Two views on state of Musselnan’s Lake

Letters to the Stouffville editor YorkRegion.com

Jun 07, 2012

Re: Lake needs help, councillor, letter to the editor by K. Barclay, May 24.

Our lake is not a child pleading for help as K. Barclay puts it. It’s more like a flower blooming under the stewardship of many dedicated people who get out and get involved to make a difference. 

It is thanks to the efforts of our residents, the Musselman’s Lake Residents Association, Councillor Phil Bannon, Mayor Wayne Emmerson, the Town of Whitchurch Stouffville and the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, that not only has the water quality and clarity of our lake improved but, we now see the return of wildlife that had been absent for many years. Frogs, turtles and swans, for example, are seen repeatedly. 

It is through award-winning community involvement we have been able to make a difference:

• Musselman’s Lake Stewardship Plan: Represents more than 1-1/2 years  of hard work by LSRCA staff, the technical working (that included expert residents) with the strong support of the steering committee with Councillor Bannon.

• Earth Day:  Each spring, 75 to 100 residents give up their Saturday morning to clean up the surrounding shoreline of all debris accumulated over the winter. 

• The CUPPEL Project:  Under the direction of the LSRCA, residents have completed work on the first of potentially nine sites, where we can help purify the water runoff into our lake. Councillor Bannon and Mayor Emmerson are big supporters of this project.

There are a very limited number of boats permitted on our lake and the majority of these boats run four-stroke outboard motors, which run so clean they are the only motors permitted on drinking water reservoirs in California. 

Power boats help keep down overgrowth of weeds and add much needed circulation to the water. 

Power boats are also used to rescue people in trouble. Emergency services have used residents’ power boats for search and rescue. The police use residents’ power boats to patrol the lake. 

When it comes to erosion, Mother Nature can’t be beat. Whether she uses constant, relentless wave action or an even more powerful weapon – ice – she causes more damage to shorelines in one year than boating activities ever will.

Continued community involvement, along with the support of Councillor Bannon, town council and the LSRCA, has allowed us to watch the lake come back to life. Let’s continue to work together to make a difference. 

Dan Wigmore

Musselman’s Lake

May 24 2012

There is an old expression, out of the mouths of babes …  

A poster made by a young child is posted on a pole at Musselman’s Lake.

The child is pleading for help for the lake, something that has been addressed many many times.

The plea to get boats off the lake has been met with angry boaters demanding their rights to use this little lake for their huge boats spewing pollution into the water and eroding the shore. 

Leaking septic tanks have not been addressed, allowing toxic waste to seep into the water. Road runoff has still not been addressed, even with money given by the government to assist. 

Perhaps someone will listen to this child and get something done to save the lake from dying, which it is. 

Councillor Phil Bannon, do the right thing for the children of the future so they may have a lake when they grow up.

K. Barclay

Musselman’s Lake