The CBC recently ran a couple of articles of interest to property owners, especially if that property is lakeside.

Dandelions! Bees (and other pollinators) depend on them in the early spring. You should probably be eating them too. And without mowing or herbicides (which we know you’re not using, for your lake’s health, right?) you really can’t beat them. So why not learn to love them?

Bad news for fishing. It seems that climate change, among its other devastations, is raising the temperature of our lakes, which lowers the oxygen content, which, among other things, makes them less fish-friendly. Whether you want to catch fish, or just join them for a companionable swim, we can all agree that more is better. The problem is made worse by run-off from faulty or failing septic systems, or fertilizers (but you really aren’t using those, are you?), or a denuded shoreline that doesn’t capture excess nutrients before they enter the water. So get your septic checked regularly and naturalize your shoreline: your finny neighbours will be grateful.