Nature Canada has an informative brochure: 15 ways to be a Good Neighbour in your Naturehood.
Regarding time at the lake:
Respectful Use
- Preserve and maintain a minimum 15-metre shoreline buffer of native vegetation as a “ribbon of life” – the tangle of roots and vegetation will filter impure runoff and slow erosion
- Avoid draining or filling wetlands or clear cutting bush and woodlots
- Never disturb wildlife – turtles, songbirds, fish, waterfowl
- Teach children to respect nature and all creatures such as toads, frogs, crayfish, dragonflies, and snakes
- Avoid fuelling algal growth and depleting oxygen in the lake – KEEP NUTRIENTS OUT!
- by keeping your septic system in good working order and regularly pumped out
- by keeping construction materials such as sand, gravel or dirt away from and out of the water
- by using only low-phosphorus soaps, cleaners and shampoos that readily biodegrade
- by using native plants that do not need fertilizers
- Kick the lawn habit
- turf lets up to half the rainfall wash away before being absorbed into the soil
- use more environmentally friendly landscaping that will slow runoff
- Swear off pesticides and herbicides – they end up in the water and are bad news for aquatic life
- Compost and recycle
- Properly store and dispose of waste and refuse
Courteous Use
- Remember that noise from motorized vehicles can be intrusive to others
- Be discreet – noise carries over water –radios, stereos, partying and even simple conversations can disturb others
- Limit noise from construction or other projects to reasonable times
- Protect our night sky environment – limit types and levels of exterior illumination
- Control your pets – they can seriously affect other people, wildlife and the environment
- Drive carefully and courteously – recognize that country back roads need to be shared
Safe Use
- Observe recreational safety regulations, guidelines and practices
- Ensure boats, snowmobiles and ATVs are mechanically fit and equipped with safety gear
- Help others by marking hazards
- Remember that alcohol and motorized vehicles don’t mix
- Ensure no one swims alone – accompany offshore swimmers by boat
- Check fire regulations and burning restrictions before lighting any outdoor fires
Good Fishing Etiquette
- KEEP LEAD OUT!
- Lead sinkers and jigs are fatal to waterfowl if ingested – always use safe alternatives
- Respect the rights of property owners – keep lures away from shorelines and stay clear of shore areas being used by others
- Use electric motors for trolling – they are environmentally non-intrusive
- Clean boat hulls thoroughly before moving from one lake to another to avoid transporting harmful invasive elements such as Eurasian milfoil or the invisible larvae of Zebra mussels
- Empty bait buckets, live wells and bilges on shore well away from the water
- Future good fishing depends on our actions today – comply with Ontario Fishing Regulations
- To protect bass, do not cast into or troll along shorelines or shoal waters less than 6 feet deep when bass are nesting – usually between mid-October and late June.
- Leave fallen trees and branches in the shallows – wood provides cover for fish and nourishes all sorts of aquatic life
- Don’t leave fish hooks where children swim
- Ensure that you collect unwanted fishing line. Do not discard where wildlife can be entangled
- Protect the water portion of shoreline “ribbon of life” to maintain the habitat of fish fry and small fish
Safe, respectful boating on Little Silver and Rainbow Lakes
The Little Silver and Rainbow Lakes Property Owners’ Association encourages the safe and respectful use of Little Silver and Rainbow Lakes. At the Annual General Meeting of the Association in 1998, members added to the constitution a unanimous agreement, ” that the intention of all members [is] to keep the environment of the Lake as close as possible to its natural state with minimum disruption by high powered boats”.
Government of Canada resources
The Government of Canada offers recreational boaters a wide range of useful resources related to boating safety, navigation, vessel registration and enforcement.
Boating Regulations
Canadian boating regulations change frequently. The Little Silver and Rainbow Lakes Property Owners’ Association encourages boaters to stay up-to-date on current boating regulations. Further information may be found on this page.
It should be noted that in the Vessel Operation Restriction Regulations, Little Silver Lake is addressed under Schedule 6 – Waters on which power-driven vessels and vessels driven by electrical propulsion are subject to a speed limit.
The speed limit is 10 kph on the south arm of LSL., in the narrows by the island and any point within 30 metres of shore.