May Long Weekend is Here!

The latest news from the Lake Bernard Property Owners’ Association

Hello Neighbours,

It’s the May Long Weekend! We hope you and your families are well. We are excited to share our 4th newsletter with you! Your Board of Directors has been working hard to improve the health of Lake Bernard, to improve and simplify communication with you, our members, and to try to create an atmosphere of community around the lake and with the town and township. In this newsletter, we have exciting news about healthy septics, the launch of a new on-line membership form as well as a launch of Lake Bernard clothing! I would also like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to our Directors: Andrew Vezina for his exceptional work on all things related to information technology including our website, simplifying membership registration and emailing these newsletters; Alan Burt for the expertise he brings and guidance he provides on all things “Lake Health”; Deb Booth for managing members’ dues, payments and most importantly, making sure our books are balanced; Wendy Blackwell Crane for keeping us up to date on the latest information from FOCA and for her keen interest in finding ways to grow and retain our membership (after all, “Alone, we can do so little; together we can do so much” – Helen Keller).

We are so lucky and grateful to have property on Lake Bernard. As always, we appreciate hearing from you. Please contact us anytime.

Take good care of yourself,

Sherrie Berdusco
President
sherrie@lakebernard.ca
647-300-7732

President’s Update

As part of my role as president of the LBPOA, I continue to host the monthly Roundtable meetings, as well as keep up to date with the councils from both the Village of Sundridge and Township of Strong. I am also pleased to represent the LBPOA in a new group created by NNEEC comprised of all the lake associations and watershed groups in the Almaguin Highlands area. Finally, I attended the first “Phrag” meeting of the year hosted by the dedicated and ever hard-working Marilee Koenderink from the Phragmites Working Group Lake Bernard (PWGLB). We are really lucky to have Marilee heading up the fight against this invasive species. Phragmites are challenging to eradicate and if left alone, are detrimental to the lake in many ways. Although you may not have phragmites in front of your property, many people do around the lake. Marilee and her group will be hosting cuts throughout July and August. If you can, please try to come to just one, it would be greatly appreciated. For more information, please see Marilee’s phragmites update below, under its own heading.

Roundtable Update

The LBPOA created the “Roundtable on Lake Health for Lake Bernard” to encourage an exchange of ideas and a dialogue between the Town, Township, NNEEC, Conservation Authority, and the LBPOA. The first initiative is healthy septics. This group has worked together to create opportunities for LBPOA members and the surrounding communities to learn more about septic systems. These opportunities include 2 webinars, the first of which was held in April. It was called “The Poop Talk” and was a very interesting and extremely informative presentation by expert Rob Davis. A link to the webinar is here: on our Youtube channel and on our website. The second webinar occurs on Tuesday, June 1st and will be given by Robin Allen of the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority. Please join us and please invite your neighbours…all are welcome! Robin Allen is the Conservation Authority’s expert on septics. She’s personable, approachable and happy to answer any questions about septics. The zoom will be no more than one hour in length. Please see below for the webinar information – we hope you can join us.
– Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4194436722?pwd=N2phdHg1TFFTQ0hYNUxnaWJsazdlZz09
– Meeting ID: 419 443 6722
– Password: 705384

Also included in the Roundtable’s initiative for healthy septics is a survey. It will be will be mailed to all lake property owners by the end of June and the responses will be gathered by the NNEEC. The goal is information gathering for educational purposes. Please complete the survey and return it by August 30th.

Lake Health Update

As many of you already know, Lake Bernard is part of the Lake Partnership Program (LPP). This is a provincially run water quality testing program funded by the Ontario Government. The LPP has been running for over 20 years and it is the largest volunteer-based water quality monitoring program of its kind in Canada. Each year, more than 600 volunteers monitor water quality and water clarity in 550 lakes – including Lake Bernard. Samples are sent to the Dorset Environmental Science Centre (DESC) for analyses. Data is updated and shared annually online.

Lake Steward, Alan Burt, with help from LBPOA Member Dale Klodnicki will complete the testing for Lake Bernard. For more information on the LPP and data results, please click here LPP. In addition to the 4 water quality tests through the LPP, Lake Bernard is also tested for bacteria, specifically e-Coli, by the Ministry of Public Health North Bay.

As well, starting in 2021, the LBPOA will be undertaking some additional testing. Water quality sampling for total phosphorus will be conducted around the lake at the outflow and the numerous inflows. This will help to create an overall total phosphorus budget and will allow us to identify the major sources of phosphorus into the lake. Subsequently, we hope to be able to control those sources, where possible, to minimize the occurrence of blue-green algae blooms as well as maintain the lake trout population.

Please find below a summary of all water tests that will occur in 2021. Please note that all labs were closed in 2020 due to COVID so we are excited to get back to monitoring the health of the lake.

Regarding blue-green algae, here is an informative link for more information Blue-Green from DESC. If you see a bloom or think you see a bloom, please call the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Spills Action Centre at 1-800-268-6060. And, it would be helpful if you could record the exact location where it is found.

If you have any questions or concerns about water quality or lake health, please contact Lake Steward Alan Burt at lakehealth@lakebernard.ca.

TEST	WHO	TIMING	DETAILS
Total Phosphorus (TP)	LBPOA takes sample as part of LPP; Dorset Environmental Science Centre (DESC) does analyses	Once in the Spring 4 locations around the lake	Important nutrient controlling the growth of algae
Water Clarity	“	Twice per month during ice-free periods 4 locations around the lake	Estimated using a Secchi Disk
Calcium	“	Once in the Spring 4 locations around the lake	Essential element that is required by all living organisms
Chloride	“	Once in the Spring 4 locations around the lake	Have been increases due to road salt
Bacteria	Ministry of Health takes samples and does analyses	Monthly during the swimming months 2 locations	Tests done at public beaches: in town and at Lake Bernard Park
Phosphorus (Overall TP Budget)	LBPOA	Since this program is new, one group of tests will be done in the Spring	Measurements of phosphorus at outflow and inflows around the lake

Ice Out Contest Winner

We had several entries in our Ice Out Contest. Thanks to everyone who submitted a guess! Congratulations to our winner, Ted Cuthbert, for being the closest with a very exact guess of April 11th at 6:20p.m. Interestingly, it was also the earliest of all the guesses… something to remember for next year’s contest?!

Calling All Photographers

Did you miss our Ice Out Contest? Never fear! Send in your best and/or favourite photos taken at Lake Bernard and you could see them featured on our website and/or in our newsletters. You can drop them into our Facebook Group at Facebook group or email them to info@lakebernard.ca. The winner will be announced in our Fall Newsletter.

Lake Bernard Clothing

Lake Bernard clothing is here! Show off your Lake Bernard pride in a new T-shirt, sweatshirt or hat…even onesies are available for our youngest members. Please go to https://lakebernard.myeshop.ca by June 9th to make your purchase. Items will be shipped by the end of June directly to you.

Mabel’s Labels

The LBPOA is utilizing Mabel’s Labels! If you’re not familiar with Mabel’s Labels, they are personalized, durable, waterproof labels. They are great for everything from paddles, life jackets, kayaks, towels, to water skis…even your new Lake Bernard clothing! You can customize them with your name and a design, and they are dishwasher, laundry and microwave safe. Mabel’s Labels also offers clothing stamps, silicone bands for water bottles and face masks for both adult and children. This is a great way to ensure your items don’t end up lost or mixed up and to support the LBPOA. Please visit campaigns.mabelslabels.com and select Lake Bernard Property Owners’ Association (LBPOA) (Sundridge). You can pick out whatever labels or product you want, and it will ship for free directly to your home or cottage!

Membership

We have created a new and improved membership registration process. To pay your membership dues for the year, please fill out the membership form and complete the payment with your credit card directly on our website. Click the link below to go to the membership registration page.

Annual General Meeting – Save the Date

Our AGM will be held on Saturday, July 10th at 8:30am. As it will likely be online again this year, members are asked to complete their 2021-22 registration prior to joining. Looking forward to “seeing” you!

Phragmites Working Group Update

The Phragmites Working Group Lake Bernard, a volunteer program of the Near North Enviro – Education Centre (NNEEC) would like to hear from any property owners that have Invasive Phragmites Australis on their property, who need assistance with Identification, removal strategies or a removal event scheduled.

We will reach out by email to property owners in June to book a date for Phrag Fighter removal events for this season. Volunteers can always come work toward keeping healthy shores at an event and receive a Phrag fighter T-shirt! Email: Marilee.koenderink@gmail.com.

Near North Enviro-Education Centre (NNEEC) News

NNEEC’s 2021 Community Adventure Program (CAP) registration is open for this summer. Join in on the fun! CAP is an amazing summer experience which creates safe and fun filled days for children ages 6 to 14. Operating out of NNEEC in Sundridge, the program is centered around core values of respect, team work and an appreciation for the environment. Activities include swimming, sports, arts and crafts, games, canoeing, and environmental education. Register today! https://nneec.wufoo.com/forms/mj633c60wqdsfh/

Village of Sundridge and Township of Strong Happenings

The Village of Sundridge has started hosting “Town Hall” meetings for its constituents. These take place every three months at 6pm, directly preceding their council meeting. Upcoming dates include July 21 and Oct 27. Thank you to the Village of Sundridge for offering these open sessions.

Also, please note that anyone is welcome to sit in on any of the regular council meetings for either the Village of Sundridge or the Township of Strong. Agendas and minutes for both councils are available on their respective websites.

Finally, Hazardous Materials Day is coming up on May 29th from 10am – 2pm. Here’s the link for more information: https://www.strongtownship.com/en/news/household-hazmat-day.aspx

Thinking of Selling Your Cottage?

The LBPOA is sometimes contacted by potential buyers wondering if there are any cottages for sale on Lake Bernard. If you are considering selling, please contact us at info@lakebernard.ca or call us at 647-300-7732. We have a short list of interested buyers that we are happy to share with you.