Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Families and small groups are welcome to visit the Marsh’s Falls Nature Reserve year-round from dawn to dusk. Visitors can enjoy 4 km of trails for hiking, bird watching, photography, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

All visitors must register before each visit. Registration is free, and you will receive information about access and parking along with a trail map. 

To help protect the Reserve’s wildlife and natural habitats, pets, camping, fires, biking and motorized vehicles are not permitted.

Groups of more than eight people can contact the Foundation to arrange a hosted visit.

LOBA, the Lake of Bays Association, is the association of seasonal and year-round residents of the Lake of Bays region. It is focused on the interests of its members in promoting, sustaining and enhancing a clean and healthy natural environment, a well serviced community and a safe and peaceful Lake of Bays. 

LBHF, the Lake of Bays Heritage Foundation, is a  land trust and registered charity focused on land conservation. The Foundation works to protect and care for ecologically significant lands in the Lake of Bays area for future generations. Through donations and other support, we are able to acquire, protect and steward important natural areas. Tax receipts are provided for all membership fees and donations. 

You are on the LBHF website now.

Life Members are members for life and do not have to renew every year.  We do welcome further donations from Life Members to help with the continuing work of the Foundation. There are a number of levels of membership beyond Life Membership to recognize continuing donations.

LOBA is very busy during the fall season and generally updates us once a month.  So it is possible that we had not received notice of your LBHF membership renewal at the time of our mailing. We work closely with LOBA and always get the funds that are meant for us.

The LOBA membership fee changes from time to time.  You can check their site here for the current fee and for methods of payment.

LBHF is very interested in having a copy of your family history together with pictures if available.  However, we do not archive documents, pictures or artifacts except on our website. There are museums we can direct you to if you would like to donate artifacts. Our mandate is to protect the natural and community heritage of the lake and if you can help we would like to talk to you.  See the Contact Us section of our site.

Leaving a memorial gift to the Foundation is an effective way to preserve your legacy and highlight your love of the lake.   See our Legacy section here.

Please provide a phone number where we can reach you if needed. We generally communicate with members and supporters by email, but may contact you by phone if an emailed tax receipt is undeliverable or if mail is returned to us. We do not use phone numbers for marketing or fundraising purposes.

Please provide the address where you normally receive mail. Most Foundation communications, including tax receipts, are sent by email, but we occasionally send information by regular mail.

The Foundation is set up for Interac e-Transfer AutoDeposit. When you send your donation to donations@lakeofbaysheritage.ca, the funds are deposited directly into the Foundation’s account, so you do not need to provide a security question or answer.

We will acknowledge your donation by email so you know that it has been received.

Tax receipts are emailed annually, generally between the end of January and the middle of February. Please make sure we have your current email address so that you receive your receipt.

The Foundation uses PayPal to securely process credit card donations, so you will be taken to a PayPal page when you choose to donate by credit card. You do not need a PayPal account. Simply select the option to pay by credit or debit card and follow the instructions to complete your donation.

When our current website was launched in 2020, many of the photographs featured on the site were generously contributed by volunteers Rebecca Krawczyk, Mark McLean, Brian Simpson and Gloria Woodside. Their photographs helped showcase the natural beauty of Lake of Bays and the lands we protect.

Since then, many other volunteers and supporters have shared their photography with the Foundation. 

We are grateful to everyone who has helped us tell our story through their images.