Looking closer at lakes
By Claudia Chender, MLA
“With pickup hockey games, figure skaters and people of all ages enjoying the crisp air, it has been a picturesque winter on the frozen Dartmouth lakes. Winter is here, but rest assured that summer is coming. And if it’s slated to be anything like last year’s record-breaking heat and humidity, I’m sure you, like me and my family, will want to head to the lakeshores of Banook, Maynard, Oathill, Russell, Penhorn and beyond.
Looking forward, the paddling community is busy preparing to host the North American Indigenous Games in 2020 (canoe portion), the Canadian National Championships in 2021 and the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in 2022. Thousands of athletes, spectators, media and visitors will pour into our incredible community to compete and build friendships on our world-class lakes.
These exciting events allow us to continue to showcase our community to the world. They also demand that we consider the future of the City of Lakes.
Most Dartmouthians are well aware of the many threats to the health of our lakes. They kept us out of the cooling waters of Lake Banook for half of the swimming season over the last two summers.
Last year’s blue-green algae outbreaks in Lake Banook and Lake Micmac meant cancelled swimming lessons and danger to children and pets. The perennial aquatic weeds continue to interfere with paddlers and other recreation crafts on the lakes, not to mention creating an unpleasant swimming experience. Yellow floating hearts are choking out the native vegetation of Little Albro Lake and blocking residents from swimming or boating.
Rising temperatures associated with climate change and human impact mean that we are likely to see more beach closures in the future if we can’t get a grip on managing the lakes.
I am looking forward to HRM’s report on Lake Banook. In the meantime, we can work as a community to care for these precious Dartmouth jewels. If you would like to be a steward of your local lake, here are just a few local groups to consider connecting with: Oathill Lake Conservation Society, Portland Estates and Hills Residents’ Association or Destination Dartmouth. These folks have a wealth of knowledge and are always looking for more community members to get involved.
See you at the lake!”