President's Report 2011

A Close Encounter

      Last spring, I experienced a close encounter with a pair of moose at our cottage at Point Ideal. At first, I thought I was seeing a runaway horse as it stepped off the road and on to our property. When the second one appeared, and I got a better look, it was clear that this was no horse. When they saw me they took off at a gallop and I ran in the other direction for my camera.

      What caused these moose to come so far through a populated area? The Port Cunnington Peninsula contains substantial areas of bush, but there are some narrows where cover is limited. It is also home to a large herd of deer and these two species tend to avoid one another. There is no one answer to what brought them there, but habitat loss may be one reason. As more areas become developed, habitats shrink and become fragmented. Larger mammals must be able to move freely through larger territories according to the season and the available food supply. 

      It was once thought that conservation needs could be satisfied simply by protecting areas with distinct ecological values. It is now understood that it is equally important to maintain links and corridors between protected areas. Isolated species are vulnerable to disease resulting from in-breeding and to disasters such as fire and flooding. Connecting protected areas allows wildlife to migrate freely and draw from a broader gene pool. As our climate changes, animals will need to move in response to changing habitats and this, too, can be facilitated by leaving those corridors open. The need for these links is important in regional conservation and, on a larger scale, has led to such initiatives as the Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) and, Algonquin to Adirondacks (A2A). In Muskoka, much of our area is still largely natural and provides cover for the migration of animal species. Of course, roads are the biggest impediment to animal migration and we see the evidence for ourselves as we drive by the carnage on our highways.

      With my camera in hand I caught up with the moose at Point Ideal as they were stepping off the shore and into the shallow water at the end of our bay. They waded out about 150 feet from shore then turned to look back at me. It was a cow moose with a bull calf, which was evident from the calf’s velvety bumps that would grow into a pair of antlers. Although they were standing in three feet of water their bellies were still above water. Half of the diet of a moose is made up of aquatic plants and a great deal of their time is spent wading in water. Those long ungainly legs allow them to keep their feet on the bottom long after their predators must swim.

      Standing on the shore at Point Ideal I watched as the cow and calf continued wading across the bay until they reached the deeper water and swam to the far shore where they disappeared into the bush of the protected Egbert Boothby Property. The bull calf will stay with the cow until it becomes a yearling. Then it will be chased off before the next mating season.

      Moose, like bears, require a large amount of land to search for food and mates. If these large mammals can flourish it is a good indicator that smaller animals will thrive as well. This does not mean that all is well and our conservation agenda is complete, but it does mean that we are starting from a good position. To maintain the health of our environment we need to accommodate nature in our plans. Development is inevitable so we must include conservation as part of that development. Whether we are speaking of a subdivision or a small change to a cottage property, it is important to consider the impact on the environment.

      There is no reason why we can’t coexist with the nature that surrounds us. After all, that’s why we are here isn’t it? The Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation was created to protect and preserve our natural heritage. With a little effort and some forward thinking, we can ensure that the features of our natural environment that are important to the functioning of that environment, and, that we value so highly, will be here for generations to come.

      Please visit www.lakeofbaysheritage.ca to learn more about our work and results. We are working to restore our Land Conservation Fund and welcome donations, which will qualify for a charitable receipt. Thank you for supporting heritage protection in our Township.

 Mark McLean, President