Skootamatta District Ratepayers Association

S.D.R.A.


Let it snow, Let it Snow, Let it snow ...

Even before winter had officially arrived, southern Ontario recorded the most accumulation of snow at this time of year for decades. The snow load MAY be a risk for cottages with low pitch roofs or 'vintage' construction. Ken Hook has kindly provided some advice that may be useful if you're considering roof shovelling...IF you have winter access to your property.

Please remember - SAFETY FIRST. Harsh winter weather and working in deep snow are much different than summer 'at the beach'!


Development Proposal on Sheldrake Lake

With the passing of the November 16th deadline for proponents to submit their official proposals, the SDRA has been informed by the township that no proposals were received, and that the project will NOT be going forward !

Thank you to all members who expressed opinions and provided input to the SDRA in the short time that was available to us to react and inform members, and the 'partners', (Addington Highlands, Lennox & Addington and the MNR), about our concerns surrounding their proposal for development in the area.

Read the President's communications to SDRA members, before, and after, the proposal deadline.


Development Proposal on Sheldrake Lake

To generate revenue, (presumably to lower taxes and/or increase services for existing residents), Addington Highlands recently released a Request for Proposal (RFP) to develop a privately-run tourist 'destination'. The RFP is the result of a partnership involving the township of Addington Highlands (A/H), the county of Lennox & Addington and the Ontario Ministry of Natual Resources (MNR). There are no details either specifying or restricting what can be proposed, but the documentation uses phrases such as:

  • Eco-lodge
  • Nature lodge
  • Inn
  • year-round resort or lodge
The RFP suggests that the facility be designed for 'high end' clientele.

The proposed site is situated on the north-west tip of Sheldrake Lake and could involve up to 71.6 acres and 2952 feet of shoreline. The back of the proposed property comes within approximately 250 m of Skootamatta Lake. Access to the property would be via the Hughes Landing Road and the forest access road that continues from it. 9.2 km of the Hughes Landing Road appears to be already maintained by the township. The forest access continutation road passes within 50 m of Sheldrake Lake. There is currently no hydro service available to the proposed property.

An information meeting for prospective applicants, (proponents), was held on Monday, October 29, 2007 at the County Court House, in Napanee. SDRA representatives attended the meeting. Development proposals are being accepted until November 16th, 2007. [This very short time frame indicates that one or more developers have already approached the partnership and indicated interest in submitting a proposal].

All members are strongly urged to obtain and read these documents to learn more about this important development proposal for our area.

Read the President's letter to SDRA members.

Got an opinion ?? Let us know here, or use the ! Submit Stuff ! link at the upper right of this page.


Fantastic Fireworks !

Our resident pyrotechnical wizard, Jim Rose certainly outdid himself with this year's display. Perfect late summer weather brought record numbers of boats to the causeway area for the show, which spanned nearly a quarter of an hour. There was no letup in the stream of beautiful bursts of colour and sound effects, including a spectacular finale. Pictures here, including a video clip of the finale. A great way to wind up the season. Thanks again, Jim, for a wonderful show.

NOTE: It was obvious that not everyone on the water was familiar with after-dark boating safety. A number of watercraft had NO lights - both illegal and dangerous, while others operated with full docking (spot) lights turned on, blotting out vision for those around them. While we were lucky not to have had any incidents this year, 'captains' of boats attending next year's events are encouraged to be more vigilant about boating safety.


Community Meeting - Climate Change

Dr. Robert McLeman, of the University of Ottawa, who gave an address at our July AGM, will be hosting a community forum on climate change and its impacts on the communities along the Highway 41 corridor. Members of the Skootamatta Lake community are invited to attend and share their thoughts on questions such as:

  • What aspects of the economy and social life in the area are particularly sensitive to climate conditions ? In what ways are they sensitive ?
  • What changes in climate conditions might be beneficial for the community ? What changes might be negative or harmful ?
  • What could the community do to reduce the risk of harmful negative changes and take advantage of beneficial ones ?
  • Are there presently barriers that might prevent the community from maximizing its potential to adapt to climate change ?

The meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 10th at 7pm in the Northbrook Lions Club Hall. All interested members of the community are warmly invited. Coffee and snacks will be served.

For more information visit www.addington.uottawa.ca or contact Dr. McLeman directly: (613) 562-5800 x1051 or rmcleman@uottawa.ca


Fire Ban lifted as of 9:00 am Thursday, August 23rd

Fireworks are ON !!


CORRECTION: Fireworks - Saturday, September 1st, 2007

NOT (Tuesday) Sept 4th as incorrectly listed here and in the newsletter
Starts @ dusk at the causeway on the Hughes Landing Road, (rain date - Sunday Sept 2).

With last year's show completely rained out, this year promises to be a super 'double-feature' event.

NOTE: Fireworks will NOT be held if there is still a Fire Ban in effect for the area.


Gananoque - Festival of the Islands

As a sneak preview of what is in store for all of us on the lake, our very own pyrotechnical wizard, Jim Rose, kindly invited SDRA directors to view his presentation at this recent event in Gananoque. Several of the directors were able to make the trip and had a most enjoyable outing - getting a front row seat on one of Ganaoque Boat Line's vessels. Pictures here courtesy of Ken Hook.


Call (613) 336-1851 for latest information


Directors 2007 - 2008

The new list is posted here, (under 'About' on the menu). Thanks to everyone - new and old, for volunteering their time to assist the association. Gord McCullough will be meeting with lake area representatives shortly. A contact list will be posted to help gather and report news from around the lake.


This Season's SDRA Events

Now finalized ... Click the "on the lake" link under EVENTS on the main menu above for all the details. NOTE: The Annual General Meeting date is Saturday, July 7. (Page 13 of the Newsletter incorrectly lists the date as July 9th). While we had hoped to find a volunteer to organize a fall golf tournament, no one has come forward. Maybe next year...


Lake Area Reps Still Needed !

Thanks to those who have already answered the call to help Gord organize a group of volunteers to "cover the waterfront" for news and water monitoring around the lake. We still have areas to cover / backup, so please contact Gord McCulloch if you can lend a hand.


20 Years Ago ...

Thanks to the 'personal archives' of the Farrow family and others with long histories on the lake, we're going to be able to post a lot more information about the SDRA in years past. The (3) ! Newsletters mailed to members in 1987 have just been added to the archives and make for some interesting reading. (The more things change - the more they stay the same). Major issues facing cottagers really haven't changed much over the years - but with our environment under ever-increasing threat, the value of strong voices from concerned groups like our association is more important than ever.


Next Directors Meeting - May 19th

Your association directors will be meeting once again to finalize plans for the season's activities. A fall golf tournament has been suggested as a possible new and fun way to help members from all over the lake get to meet each another. If you are interested in organizing or helping, please contact one of the directors. Don't forget to mark July 7th on your calendars for the Annual General Meeting.


Lake Area Reps Wanted !

To keep the association in touch with events and issues in all regions around the lakes, the Directors need assistance from volunteer members. The job is not very demanding, involving little more than simply reporting news and events from 'your bay'. After a couple of lapsed years, we are also hoping to re-activate systematic measurement and sampling of the lake water. This task would also be assigned to the Area Reps. If you care about the lake and want to help get value from your association dues, please contact our co-ordinator, Gord McCulloch, to lend a hand.


Constitution Updated

The constitution of the association has been reviewed by the Directors. A full text of the revised document that will be presented for approval by members at the July AGM is available here.



“Arts by the Lake” - August 4&5, 2007

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS - Deadline: 31 May 2007
presented by: BridesMill Studio, Sunsets Day Resort and Land O'Lakes Tourist Association

The purpose of this show is to highlight visual and performance arts in the Land ‘O Lakes Tourist Area. This open-air exhibition will be held at the Oso beach in Sharbot Lake on 4 and 5 August 2007. This exhibition is open to visual and performance artists. Only those artists who reside in the Land ‘O Lakes Tourist Area are eligible to exhibit. Phone (613)-375-8313 for information on exhibition guidelines and for an application.


GALLERY Now Open

The GALLERY section of the website is now active. More 'tweaking' is necessary to get things looking really pretty, but the paint is dry and there are pictures on all the walls. All functions should be working. Please contact the webmaster if you experience problems.

Viewing is, (hopefully) a simple process. Click on the GALLERY link or any of the drop-down menu items to open an 'album'. Each album contains a set of pictures, and possibly more albums. An album displays small 'thumbnail' versions of pictures. Clicking on a thumbnail brings up a larger version of the photo and more information. You can pull out the sidebar tab at the top left of the page to quickly jump to any album in the gallery. The 'Search' function allows searching the entire gallery for specific types of pictures. For example, typing in 'girl' or 'red' will bring up thumbnails of all pictures that have those words associated with them.

Enjoy, and if you have pictures that should be in one of our albums, don't delay. ! Submit Stuff !


Ice is Out !

Perhaps it was the gorgeous warm weather of the (April 20th) weekend, but, in any case, the ice is off the lake. Good news for 'water access' folks - and apparently celebrated by hundreds of geese over the weekend as well.


Kudos to Council

Congratulations to Reeve Hogg and the Addington Highlands Council on securing major funding assistance from the Ontario Government for improvements to the Skootamatta Lake/Hughes Landing road. The funding is a tribute to the perseverence of township officials - who had been unsuccessful with three previous grant applications submitted to Queen's Park.

Funding assistance from the provincial and federal governments is essential in maintaining a balance of acceptable services against reasonable taxation levels in sparsley-populated regions like A-H.

read full story ...



[Extra! Extra!] Daylight Savings

After much discussion and head-scratching, Canadians find themselves with little choice but to follow the U.S. in extending 'daylight savings' time by an extra (6) weeks. Whether the change is 'good' or 'bad' is irrelevant. The potential for chaos if the two countries were out of time synchronization would be enormous. So ... this year, we'll set our clocks ahead three weeks earlier in the Spring and will delay setting them back in the Fall by another three weeks.

Remember to set clocks one hour ahead Saturday night, March 10th.

SDRA directors will also be meeting March 10th with a full agenda including; a long-overdue review of our constitution, newsletter preparation, event planning for the coming season and a number of other issues.


Signature Clothing

The SDRA is again offering Skootamatta embroidered signature clothing items for sale. They're ideal gifts for friends and family on special occaisions, but don't wait ... stock up for yourself. Members will be receiving printed order forms in the mail. Anyone is welcome to download a form and place an order. Unfortunately, we can't offer shipping at these prices. All orders must be picked up at the lake.

Details here ...


Winter - Finally!

Well, we finally have some real winter. Although late in coming, the cold weather and snow are welcome reassurance that global warming has not (yet, at least) got the best of Mother Nature. Although frozen over, most lakes are still listed as 'unstable' for snowmobile traffic. Caution is advised.

A pair of bald eagles was spotted in Sheldrake Bay in the week between Christmas and New Years. Not an uncommon sight soaring high over Bon Echo Park, these magnificent large birds like their solitude. If we're lucky, this pair might find a secluded spot on Skootamatta, however it's more likely they'll move on to 'less crowded' surroundings to nest.

Cecelia and Ad Jasuwan send greetings from Korat, Thailand to friends and neighbours on the lake.

Thanks to all the other folks who have taken time to look over the new website and provide feedback. Comments and suggestions are always welcome, OR be a real hero and ! Submit Stuff ! - like a picture, recipe, article, or anything else that might be of interest to others.


Toronto Boat Show

January, at least, has some predictable activity of interest to cottagers. The show runs from Saturday, Jan. 13th through Sunday, Jan 21st, at Exhibition Place, on the city's waterfront. More information is available at the show website: www.torontoboatshow.com.


W.R.A.F.T. Intitiatives

The SDRA has received communication of continuing activity by the Waterfront Ratepayers After Fair Taxation, (WRAFT). What started out as a concern by cottage owners over dis-proportionate taxation of seasonal properties seems to be merging with more general taxpayer concerns about inequalities in property taxes across the province. Learn more by visiting the WRAFT website: www.wraft.com and use their slick system to drop your MPP a note about the issue.



Please help us keep this place alive and interesting. Try our ! Submit Stuff ! button at the upper right to send along a picture, story or whatever - to share with other members.


Welcome to 2007!

But ... condolences to all those snowmobilers and skiers amongst us that are suffering through the mildest winter in memory all across the province and much of North America. It really is a VERY odd winter so far, with unknown consequences for flora and fauna experiencing exceptionally mild conditions over a prolonged period. Only time will tell what effects our strange (winter?) weather will have.


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