If you’re a cottage owner who hasn’t been part of Love Your Lake, or you rent a cottage with family and friends, maybe you enjoy a day trip to a beach, or love a day of boating – we have some tips for you because we know you Love Your Lake too!
Own a Lakefront Property but it Hasn’t Been Assessed Through Love Your Lake:
- Create or enhance your shoreline buffer – a strip of native trees, shrubs, grasses and perennials on your property along your shoreline. The bigger the better!
- Avoid the use of fertilizers and pesticides on your property so they don’t runoff into your lake.
- Make sure your septic tank is inspected and pumped regularly.
- Leave the fallen trees, logs, branches and rocks along your shoreline, if safe to do so. They’re a great habitat for wildlife and help protect against erosion. Plus, removing them could require a permit.
- Create an s-curved pathway to your shoreline or, if the access to your shoreline is steep, a set of raised stairs with open backs. This will prevent trampling vegetation and help protect against erosion.
- Take the Love Your Lake Shoreline Self-Assessment to find out more ways you can help improve the health of your shoreline and your lake.
Renting a Cottage with Family and Friends or for Some Quality You-Time:
- If you are boating, make sure to clean, drain and dry your boat, including kayaks and canoes, and all other equipment before putting it in a different lake. Repeat before you leave to ensure you don’t leave with any unwanted invasive passengers.
- Use pathways and stairs when making your way to and from the lake. This will prevent trampling vegetation and help protect against erosion.
- Don’t bathe in the lake. Doing so could impact water quality and impact aquatic life.
- When doing laundry, spread your loads out over the week so you don’t overload the septic system. This will give the septic system time to process each load, preventing untreated wastewater from entering the lake.
- If you bring pets, make sure to pick up after them and properly dispose of their waste.
Planning a Trip to the Beach:
- Don’t leave anything behind.
- Dispose of garbage and recycling in proper containers or take it with you if there are no onsite disposal bins.
- Don’t feed wildlife.
- When making your way to and from the lake, stay on designated paths to prevent trampling vegetation and to reduce erosion.
- If you bring your pet along on your beach adventure, be sure to pick up their waste and dispose of it properly.
Planning a Beautiful Day for a Boat Ride:
- Clean, drain and dry your boat, including kayaks and canoes, trailer and all other equipment before putting it in a different lake. Repeat before you leave to make sure you don’t leave with any unwanted invasive passengers
- If possible, refuel away from open water. Don’t top off the tank and quickly clean up any fuel that does spill.
- Be careful of your wake. Boat wakes not only erode the shoreline, but they can disturb aquatic ecosystems, swamp the nests of loons and other waterfowl, damage docks and boats, upset canoes and small boats and endanger swimmers. Reduce the effects of boat wake on shorelines by slowing down. In many provinces, by law, boats must slow down to 10 kilometres per hour within 30 metres of the shore.
- Dispose of all garbage properly when you get back to shore.
- Keep your boat well-maintained.
- Use natural, non-toxic boat cleaners.