It’s just before the long weekend in May, as I write this note.
We have already had a few great weekends at the cottage. We have witnessed the last of the ice that was blocking our boating and have enjoyed the significant increase in water levels, up about 8-12 inches from last year at this time.
I hope you had a good winter, that you are weathering the tough economic times we are facing and that you are ready for another summer season in our Honey Harbour paradise.
We had a fairly quiet winter from an association perspective. This changed though as we engaged in a broad outreach for support from anyone we had an email address for. As you may know, the Township did not fund any water sampling in 2008 for our area. There is much to discuss on this matter, but you can be sure that without the correct and frequent sampling we will not know if our water quality is getting worse and putting our enjoyment at risk, or not. There are so many factors that affect the quality of water in the inner bays of Honey Harbour. Some of the major factors are water levels and amount of wind we get in the summer months. Low water levels, reduce the absolute volume of water in these bays which reduces the dilution effect on nutrients entering the water from any source. High winds create a stirring, water exchange effect which adds to the dilution effects which is also an overall benefit to our water quality. This by no means suggests that we should diminish our individual efforts to reduce either the nutrient or the bacteria pollution that could be originating from our cottages or boats. However, high winds and high water, appear to be acting in our favour.
For those interested in understanding this water quality topic further, I encourage you to contact our Directors, Paul Percheson, Tom Bain or myself, or come to our AGM in July where we would be please to discuss this in a group setting.
This summer is shaping up to be another great one with many activities hosted at the Schoolhouse. Nadine Hughes has arranged for another exciting summer of Day Camp programs and has arranged for some special large items for the JulyFest auction; the Church has a full list of guest ministers and will be running the Pig Roast again; the Tennis Club has several events planned in addition to the annual “always fun” Moonlight Madness; and don’t forget the Annual Regatta on Civic Saturday.
Have a Great Summer of 2009 !
See you at the Harbour . . . Al
We have already had a few great weekends at the cottage. We have witnessed the last of the ice that was blocking our boating and have enjoyed the significant increase in water levels, up about 8-12 inches from last year at this time.
I hope you had a good winter, that you are weathering the tough economic times we are facing and that you are ready for another summer season in our Honey Harbour paradise.
We had a fairly quiet winter from an association perspective. This changed though as we engaged in a broad outreach for support from anyone we had an email address for. As you may know, the Township did not fund any water sampling in 2008 for our area. There is much to discuss on this matter, but you can be sure that without the correct and frequent sampling we will not know if our water quality is getting worse and putting our enjoyment at risk, or not. There are so many factors that affect the quality of water in the inner bays of Honey Harbour. Some of the major factors are water levels and amount of wind we get in the summer months. Low water levels, reduce the absolute volume of water in these bays which reduces the dilution effect on nutrients entering the water from any source. High winds create a stirring, water exchange effect which adds to the dilution effects which is also an overall benefit to our water quality. This by no means suggests that we should diminish our individual efforts to reduce either the nutrient or the bacteria pollution that could be originating from our cottages or boats. However, high winds and high water, appear to be acting in our favour.
For those interested in understanding this water quality topic further, I encourage you to contact our Directors, Paul Percheson, Tom Bain or myself, or come to our AGM in July where we would be please to discuss this in a group setting.
This summer is shaping up to be another great one with many activities hosted at the Schoolhouse. Nadine Hughes has arranged for another exciting summer of Day Camp programs and has arranged for some special large items for the JulyFest auction; the Church has a full list of guest ministers and will be running the Pig Roast again; the Tennis Club has several events planned in addition to the annual “always fun” Moonlight Madness; and don’t forget the Annual Regatta on Civic Saturday.
Have a Great Summer of 2009 !
See you at the Harbour . . . Al
President’s Message 2009
Allan Hazelton
Honey Harbour, Ontario, Canada