Canonto Lake – In-Water Structures Project
Sunken logs, trees, branches, and root balls provide excellent habitat for wildlife, including fish, turtles, birds, invertebrates, and more. Beaver activity, wind, erosion, or water inflows from rivers or creeks naturally deposit such woody debris into a lake. Human activity and development have significantly reduced the amount of natural woody debris in lakes. Communities can promote the health of wildlife populations and improve water quality by creating additional woody debris habitat, such as in-water structure of brush piles or bundles. These brush bundles can provide fish with a food source, areas to rest, spawn, and escape predators.
Christie Lake Fish Habitat Project
Cottage development along Christie Lake has resulted in the loss of in-water structures due to cottagers removing and “cleaning up” their shoreline properties. This project created brush/tree bundles and sunk them in waters greater than 12 feet deep to provide fish habitat without impeding boat traffic. These in-water structures (often called fishsticks) provide excellent nursery habitat for many species such as walleye, yellow perch, bass, crappie and panfish.
Dalhousie Lake Fish Habitat Project
The goal of this project was to make fish habitat improvements in Dalhousie Lake by naturalizing shorelines and providing fish habitat. In fall of 2014, two walleye spawning beds were enhanced, 20 fish habitat structures in the form of tree/brush bundles were placed in the lake, and six shoreline properties were stabilized where runoff, erosion, vegetation removal and nutrient loading have affected fish habitat.
Mazinaw Lake – In-Water Structures Project
Mazinaw Lake supports a cold-water fishery such as Lake Trout, Walleye, Smallmouth Bass and Burbot. There are over 300 properties along the waterfront of the lake, which include many boat in access only properties. With confirmed funding from Fisheries and Oceans Canada Recreational Fisheries Conservation Partnership Program, Watersheds Canada with support from the Mazinaw Property Owners Association, and Lanark County Stewardship Council, conducted site visits to determine and map out potential enhancement sites for the in-water brush bundle structures. Consideration was also made to avoid the confirmed locations of the lake trout spawning beds.
Mississippi Lake Brush Bundle Project
One of the largest inland lakes in South-Eastern Ontario, Mississippi Lake is less than an hour’s drive from our Nation’s Capital. That being said, it has a high level of development pressure.
Mississippi Lake is known for its recreational cool and warm water fishery, particularly: Walleye, Northern Pike, and Smallmouth and Largemouth bass and is a popular destination for year round fishing from over 1200 permanent and seasonal properties, as well as day users.
White Lake – In-Water Fish Structures
Through the hard work of community volunteers, White Lake Preservation Project, Arnprior Fish & Game Club, Lou Laventure’s team and Cedar Cove Resort staff, we were able to build and anchor 16 bundles and 19 recycled Christmas trees (donated by Home Hardware in Perth) for 19 sites on White Lake.