Scugog Lake Stewards

03/25/2025

WELL, DIDN'T WE TELL YOU! The water is back in the lake, ... the snow has melted in the woods (almost) and the soil of the watershed is saturated. The water level has, within days, shot up to match the max. water level ever for this time of year, as measured constantly by the Trent-Severn Waterway from the Community Pier at Caesarea! (See the blue line below) Statistically it is more than 2 ft. above the top of the closed dam and locks at Lindsay ... but all the logs will be out and the water will be pouring over the 60 ft. plus spillway to the side. Remember Lake Scugog has 68 sq. km. of surface water. Adding 2 ft. of water and that's a lot of water to get out through the Scugog River and the dam infrastructure. Photos will be appreciated!!

03/24/2025

DO YOU, OR ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS, LIVE ON THE NORTH SHORELINE OF LAKE SCUGOG AND BE INTERESTED IN BEING A COMMUNITY SCIENCE VOLUNTEER? Kawartha Conservation would like to hear from you.
Such volunteers would be collecting nearshore water samples which will be used to analyze E.coli, nitrates, total phosphorus, and chloride, while also recording important water quality parameters such as water temperature and conductivity. Samples would be taken from May to September with ample instruction and all equipment provided. The information gained is critical to understanding the health of the lake. To find out more go to 'COMMUNITY SCIENCE PROGRAM' at: https://www.kawarthaconservation.com/learn-and-get-involved/citizen-science/

03/20/2025

TIME IS RUNNING OUT TO APPLY TO THE SCUGOG WATER FUND FOR FINANCIAL HELP with your water quality project: DEADLINE: April 31, 2025, for these types of projects in Scugog:
* Erosion and loss of natural cover along shorelines and stream banks
* Agricultural stewardship projects
* Poorly functioning septic systems and wells
* Rainwater/runoff management
* Tree plantings
* Wetland Restoration
You could receive up to 50% of the cost of this project. Do not delay because now you could also get free help with your choices and design in order to expedite your application. FIND OUR MORE AT: https://www.kawarthaconservation.com/news/posts/scugog-water-fund-opens-for-applications/

03/15/2025

WHY DON'T WE SEE WILD RICE IN LAKE AREAS NORTH OF THE CAUSEWAY ANYMORE?
Twenty years ago, we found 8 different areas of wild rice in Lake Scugog. But we have not seen any wild rice lately! (Below is a picture of a large field of wild rice that used to be to the south of the mouth of the Nonquon River ... interspersed were water lilies. However, our research in 2017 found that entire area had been replaced with some Eurasian watermilfoil underlain with heavy amounts of many kinds of billowy filamentous algae and plant like algae starry stonewort.)

Wild rice is very sensitive to wide range of modern issues such as climate change. Was this an increased water temperature issue which might cause all sorts of problems including greater vulnerability to disease or pests. Wild rice needs long periods of cold and ice to do well and generally ice-in/ice-out is getting shorter and shorter. Warmer temperatures and changes in water conditions can favor the growth of invasive aquatic plants, which can outcompete wild rice for resources. For sure, It is certainly favouring the growth of many types of algae including the plant like varieties such as starry stonewort and nitella which seem to overwhelm native species of plants. Or, was it a fluctuating water level issue. Or, could it be a changing water quality issue with perhaps greater chloride (salt) levels?

To summarize, wild rice habitat across Canada has dwindled due to the interconnected pressures of development, pollution, and climate change. It is a definite problem.

What can be done ... work hard to improve the water quality and try to somehow head off the increasing threat of climate change. Big requests! If you want to help support Lake Scugog and make sure it stays a healthy and vibrant lake for years to come, consider joining the Scugog Lake Stewards. Simply go to: ilovelakescugog.ca

03/14/2025

ASK ANY OLD TIME RESIDENT OF SCUGOG AND THEY WILL TELL YOU ABOUT WHAT USED TO BE THE GREAT MUDCAT FISHING AROUND THE LAKE AND THE BIG FISH FRY PARTIES OF OLD! Mudcats or brown bullheads were once extremely plentiful in the lake and river marshy edges and were an easy catch with such simple devices as a stick and string with a big knot on the end tied around a dew worm or even a dough ball and a bobber. People would catch hundreds of fish, then take them to friends or to a community party. Renowned were the fish-fry parties on the Nonquon and in Caesarea.

The best time to catch mudcats was around 11 at night as that was their time to feed voraciously on almost anything they came across. Hooks were not used because they were unnecessary ... and also to get the hook out you would risk getting a painful jab from their stiff pectoral fins. Mudcats were very easy to clean because they only have a central spine and their snake-like skin peels off easily when grasped at the mouth.

With their wide vacuum mouths, they eat almost anything they run across, their sensitive whisker-like barbels leading the way.

WHY HAVE THEIR NUMBERS DECLINED: Habitat loss, competition with other species like walleye, muskie, large mouth bass and crappie that prey on their young and compete for resource, and obviously ... overfishing. WHY ARE THEY SHOWING A BIT OF AN INCREASE: with decreased walleye numbers have brought low competition for resources and greater spawning success. Mudcats can tolerate higher water temperatures that are now the norm than most sport fish.

03/13/2025

A HISTORY OF WALLEYE OR PICKEREL IN LAKE SCUGOG! Walleye are not native to our lake, rather they were introduced around 1920's for the sport fishery. They did well because of the murky water, protective aquatic plants and ample food prey. They pretty well eliminated the native mudcats which had previously been very abundant.
In the mid 2000's MNR walleye survey numbers began to drop dramatically for a range of reasons:
* sediment covering walleye spawning shoals
* a surge of predator fish that ate walleye eggs and fry (bass, crappie and even carp.)
* over-fishing, (many tournaments, year around fishing)
The Scugog Lake Stewards pressed for a term moratorium to enable a return of walleye stocks. The MNR closed the walleye fishery in January 2016.

Since that time Walleye numbers have continued to decline. EGGS AND FRY ARE NOT SURVIVING because the lake is no longer suitable walleye habitat because the continuation of the above, plus:
* Zebra and quagga mussels have now made the lake too clear for murky loving walleye.
* The new invasive plant-like alga starry stonewort has taken over, destroying walleye habitat, food, water quality and reducing oxygen levels and increasing the potential for toxic algal growth.
* Climate change is increasing the water temperature beyond what walleye like.
* Greater development and consequent runoff has increased salt and other pollutant levels and decreased natural shoreline areas.
These problems appear to be happening throughout central/south Canadian and midwest U.S. lakes. (Photo below, weighing in after a fishing tournament at Port Perry Marina.)

03/12/2025

THE HISTORY OF THE TRENT-SEVERN WATERWAY AND THE DAM AT LINDSAY! Without dam and lock 33 on the Scugog River, Lake Scugog as we currently know it would not exist. We all know that the original dam there was put in to drive a mill in the 1830's, thereby causing all sorts of grief in to the peoples and the environment to the south. It was rebuilt by the Ontario Government in the 1870s, and the lock and dam were transferred to the Federal Government in 1906 and later rebuilt in concrete. TODAY, THIS LOCK IS STILL ONE OF ONLY FIVE (5) LOCKS THAT ARE OPERATED WITH MANUAL SWEEPS. (See below how the locks are operated) All in all, the Trent-Severn Waterway features 44 locks (including 37 conventional, 2 flight, 2 hydraulic lift, and 1 marine railway), and approximately 160 dams and control structures to manage water levels. Both the Trent-Severn Waterway and the Rideau Canal system are part of Parks Canada.
If you want to help support Lake Scugog and make sure it stays a healthy and vibrant lake for years to come, consider joining the Scugog Lake Stewards. Simply go to: ilovelakescugog.ca

03/12/2025

DYK that rock salt works best between 0°C and -10°C? When temperatures are too cold for salt to be effective, there are alternatives you can use to create traction to help avoid slipping on icy surfaces. https://bit.ly/3F5V4ED?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ap_4qtrcw4naf
Environment Ontario FOCA - Federation of Ontario Cottagers' Associations Region of Waterloo

03/11/2025

THE HISTORY OF THE CARP DIE-OFF IN LAKE SCUGOG! In 2007 over 5,000 carp were believed to have died in Lake Scugog alone, causing a huge outcry about the general health of the lake. Other types of fish were not affected.
WHAT CAUSED IT: The Ministry of Natural Resources, tested both dead and live carp and determined eventually that the trouble was caused by an introduced Koi Herpes virus from a released fish tank or pond. (Koi are a type of carp.) This weakened the carp in the lake, thus allowing the common lake virus, columnaris virus, to kill great numbers of fish. Columnaris only kills if the fish are first stressed in some way. This virus which was introduced here, then spread over a couple of years to most of the lakes of the Trent-Severn Waterway, killing millions of fish.
THEREFORE: NEVER DUMP YOUR FISH TANKS, FISH, OR YOUR POND WATER INTO THE LAKE. This was an introduced virus. (Photo of clean-up from the Toronto Star)

03/09/2025

LIFE UNDER THE ICE OF LAKE SCUGOG IS DEPENDENT ON OXYGEN LEVELS! The layer of water at the top of the lake is frozen, but the ice and snow on top insulate the water, helping keep the water at around the same temperature throughout the winter, so it is actually quite easy for fish, even during the coldest winter day.
Fish are cold-blooded, so their body temperature changes as the temperature of the water they’re swimming in changes. Most fish spend the winter at the bottom of the lake, where the water is the warmest. During the winter months, fish eat less, move around less, and they also don’t need to breathe as much. That’s really important, because oxygen can be hard to get from the water under the ice. Fish will slowly use up the oxygen in the water until spring comes and the ice melts. Salt contamination, and higher phosphorus and nitrogen levels take away some of the oxygen inside the water, which makes it harder for fish to survive the winter.

Lake Scugog - Life Under the Icewww.scugoglakestewards.caIn this video a group of researchers have been monitoring what's UNDER the ice of Lake Scugog.Dr. Jo...

03/08/2025

DID YOU KNOW THE HISTORY OF LAKE SCUGOG IS WRITTEN IN ITS MUD BOTTOM? When examined systematically under a microscope, Lake Scugog mud gives us an accurate record of what happened in the lake from before the dam was built in Lindsay in the 1830's to now. It can indicate major events since then such as fires in Port Perry but it also can record the relative health of the lake. See how those samples are taken in this video of our on ice research work.

Lake Scugog - Taking Lake Sediment Coreswww.scugoglakestewards.caDr. Josh Thienpont from the Scugog Lake Stewards Inc. and the University of Ottawa explains ...

03/05/2025

ITS STARTING, AND IT WILL GO UP FAST! Have a look at the below water level chart from the Trent-Severn Waterway taken daily from the dock at Caesarea. Spring is coming and there is a lot of melting snow in our watershed!

03/03/2025

ATTENTION SHORELINE OWNERS, FARMERS AND COUNTRY LANDOWNERS!
The Scugog Water fund is once again open until April 30, 2025 to help you with your needed water quality protection or improvement project. This year they have their greatest amount of funds available for 50% of your approved project. ELIGIBLE LANDOWNER PROJECTS INCLUDE:
* Waterfront erosion control and naturalization (tree/shrub/wildflower planting)
* Rainwater management methods (rain barrels, rain gardens, French drains, permeable pavement)
* Septic replacements and upgrades
* Well decommissions and upgrades
* Tree planting
* Farm water management projects
* Community Association projects include: environmental education initiatives including website updates, brochures and community tree and wildflower planting projects. Now is the best time to call Kawartha Conservation for a free phone and site consultation to help prepare your application, call 705-328-2271, or 1-800-668-5722, ext. 242. Email: [email protected]
Graphic below of a deep buffer zone, but smaller naturalized shorelines are better than none for the health of the lake.

02/27/2025

No question! Action necessary!

Invasive species are one of the greatest threats to biodiversity, second only to habitat loss. These non-native plants, animals, and insects can invade meadows, woodlands, wetlands, and waters, disrupting ecosystems and pushing out native species. Learn how are tackling invasive species to protect our natural habitats! 🌿💧 https://bit.ly/4iach0e?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=ap_gi3lpmnoob

Report invasive species: https://www.eddmaps.org/

02/23/2025

MONDAY IS THE BEGINNING OF INVASIVE SPECIES WEEK AND LAKE SCUGOG NEEDS YOUR HELP even at this time of year. Do you clean your gear well after a day ice fishing on this or another lake to prevent transmission of tiny hitchhikers? Do you always dump your left-over bait well away from the lake? Do you buy your bait from a reputable dealer; one that will not sell species from other lakes or include water from other lakes?

While we already have many negative invasive plants and other species, there are still many truly bad species out there to cause future problems. Help Lake Scugog, Clean, Drain, Dry. (Graphic: Illinois Dept. of Natural Resources.)

02/21/2025

WHAT IS YOUR BEST SLIP AND FALL PROTECTION IN WINTER RATHER THAN SALT?
A GOOD PAIR OF NON-SLIP BOOTS, A SKI-POLE AND A SHOVEL! We all must take responsibility for ourselves by taking personal precautions. Shoveling with the right equipment will clear the snow and allow the air and sun to do the rest. Using salt at the right temperature and at a ratio of about a heaping tablespoon max. of salt per sq. meter is sufficient. Salt used as a gravel surface is wasteful and extremely harmful for the environment and for Lake Scugog. Business owners, try attentive shoveling and salt brine instead.

02/20/2025

THE SCIENCE OF SMART SALT USE. https://smartaboutsalt.com/
The Smart About Salt Council (SASC) provides a wide variety of information surrounding leading practices in winter maintenance, industry supports and helpful resources to help ensure that the right de-icing product is used, at the right time and in the right way. Using too much salt in the wrong way is both ineffective, and unnecessarily expensive. It is very bad for the environment and all its life. But it is also very bad for infrastructure, corroding metal and destroying concrete.

02/17/2025

ICE QUALITY STATEMENT, NORTH/EAST SIDE OF LAKE SCUGOG. Lake ice cover is slushy and problematic. Not just in the usual area of the current flowing north.