Page 10 - The Brandon Sun - Lake Life 2019

10 THE BRANDON SUN • LAKE LIFE • THURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2019

A kayaker paddles against the wind past cottages on Minnedosa Lake. (File)
How to be sustainable at the cottage

By Colin Slark used to exist in our world and sit there and we watch animals the shoreline in place,” Cor-
isn’t there anymore,” he said on come by and the birds come by nelsen said. “If you remove that
Like home ownership, the topic of animal and plant because we’ve left so much of cover of vegetation, you’re gon-
owning a cottage comes with species going extinct. the nature in place.” na really increase your chances
its own set of challenges and He believes something Stephen Cornelsen, re- of shoreline erosion.”
responsibilities. Unlike living needs to be done at a govern- source conservation manager Erosion takes away habi-
in an urban setting, cottagers mental level to preserve nature for Riding Mountain Nation- tat from shoreline and aquatic
come in more direct contact in this province, but he also has al Park, advises that cottagers creatures and can alter water
with Manitoba’s diverse flora advice for cottagers wanting to along Clear Lake should dou- conditions like temperature,
and fauna. For cottagers who minimize their impact. For his ble-check that any plants they and the chemistry of the water.
want to minimize their impact family’s lake property, Reder plan to add to their property The provincial govern-
on the environment, here are has kept the natural vegetation are not invasive species like ment recommends that cot-
some tips on how to be sustain- around the waterfront, only leafy spurge. Cottagers can tagers should avoid using lawn
able. clearing an area on either side contact the park to verify that and garden fertilizers on their
Eric Reder, a wilderness of his dock for boat parking. what they intend to plant is not property because it can speed
and water campaigner for Ca- Reder said that this not only an invasive species, or they can up weed and algae growth in
nadian nature advocacy group gives habitat to aquatic life like look at online resources like the the nearby lake. This effect is
Wilderness Committee, is con- fish, but also gives habitat to lists of invasive aquatic and ter- called eutrophication, which
cerned about logging at Duck the plants themselves, which restrial species maintained by sometimes manifests as an al-
Mountain Provincial Park and keep the water clean. This all the Invasive Species Council of gal bloom. Excess algae on the
mining at Nopiming Provincial contributes to a healthy ecosys- Manitoba. surface of the water blocks oth-
er plants in the lake from get-
Park. Reder worries about what tem. According to Cornelsen,
the effect of climate change is “Opening weekend and there’s another benefit to leav- ting sunlight, killing them as
having on the world and the there my son is, catching din- ing in natural vegetation. they cannot produce nutrients
human race. ner off of the dock, casting with “The trees, the shrubs, the through photosynthesis.
“It’s stunning to think what the red and white spoon. We roots, the root system all holds » Continued on Page 11