Jacqueline Rivet

Article content Espanola is fortunate to have an active group looking after Clear Lake. The Clear Lake Stewardship Association (CLSA) has been monitoring the lake for 15 years.

Advertisement 1 Clear Lake Stewardship Author of the article: Article content Espanola is fortunate to have an active group looking after Clear Lake. The Clear Lake Stewardship Association (CLSA) has been monitoring the lake for 15 years. In that time, they have made gains in the quality of the water. Advertisement 2 Article content Clear Lake Stewardship Back to video Some of the impacts on water quality come from sodium, phosphorus and milfoil. There have been improvements in all three areas. Other factors are water temperature, turbidity or clarity, and oxygen levels. The CLSA is part of the Lake Partnership program with the Ministry of the Environment. As part of the program, the lake is measured monthly in its deepest spot for phosphorus. The sodium levels are checked in the spring and fall at a point closest to the highway. Both phosphorus and sodium are below problem levels while the amount of oxygen in the water is good. Fred Yackman, CLSA executive member, lives on the lake and paddles it most days. He and others noticed that milfoil has been increasing over the past couple of years. The concern was brought to the executive. It was decided that a new study should be done to evaluate the state of the vegetation. Advertisement 3 Article content Eurasion water-milfoil is an invasive species that crowds out native plants and reduces the biodiversity. It grows in thick tangled mats, is green with a reddish tint, flowers in July/August and grows in water depths up to three metres, reaching into the top water column. One way it spreads is by fragments of the plant taking root which can happen if the plant is raked in an attempt to control it. More than 10 years ago, milfoil weevils were introduced to Clear Lake. The weevil larvae burrow into the stem which inhibits the growth of the milfoil and kills the plant. This program has reduced the amount of milfoil which had gotten to the point that swimming was inhibited and it was clogging motors. In July, there will be a ‘whole lake vegetation' survey of Clear Lake. This involves an evaluation of the entire shoreline over a period of one week with additional focus on two areas where weevils were initially released. Two graduate students from Trent University, Nicholas Weissflog and Kaleigh Mooney, will conduct the study. They work with Dr. Eric Sager who previously gave a workshop on invasive species to the CLSA. Sager helped to arrange the new study. Advertisement 4 Article content The Town of Espanola has been very helpful with the CLSA as it has a vested interest in keeping Clear Lake in good condition. With the lake being a secondary water source for Espanola and having the beach, Al Secord Fitness trail, the mobi-mat into the water and the playground, it is a feature for the town. The Town of Espanola provided $3,000 to cover the cost of the survey for which the association was most appreciative. The CLSA has worked hard to keep the lake viable. They conducted the Clear Lake Stream Reclamation project with the assistance of the Town of Espanola and financial support from Home Hardware, Lions Club, OJ Graphix, Fisher Wavey, Dynamic Family Restaurant and three construction companies, Carlyle, Belanger and Don Eadie. The project was done to prevent the erosion of the beach. This involved straightening the water inflow under Highway 6 and lining the creek with limestone. This stream now has cattails and wild rice growing, a sign that the health of the zone has improved. Upon completion of the physical survey in July the CLSA, Weissflog and Mooney will host a ‘dock talk'. The pair will share their initial observations regarding improvements or what needs to be addressed. Following this, the study will be written and shared with the Clear Lake Stewardship Association for them to decide on the next steps. In the meantime, residents and visitors are encouraged to enjoy the lake. Clear Lake Beach is a great summer destination and has lifeguard supervision in July, a sandy bottom and easy access to the water for users of all abilities. Article content Share this article in your social network Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake This Week in Flyers

Article content There were some busy locations on July 1 in Espanola and Webbwood.

The Canada Day fireworks display at the Red McCarthy Memorial Ballfield was excellent. It was the perfect evening with clear skies and comfortable temperatures.

Advertisement 1 Pyrotechnics over Espanola Author of the article: Article content The Canada Day fireworks display at the Red McCarthy Memorial Ballfield was excellent. It was the perfect evening with clear skies and comfortable temperatures. The fireworks were purchased from Dream Catcher Fireworks located in Wahnapitae First Nations. They are First Nations owned, have been in business for 20 years, and did 17 shows, including Toronto, on July 1. Pyrotechnics over Espanola Back to video The show began just after 10 p.m. with the playing of O' Canada and lasted more than 15 minutes. It was a constant light exhibition with overlapping explosions of colour and no waiting for the next fireworks. Some of the fireworks included were spinners, strobes, willows and brocades. The Espanola Volunteer Firefighters Association was on hand to assist with set up and safety. They held a Boot Drive to collect donations from the onlookers who were pleased to support the department. The funds raised will go back into purchasing next year's fireworks. Advertisement 2 Article content Article content Share this article in your social network Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings

Advertisement 1 Celebrating Canada Day Author of the article: Article content There were some busy locations on July 1 in Espanola and Webbwood. The Northern Life Church had two huge inflatables, a bouncy castle and a wrecking ball, along with a dunk tank, free haircuts, barbeque and games. The grounds were busy with many families and the Espanola Volunteer Firefighters Association were present as well. Advertisement 2 Article content Celebrating Canada Day Back to video At the Spanish River boat launch, North Shore Search and Rescue held their annual Duck Race. This was the first year they had tickets online. They sold almost 2,000 ducks. It took 20 minutes for the first duck to cross the finish line. One boat was assigned the task of collecting all of the winning ducks. In Webbwood, there were many families lining the streets to watch the parade. Some of the parade participants included the Sables-Spanish River Fire Department, classic cars, decorated quads, Webbwood Dart League, T-Bell transportation, Corbiere Contracting, and McTwin Bait & Tackle. Personal dog trainer, Alana Grant brought along her rottweiler Titan and her goat Peanut to join in the parade. The afternoon Sewer Toss tournament at the Fraternal Order of Eagles Club was very well attended. The Espanola Elks Lodge had musical entertainment indoors by the Hardwood Boys. Outside there were many games for the kids, treats and demonstrations by the Espanola Volunteer Firefighters. There was a long lineup for the barbeque with people taking the opportunity to cool off while eating their burgers indoors and toe tapping to the catchy music. With all of the many locations and events, Espanola and area had a wonderful Canada Day celebration and the weather couldn't have been better. Article content Share this article in your social network Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings

On July 20, two graduate students from Trent University gave a talk on their initial findings from their aquatic community plant and weevil survey of Clear Lake.

Advertisement 1 Share this Story : Clear Lake dock talk Clear Lake dock talk Author of the article: Article content On July 20, two graduate students from Trent University gave a talk on their initial findings from their aquatic community plant and weevil survey of Clear Lake. It was held at the Clear Lake home of Barb Ward and Mark Stubbs. Nicholas Weissflog and Kaleigh Mooney shared their initial findings with approximately 30 Clear Lake residents. Advertisement 2 Article content Clear Lake dock talk Back to video Weissflog and Mooney worked for a week to complete the study. They had three goals. The first was to assess plant status, second was to determine the population of weevils and third, to create a bathymetric map, or depth map, using a depth sounder. They used a thatch rake attached to a cord and dropped it to the bottom every 50 metres. They would raise the rake and evaluate the quantity and type of plants retrieved. They also swam in the lake to visually assess the growth, and collected milfoil stems to check for adult weevils, eggs and larvae. Mooney and Weissflog showed bore holes in milfoil where air bubbles would rise, indicating the presence of the beneficial insect. Overall, the pair found that the level of Eurasian water milfoil in Clear Lake is manageable. The lake is well naturalized in most areas, has clear water and is of interest to the public. While the level of milfoil has increased there is a cyclical aspect to it. The east end of the lake, beside Highway 6, has more milfoil and lower levels of weevil population. This could be due to the area having a less naturalized shoreline. Weevils overwinter on land and require leaf litter, debris and native plants. The early start to the spring may have also encouraged milfoil to start growing and spreading sooner. Advertisement 3 Article content Recommendations from Weissflog and Mooney are to encourage a natural shoreline. They caution against making changes to the weeds without first being educated. Removing milfoil can cause it to break into pieces that will then take root. Allowing water lilies to grow is a good defense against milfoil because they provide shade, and with milfoil being a sun loving plant, the two species do not co-exist well. There were 23 plant species found, these included water lobelia, broad leaf pond weed and purple bladderwort. The Clear Lake Stewardship Association (CLSA) has been encouraging land owners to allow natural shorelines. Thanks were given to the Town of Espanola for funding the study, the chair and secretary Liz Cairns-Bois, Ward and Stubbs for hosting the event, Pat Parker for new signage and a lake level gauge and Fred Yackman for arranging the study. Mayor Douglas Gervais gave his kudos to the Clear Lake residents and said it was great to see what people can do when they get together. Weissflog and Mooney will prepare a complete report to submit to the CLSA. Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Clear Lake dock talk Comments Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Latest National Stories News Near Elliot Lake Featured Local Savings

Traditional Water Ceremony at Spanish River

Stolen ropes, Black Creek Sno-Shoe Trail