PATTERSON LAKE NEWSLETTER

April 2005

http://www.pattersonlake.bowerman.ca

New Web Address

Please note the new web address.

A Good Winter

It was a good winter and not too much snow after January 1. We brought the New Year in at the Cottage and the path we had shoveled down from the road only had six inches of snow on it by the time of the spring break.

But the most noticeable thing was the layers of ice in the accumulated snow. You just could not break through it.

And the ice went out very gently with not much damage.

Lake Level

The ice from the eastern half went out overnight April 16/17. The western half will not last long.

The Lake level on April 17 was 19" above the bottom of the north culvert. Dave MacCrimmon reported that it was at 24" on April 11 which is the highest that he has seen.

The beavers are in high gear trying to stop the flow through the culverts; the humans are going full out to see that they don't. So far it is a draw.

Boat Operators Licence

In the abstract jargon of the Government, it is officially applies to "operators of pleasure craft fitted with a motor and used for recreational purposes".

It is probably well known to most of you, but if not, here is my take.

While we were at the Ottawa Home Show, one of the exhibitors asked if I operated a motor boat. I replied that I had a 12 foot car top fitted with a 5 HP Honda. I was surprised to find out that I had to have a licence as I thought that it was 10 HP and over. But no, I will have to have one by September 15, 2009 and if my 12 foot guess is really under 4 metres then I should have had one by September 15, 2002.

So I looked over the Safe Boating Guide from the Canadian Coast Guard for 20 minutes and took the test. It would cost $45 if I passed and nothing if I failed. There were 36 questions and a passing mark was 75% or 27 questions.

The first nine questions flattened me. A lot on running lights, ports, starboards, sailing, and distress signals. I am a kayaker at heart and my kayaks didn't help me understand the safety stuff and running lights on power boats.

The remaining 27 questions were reasonable and in the end I passed with 31. I am set for life.

One thing that I read was that I must have a 50 foot heaving in my kayak; I haven't quite figured out how to heave anything 50 feet without standing up and if you are in a kayak, standing up is a quick way to end up in the drink.

The new rules for those requiring certificates of competency are:

There is no grandfather clause and there is no minimum age. It is a federal law.

Info on boating safety is at 1-800-267-6687 or Canadian Coast Guard web site.

East End Soft Bottom

I received this email from Pat Gilliland:

"My father has a "swamp front" property on the south east corner of the lake. Although we haven't been out much since dad moved to Yellowknife, my wife and family are looking at fixing up the cottage and making more use of it. Dad bought the property over 30 years ago from Roly Parsons and we have been using it off and on since then. Many great stories over the years.

I laughed at the comment in the Nov 2003 newsletter about the muck depth at the eastern end. Many years ago, we managed to shove a 15' sapling straight down and then another 3' of arm length still without hitting bottom. It's very very deep muck."

A summer project for 2005 is to hit the bottom, and take core samples to see if the stories about the sawdust in the lake from a sawmill are correct. Reflect as well on what keeps the stuff stirred up enough to not harden.

Good Fishing Practice for Pickerel

Bill Brooks suggested a good fishing practice for Patterson Lake would be to throw back larger Pickerel (Walleye Pike) to keep the breeding stock healthy. Bill suggested keeping fish only from the minimum of 14" to a maximum of 20".

The Loons are Back!

When I paddleboated to the Lake Association meeting on April 17, I saw a loon out near the black rotten ice near Mary's Island. On the way back lo and behold the loon had been joined by a mate. That is quick.

Keep an eye out for this pair. Wendell & Susan Crosbie reported seeing a downy chick in May last year on their beach. That is very unusual but not impossible. I reported it to the Canadian Lakes Loons Studies in my fall report.

Satellite Photos of the Lake

If you have not connected yet to a new web site called www.maps.google.com, then have a look.

Type in your cottage address, like 151 Lakeside Rd, Lanark Highlands, ON.

It has the standard road maps including all of our roads. We do exist after all.

Impressive as well are the satellite photos available at the click of a word link.

You can zoom in quite close and zoom out to show all of North America.

The Lake is not nearly the resolution as those in my area of the city where I can see cars and my 16' square deck.

But what really knocked my socks off was the link that offered directions. I put in my home address and the cottage address (151 Lakeside Rd, Lanark Highlands, ON). It gave me directions right from my driveway to the cottage driveway with the distances for each leg. A great site.

Property Numbers on Docks

I see a few more property numbers each time I tour the Lake. We need more. Because we have no direct connecting roads between the areas, we do a lot of traveling by water. Having numbers is a great help. Just a small sign with your property number will do. Give your grandkids a piece of wood and a marking pen, and let them go to town on it.

Newsletter

This Newsletter was produced by Lorne Bowerman. Comments, suggestions, or articles are welcome.