Find us on Social Media
Volume 15 No. 19
We’ve had enough rain that the fire ban has been lifted; however, the fire rating remains at High. Monday night we had a quick burst of rain that measured ¼” in a very short time! Tuesday was beautiful and a bit cool.
We had 5 winners in our Fire Pump Contest…check out who one $100. We thank FireSmart for their donation of funds in order to make the contest possible!
With the strong west winds, the water level has risen a bit and the water temperatures have gone down a bit. But the strong winds have brought out the wing foiling!
And please remember that at the bottom of every email are links to organizations helping us around the Bay! Another reminder – so you won’t miss anything, you may need to click on the message “To see Full Message, Click here” in order to all the news of the week!
In this Eblast:
PaBIA
- PaBIA Junior Regatta 2023 Saturday, July 29
- PaBIA Annual Meeting: Proposed New Director, ’22 AGM Minutes, Financials; Babysitting?
- PaBIA Abandon Dock Day
- Congrats to PaBIA Fire Pump Contest Winners!
- Literally on the Bay – “Beyond That, The Sea” by Laura Spence-Ash
- Getting in a Flap by Trudy Irvine, Education Committee
- PaBIA Marine Patrol
Of Interest:
- Pointe au Baril Lighthouse Now Open – Closed Tuesday and Wednesday
- Pointe au Baril Library – Community Centre
- GBLT Nature Walk on Fairies Dancing – July 24th 10:00 a.m. – noon
- Video: LUCID: The Watercolours of Ann MacIntosh Duff (1925-2022)
- Yearbook Update as of July 17, 2023
- Lake Michigan-Huron Water Levels – July 17, 2023
Past Links
- AA & Al-Anon Meetings “The 1906 Group” – Mondays 7 p.m.
- Ann MacIntosh Duff at the McMichael
- Indigenous Ingenuity: Timeless Inventions Traveling Exhibit July 8 – August 12
- Indigenous Medicinal Properties of the Strawberry Plant
- Indigenous Teachings of the Ojibwe Observations of the Strawberry Plant
- Merlin Bird App
- PaBIA Blueberry Pancake Breakfast & AGM Monday, August 7th @ 9:00 a.m.
- PaBIA Channel Markers – Are You Aware of any Missing or Moved?
- PaBIA Sailing Race
- PaBIA & Ojibway Sailing Clinics – Begins Saturday, July 15. Click to sign up
- Shawanaga First Nation PowWow
- ToA Waste Management – FoodCyclers Contact Information
- Website with the latest fire smoke forecasts in the USA/Canada.
- WhatsApp Creation Process
- Sign up for ToA E-News Link
- GBA eUpdate Signups & July 2023 Update
PaBIA
PaBIA Junior Regatta – July 29. 2023
Esmée Taylor, Georgia Taylor and Sophie Cooke, as Junior Regatta Co-Chairs, are getting ready for all kids, 14 and under, to participate in this year’s Junior Regatta! They want to be sure all kids are prepping for the variety of events!
Let’s encourage all young people to join in the fun by coming out and cheering for your favorite participant or team!
And PaBIA sends out a huge thank you to Esmée Tayler who created this year’s flyer!
Annual Meeting – Proposed Director, Minutes and Financials; BabySitting
In preparation for this year’s PaBIA Annual Meeting, the 2022 Annual Meeting minutes are linked here. The financials for 2022 can be found on page 34 of the 2023 PaBIA Yearbook.
Before each AGM, PaBIA introduces proposed directors for the coming year 2023-2024 to join your PaBIA Board of Directors. This year, Emma Manners is our proposed new director for Environment. She will join the following slate of continuing PaBIA Directors: Dave Sharpe, Mark Gwozdecky, Virginia Skuce, Mary Thomson, Nancy Rogers, Mike Berton, Trudy Irvine, Cath Fairlie, Katie Findlay, and Hilde Clark.
Introducing PaBIA’s Proposed New Director for the Environment
“I’m excited to work with PaBIA again this summer after working on the Marine Patrol in the summer of 2022! This year I will be taking over the Environmental Portfolio for PaBIA, as I enter my third year of University at Queen’s for Environmental Science and Geology. I look forward to bringing my experience as an MP and my educational background to contribute to the environmental protection of Pointe au Baril.
“My family has been cottaging in Pointe au Baril for five generations. Having been fortunate enough to spend my summers at the cottage growing up, I look forward to working alongside others that work tirelessly for our community.”
Abandoned Dock Clean Up Day – August 26, 2023
Over the years, more and more old docks are being seen pulled up and abandoned on the shorelines of Georgian Bay. It makes sense that owners have had to replace docks; things just deteriorate over time. Property owners (or their contractors) are responsible for the safe disposal of their old docks. The Township of the Archipelago provides facilities at Site 9 to do so.
Fortunately, most property owners have broken down their old docks, re-purposed what they could, and disposed of the remaining bits responsibly. Unfortunately, some old docks have just been pulled into bays and been abandoned. Other docks have escaped their moorings during the winter and floated away. These docks create potential navigational issues. Not least, they are unsightly in our otherwise beautiful environment.
The Township will assist the community to disassemble and dispose of any abandoned docks that are delivered to the Pointe au Baril Station wharf on Saturday August 26. This is a great opportunity to remove unsightly and potentially dangerous abandoned or derelict docks on our shorelines.
If you know of any abandoned docks, take a picture and talk with your neighbours to clarify the status of the docks. When it is clear that the dock is truly abandoned, this is your opportunity to put together a volunteer work party and assist each other to remove the dock from our waterways.
NOTE: This opportunity is for abandoned docks only – it is not for cottagers to get rid of their old docks at the Township’s expense. The Township provides facilities at Site 9 to do so.
If you have questions, please contact the PaBIA Marine Patrol.
Here are the WINNERS of the Fire Pump Contest!
Congratulations to the 5 winners of the “Start Your Fire Pump Contest”. The lucky winners were: Barbara and Jim Brignall, Cameron Binkley, Mark and Haydyn Payne, Gord McLarty and family, and Honor and Beck Ireland. Each of the 5 winners will receive $100 courtesy of FireSmart Canada.
We had 15 entries to the contest and were successful in raising the awareness of the need to be ready in case of fire. If we can stop even one fire from getting out of control, then we are all winners. Thanks to all who entered and started their engines.
Remember, if you are thinking of buy a new fire pump or accessories, Bobcat of Parry Sound has offered PaBIA members a 10% discount on equipment accessories. Details of the savings are in the June 21 eBlast. Just bring a copy of the June 21 eBlast to the store to collect your discount.”
Marine Patrol
It has been a long but exciting week for the Marine Patrol. It has been enjoyable to interact with many members from our community. Here are some of the activities we participated in this week along with some of the things we have noticed on the water and on shore.
One of the activities we did this week was clean up Hole in the Wall beach and the surrounding area. We found items ranging from broken glass, rubber, and even used cigarettes and cigars. Just a friendly reminder with the fire risk still high, please dispose of your cigars and cigarettes responsibly. While there was lots of trash items, we still saw wildlife in the area. The photo of the Garter Snake was taken on the Shawanaga Island side of Hole in the Wall.
We also took did water testing this week at 5 different locations in the area: Sturgeon Bay near Skunk Island, the Lighthouse, Shawanaga River, Pym Rock, and the Church dock. This is part of a new program that we are participating in called Water Rangers, one of three programs we participate in. In this program we measure 8 different components in the water. These include but are not limited to: clarity, pH, alkalinity, and dissolved oxygen. The program allows for us to understand not only the difference in water in different parts of Pointe au Baril, but also allows for a comparison to other areas around Canada and elsewhere.
We have noticed an increase in people using their phones while driving their boats this year. This includes areas of high traffic such as the station channel and right in front of the Ojibway Club. On some occasions people were using their phones while driving at high speeds, sometimes in narrow channels. We want to remind everyone that you are responsible for your boat and should be aware of your surroundings at all times. Please make sure your phone is away when you are on the water for the safety of yourself and others.
We look forward to seeing everyone out of the water in this coming week. Feel free to say hello if you meet us on shore or come to our office hours from 8:30-9:30 or 4:00-5:00 (Thursday – Monday)
Of Interest
Lighthouse is Open – Thursday thru Mondays until Labour Day Weekend
Emmaline Madigan and Bill Pugsley are now back at the Lighthouse, much to the delight of everyone in Pointe au Baril in their positions as Lighthouse Museum Attendants for the summer.
We are fortunate to have them return although Emmaline is no longer baking her famous blueberry pies and tarts.
Last August, Emmaline was honoured by the Township for her fifty years of service as the keeper of the Pointe au Baril Lighthouse. Although the beacon light was automated in 1983 (before that she, and her husband, Carl Madigan, walked the stairs to light the beacon), Emmaline and Bill tell the fascinating history which is well worth the trip to hear the old stories!
This plaque was placed at the Lighthouse this past weekend – proudly displayed near the large anchor that adorns the rocks nearby!
GBLT Nature Walk – Pointe au Baril
July 24, 2023
10:00 a.m. – noon
Fairies Dancing, Pointe au Baril
Join our Protected Areas Manager Aaron Rusak for a naturalist’s tour of Fairies Dancing. Discover and learn how to identify the amazingly diverse flora and fauna that is present on this island and throughout Pointe au Baril. Please feel free to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy afterward if you choose.
Location: Fairies Dancing, Rathlyn Island, Pointe au Baril (GPS coordinates: 45.553613, -80.411235). Please note that this island is boat access only. There is no dock, and boats will have to anchor. Please register
Your Nature on the Bay
Written by Trudy Irvine, PaBIA Director for Education. Each week, Trudy will be bringing Nature to you with her wonderful eye for unfolding a deeper meaning for us all to consider.
Getting in a Flap
Last week on Sagadawong Bay, Linda Thurber captured some amazing film footage of two loons engaging in a behaviour that not even any longtime residents in the area had witnessed before. These videos show one bird madly pursuing the other with the wings of both whirring in what looks like a furious butterfly stroke on the top of the water, interspersed with bouts of underwater wrestling.
Not sure if these two were lovers or fighters, our neighbourhood team of amateur biologists turned to Google, and then confirmed our findings with the GBB and MNR wildlife biologists visiting for Sunday’s PaBIA Naturalist talk.
It seems it was not romance that was in the air that rainy day, but aggression. Given that a loon family with a pair of chicks will eat something like a half a ton of (mostly) fish during a season, they need a sizeable territory and will defend that area vigorously. Most territorial disputes are settled with vocalizations and displays, but on occasion things get more serious, and can even result in the mortality of one of the combatants. In this case, it’s likely that Linda filmed the loser of a confrontation beating a hasty retreat and surviving several attempted drownings in the process. The less commonly observed and strangely inefficient looking getaway stroke seen is known as “wing rowing” and is only one of a more familiar variety of dances, vocalizations and body language seen in the loon’s social behaviour.
The next time a loon glares at you with a furrowed brow or rears up and flaps their wings in a “penguin dance”, you’d best row away yourself, for the sake of you and the loon.
Thank you to Linda for her steady hand in filming and to Mimi Crawford for sharing these wonderful videos with me.
AA and Al-Anon Meetings To Begin
July 3 @ 7 p.m. at The Ojibway Club
There are now weekly Monday evening AA / Al-Anon meetings of the inaugural 1906 Group at the Ojibway Club. Meetings will be held on the screened porch (adjacent to the dining room and front veranda).
The 1906 Group is an open meeting – all are welcome – based on traditional meetings of AA and Al-Anon. Many of us in Pointe au Baril have loved ones who battle various addictions and substance disorders – and of course, there are others of us who face these challenges ourselves or simply want to hear how others have overcome their own cravings. The 1906 Group will alternate between speaker-led formats and readings pertaining to the disease of “more”, and there will always be opportunities for individuals to share openly and discreetly. Remember… ‘what you hear here, who you see here, stays here’.
We look forward to seeing you on Mondays at 7 p.m. in July and August.
Literally on the Bay
Book recommendations by Charlotte Stein, owner of Parry Sound Books
Edited by Janet Irving, Education Committee.
There is nothing – absolutely nothing – like reading a book on a summer’s day on Georgian Bay! This summer we suggest some books that are literally set on the Bay – or feel so much so that we just had to include them.
BEYOND THAT, THE SEA by Laura Spence-Ash is a novel that takes place in England and the United States. What makes it perfect for those of us who spend time on Georgian Bay is that the place of most importance in the story is an island off the coast of Maine. This is where Bea Thompson spends the years of the Second World War while evacuated from her home in London. A beautifully written and absorbing novel, full of grace and heartache, forgiveness and understanding, loss and love.
POINTE au BARIL LIBRARY
Location: Community Centre, Pointe au Baril
Hours: Monday and Wednesday (9:30 am to 11:30 am) except holidays
by Jane Manning-Marshall – Librarian
We extend a warm welcome from the Pointe au Baril Library to all our residents and cottagers in The Township of the Archipelago. In the last year and a half, our Library has undergone a complete renovation to update the room’s structure and hardware. With its new flooring, shelving, windows and heating/air conditioning system the interior has been transformed into an open, light-filled opportunity to peruse titles, check out a hefty cottage stack of books, borrow one of our 1000-piece puzzles, and enjoy summertime conversations.
The Library has a fine range of novels and crime/mystery fiction, with special shoutout to two of Canada’s notable writers. Thanks to the generosity of Janet Turnbull and John Irving, we have a fresh and complete set of Irving’s novels, including his latest publication The Last Chairlift. The Cider House Rules and A Prayer for Owen Meany are favourites of readers. Louise Penny’s crime/mystery series with Chief Inspector Gamache include two recent publications: The Madness of Crowds and A World of Curiosities. The Library has all seven of Jean-Luc Bannalec’s Brittany Mystery Series if Breton crime combined with art, oysters, salt, and Celtic myths captures your imagination. And, should non-fiction be your genre, we recommend Christopher Knowlton’s Bubble in the Sun. If you winter in Florida, this is a must read.
And last but not least, we have a small collection of children’s books that are waiting to be read.
LUCID: The Watercolours of Ann MacIntosh Duff (1925-2022)
Here is the July 2023 GBA Update
Yearbook Updates
With each eBlast, we will provide you a list of names of those members who have provided updated contact information. The details of all the changes since the 2022 yearbook came out in late April are provided in THIS printable format for you to print out and insert into your own Yearbook! As of August 24th, here are the changes.
Foster, Melanie & Simon (addition)
Gabler, Melissa & Cooke, Patrick (addition, new members)
Water Levels
Lakes Michigan/Huron Water Levels July 17, 2023
To better read the charts, please click on the chart for the Daily or Six Month Forecast Water level chart and the corresponding websites
Click on the logo to go to the website
(705) 716-1667
Please support PaBIA’s Yearbook Advertisers 2023
This site’s advertising feature was created to provide assistance for special local information & events for existing Yearbook advertisers only.
Emergency
• PaB Nursing Station
• Canadian Coast Guard
Search and Rescue
800-267-7270
• PaBIA Emergency info