ECHO LAKE ASSOCIATION GENERAL MEETING
Saturday July 11, 2026
Saturday July 11, 2026
11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Bethune United Church
2 Dickie Street, Baysville
Phone: (705) 323-9615
Coffee/Tea/Sweets will be provided by the Bethune United Church UCW (United Church Women)
We hope to see you there!!
Bethune United Church
2 Dickie Street, Baysville
Phone: (705) 323-9615
Coffee/Tea/Sweets will be provided by the Bethune United Church UCW (United Church Women)
We hope to see you there!!
Guest Speakers:
Community Climate Initiatives Coordinator with the District Municipality of Muskoka
Topic:
Impacts of climate change on Muskoka and how we can become a Climate Hero
(2) Chris Brew
Retired university educator trained in biology and chemical ecology
(2) Chris Brew
Retired university educator trained in biology and chemical ecology
Topic:
Understanding Pesticide Sprays - Composition, Drift, and Impacts
Pay your membership dues to win!!!!
The Echo Lake Association is excited to announce your chance to win one of 4 tickets for a Wenonah II Sightseeing Cruise, or 4 admission tickets for the Muskoka Discovery Centre đ„ł !!!
All you have to do is pay your membership dues by July 10th to enter. Random draws will be held at our Annual General Meeting on July 11th.
All you have to do is pay your membership dues by July 10th to enter. Random draws will be held at our Annual General Meeting on July 11th.
There will be FOUR DRAWS in total: 2 pairs for the cruise, and 2 pairs for the admission. The Echo Lake Association Executive is excluded.
Last year, we were provided these tickets free of charge in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the majestic RMS Segwun. This year, they're just being nice đ
The tickets are only good for THIS sailing season: May to mid-October. Book your cruise well in advance because this is a milestone year for the Muskoka Steamships and Discovery Centre and you don't want to miss out.
Please visit www.realmuskoka.com for more information on this iconic Muskoka treasure!
Last year, we were provided these tickets free of charge in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the majestic RMS Segwun. This year, they're just being nice đ
The tickets are only good for THIS sailing season: May to mid-October. Book your cruise well in advance because this is a milestone year for the Muskoka Steamships and Discovery Centre and you don't want to miss out.
Please visit www.realmuskoka.com for more information on this iconic Muskoka treasure!
We know some of you are not able to attend, so no worries, you donât have to be there. We will contact you after the draw if you are the lucky winner!!
Annual Membership Dues Payment Instructions:
To send via e-Transfer:
1. Log into your online or mobile banking app and select your account.
2. Choose or add elamuskokatreasurer@gmail.com
3. Amount: $30.00
4. Security Question: What lake are we on?
5. Answer: Echo2018
6: Please indicate your address on the lake so we can update our records correctly
7. Confirm, and you are done!
To make other arrangements, please contact us via email.
Annual Membership Dues Payment Instructions:
To send via e-Transfer:
1. Log into your online or mobile banking app and select your account.
2. Choose or add elamuskokatreasurer@gmail.com
3. Amount: $30.00
4. Security Question: What lake are we on?
5. Answer: Echo2018
6: Please indicate your address on the lake so we can update our records correctly
7. Confirm, and you are done!
To make other arrangements, please contact us via email.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Echo Lake Association Annual General Meeting (+ 2 special guest speakers!!)
Saturday July 11, 2026
11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Bethune United Church
2 Dickie St, Baysville, ON P0B 1A0
Phone: (705) 323-9615
Coffee/Tea/Sweets will be provided by the Bethune United Church UCW (United Church Women)
PLEASE RSVP by email to elamuskoka@gmail.com
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
We hope to see you at the annual meeting and GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!!
Echo Lake Association Annual General Meeting (+ 2 special guest speakers!!)
Saturday July 11, 2026
11:00 am to 2:00 pm
Bethune United Church
2 Dickie St, Baysville, ON P0B 1A0
Phone: (705) 323-9615
Coffee/Tea/Sweets will be provided by the Bethune United Church UCW (United Church Women)
PLEASE RSVP by email to elamuskoka@gmail.com
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
We hope to see you at the annual meeting and GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!!
Two Loon Platforms
In October, 2021 our first of two loon platforms was built to try to address three years of nesting failures. A second loon platform was built the following year.
The location for each is fairly well protected from the elements and predators. But they are not well protected from human intervention, so if you come across either of these platforms, please stay well clear.
A loon pair will incubate their eggs for about 29 days. During this time, loon nests are vulnerable to natural and human-induced water level changes that flood nests or leave chicks stranded out of reach of parents.
Each platform is taken out and stored over the winter. They are also monitored and supplied with new nesting materials when needed.
One Wish
While we would much prefer to see loons nesting on natural sites, we hope no matter where they lay, that Echo Lake will see a happy, healthy mating pair raising their chick(s) to adulthood.
Special thanks to Cairn Camp, Paul Ecclestone, Cheryl Francis, Don Lawlor, Laura Murray, the Neubrand family and Rob Preisner for each of their roles in this ongoing initiative.
References:
Three-Way Stop Sign Requested
Early in 2025, Cheryl Francis and Dinesh Kishnani formed a delegation to represent the Echo Lake Association at a Lake Of Bays Township Council meeting where they officially requested a three-way stop sign at the intersection at Echo Lake Road and Hammond Road.
Councillors unanimously agreed that there was no valid reason to oppose the request and believed it would be a positive step forward. Thus, a resolution supporting the installation of the stop signs was passed and it's now with the District of Muskoka to review and make the changes.
Councillors unanimously agreed that there was no valid reason to oppose the request and believed it would be a positive step forward. Thus, a resolution supporting the installation of the stop signs was passed and it's now with the District of Muskoka to review and make the changes.
Bell Fibe Coming Our Way!
Throughout most of 2024, Davey Tree has been all around Echo Lake (actually, ALL of Muskoka) clearing the way for the new Bell Fibe network expected to be ready in the summer of 2025. Then in March 2025, Bell Canada trucks started making the rounds stringing up the wires. And now, we're at the part where Spy Communications is able to begin its work to run the fibre from the road to each house. Once completed, we will enjoy faster download and upload speeds, less susceptibility to electromagnetic interference and outages, and more bandwidth. This is great news to those of us who struggle with choppy or non-existent internet service!!! đ
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
Send an email with your contact details (name, phone number, email, address on Echo Lake) to slawson@cellcom.ca. You'll have to be persistent - she can be hard to reach, but hang in there! You will be required to provide your verbal permission on a recorded call to allow Bell to include your address in the request for the fibre optic to be run on your property. Thereâs no obligation or cost, sheâs just gathering permissions.
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:
Send an email with your contact details (name, phone number, email, address on Echo Lake) to slawson@cellcom.ca. You'll have to be persistent - she can be hard to reach, but hang in there! You will be required to provide your verbal permission on a recorded call to allow Bell to include your address in the request for the fibre optic to be run on your property. Thereâs no obligation or cost, sheâs just gathering permissions.
The more customers on the road wanting the service, the higher the priority the road becomes. Terrain also plays a role - those roads that are well cleared will be completed sooner than the more difficult roads.
When the fibre has been run along the road, Spy Communications will require consent to run it from the road to the house.
Suella Lawson Spy Communications
Small Business Consultant Third-Party Contractor - Bell Fibre Drop
Office: 705-204-4077 Email: consent@spycommunications.ca
Suella Lawson Spy Communications
Small Business Consultant Third-Party Contractor - Bell Fibre Drop
Office: 705-204-4077 Email: consent@spycommunications.ca
The joy of little libraries in Lake of Bays
Echo Lake Little Library making a difference
By Wendy Truscott
From compact bookmobiles to sprawling edifices, libraries in all their forms and sizes provide invaluable community services. In recent years, a quaint, unofficial type of library has begun cropping up in unexpected places. One of the latest of these popular pleasures can be found on Echo Lake, outside of Baysville in Lake of Bays.
While planning to replace its large visitor information sign, the lake associationâs executive was also inspired to create The Echo Lake Little Library. Sincere thanks are owed to the dedicated cottagers who planned and constructed both projects, and to frequent visitor, Sarah Soberg, who volunteered her painting and design talents for the sign. Much appreciation also goes to Sunrise Tree Services, Baysville, which cleared the area, and to the Steel Tile Co. of Innisfil for donating the libraryâs roof tiles.
Readers are invited to take a book and/or leave one. Judging by the intriguing titles currently available, choosing wonât be easy. There is no concern about late fees, because, with one exception, no returns are required.
That one exception is "Haunted Journey," a novel I wrote. When I learned of the new little library I was delighted to donate two copies.
"Haunted Journey" is set in the Lake of Bays area, and while a work of fiction, is partially based on memories shared by older, local residents, some of whom settled and farmed on Echo Lake. For this reason, readers are requested to return these two particular copies, so that more cottagers and residents might enjoy them.
During the current pandemic, when people are unable to meet and have a chat in their beloved Baysville Library, the timely construction of the Echo Lake Little Library provides an added bonus: Neighbours can safely meet outdoors, while choosing or leaving a good book, and perhaps discuss personal recommendations. Books are some of lifeâs greatest pleasures, introducing us to different worlds, and often offering escape from this one. Thanks to this new little treasure, more of us can share in that joy.
By Wendy Truscott
From compact bookmobiles to sprawling edifices, libraries in all their forms and sizes provide invaluable community services. In recent years, a quaint, unofficial type of library has begun cropping up in unexpected places. One of the latest of these popular pleasures can be found on Echo Lake, outside of Baysville in Lake of Bays.
While planning to replace its large visitor information sign, the lake associationâs executive was also inspired to create The Echo Lake Little Library. Sincere thanks are owed to the dedicated cottagers who planned and constructed both projects, and to frequent visitor, Sarah Soberg, who volunteered her painting and design talents for the sign. Much appreciation also goes to Sunrise Tree Services, Baysville, which cleared the area, and to the Steel Tile Co. of Innisfil for donating the libraryâs roof tiles.
Readers are invited to take a book and/or leave one. Judging by the intriguing titles currently available, choosing wonât be easy. There is no concern about late fees, because, with one exception, no returns are required.
That one exception is "Haunted Journey," a novel I wrote. When I learned of the new little library I was delighted to donate two copies.
"Haunted Journey" is set in the Lake of Bays area, and while a work of fiction, is partially based on memories shared by older, local residents, some of whom settled and farmed on Echo Lake. For this reason, readers are requested to return these two particular copies, so that more cottagers and residents might enjoy them.
During the current pandemic, when people are unable to meet and have a chat in their beloved Baysville Library, the timely construction of the Echo Lake Little Library provides an added bonus: Neighbours can safely meet outdoors, while choosing or leaving a good book, and perhaps discuss personal recommendations. Books are some of lifeâs greatest pleasures, introducing us to different worlds, and often offering escape from this one. Thanks to this new little treasure, more of us can share in that joy.
Is the future of the iconic loon in Muskoka, Parry Sound in danger?
By Andrew Hind MuskokaRegion.com
But, sadly, Echo Lake is now seeing a decline like pretty much everywhere else.
The Canadian Lakes Loon Survey (CLLS), a project of Bird Studies Canada, has been monitoring loon nesting success since 1981. While the Canadian loon population is generally stable, Muskoka loons may be vulnerable due to human activity, especially during nesting season.
Lead, a known killer of loons and other waterfowl, is ingested by loons that grind food in their gizzards using small stones from the lake bottom. Lead sinkers and shot, though banned for hunting, can cause poisoning and weaken or kill loons. While lead shot is banned, lead sinks are only banned in provincial parks.
Loonsâ unique physiology makes them vulnerable to various factors. Their feet are positioned far back, hindering walking and forcing them to nest on islands or near the shore. This reliance on shoreline habitat, which has been lost due to development, makes nesting loons susceptible to water level fluctuations. A six-inch rise or fall in water during May, June, or July can flood nests or leave them inaccessible.
The following article has been edited for space and personalized for Echo Lake:
For many years, Echo Lake has been âpunching above its weightâ as Laura Murray, a biologist and loon surveyor, stated so eloquently at our Annual General Meeting in 2024. Laura is a long-time cottager who is devoted to the well-being of our lake and we are lucky to have her expertise.
But, sadly, Echo Lake is now seeing a decline like pretty much everywhere else.
The Canadian Lakes Loon Survey (CLLS), a project of Bird Studies Canada, has been monitoring loon nesting success since 1981. While the Canadian loon population is generally stable, Muskoka loons may be vulnerable due to human activity, especially during nesting season.
Lead, a known killer of loons and other waterfowl, is ingested by loons that grind food in their gizzards using small stones from the lake bottom. Lead sinkers and shot, though banned for hunting, can cause poisoning and weaken or kill loons. While lead shot is banned, lead sinks are only banned in provincial parks.
Loonsâ unique physiology makes them vulnerable to various factors. Their feet are positioned far back, hindering walking and forcing them to nest on islands or near the shore. This reliance on shoreline habitat, which has been lost due to development, makes nesting loons susceptible to water level fluctuations. A six-inch rise or fall in water during May, June, or July can flood nests or leave them inaccessible.
Cottagers and residents also impact loon populations, but positive changes are possible:
- Loons canât avoid watercraft and powerboats, and sudden startles may separate them from their young, leaving chicks vulnerable to predators. Wakes can separate parents from young, wash away loon eggs, and disturb nests. To help, give loons a wide berth and slow down near wetlands and shorelines to minimize wakes.
- People can unknowingly harass and stress loons. Watch for signs like splashing, vocalizing, or flat-lying on the shoreline with its head down, indicating nesting. Move away if you see any of these signs to avoid separating loons from their young or exposing eggs to predators.
- Preserve your propertyâs wild areas by letting native wetland plants grow or replanting bare shorelines. Natural shorelines provide shelter and food for loons and their fish.
- Responsibly dispose of boat trash, including plastics, tackle, and fishing line, as it can injure loons. Keep food and waste minimal around your cottage and camp to discourage nest predators.
- Restrain pets to avoid killing chicks, startling adults, or separating them from their young.
- Reduce your environmental footprint by using less fossil fuel, avoiding pollutants, and ensuring no gas spills into water. Pump out your septic tank every couple of years.
- Join your lake association and participate in loon or lake monitoring. "Citizen scientists" are crucial in understanding loon habits and population effects.
- Grassroots efforts are key to maintaining loon populations. Cottage and lake associations can use education to encourage no wake zones, reduce pollution, and naturalize shorelines. Responsible boating and property ownership are the best ways to help loons.