We have a environmental problem with the Chinese Mystery Snails as discussed by our Lake Stewart Anton Davies, during our Fall AGM . The Coalition for Haliburton Property Owners Association is running a training program to educate people on the proper removal of these snails. They are invasive and cause swimmers itch and carry parasites' that can infect our loons, birds and other wildlife if eaten. Below are some questions asked and answered.
Why do people need to be trained?
The training is needed so that people don’t risk the health of their lake or themselves.
· Without the training folks may remove snails that are actually good for the lake as opposed to the Invasives that are bad for the lake
· Without knowing how to dispose of the snails safely the snails could be picked up by seagulls and spread to other lakes which do not currently have the snails
· The snails can carry a bacterium which can be harmful to humans so training is needed on proper handling
Why do they need a license?
It is illegal to be involved in removing snails without a license and if caught people can face some stiff penalties
When:on May 15th will the training start – 10 am
How long will the training take – the course is still being written and a lot will depend on the number of questions but the plan is approx. 2 hours
Will the training be done by Zoom – yes
Registration Link: https://chaboardarchive.weebly.com/chinese-mystery-snail-training.html
New Update: A record of 39 property owners from our lake community registered for this training on May 15! Thank you for your participation. Another workshop will be offered in July. See our Spring newsletter for an update.
Protect your Lake - Septic Health & Natural Shorelines
Paul MacInnes – Chair