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COTTAGER’S JOURNAL:
Watabeag-Wildgoose Community Cottager’s
Association
Spring 2008 Newsletter
1. Watabeag River and Joe Pye Weed
April 2007
“A Spring visit to the camp walking over the iron hard snow. Evidence of squirrels and chipmunks
are everywhere, little piles of finely trimmed cones like corn cobs are seen as we make our way through the bush. A fine blue sky and the Whiskey Jack (Grey Jay) welcome us as though they had been awaiting our arrival. A trip down the hill to the lake to see if the melt has started…a small pool of water by the shore that will later be a landing spot for the early loons. The day progresses, the sun does it’s work, the ice blackens, a strong wind comes up; they are all signs of the ice relinquishing its tight grip on the lake.”
Some items of interest to our members are included here and we welcome your input on these and other issues. Please attend our Annual Meeting *note the timechange to the morning*10:00 a.m. (coffee available) to be held July 7th,at Judy, Dave, Gillian and Mark Misener’s cottage “Toad Hall” (number 212) Membership and Membership Renewal dues as well as Dump Fees are to be mailed during May/early June to Dennis Draves, Treasurer, to the address shown on the accompanying registration form.
Message from the President --
Welcome back to Watabeag-Wildgoose and we hope that your cottaging summer will be happy, healthy and full of good memories. Since space is limited I will try, as briefly as possible, to update you on our Association’s main efforts and points of emphasis since Spring 2006.
Boat Launch: The MNR signed an agreement with our Associaton. They installed a new floating dock in July and removed the old dock. They also removed the dilapidated pit toilets and rehabilitated the site. The MNR and Association members will put in the Dock on May 14, 2007.
Cell Phone Service: Nortel Mobility will not be going digital in 2007 which means that our bag phones will still work this summer. We have made them aware that there are well over 100 cottagers in our area and have been told that although they will not make great expenditures to accommodate us they would keep our needs in mind.
Watabeag Landfill Site: Two clean-ups were done in the past year; a late Fall clean-up by the Iroquois Falls Air Cadet Squadron and a Spring clean-up by the Outdoor Education class at Iroquois Falls Secondary School. The site is in the best condition ever. Thank you to the many “local” cottagers who take recyclable items back to town when they go back for weekly mail and groceries or when they return from weekends. In an effort to further divert waste and to increase the life of the landfill, we hope that wherever possible all Beer Store and LCBO products will be taken back for refund. Because we know that this is not always possible, we plan to place a convenient bin at the site for LCBO and Beer Store returns and we hope that if you can’t take them back that you will separate and pitch in these items. We plan to do the same thing for aluminum cans. Because we have abolished the key system, dumping at the gate has not occurred. New signs were installed in several areas. Thank you to the Cottagers who we have seen who take the time to pick up pop cans, Tim’s cups, styrofoam containers, etc. from the roads, trails and lakeshores in the area. Finally we thank every Cottager who pays the voluntary Dump Fee. We hope that you can see that fees are providing a necessary service.
Cottage Watch: Our Cottage Watch Program seems to have been effective as shown by the reduction in break-ins since the program was instituted. Thanks to all Cottagers who keep an eye out for suspicious activities in the area. Incidentally, we hope to have a presentation and question and answer period about this program at the Annual Meeting.
The Future: We believe that a democratic organization is successful when it does things that a majority of its members see as beneficial. Some recent examples include: Cottage Numbering, resolving issues at the Landfill Site, Cottage Watch program, establishing new Water Level guidelines more favourable to cottagers (this, after there were many complaints about high water levels) In order to remain effective we need YOUR input and direction on improvements to be made, or things that need changing. Please give us input (in the space provided) when you renew your Membership and Dump Fees.
David Misener
Dennis Draves reports on
Water Levels on Watabeag Lake
As was pointed out in the Newsletter last year, we were successful in getting Ontario Power Generations (OPG) to operate within a guide curve. What this means is as follows :
Legally they can drop the level of the water to 319.00 m. The guide curve limits the draw down to 319.62. For those of us who think in feet, it means it saves about 2 feet of water.
The summer band is from 320.57 to 320.82. The guide curve starts a very slow lowering after Thanksgiving weekend.
The graphs show water levels slightly higher than the guide curve from Thanksgiving to December 31st, 2006. Data for 2007 was not available as yet.
You can see the water levels at any time by visiting the OPG Website:
opg.com/envcomm/wateruse/riversystems.asp
Sylvia Chutes Cranberry-Cheese Danish
A quick morning treat:
2 (10.1 ounce) tubes big crescent rolls
1 ½ 8 oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature
½ C (plus more) powdered sugar
2 ½ Tblsp. Cornstarch
1 large egg, separated
½ C. large curd cottage cheese
1 C. drained cranberry sauce
Preheat oven to 375. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Unroll both tubes of dough; arrange side by side in pan (some of the dough may hang over the edge). Press to seal all seams to form 1 large piece and cover pan bottom. Beat cream cheese, ½ C. sugar, 2 ½ Tblsp. Cornstarch and egg yolk in medium bowl until cornstarch dissolves.
Spread cheese filling lengthwise over left half of dough, leaving 1 inch plain dough border on top, bottom and left edges. Top cheese with cranberry filling. Using parchment as an aid, fold plain dough over, enclosing filling; peel back paper. Seal dough edges. Cut several diagonal slits in top of dough. Beat egg white until frothy; brush over top. Bake until cooked through, about 35 minutes. Dust with more sugar and cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Watabeag-Wildgoose Fact: Watabeag Lake is one of the headwaters of the Abitibi River which joins two other large rivers to become the Moose River before it enters James Bay. From Watabeag Lake you could paddle to Moosonee ! The South end of Watabeag Lake is only about 2 ½ km North of the Artic Watershed.
This Newsletter is being sent to all Cottage owners on Watabeag and Wildgoose Lakes (members or non-members) and as a courtesy the Association is enclosing a “Cottage Watch” sticker to display in a prominent window where it will be seen by unwelcome “visitors”. If you need more of these please call the secretary at 705-258-3743 or use the space available at the bottom of the Membership/Dump form.
Your Executive,
WWCCA