Is My Dog at Risk of Lyme Disease in the Highlands?

Prevention of ticks is the best course of action to protect your dog. Ticks can cause painful or irritating swelling at the insertion site. If removed improperly, the mouthparts of the tick can create an abscess. Some ticks are small and we may never notice them, but can still infect your pet with diseases. Although Lyme disease, or other tick-borne illnesses, are not endemic in our area at this time, the environment is constantly changing and chances are high that we will be affected one day. 

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Buy Local: Drink Craft Beer!

With breweries popping up all across Ontario why not stop by one the next time you’re heading to Paudash and pick up a few cold ones to go. No matter where you’re coming from there are plenty of options on the way. Live at the cottage all summer?  Why not do a day trip and check out a few within a short drive.   Have some testers and bring back your favourites.  This is one sure way to impress any family and friends. No matter if you’re a light beer, dark beer or flavoured beer fan, there is something for everyone. The staff at any of the breweries will walk you through the beer making process and teach you about all things beer. 

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Hunting for Treasure: Geocaching in Paudash

Our Paudash Lake Geocaches have been getting a lot of action. Burnt Island Cache has been found 5 times this spring, Footbridge Cache 3 times and Soldiers of the Lake 6 times! More geocaches to come this summer! Get out and enjoy the lake. Geocaches vary greatly in size and appearance. In the field you will see everything from large, clear plastic containers to film canisters to a fake rock with a secret compartment. 

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Staying Safe in the Sun

“I’m a one, you’re a two and you’re a three,” I shared with two girlfriends as I doused every patch of my skin with SPF 70 sunscreen spray. The numbers refer to the Fitzpatrick skin scale, developed by Harvard dermatologist Thomas B. Fitzpatrick. The scale classifies how different people respond to ultraviolet light – specifically to one hour of sunlight on the first day of spring. So when my friends and I were in Las Vegas this weekend, the intense winter white I cultivated under scrubs and artificial lights all season was ready to burn.

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Message from the President: Love Summer; Love Your Lake!

There is never a dull moment when you are involved with your lake association.  Our primary activity this cottage season is to complete the ‘Love Your Lake’ project which involves the shoreline assessment of all Paudash Lake (upper & lower). I discussed this fully in our winter newsletter and thank-you to the volunteers who have offered to drive the boats or house the students from Trent University who are scheduled to be here for the last week of August. 

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Call for submissions

We are currently working on the Summer 2016 edition of the PLCA newsletter and we want to hear from you! Do you have something funny, informative, interesting, nostalgic, historical, conservational or enlightening to say about life on Paudash Lake? If you do, we wold love to read your article and consider it for publication in our newsletter and/or blog.

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Taking the Leap

It’s one of those childhood memories that you’re not sure you remember because you actually remember or because there's photo evidence. I’m 11, and standing on the deck of a cottage on Paudash Lake. I’m wearing a red polyester sleeveless top with gold buttons on the pockets and matching navy blue shorts (I definitely remember the outfit. Loved it. It came with another set of identical red shorts and matching navy top so you could create several “matching” outfits — yes, it was the 70s!). 

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Why it’s so Important to Protect our Loons

Loons fulfill the same role for a lake that the canary fulfilled in the mines: acting as an indicator of environmental conditions. Canadian Lakes Loon Survey (CLLS) monitoring of loon reproductive success has proven effective for monitoring broader lake health. In fact, survival of loon chicks is a good indicator of the impact of lake acidification and other water conditions on fish stocks and aquatic life. In addition 97 per cent of the world’s common loon population lives in Canada; 56 per cent of these in Ontario and Quebec. This makes the Common Loon our responsibility to conserve. 

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Native Plant Sale to Protect Your Shoreline

The Haliburton Highlands Land Trust (HHLT) is pleased to announce the 2016 spring online native plant sale. We have shoreline bundles that may be perfect for naturalizing your shoreline and a number of other shrubs and trees that will beautify and increase biodiversity on your property. These plants will enhance habitats for frogs, fish and butterflies, as well as a host of other creatures. Shoreline bundles contain 25 plants in total – five of each of the following species:  Alternate-leafed Dogwood, Red Osier Dogwood, American Highbush Cranberry, Nannyberry and American Elderberry.  It is recommended that each sapling be planted about 15 feet apart.

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Beating the Winter Blahs

Seasonal Affective Disorder, the most common of which is known as winter depression, affects about five to ten per cent of people in North America.  As far as diseases go, that’s quite common. There are people who are completely debilitated by winter. If that’s you, then please do go speak with your doctor because you don’t need to suffer. There are medications, there are special lights and there is...

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The Paudash Lake Management Plan is Online

Ever wondered about the longterm sustainability plan for Paudash Lake? The Paudash Lake Management Plan, which is now available online, was prepared under the direction of the PLCA, with funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and with the support of various municipalities and ministries. The purpose of the Paudash Lake Management Plan is to identify the significant social, natural and physical features that make the lake and its surrounding area a desirable place for people to live and visit...

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Life on the lake: Bears and Beers

Who loves a picnic lunch by the lake on a warm autumn day? Pretty much everyone. Including this bear, who swam across Paudash Lake and helped himself to the PLCA's current president's lunch. "He swam all the way from the other point, and ate our lunch!" says Mike Thomas, who was lucky enough to ...

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A Paudash Youth

My parents moved us to Inlet Bay on Paudash Lake when I was less than a year old. A youth spent on the lake has served me so well. When April rolled around and the final stubborn ice fishing huts were pulled off the water or sunk, my brother and I could start salivating over a rising summer. The crocus flowers would peek through the soil and mossy carpeting would spill over the rock garden, greening up our lives. In May, the air was dewy and moist and the days were long and built for fun..

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