads as they are not that familiar to us. We know our own, but very few know the names of the other roads.
So nothing fancy is needed. Just a simple weatherproof sign with your PIN such as "151 Lakeside Rd". Of course those with talent will outshine the rest of us, but that is life.
Loons
We have a pair of loon chicks for the first time in four years. It is great to see them. Wendell & Susan Crosbie of Lakeside Road (north central with power boat, small dock, and sand beach) reported a downy young walking on their beach with the parents just offshore the first week of June. That is unusual as the incubation period is 29 days. With the ice breaking up the third week of April, that doesn't leave much time. But it explains our two mated pairs and one extra for most of the summer. We are really a one-pair size lake.
Did you know that loons use their wings while diving as steering controls and that their forward motion comes from their large web feet. This trivia comes from a book called "Loon Magic" written by Tom Kein and published by NorthWood Press Inc. of Minocqua, WI.
Lake Association Representatives
In the listing below, "(H)" means "home" and "(L)" means "Lake".
Rhodena Bell
Box 32
MacDonalds Corners, ON K0G 1M0
(H)267-5291 (L)278-2562
purdonbell@perth.igs.net
Bill Brooks
484 Porcupine Way
Box 61,
McDonalds Corner, ON K0G 3G0
278-2705
Lorne Bowerman
(L) 151 Lakeside Road
(H) 6 Lipstan Ave
Nepean, ON K2E 5Z3
(H)225-7904 (L)278-2813
bowerman@magma.ca
Dave MacCrimmon
399 Hardwood Ridge Road
RR3
Lanark, ON K0G 1K0
278-0184
Martyn Howard
521 Parsons Lane
RR3
Lanark, ON K0G 1K0
278-2015
Terry Wilkie
(L)636 Fair's Lane
54 Helena St
Ottawa, ON K1Y 3N1
(H)729-1253
This Newsletter was produced by Lorne
Bowerman. Comments, suggestions, or
articles are welcome.
A copy to draft constitution is also available in the "pattersonlake" sub-directory.