Real Talk!

Almost every cottager has heard the warnings about Purple Loosestrife and Zebra Mussels but there are more and more invasive species affecting the natural habitat of our beloved cottage country.

Boaters and Anglers should know these four simple rules:

·Inspect your boat, motor, trailer, and boating equipment (anchor, centreboards, rollers, axles) and remove any zebra mussels and other animals and plants that are visible before leaving any waterbody;

·Drain water from the motor, livewell, bilge and transom wells while on land before leaving the waterbody

·Wash/dry your boat, tackle, downriggers, trailer, and other boating equipment to kill harmful species that were not visible at the boat launch. Some aquatic nuisance species can survive more than 2 weeks out of water so it is important to:
rinse your boat and equipment that normally gets wet with hot tap water (greater than 40 ºC); or spray your boat and trailer with high pressure water (250 psi); or dry your boat and equipment for at least 5 days before transporting to another water body.

·Empty your bait bucket on land before leaving any waterbody. Never release live bait into a waterbody, or release aquatic animals from one waterbody into another.

Remember: It is illegal to release crayfish, and other baitfish, except into the body of water from which they were taken. Many people release unwanted aquarium pets into natural waters. Not only is this activity illegal, it can harm the environment.

Several exotic species of plants and animals have been introduced to our lakes through this practice. If you have an unwanted aquarium pet or plant, do not set it free in the wild!

There are several lesser known invaders that are creeping into our forests and waterways. These include: Dog-Strangling Vine (Swallow-Wort), Garlic Mustard, Common Buckthorn, Asiatic Bittersweet, Glossy Buckthorn and Canada Thistle.

Dog Strangling Vine:

This is an extremely aggressive plant species from the milkweed family. It is plant should be treated cautiously, as it was included in early books on poisonous plants.

Highly invasive, this vine will thrive in shade; sun and all soil conditions, spread rapidly, reduce or eliminate other plants, and are extremely difficult to control.

You can identify this vine by its flowers which are purple-brown to dark purple, small, in small umbel-like clusters at tips of stems and upper branches; seedpods slender, 4-6cm (1½ -2¼in.) long, broadest near the base and long-tapered to a slender tip, opening along one side and releasing many, small, flat, brownish seeds with long, white, silky parachutes. All parts of the plants may contain small quantities of white, milky juice. The plant will flower from late June until autumn. If you see this plant, remove it immediately!

Mustard Garlic:

This biennial herbaceous plant has weak single stems, about 12 - 36" high in its second and flowering year. It is the only plant of this height blooming white in wooded environments in May. Its leaves are round, scallop-edged, dark green; first year, rosettes of 3 or 4 leaves; second year plants have alternate stem leaves. Leaves and stems smell like onion or garlic when crushed.

A Mustard Garlic plant has lots of small white flowers, with four separate petals. Each plant has one or two flowering stems on second year plants.

Garlic mustard spreads into high quality woodlands upland and floodplain forests, not just into disturbed areas. Invaded sites will see a rapid decline of native cover within 10 years.

Garlic mustard alters habitat suitability for native insects and thereby birds and mammals. It is a plant that easily takes over the forest floor and out-competing all native non-woody plants. In just a few years, acreage can become a monoculture of garlic mustard. Each plant can produce thousands of seeds. They fall to the ground or are carried to new locations by people and wildlife. The seeds can remain viable for in the soil for five years and even longer.

Asiatic Bittersweet:

A woody vine that climbs by means of twisting itself around some kind of support (like a tree), the Asiatic Bittersweet has branches that are round, hairless and light to dark brown. The plants have predominant bumps on the surface and roots are bright orange. The leaves are arranged alternately on the stems and vary in shape. They are typically oval with a pointed tip and range from one to five inches in length.

The flowers are small, greenish-yellow, and grow in clusters from the joints between the leaves and the stems. The plant bears yellow fruits that split to reveal showy bright red seeds. It is also commonly referred to as Oriental bittersweet.

This vine is a serious threat to other species and to whole habitats due to its aggressive habit of growing over other vegetation. This plant has a fast reproductive rate, long-range dispersal, and the ability to root-sucker. The vines can strangle tree and shrub stems, growing as high as 60 feet. All types of plants, even entire plant communities, can be over-topped and shaded out by the vine’s rapid growth.

Buckthorn:

There are two species of buckthorn that are a risk. The Common Buckthorn is a small tree or shrub that leafs out early in the spring and doesn't drop all of its leaves until very late in the fall. Their dense shade throughout the growing season will not allow native plants to survive.

Both common and glossy buckthorns are tall shrubs or small trees- sometimes reaching 20-25 feet in height and 10 inches in diameter. Most often they grow in a large shrub growth form, having a few to several stems from the base. The shrubs have spreading, loosely branched crowns. Their bark is gray to brown with prominent, often elongate, lighter-colored lenticels.

Both types of buckthorns share a very distinctive winter appearance having naked, hairy terminal buds and gracefully curving, or arched, twigs with closely spaced, prominent leaf scars that give the twigs a warty or bumpy silhouette. Cutting a branch of either species exposes yellow sapwood and a pinkish to orange heartwood.

Mature buckthorn will produce branches filled with seeds that fall to the ground or are spread by birds, taking new buckthorn everywhere. Buckthorn reduces the growth and survival of saplings of all species. The glossy species is more often found in wetlands or open moist areas.

Canada Thistle:

The Canada Thistle can be seen along the roadsides and in open areas, even in the woods. This plant needs sun to thrive, but thinning woodlands and the non-wooded areas offer places for it to become established. It is taking advantage of every site where it is left to spread. As well as spreading by seed, Canada thistle has deep roots that spread underground, quickly creating thick stands that are difficult to remove. Introduction to new areas occurs mostly by wind carrying the seeds and water runoff. Small sections of broken roots are capable of producing new plants.

Canada thistle is a 2 to 5 foot perennial with slender, grooved stems that branch only at the top. Stems are slightly hairy when young and more hairy as the plant matures. The leaves are smooth, oblong, tapering, somewhat lobed, and have crinkly edges with spines along the margins. Numerous and fragrant purple flowers grow to 3/4 inch in size from July to September. The small, light-brown seeds are slightly tapered, and have a tuft of tan hair loosely attached to the tip to help catch the wind.

NOTE: It is always a good idea to Put the seeds of noxious plants into paper bags, allowing them to dry out, then burning them in a fireplace or fire pit. But don't forget the roots

ALSO: We should all learn how to identify exotic species. If you suspect a new infestation report it to the Ministry of Natural Resources or the Invading Species Hotline (1-800-563-7711) - this hotline is a partnership between the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters.

Starting June 4th, a significant number of fish (mostly carp) began floating belly-up in Lake Scugog, the Scugog River, Sturgeon Lake, Cameron Lake, Pigeon Lake, Chemong Lake and Buckhorn Lake.

Residents were warned to wear rubber gloves, sterilize all tools used to retrieve the bodies and double bag the dead fish, for disposal.

The MNR claims there have been no spills or known acts of pollution in these lakes and there have been no known sewage leaks.

On the 23rd of July, Osprey Media reported they had interviewed a number of residents who complained of smell from tonnes of dead fish- mostly carp but some bass, on their waterfront. The cause of death is being investigated by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans lab in Nanaimo, B.C. and also by the University of Guelph’s fish health lab.

On July 28th, a waste removal company reported that they had removed 8,000 pounds of dead fish from 94 homes, located primarily on Chemong Lake. They also noted that the number of calls for pick up was increasing. MNR estimates some 4,000 to 10,000 carp have turned up dead thus far.

An MNR spokesman stated that the responsibility for collecting fish remains rests with the landowner. The Ministry has no plans to collect the dozens of dead carp that are tangled in the weeds offshore. JJ Beechie, explained that it the problem appears to be a natural infection of some type and that until the test results are known and prove otherwise, it is possible that this is a natural cycle.

Preliminary test results from the Guelph lab have found some evidence of “columnaris bacteria” in the Sturgeon Lake fish. Usually the columnaris bacteria is responsible for secondary infection- in fact, it often takes advantage of fish that are “stressed out”. Some reasons cited for the stress are spawning and warm water conditions and biologists are adamant that the bacteria are most likely not the root cause of death.

Back in 1960, after the spring thaw, thousands of fish floated dead in the Scugog Lake waters. One MNR conservation officer recorded 92,000 dead fish in a 7.8km square area on the lake. The thousands of lively catfish, still active in the lake and capable of surviving in low oxygen environments, bolstered the MNR theory that the muskie, carp, small mouth bass and perch had been suffocated under the extremely thick layer of ice that year. Usually one would see cracks in the ice, but in 1960, there were none.

I’ve heard whispers that this year there was a seeding of some type in the affected lakes. They speak of some kind of white pebbly substance and suggest that the fish have eaten it and it was probably some sort of pesticide… but that is likely small town gossip.

Apparently the water is all being re-tested.

Whatever it is, Jim Adams, a lake resident feels that he is watching a lake die. He is quoted as saying, “There's something seriously wrong here. Normally the lake is covered with thousands of geese and seagulls. Where are they all? They know something we don't."

Lately, I’ve had a number of people squirm over “Multiple Representation”… I think it’s just the fact that it’s jargon and obviously has some legal ramifications…

but it’s something really important that every Buyer and Seller needs to know.

It is your Realtor’s ® duty to speak to you, at the earliest possible convenience, about Agency Representation.

As a Seller, when you list your home, Agency should be clearly explained... read the Agreement you sign, ask questions... feel comfortable!

As a Buyer, you are wise to have a Realtor ® representing you in the acquisition of property.

As a Buyer, you will likely be shown a pamphlet entitled “Working with a Realtor ®” and asked to sign a simple “acknowledgment”, verifying that Agency Representation has been discussed. Most Buyers will be asked to sign a contract, called a Buyer Representation Agreement.

The Buyer Representation Agreement details the responsibilities of the Realtor ® and provides information about what is required from the Buyer- and, as with any contract, this Agreement has a specific time limit.

This is nothing new-

however, while this practice has been around for close to 7 years, it isn’t everyday that someone buys or sells property and for the average person it seems to be a very confusing thing. It’s a shame, to see how often people are frightened when a Realtor ® starts talking about Agency.

The regulations are clear, this is a MUST and it is in the interest of protecting the consumer, yet it is still met with suspicion.

I know, it’s human nature, to fear the unknown… but it is upsetting to us professional Realtors ® to think that the consumer meets our diligence with doubt. You see, in our minds, it’s the Realtors ® who don’t talk about Agency that are the ones you need to be concerned about.

A Realtor ® who starts talking to you about Agency, rather than the nice railing on the front porch of the house you pointed at in the window, is doing their job according to the law. We try to be polite and courteous and friendly, but we really need to follow the law. And, don’t you think that is something you would expect, at the very minimum from your Realtor ®?

The really spooky part, for most folks, seems to be when a Realtor talks about how they might be in Single Representation, but it could change to Multiple Representation…. Huh???

As with all other laws, you almost have to be a Philadelphia Lawyer* to really understand it… but let me try…

Once in a while, a Realtor ® has a contract with a Seller (by way of a listing agreement) and a contract with a Buyer (by way of Buyer Representation Agreement). If a Realtor’s® Buyer Client wishes to see or to make an Offer on any property listed with the company their Realtor ® works for (known as the Brokerage), this means that the Realtor ® is working in a Multiple Representation relationship.

In the past, this type of representation has been called “Dual Agency” and some other terms, but the Real Estate Council of Ontario has been diligently working at making all of the words and terms easier to understand.

With each “Offer” (actually called an “Agreement of Purchase and Sale”), Realtors ® are required to prepare a “Confirmation of Co-Operation and Representation”. This form will clarify which Brokerage (Real Estate Company) is working for the Buyer and which is for working for the Seller and also, who is paying the commission.

In the event that the same Brokerage (Real Estate Company) has a Listing agreement and a Buyer Representation Agreement with parties interested in the same property, the Confirmation of Co-Operation and Representation” will say:

“The Listing Brokerage has entered into a Buyer Representation Agreement with the Buyer and represents the interest s of the Seller and the Buyer with their consent, for this transaction. This Listing Broker has a duty of full disclosure to both the Seller and the Buyer, including their requirement to disclose all factual information about the property known to the Listing Brokerage.

However, the Listing Brokerage shall not disclose:

- That the Seller may or will accept less than the listed price, unless otherwise instructed in writing by the Seller
- That the Buyer may or will pay more than the offered price, unless otherwise instructed in wiring by the Buyer
- The motivation of or personal information about the Seller or Buyer unless otherwise instructed in writing by the party to which the information applies, or unless failure to disclose would constitute fraudulent, unlawful or unethical practice
- The price the Buyer should offer or the price the Seller should accept
- And, the Listing Brokerage shall not disclose to the Buyer the terms of any other offer.

However, it is understood that factual market information about comparable properties and information known to the Listing Brokerage concerning potential uses for the property will be disclosed to both Seller and Buyer to assist them to come to their own conclusions.”

How much better can it get? In Multiple Representation, the Realtor ® has the same fiduciary responsibility to both parties. In Multiple Representation, both parties are given factual information that they may use to make an informed decision.

I don’t believe it really happens any other way. A Seller usually knows what price they will or will not accept and a Buyer usually knows how much they will or will not pay.

If everyone is being honest about the state of the property and its components (like the furnace or the well) and if the offer is negotiated properly, each party is given sufficient comfort to proceed.

You gotta like it.

·note: Philadelphia Lawyer is an expression that dates back to the 1700s due to the outstanding reputation of the Philadelphia bar during colonial times. It was generally meant as a compliment to the legal expertise and competence of a lawyer. In recent years the meaning has changed slightly. According to “answers.com” it means: A shrewd attorney adept at the discovery and manipulation of legal technicalities.