Brandy Lake Water Quality

Phosphorus Testing

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Phosphorus Testing…..So… I do the monthly testing for Lake Partners ( I did the full testing for years ..but quit recently)
It was (covid) safe for me to send in samples…but as you can read below in a recent communication with me…they have asked us to stop.
As far as Secchi Depth I’ll stop this month…Basic info…it started off 1.1 m but has been floating around 1.4 meters for most of the season. Average for us is about 1.2 over the decades
The silt does not seem to hamper clearity.
EMAIL BELOW

Hello,

The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks thanks you for your support of the Lake Partner Program. We are committed to supporting this important inland lake monitoring program and wanted to provide an update on the status of the program for 2020.

As communicated by the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations elert on June 18, 2020, the Lake Partner Program was placed on hold in response to the COVID-19 outbreak and physical distancing requirements, so that the ministry assessed the safest way to continue the program while keeping volunteers and ministry staff safe. This assessment has been completed and the Lake Partner Program is being reinstated with the following temporary modifications for 2020:

  • For volunteers who cannot implement physical distancing measures, we recommend that you do not collect samples in 2020.
  • If you have already submitted samples for 2020 to the ministry laboratory, please do not submit additional samples this year. The ministry is striving to analyze samples that have already been received.
  • For volunteers who can safely collect samples while implementing physical distancing measures and adhering to local COVID-19 guidelines issued by the local Public Health Unit, the ministry will accept one set of samples for water quality analysis at the Dorset Environmental Science Centre laboratory from each volunteer. Please collect and submit a set of samples in October 2020. Instructions for sampling are provided in the sampling kit provided to you.

 

  • Secchi disc depth measurements collected in 2020 can be submitted to the ministry as per usual.

We appreciate your support for the Lake Partner Program and look forward to continuing our collaboration moving forward. If you have any questions, please contact lakepartner@ontario.ca.

Sincerely,

Melissa Robillard

 

Hummingbird Mixture

/ Brandy Lake Muskoka / Leave a comment

Hummingbird sites do not recommend most store bought pre packaged mixtures.

They recommend a 4:1 mix of 4 parts water 1 part sugar for better nourishment

We fill 2 feeders every 8 days ish.   We use 4 cups of kettle warmed water to 1 part sugar and mix till clear.   Refrigerate till cool.

Also added a picture of our paint can cap water mote to drown ants.

 

Brandy Lake Watershed

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Below is the Brandy Lake watershed.   Part of the lake study (more to come) 2002 and 2003 Initiated by Jane Evans who started the BLA.

Jim Cormack did bi-weekly test from May to November for two years.

“Quote” The calculations suggest that the internal load represents
approximately 35% of the annual load to Brandy Lake, with the watershed (47%) and
atmosphere (2%) contributing nearly half of the total load. The load from shoreline
development is estimated at 16% of the total annual load In 2003

Subsequent to this study..there are about eight (8) beaver dams in inlet stream 1.  Jim Cormack and myself paddled from Falkenburg Road pipes to the Lake several years ago to count

 

JULY

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Great to see many on the lake… having fun through 95% of July until cold moved in…… .,         ,,,is it fall again…

Seemed like an  abnormally  wet July 2020 with 108.8 mm of rain.   2019…  20 mm   2018  had 83.4 mm .   June even had 143 mm  according to  stats.  Did I read it wrong?

Had a few warm days,,34 C, ish,,,,however 1978 it was 37.2.  HOT... Don’t like the heat… good thing not  cottaging in southern USA probably  tickin under 40C most days,

Good nights sleep at 11C..

Lake level is close to its normal level (You can verify this as it is just under shore  tree line..the last line of defence…(not cypress trees, they don’t grow up here).   So….Brandy Lake has had several external events over several decades…that have caused flood levels….if a cottager happen to move here during one of the events…..you would assume this is low.

For many years, the entire 5 ish meters of flat rock underneath this point was  …..a hang out.   It changed when  the 118 bridge was moved and the engineers raised the  base  or bottom ..under the bridge….higher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://muskoka.weatherstats.ca/charts/precipitation-monthly.html

Critters

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Some of us enjoy interacting with local critters…..please post your pics for others to see…. Enjoy

See..our factorite bug..the Dragonfly exiting its exoskeleton… a marvel of nature..

Try not to scrape the Bryozoans colony (yellow mess below) off you docks or pipe.   This colony only thrives in healthy water.   Google top find out more.

Crane pictures (I think it is a Crane) She spent a good amount of time here the other day…makes very rare stops…. but I  ……only get shots through the screen…   I erred on a perfect opportunity recently on my south shore….ugggg Enjoy

NOTE…I do not recommend feeding squirrels…we only help out Mrs Stubby..the local tailless squirrel.    Stop feeding chipmunks peanuts mid summer.  Shell  peanuts will rot by midwinter chipmunk starves

Deer Sleeping in Muskoka