Hey bird lovers, here’s something you can do with the whole family this Thanksgiving weekend – it’s October Big Day on Oct 12, 2024.

October Big Day is your chance to join with other bird lovers around the world in recording the birds you see right here at Steenburg Lake.

Last October nearly 36,332 people from 191 countries submitted 83,735 checklists with eBird. In Canada, a total of 337 species were reported through 6,728 checklists from all 13 provinces and territories. You can explore all of the Canadian 2023 October Big Day stats here.

Whether you are here at the lake, or home, or travelling on 12 October, you can join in this global celebration. Participate from anywhere—even from home!

• TIP: Download the free Merlin Bird ID app to help you to identify the birds you see and hear on October Big Day. Upload your recordings to your eBird checklists to help Merlin identify more birds by sound.

For more information about October Big Day and how to participate, visit ebird.

If you see something wonky going on with the website it's because we are currently transitioning to a new design and new hosting service. 

The site has been completely re-designed, things have moved around, we might even have dropped or added some features, some features might not be entirely functional yet.  Don't worry, we're on it! Lots more information to come on how it works so stay tuned.

Your feedback will be most welcome and appreciated.

If you are a Paid Member who manages your property's member account you will soon receive an email urging you to sign into the new website with a new password, change your password, read and accept the new Privacy Policy and check your profile information and your privacy settings.

Any questions can be directed to President@Steenburglake.com (that's me!)

Thanks, Joanne

The results of water testing done by the SLCA after the August 12 beaver dam breach are in.

Our lake steward, Alastair Gorman, took the water samples on Sept. 2 and had them sent to a lab for analysis.

Samples were taken in the East Bay near where the water came into the lake, and halfway between the beach and the outlet to Bass River.

We sent the results to the Ministry of Environment (MOE) and Hastings Prince Edward Public Health for their information.  In both cases no red flags were raised, they were happy with the results and praised our clean lake. That said,  the SLCA has no expertise to interpret the results so if you have any concerns you can contact public health at (613) 332-4555. 

Both the MOE and Public Health asked we remind our members who use the lake for their drinking water to make it a practice of testing your drinking water on a regular basis.

This testing was in addition to the Lake Partner Program and done at the expense of the SLCA.  Another great reason, if you haven't already done so, to support your SLCA with your annual Member Fee of $30. More info on how to pay here.

The Steenburg Lake Community Association participates in the Lake Partner Program, a province-wide, volunteer-based, water-quality monitoring program – the largest of its kind in Canada.

Each year, hundreds of volunteers collect total water samples and make monthly water clarity observations on their lakes. 

The goal of the Lake Partner Program is to better understand and protect the quality of Ontario’s inland lakes by involving citizens in a volunteer-based water quality monitoring program.

 

The Steenburg Lake Community Association (SLCA) continues to make inquiries about any impact on the lake’s ecosystem that might result from the August 10 beaver dam breach.

The Ministry of the Environment (MOE) does not do water testing when the incident is a natural occurrence such as the breach of a beaver dam. It has however suggested some tests we can do — our lake steward Alastair Gorman is looking into that.

Given it’s been nearly two weeks since the breach, the MOE says the water released into the lake will have been diluted by the vast volume of water in the lake. Testing done now could provide a baseline against which to compare future tests.

If you use the lake for drinking water and are concerned about its quality, the MOE suggests you continue your regular water testing and include bacteria, Giardia, nitrate and methylmercury.

As recommended by the MOE, the SLCA will reach out to the Ministry of Natural Resources to discuss impacts on the fish population.

I’m also waiting for input from the Federation of Ontario Cottage Associations (FOCA).

……..

Did you know? The water renewal rate for lake flushing in Steenburg Lake is estimated to be about 2.2 years. This means that taking into account all the inputs from streams, precipitation and snow melt the entire volume of water in the lake would exit via Bass Creek over two years.

Following a beaver dam breach that caused significant flooding along Steenburg Lake North Road at McGeachie Conservation area on August 11, 2024, SLCA president Joanne Burghardt reached out to Crowe Valley Conservation Authority General Manager Tim Pidduck with questions about the incident. 

Tim Pidduck, General Manager

Crowe Valley Conservation

“The Crowe Valley Conservation Authority (CVCA) was notified of a beaver dam break north of Steenburg Lake early on the 12th of August 2024 resulting in a deluge of water entering the lake.

"These natural events do occur throughout our watershed at various times of the year and are relatively common, especially during periods of high water in the spring when a number of factors determine when or if a beaver dam break will occur.

“This dam break occurred during the summer season during a storm event that swept through most of Eastern Ontario. Although the total amount of precipitation was considerably less than expected, in all likelihood, other conditions leading up to the failure were a factor as well. This could include any one of or a combination of the age of the dam, its height, water pressure exerting on the structure, wave action due to the storm wind, high water levels prior to the storm, maintenance issues (was the dam abandoned due to predation or other causes such as old age, illness, injury or even territorial dispute) or was it already in a weakened state due to other natural causes or even human intervention. Without any evidence, the cause of the dam failure will never be known, unlike structures built by humans who must find out why a structure failed.

“CVCA staff have estimated the amount of water released into Steenburg Lake was approximately 2.3 – 2.5 million cubic feet of stored water behind the dam. There would have been additional water from the flow of the creek itself, which is virtually impossible to measure without an hydraulic analysis of the creek. Suffice to say, it was a large volume of water that unexpectedly occurred without any warning causing damage and disruption at the point it entered Steenburg Lake.

“The level is certainly high and CVCA staff have confirmed the lake rose approximately 17.5 cm (7 inches) due to the flow from the dam and the recent rainfall on the weekend. The lake is dropping and should start to resemble normal conditions within 7 to 10 days. However, this will depend on how much additional rainfall is received in the area during this post beaver dam break and when it occurs. Approximately 30 to 35 mm is expected this weekend, therefore it may reduce the lowering of the lake than what staff have estimated.

“Presumably there was a significant amount of silt, potentially some natural detritus material and likely some human garbage (hopefully very little) from the sudden surge of water. Depending on what contaminants were being stored in the silt and the volume released into the lake will determine if there are any environmental concerns. Testing and monitoring conducted for a period of time would likely be required to gauge what the effects would be on the ecosystem. Unfortunately, the CVCA does not have the staff or resources to complete this type of work to determine if there is any risk to the lake’s ecosystem.

“The CVCA has owned the McGeachie Conservation Area since the mid- 1990’s. The dam break at this location has happened twice in the approximately 30 years of ownership, which may or may not coincide with the natural beaver pond/dam break/beaver meadow cycle.”

Note: The SLCA Board will continue its regular water testing routine, and will reach out to the CVCA to determine if there is further testing we should do to monitor the affect of the dam breach on the lake’s ecosystem. – Joanne Burghardt, President SLCA,  Aug. 16, 2024.

Did you know that Steenburg Lake is one of two lakes within a 10km radius regularly stocked with fish by the Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry (MNR)?

According to the MNR, Steenburg Lake was last stocked in the spring of 2024 with 6,000 yearling splake. Nearby Robinson Lake received 264 yearling Lake Trout.

Seventy-eight percent of the annual stocking effort happens in spring. There are an estimated 5.7 million fish making their way to over 1,000 waterbodies across the province this spring.

When it comes to transportation to remote locations, helicopters play a big role, stocking more than 800,000 fish into over 600 lakes. Additionally, over 1.2 million fish are stocked by boat, with a focus on lake trout rehabilitation programs.

MNR stocking trucks travel over 230,000 kilometers each year, delivering 200 tonnes of fish. That's like circling the earth 5.75 times! From the Great Lakes to inland lakes, these fish will help continue to enrich our waters for Ontario's anglers and aid in further supporting the province's thriving waterbodies.

Learn more about Ontario's fish stocking program.

SOURCE: MNR

by Rick Burke
Last year I decided to make some new Loon nesting platforms that were more durable and that would actually float. Some plans were found on-line from Minnesota, so I contacted them to get further details and understanding of their experience with these.

The new platforms required some expensive pipes for the frame and Kris Landon came through by providing this. Kris and his Dad Bill Landon delivered it to the lake last spring and Bill Landon, James Conquer (Landon/Conquer/Sanderson cottage) and I helped assemble the new platform bases which was no easy task.

The new platforms stayed at our cottage until this spring where my wife Diane and I completed the remainder of the assembly.

Once ready, we had to get them down to the water and deployed to an appropriate spot. Dale Taylor and his wife Sandy, along with Diane and I carried them down to the water, loaded them on Dale and Sandy’s boat and positioned them for the Loons. Nesting materials were added to the top of the platforms as well.

This all happened before my deadline of May 1st. This process took many hours of work and couldn’t have happened without those involved. A big thank you to Kris Landon for his very generous donation, and to Bill Landon, James Conquer, Dale Taylor, Sandy Lang and Diane for all their hard work to make this project a reality.

We are hopeful that these platforms work and assist with the hazards of fluctuating water levels and monstrous boat wakes, but know that it may take a few years until the loons discover them and are comfortable nesting on them.

We are renting them out for $1500/month for any interested loon couple.....