Lake Temagami Water Levels (May 25 to 31, 2023)
Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) has implemented a Restricted Fire Zone (RFZ) as of 12:01 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, June 1st.
A RFZ is an order made by the Ministry to restrict the use of open fires in a specific area of the province. It is a temporary measure put in place to prevent human-caused fires when the fire hazard is extreme or when firefighting resources are limited.
By law, you cannot have an outdoor fire in a RFZ (with some very limited exceptions). The restriction covers all burning, including grass, debris, and campfires – even when using an outdoor fire grate, fireplace, or fire pit.
MNRF Notice – Restricted Fire Zone in NE Region (June 1, 2023)
Over the years, the amount of garbage floating in Lake Temagami’s waters and sitting on its shorelines has increased. Of particular concern are plastics, as they can take hundreds of years to break down. They may never do so completely, but instead disintegrate into smaller and smaller pieces – which can have negative impacts on wildlife (especially when ingested).
According to the World Wildlife Fund, plastic bags, for example, can take 20+ years to decompose, plastic water bottles – 450 years, and disposable diapers – 500 years.
To help address this issue, the Temagami Lakes Association would like to issue a “Shoreline Clean-Up Challenge” to its members – and anyone else who resides on, or enjoys, Lake Temagami.
During the Summer of 2023, we encourage year-round and seasonal residents (and visitors) to seek out, and collect, garbage in the water, or on mainland or island shorelines.
We will award prizes at the “TLA Summer BBQ” on Saturday, July 22nd, in these categories:
(a) most garbage collected (by volume or weight)
(b) largest piece of garbage (Hopefully, it won’t sink my boat when I’m taking it to the transfer station.)
(c) strangest piece of garbage (What on Earth is this?)
(d) most-artistic piece of garbage (Michelangelo would be jealous.)
(e) oldest piece of garbage (This thing is older than I am.)
(f) most-useful piece of garbage (This isn’t garbage – it’s something that I can use!)
Please dispose of all items appropriately, and simply bring photographic proof of your efforts to the event, or e-mail them to the TLA. Although, the BBQ will mark only the halfway point of the season, we urge everyone to continue with the clean-up initiative throughout 2023 and beyond.
For further information, please send a message to tla@onlink.net.
In the summer of 2023, the TLA Headquarters Building will be open from Thursday, June 29th to Thursday, August 31st – as follows:
A number of other amenities will also be offered:
It’s best to phone ahead (705-237-8927) – to ensure that the HQ staff will be on site when you arrive.
If you have any questions, please contact Linda Bangay, TLA Administrative Coordinator, at tla@onlink.net.