February 2010 Why was a Stewardship Plan needed for the Moon River? The word is out about Muskoka, and demand is high for a pieCe of the dream. People are attraCted to this area for its natural beauty and lifestyle, and they now Come here in big numbers. Our River is saCred to us. We rely on it for rest and reCreation. As more and more people Come to enjoy our River, Change is inevitable. More people often equate to reduCtions in water quality, inCreased noise and light pollution, pressure on fish and wildlife populations, and destruCtion of wetlands. Our viewsCapes and developmental aCtivities have beCome matters of ConCern for Moon River Stakeholders. The legaCy, heritage and natural beauty of the Moon River are under pressure. Whether you are a permanent resident, Cottager, visitor, governmental employee, part of a Community organization, or simply doing business in the area, you are a Stakeholder and have a vested interest in the quality of life on the Moon. In earlier years, nature Could wash away the damage we Caused during the short summer population peak. The CyCle of the seasons Could renew our Moon River to its original pristine Condition. Not any more. With greater population density and the developmental pressures Caused by growth, we are now in a vulnerable state and with that Comes the responsibility for better stewardship of the riChes we have inherited. Good Stewardship is important if we want to preserve what we have Come to love about Muskoka. The bottom line is this. We Cannot just rely on nature or governmental agenCies to proteCt us from ourselves. We need to get personally involved and aCt to preserve our environment. So, what is “Stewardship” in the Context of this initiative? Stewardship is “an ethiC that embodies Cooperative planning and management of environmental resourCes with organizations, Communities and others to aCtively engage in the prevention of loss of habitat and faCilitate its reCovery in the interest of long‐term sustainability”1. This, of Course, requires that all interested stakeholders lend their voiCes and efforts to influenCe the direCtion of poliCy for land use planning. To this end, a Copy of our Stewardship Plan will be presented to and filed with the Township of Muskoka Lakes for inClusion in their offiCial plan. Over the Coming years, this Plan should be reviewed and renewed periodiCally (perhaps in the same CyCle in whiCh the Township OffiCial Plan is reviewed) to meet the pressures of the day and with a view to the future as well as the past. The Moon River Stewardship Plan is a Call to aCtion for all Stakeholders. Our message is: “get involved”; we must take responsibility for our own destiny. After reviewing the Plan, we hope that you will identify a personal goal and aCt on it and make a Commitment to Stewardship. There are many reCommendations in this report, and they were all developed by you the Stakeholders. 1 Fisheries and OCeans Canada – “Stewardship in ACtion” Program 1 This plan was developed on your behalf by ConCerned volunteers. The finished plan belongs to all of the Stakeholders. It is our hope that governmental bodies and agenCies (inCluding the Township of Muskoka Lakes, the DistriCt of Muskoka, the ProvinCe of Ontario, MNR), loCal Community groups (inCluding the Muskoka Heritage Foundation, the Moon River Property Owners AssoCiation, and the Muskoka Ratepayers AssoCiation), businesses (inCluding OPG, the Muskoka Lakes Chamber of CommerCe, loCal developers and businesses) and individual Stakeholders will see one or more of the Plan’s reComendaions as being their responsibility to aCt on. We want to thank PatriCia Arney both in her CapaCity as the former President of the Moon River Property Owners AssoCiation and as Township CounCillor, Township of Muskoka Lakes, who initially proposed the idea of the Moon River Stewardship Plan. We also want to thank Anna Mallin who worked with the Trillium Foundation to proCure a $15,800 grant that enabled us to put together the Plan. Thank you also goes to Randy FrenCh and Jasmine Chabot of FrenCh Planning ServiCes InC. who worked Closely with your Committee to offer their support, experienCe, guidanCe and wisdom. Thanks also goes to all of our stakeholders who gave of their time to respond to our survey, attend our Stakeholder meetings, and give personal input regarding the issues faCing us. Finally, thanks to all of the members of the Stewardship Committee who worked so diligently to gather information, prepare reports, attend Committee meetings, and who assisted in the writing and editing of this Plan. We trust that you the interested reader (and therefore a Stakeholder), will find this report interesting, informative and sound. We look forward to working with you to implement the reCommendations Contained herein. SinCerley, David SCulati Chairman of the The Moon River Stewardship Committee Members: Doug Ball, David Coatsworth, Bryden Currie, David MaCIntosh, Anna Mallin, Bob MCTavish, Dodd Patterson, Walter SCott, and Marlene SCulati 2 Preserving our Moon River Heritage The Moon River Stewardship Plan – 2010 Table of Contents Introduction.........................................................................................................................3 Why do we need a Stewardship Plan?..........................................................................................3 What is a Stewardship Plan? ........................................................................................................3 How this Plan was Prepared ........................................................................................................4 Stewardship Committee Members...............................................................................................4 Background Information Considered in the Plan .......................................................................4 Our River .............................................................................................................................6 Water Access, Islands and Dams.................................................................................................6 Yesterday on the Moon River ..............................................................................................8 Special Places and Areas .............................................................................................................11 Today: Cottaging on the Moon River................................................................................ 12 Stakeholders View of the Bala Reach................................................................................ 14 Social and Community Values ................................................................................................... 19 Importance of Social Events ...................................................................................................... 21 Neighbourliness ......................................................................................................................... 21 Noise and Light Pollution.......................................................................................................... 22 Recreational Boating:................................................................................................................. 23 Snowmobile, Biking, and Walking Activities ............................................................................ 24 Natural Heritage: Our Watershed.....................................................................................26 Geography .................................................................................................................................. 26 Physical Features ....................................................................................................................... 26 Forestry....................................................................................................................................... 26 Muskoka River Watershed ......................................................................................................... 26 Soil and Surface Features ........................................................................................................... 27 Other Physical Landform Constraints ....................................................................................... 27 Landscape and Aesthetics – our Viewscape .............................................................................. 28 Mining and Extraction............................................................................................................... 28 River Character........................................................................................................................... 29 Understanding our Natural Heritage ........................................................................................ 30 Natural Heritage Protection Policy ........................................................................................... 30 Water Levels ............................................................................................................................... 31 Water Quality ............................................................................................................................. 33 How is water quality measured? ................................................................................................ 33 Sources of Phosphorous ............................................................................................................