Category Archives: Muskoka Watershed Council

Muskoka Activities, Muskoka Watershed Council, Volunteer

Biodiversity science for global environmental change.

Another highly engaging presentation, this one by Andrew Gonzalez of McGill University and the Quebec Centre for Biodiversity Science, is the 3rd lecture from the biennial Muskoka Summit on the Environment . On June 6th and 7th I recorded the presentations over the two day summit. Broadcast, in part, by CBC Radio’s Ideas with Paul Kennedy, (search for Buying Into Biodiversity), these were world-class lectures, presented here in Muskoka. I am delighted to be able to ensure these are available to the world.

This lecture is now available at the following link on Muskoka Watershed Council’s YouTube channel: Biodiversity science for global environmental change.

Using Baker’s yeast, Andrew and team observed “evolutionary rescue” – the recovery of a declining population due to local adaptation under increased environmental stress.

Extinction and evolutionary rescue with a robot

Among Andrew’s key messages: Biodiversity loss is as important as major forms of environmental change.

Changes in productivity – species loss compared to environmental change.
cottage life, Invasive Species, Muskoka Watershed Council, Volunteer, water

Cottager’s questions about lake quality answered.

Last  Saturday I made a presentation on behalf of the Muskoka Watershed Council to the Sparrow Lake Association. The SLA was founded way back in 1926,  and is one of many lake/cottager’s associations throughout Muskoka and elsewhere.

Sparrow Lake Association webpage.

As always, there were a lot of questions at the end of the talk and because we ran out of time, more questions one-on-one after the meeting.  It thought it might be helpful to repeat them here as sort of an FAQ about water quality and cottage waterfront living. But after typing out a few Q&As, I thought I should send you to a better source.

Michelle Palmer received her doctorate based on lake studies; specifically changes in our lakes over time. Recently I recorded, edited and posted a video of Dr. Palmer’s lecture which includes a Q&A session at the end: Our Lakes: How Have They Changed Over the Last 25 Years?

Muskoka Activities, Muskoka Watershed Council, Volunteer

Emerging challenges and converging responses: Challenges and opportunities for conservation in an era of global change.

Engagingly presented by Jeremy Kerr of the University of Ottawa, this is the 2nd lecture from the biennial Muskoka Summit on the Environment . On June 6th and 7th I recorded the presentations over the two day summit. Broadcast, in part, by CBC Radio’s Ideas with Paul Kennedy, (search for Buying Into Biodiversity), these were world-class lectures, presented here in Muskoka. I am delighted to be able to ensure these are available to the world.

This lecture is now available at the following link on Muskoka Watershed Council’s YouTube channel: Emerging challenges and converging responses: Challenges and opportunities for conservation in an era of global change.

Against the backdrop of difficult times, where governments are in fact, no longer relevant in the development of much necessary research and solutions, Jeremy presents some opportunities: “What if citizen scientists could fill part of the data gap left by federal purges of scientific and environmental capacity?”

Check out ebutterfly.ca
Muskoka Activities, Muskoka Watershed Council, Volunteer

Mothers, don’t let your babies grow up to be biologists!

I am working on a project currently named the “Muskoka Minute”; after today we may have to revise the title. Today was quite a week.

Biologists track reptiles, fish, birds etc. – everybody knows that. I always thought that if they weren’t sitting in their office/lab chair looking at streams of perfect data, sent wirelessly from a creatures gizmo, they were tracking them. And tracking meant turning on the telemetry device and walking right up to a critter basking on a rock, picking it up and making some notes – then having lunch.

Working on communications for the Muskoka Watershed Council we are trying to enhance our own outreach and by extension that of scientists working in the field. We think that a quick, hopefully entertaining, look into what actually goes on in the field could be fun. We thought the goal should be to shoot and edit down to a minute or so, here and there in the field.

So today, thanks to Glenda Clayton (our Troubled Times for Our Turtles presenter), from the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve, I was able to join in on a day with three others from the MNR tracking a species at risk: Blanding’s turtles.

There is a lot of editing to do to distill down to a minute – or a few. For the record though tracking involved, in this case, hours of beating through deer-fly soaked woods and wetland in 30+ degree heat, only to then slog through chest deep bogs hoping to get a signal strong enough for just long enough to reach down and hope to feel the turtle and nothing … else.

I’ll add a link to this weblog when I do the 1st Muskoka Minute, but in the meantime here’s a couple of short clips:

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Muskoka Activities, Muskoka Watershed Council, Stewardship, Uncategorized, Volunteer

Loss of biodiversity, is it important if we don’t see it?

As a volunteer, as well as being on the executive of the Muskoka Watershed Council, I am the videographer. This gives me a great opportunity to ensure that truly wonderful ideas and presentations are not lost after the words are spoken and the video projector is turned off. I record, edit and post to YouTube, lectures and presentations at Muskoka Watershed Council events.

A most important event is the biennial Muskoka Summit on the Environment. On June 6th and 7th I recorded the presentations over the two day summit. Broadcast, in part, by CBC Radio’s Ideas with Paul Kennedy, (search for Buying Into Biodiversity), these were world-class lectures, presented here in Muskoka. I am delighted to be able to ensure these are available to the world.

The first is now available at the following link on Muskoka Watershed Council’s YouTube channel: Loss of biodiversity, is it important if we don’t see it?

It was presented by Justina C. Ray Ph.D. of the Wildlife Conservation Society, Canada. Justina raises some of the most important questions and current thinking on biodiversity and explores how our thinking has shifted over time, making biodiversity loss less apparent to us.

Muskoka Activities, Muskoka Watershed Council, Stewardship, Uncategorized, Volunteer

Mice at your cottage – snakes may be your best friends.

Don’t love snakes? They are harmless, all except the Massasauga rattler, which is virtually harmless; and 5 are in trouble in Ontario. Learning to live with them near your cottage, even going so far as to create some habitat for them may be the most effective and natural way to get rid of those rodents – that you really hate.

I just finished editing, and posted a video on YouTube. Rob Willson of Riverstone Environmental presented at the Muskoka Watershed Council‘s Muskoka Stewardship Conference.

In about 40 minutes you’ll learn a lot about squamites, including what that term means to impress your scientist buddies. You will also be introduced to the actor of the snake family…

Hognose snake playing dead; all the while watching to see if you are appropriately convinced.
Invasive Species, Muskoka Activities, Muskoka Watershed Council, Stewardship, Volunteer, water

Habitat Types in Muskoka

Think of Muskoka, not as a single habitat, but a mosaic of different inter-dependent habitats.

I just finished editing, and posted a video on YouTube. Dirk Janas of Beacon Environmental presented at the Muskoka Watershed Council‘s Muskoka Stewardship Conference.

In about 40 minutes you’ll be able to tell all your friends how a bog is like a fen, but is different from a marsh, which is different from a swamp.

Lake Muskoka, Muskoka Activities, Muskoka Watershed Council, Stewardship, Volunteer, water

Moon River Walleye Fishery

Here’s another video for the Muskoka Watershed Council‘s YouTube channel.

Eric McIntyre, of the Eastern Georgian Bay Stewardship Council discusses spiking water flow downstream from Bala Falls, its devastating implications to Walleye reproduction and the current status of the agreement between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ontario Power Generation.

2005 water flows, highly detrimental to Walleye reproduction have now been improved somewhat.

Eric spoke at the Muskoka Stewardship Conference.

In the video, there’s some interesting detail about Walleye habitat, the Moon River Walleye fishery and the need to control water levels in Lake Muskoka.

Oops, not a great spot to pitch your tent!
Muskoka Activities, Muskoka Watershed Council, Stewardship, Volunteer

Troubling Times for Our Turtles

Did you know that it may take 60 years of egg laying for a female turtle just to replace herself!

I just finished editing, and posted a video on YouTube. Glenda Clayton is a very warm and engaging presenter who presented at the Muskoka Watershed Council‘s Muskoka Stewardship Conference.

In 40 minutes you’ll not only be able to identify Muskoka’s turtles by species, but be more apt to help “wheelbarrow” them  across the road.

Assisting a snapping turtle across a roadway. The back-end is the good side.

So, you’re all up to the cottage for the summer, one of the kids finds a turtle and wants to keep it as a pet. No matter how wonderful they may look and how convincing the argument to adopt may be, NEVER, NEVER allow this to happen. With predators as well as cars at every corner, the odds are so stacked against turtles that we need them ALL in the wild reproducing.

So cool! Hard to resist keeping a guy like this as a pet, but please don’t – don’t, don’t, don’t!
Lake of Bays, Muskoka Activities, Muskoka Watershed Council, Stewardship, Volunteer

Andrew Daniels Fish Stewardship Program, Lake of Bays

I just finished editing and posted a video on the Muskoka Watershed Council‘s YouTube channel. George Daniels has obviously been a driving force behind some terrific conservation efforts on fish habitat in and around Muskoka’s Lake of  Bays. After the death of George’s son Andrew, a couple of Andrew’s buddies launched the Andrew Daniel’s Fish Stewardship Program.

George presented the program at the  Muskoka Stewardship Conference.

In the video, you’ll learn about many of the initiatives taken on by volunteers, local business, government and NGO’s – great stuff! You can pick up a fish ruler and poster at all of the Lake of Bays marinas.

Lake of Bays fish poster.