As Chair of the North Kawartha Community Planning Committee one of our many initiatives (and a long-time dream for me) is the Eels Creek Research Project. This creek and watershed region has historical, cultural, environmental and recreational significance to our entire community and I believe by exploring it further we can better understand it, enjoy it and preserve it.
On Wednesday September 26, 2012 I and 3 volunteers paddled a ‘relatively unknown’ section of Eels Creek to see whether there was an opportunity to identify another portion of it as a public canoe route. The popular paddle route from Haultain down to Northey’s Bay Rd is well-known and much loved by many canoeists and kayakers. I had heard the stories about trees and log jams preventing access along much of the creek’s path so my first step was to contact the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to discuss the project in its entirety. Both ministries were supportive of my ideas and explained the applicable procedures and policies if any.
As we started out we were filled with excitement and anticipation for this adventure in spite of the extremely low water levels. The many logs jams that we expected weren’t there, however there were numerous swifts, rapids, waterfalls and ‘rock gardens’. The low water was actually a blessing in disguise. Since there aren’t any portage trails we spent more time in the water rather than on it, walking the canoes through the shallows, over rocks and alongside the more challenging rapids and waterfalls. Another blessing was the forecasted rain showers that never materialized. It was sunny and mild and the water was relatively warm for that time of year. As we neared our destination point we came across a partially submerged canoe and should have recognized it for the omen that it was. We thought we would be able to ‘line’ our canoes through the last set of rapids only to swamp the canoe at the beginning of its descent! As we scrambled to bail it out and portage the other canoe around the rapids we knew that identifying this section as another ‘popular’ canoe route was not an option. No matter, we were all in great spirits in spite of our sogginess! The creek is wonderful and wild with beautiful shorelines and waterscapes, and we all felt privileged to have had the opportunity to experience this section of it.
The potential development of alternate paddling routes is only a part of my bigger vision for the Eels Creek Project. Annual creek clean-ups of the garbage and debris that accumulates over the season along the creek’s route; a possible partnership with the MNR to complete a flora and fauna inventory along the waterway; the investigation of a trail opportunity along one of the many crown/public land portions of the creek; potential wildlife/bird viewing locations, a compilation of written works regarding the creek (both historical and current) are some of the many ideas. As you can tell, I believe that there is much to explore and share with both residents and visitors of North Kawartha. However, there is no rush to complete all these initiatives immediately. Just like Eels Creek meanders and winds its way from Eels Lake towards Stoney Lake, taking the time to fully explore these ideas is critical. The intent is not to exploit or have a negative impact on the creek and its surrounding environment, but to raise community awareness and appreciation of this most amazing watershed. My sincere thanks to the volunteers: Carolyn Hyslop and Jennifer Burnard from the Canadian Canoe Museum, and John Marris from Trent University for joining me in this adventure. Their extensive canoeing experience and skills were vital to the successful completion of our journey. I could not have done it without them. Stay tuned for future updates regarding the Eels Creek Project. For more photos of this adventure please visit North Kawartha Township’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/NorthKawartha .