2010 Newsletter

The 2010 May BIRPOA newsletter is moving --- from your mailbox to this, the Birch Island website. This change will allow us to make it available to a wider range of folks who may be interested. It also allows us to introduce web links to interesting topics, and not incidentally, lets us save on postage. We will send an email link to all Birch Islanders for whom we have an email address; we will send printed copies to that smaller number of folks for whom we lack an address.

BIRPOA Newsletter, May 2010

Bob Cavanagh, President

The season kicked off quite early this year, with the ice gone by the beginning of April. I visited the island in early March and again right after ice-out. The island and the trails looked pretty good. I opened the library, though I didn't have time to process any books. It was great to be at the island and Susan and I really look forward to spending more time there this spring and summer.

A sad note: Former Birch Islander Dick Roncinske passed away in January, at age 77. He lived at 52 Birch Island until fairly recently. Richard is survived by his wife, Diane; his sons, Rick (Katrina), Ron (Kathy) and Mark (Brook) and their mother Joycelyn Rugg; granddaughters, Caroline and Jamie; sisters, Sr. Miriam Therese, Patricia Myer; brothers, Jerry (Ruth) and Bernie (Barbara); in-laws, Ted and Janet Dlugolecki; step son Andrew Pepper; and several nieces and nephews.

Septic Pumping: It's prosaic, and certainly not an upbeat topic, but several folks need to have their septic systems pumped and that may take place quite early this year. Catherine Burnside has taken on the coordination of the process, and also wrote this amusing but pointed piece. Contact Catherine at droletjj@hotmail.com, 613-359-5393 (cottage) 613-730-7483 (home). Do it now, don't be left out!

Loon Platforms: Bob Glover, Andy Shaw and I got together and built four loon nesting platforms. We then anchored them at locations around the lake, covered them with grass and weeds. We hope to increase the number of loon chicks we see each year; our recent population has been good, but there have been too few chicks. A report on loons will be given at the AGM.

The Trails: I walked most of the trails on my early visits and found them in good shape. We did remove branches and a couple of trees that had impacted the paths. BIRPOA has money set aside for mowing later in the season. If you feel inclined to do a bit of work with lawn mower or whipper-snipper, do feel free, as this will cut the amount we have to pay for mowing. A 1986 document from BIRPOA states that the trails should in fact be cleared by adjacent property owners, but in the absence of strong participation, we have been contracting this out.

Have some needs of your own? John Feltmate has discovered a rental brush cutter in Elgin that seems effective.

The trails Right of Way plan: We began accepting subscriptions for the trails Right of Way plan at the AGM last August, and we also received a number of questions. Over the winter we have looked at those questions very carefully and we are making a few changes in the original description.

If you would like to insure your own future trails access, read this.

A Lake Plan: We are talking to folks on other lakes, and looking into, the creation of a 'lake plan' to protect Sand Lake from future environmental damage. This has happened or is underway on a number of other Ontario lakes. We will report this out at the AGM, but would love to hear from folks who are interested. Contact me directly: cavenaghr@gmail.com

Township issues: Last fall I met with the Mayor of the township, and also with Linda Carr, our representative. We talked about many topics; among them, I presented our concern that Sand Lake Road needed repairs sooner than later, that residents' vehicles had been damaged by the rough surface. They made no promises, but they clearly heard our plea.

Speeding Boats: There have been a number of concerns about boats speeding close to shore—in many cases, the enemy is US. It is dangerous, illegal, and very hard on shorelines. Swimmers are particularly at risk. The township has agreed to support us if we need to take stronger actions to curb these offenses. We will be installing some signs and legal notices, but we must count on policing ourselves. Don't do this yourself, and let your neighbors know if they give 'nautical offense.' Also, If you notice habitual offenders, keep a diary of what, when, who, and the boat numbers if possible.

Books for the Library: The Birch Island Branch Library welcomes book donations. We want fairly current and popular fiction and non-fiction, good 'island' cookbooks, children's books, Canadiana, Sand Lake specific books, and do-it-yourself. We do have quite a few books now, so we will purge some of the older ones this summer. Would you like to be a library volunteer? Contact me at cavenaghr@gmail.com, or call me at the cottage.

Sunday Sailing at Sand Lake: A number of us enjoy sailing and others are interested in starting. It is a great activity for kids. I'd like to get some 'Sunday Sailing' going on Sunday mornings before the canal traffic really perks up. We'll probably start with some simple sailing in company, but if folks want, we can try to organize some mixed fleet races. This could easily include other Sand Lakers, not just folks from Birch Island. Need a sailboat? I have built a couple of 'Puddle Duck Racers,' simple boxy little boats that can be on the water for less than $300, and I will help others build them too. I set up a Yahoo group website to allow those interested to communicate—it that is YOU, go here and sign up! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SailingSandLake/

BIRPOA Membership: BIRPOA (“Birch Island Residential Property Owners Association”) is the organization that looks out for the interests of Birch Islanders, and the members of the Executive Committee work hard at that task. We are all volunteers and receive no compensation. We welcome folks who wish to join us, take on a task or two, and help keep the life of the island healthy and vigorous. We also ask all islanders to pay dues—just $40 a year—to help us do the things that seem to be necessary, such as mowing trails. Sign up using this membership form, then send a cheque for $40 to our treasurer Alice Howarth, PO Box 2, Elgin, Ontario K0G 1E0

Bob Cavenagh
57 Birch Island
BIRPOA President

ps: The Birch Island website is a great tool for communication with Islanders. Check it out regularly. You will find interesting opportunities, such as information on a new theatre program in Perth. You can advertise items for sale. Check out photo galleries, find a map. And you can research many things about the island.

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