Best Practices for Lake Monitoring and Management (Drag and Spruce Lake)

Best Practices for Lake Monitoring and Management (Drag and Spruce Lake)

Emily Silk, Tyler Marcotte, Willow Graham, Katie Evensen

Drag and Spruce Lake Property Owners Association, Rick Wesselman, Jim Miners

Tom Whillans

4937

April, 2023

Online

Haliburton County, Drag and Spruce Lakes

Lake Management Plan

Drag and Spruce Lakes, located in the Haliburton Highlands of Ontario, are the head lakes in the Burnt River Watershed; the Drag and Spruce Lake Property Owners Association (DSLPOA) works in conjunction with the Federation of Ontario Cottagers Association (FOCA) to ensure the lakes' health, biodiversity, beauty, and recreational value are preserved. To achieve this, DSLPOA implements various stewardship strategies, such as promoting proper maintenance of watercraft and volunteer-based programs like the Lake Partner Program (LPP). These strategies aim to encourage shoreline landowners and lake users to adopt best management practices voluntarily, benefiting the entire community and securing the lakes' future health. In future conservation efforts, it is recommended to continue implementing these programs while also identifying priority areas for focused management actions. Collaborative efforts involving relevant stakeholders, such local community members, DSLPOA members, the Community Advisory Panel, and the Science and Technical Committee, should be engaged in to determine the level of priority, rationale, responsible agents, and specific initiatives for each action.

Trent University