The 2022 cottage season is beginning. The marina has most of our boats in the water–but call to check about yours. And if you are contemplating a new boat, be sure to check with them to make sure it actually will fit in your slip. (613-359-5612)

Tree-damaging Gypsy/LDD moths are also in season. A number of islanders have signed up for aerial spraying and we will pass on information about the times for that as soon as we learn them. You may wish to stay inside at the time of spraying but the spray itself–BTK–is considered quite safe for humans. When you do get to the cottage, check your trees for signs of the little critters. The biological pesticides mentioned include a form of BTK that we can buy at Rona/Home Hardware/Home Depot, etc. under the name SAFER BTK. It is not expensive. It is a concentrate that makes a lot of working solution that can be applied with a common garden sprayer. If you want to do this, it is wise to buy some soon lest supplies get depleted as they did last year.  There are also other things to help, like banding your treees with burlap or duct tape bands to make moths gather overnight–you can destroy them after that. There is a great deal of info on the web, including on our own website, https://birchisland.info/your-cottage/. The members of the association Executive Committee have put a great deal of effort into telling about spraying options and helping those who wish to spray with the process. In particular I want to mention Mary Rockburn, Val Fullard, Rory Gooderham, and Vipool Desai for their efforts. Here is a timetable of moth activity:

‘BIRPOA’–The Birch Island Residential Property Owners Association (or simply the Birch Island Association) is dedicated to doing things to promote the well-being of the island and our cottagers. The Executive Committee is the group that makes things happen, along with other volunteers. We keep the trails cleared, the library running, create and support events, count loons and watch other wildlife, maintain a website, monitor water quality,  link to local and provincial government and other associations, and have done so for over 50 years. We do ask folks to pay $50 dues, which are used only to support the island–not a penny goes to Executive members personally–and a message on dues for this year will soon follow.

We also need new Exec members and general volunteers. Thanks to covid, some of us have been in our roles a bit too long and want to leave or to rotate to other assignments, and we always seek new people and ideas. Two folks new to the island are joining us: Rob Jackett and Wendy Nuttall. and others are very welcome. The way we encourage people to join: come to a few meetings (electronically, early in the season, in person later) and see what roles might appeal to you. In addition to the Executive Committee, Rory Gooderham is looking for some volunteers to participate in a committee to deal with the Rideal Authority/Parks Canada; we made a strong pitch for cottager voices to be heard in addition to those of n and financial interests. We won an invitation to send a rep and Rory agreed to do that. We also always want volunteers to help with the library, and we have a new proposal to create a social committee (aka the Party Animals) to help with summer activities. There are other possibilities, too.

The trails have for years been maintained by ‘Trail Boss’ Ry Weisiger, cutting the grass first with a push mower and more recently with a small tractor, and taking a chainsaw to miscreant branches. and with help from several islanders including Chris Wagner, Dave Perfetti, members of the Horton family, and by Andy Shaw, who recently left the island. Rob Jackett, a new owner of the Shaw cottage, has volunteered to take over Andy’s role. If you see problems on the trail, do contact Ry.

The trails themselves have complex ownership and rights of way have been a topic for several years. John Feltmate, siad to be the longest cottage owner on the island, is both our informal historian and the person to ask about trail issues, along with Rory.

Drinking water is always a question for new cottagers and we have conducted periodic surveys of both lake and cottage water. If you have questions on this score, just ask me.

Last year we held an All Island Reunion for everyone on the island no matter if they were active members of the association or not. Around 50 folks showed up and we have deemed the event a success to be repeated. Dave Perfetti and his wife Sherry Mills prepared their lovely lot in Limestone Bay and it made a simply wonderful venue. Exec members brought food and drink, and particularly noteworthy Indian food from a fine restaurant in Toronto was brought by Vipool Desai and Laura. Others brought drinks, ice cream, veggies, and ‘Frito pie.”

We plan to have additional events during the coming summer, including a traditional Paddle the Island Race, once done only with canoes but nowadays with kayaks and paddleboards as well.

Each year we update a list of islanders and have traditionally distributed it to members at the AGM. Last year we gave them to everyone at the Reunion, and copies remain available. We have an updated version in the works. These are always distributed as PRINTED copies for security reasons.

Other news: Thanks in large part to a gift from the Milner family, we have a large number of historical island newsletters and other items. Cooped up because of covid, Rory has made a major effort to digitize these and you will see bits in future newsletters, while they will all be posted to the website. And over the winter, Mary Rockburn painted and refurbished the library:

Finally, last year the Executive agreed to look at several issues: reviewing our overall mission with a view to concentrating on a few major issues, revising the committee’s organizational structure, including job descriptions and terms of office, representation at external organizations, best means of communicating, and the creation of a revised constitution, all by the 2022 Reunion/AGM.

Expect updates periodically throughout the year!

Happy summer, everyone,

Bob Cavenagh

on behalf of, and with much gratitude to, the Executive Committee