It is great to get back to Muskoka in the early spring, read the Muskokan at night and bring a copy home for my Aunt. An article (Vol 24, No. 3) made reference to lake levels.

I’m not an engineer, surveyor or trained environmentalist so am not aware if Brandy Lake (it flows into one of the big lakes) runs at the same level as other lakes. This past fall we were doing some lot site measuring on Brandy and compared it to a survey we have from 1959. Interestingly, the lake level in 1959 was much lower (measured form a surveyor’s pin) than in 2007. We also have trees growing out of the water – at least ones that haven’t died or beaver cut. Did they start in the water?

On the other hand, it’s interesting to read some of the vintage Popular Mechanics articles from the 1940s and ‘50s on planet warming. Personally, I use the basic word, pollution. We do our part – no lawn in Muskoka, 90 per cent of our shoreline is natural, no light pollution at night, septic inspected, we recycle and do all we can. I do play at the cottage but we have switched to a 4 cylinder inboard boat engine. It is an insurmountable task as the article says but all we can do is do our bit as individuals.

I did have a chuckle several years ago from a radio announcer’s statement. We have millions of carbon spewing vehicles running the highways, hundreds of airliners flying in formation, thousands of factories pumping steady into the air and this guy says ‘don’t cut your lawn in Toronto this week with a gas mower as the pollution index is high’. What? A mower has about 3HP, 150cc and most of their carburetors are made to meet California’s very strict emission laws.

Thanks for the good reading.