The Great Outdoors
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- Sky & Telescope magazine
Website: www.skyandtelescope.com
Sky & Telescope magazine’s Website is full of tips and advice ranging from how to buy a telescope to the
prevention of light pollution. The Interactive Sky Chart creates a star guide for any spot on the planet. You
also can browse through (and add to) the site’s searchable global calendar of events and astronomy club
listings.
- American Animal Hospital Association
Website: www.healthypet.com
The American Animal Hospital Association is an international veterinarians’ organization. Its Website has a
large library of articles with tips for keeping your pets healthy (one article deals with car sickness) and
out of mischief (another asks and answers the question: "How do I keep my dog from rolling in stinky
things?"). There’s also a searchable database with the addresses and phone numbers of animal hospitals across
North America, including a handful in Ontario cottage country.
- Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary
Website: www.aspenvalleywildlifesanctuary.com
The Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary is a Rosseau-area wildlife reserve where injured or orphan animals are
nursed back to health until they can return to the wild. Their Website includes tips on what to do if you
find wildlife in need of help, as well as a downloadable PDF guide to co-existing with wildlife in cottage
country. A registered charity, their Adopt-an-Animal Program makes a great gift. Recipients will receive a
picture, story and adoption certificate of one of the Sanctuary's residents.
- Bill Bat Boy
Website: www.billbatboy.ca
Got bats? If you’re looking to rid yourself of the spooky flying mammals, or simply to understand their
behaviour a bit better, have a look at this site, maintained by University of Western Ontario biologist Bill
Scully. Contains information on what attracts bats, as well as what to do if you have them hanging around
your cottage.
- Bird Studies Canada
Website: www.bsc-eoc.org
Information on how the West Nile virus is affecting local bird populations, links to more than 15,000 birding
sites worldwide, and an application form to become a loon watcher for the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey.
- Canadian Geographical Names Database
Website: geonames.nrcan.gc.ca/index_e.php
If you find yourself arguing about whether your cottage is on "MacGregor" or "McGregor" Bay, turn to Natural
Resources Canada’s searchable Canadian Geographical Names Data Base for the definitive spelling. There are
also maps and a distance chart.
- Catch Fishing
Website: www.nationalfishingweekcanada.net
This fishing site is designed specifically for kids, including tips on what kind of bait to use, how to stock
a tackle box, and how to make a lure. Kids can also explore the bottom of an animated lake and send an e-card
to invite a friend for a day of fishing. Tips for parents of fisher-children include instructions on how to
properly clean a fish.
- Coleman Canada
Website: www.colemancanada.ca
You don’t have to buy a cookstove to take advantage of dozens of links to parks, fishing info, and outdoor
adventure Websites. You can also print out one of the handy checklists of items to bring on your next hike or
paddling trip.
- Confluence Hunting
Website: www.confluence.org
Using a GPS unit, confluence hunters visit the exact spots on the globe where lines of longitude and latitude
evenly meet (for example, 45o00.00' N x 76o00.00' W). Once there, they snap pictures of the area, which they
then post on the site, along with a description of the journey. Many of the points already posted are in
cottage country, and can help give cottage-hunters a sneak peak at a particular locale.
- Conservation Ontario
Website: www.conservation-ontario.on.ca
The Conservation Ontario homepage has info on watershed management projects, flood forecasting, links to all
36 regional Conservation Authorities, and details on the activities available in the province’s 200 publicly
accessible conservation parks.
- Digital Photography Review
Website: www.dpreview.com
If you’re in the market for a digital camera but are overwhelmed by all the sales-speak about megabites,
pixels, and resolution, the Digital Photography Review site is a good place to go unbiased assessments of
every camera on the market. You can even select a number of models to get a side-by-side comparison of their
specs, then jump to the glossary to learn what it all means. Discussion forums and beginner and advanced tips
for using a digital camera.
- DIY Network
Website: www.diynetwork.com
Here’s a handy site for DIYers, no matter what the "I" happens to be. This site contains illustrated,
step-by-step articles on boat repair, birdwatching, gardening, home-improvement projects, and woodworking, to
name but a few of the many categories covered.
- Earthroots
Website: www.earthroots.org
Earthroots is an Ontario-based environmental activist group devoted to wilderness protection through
grassroots education programs. For example, from their main site, you can connect to Wolves Ontario, full of
wolf trivia and biological information designed to "change the way we look at wolves." The Park Alert!
sub-site explores threats to two protected cottage-country wilderness areas, Kawartha Highlands Provincial
Park and Mellon Lake, northeast of Belleville. Earthroots is a charitable organization.
- explore
Website: www.explore-mag.com
We live in a big country. explore magazine pokes its nose in all the corners and lets you know how to share
in the adventure. Check out the Gear section for guides to mountain bikes, camping equipment, kayaks, and
more.
- Federal Publications
Website: www.fedpubs.com
Curious about the lay of the land in your back 40? Visit this Website for information on available maps of
all corners of cottage country, including topographic varieties and nautical charts. Maps can be purchased in
the online store along with cottage-related books on topics such as boating, nature, and aboriginal issues,
as well as a complete publication of the Ontario Building Code (yes, it is for sale).
- Federation of Ontario Naturalists
Website: www.ontarionature.org
Detailed information about the group’s conservation programs, descriptions and directions to the 20 nature
reserves in its care, and extensive links to other naturalist organizations around the province. Donations to
this charitable organization help protect nature in Ontario.
- Fish Cam
Website: www.fishcam.duluth.com
The Benthic Explorer, or Ben, is one of the more unusual webcams we’ve come across. It’s located 30 feet
below the surface of Lake Superior, near Duluth, Minnesota, so cottagers and other piscatorial peepers can
spy on fish in their natural environment. There’s also a section with colour photos and biological
information on species of fish found in the Great Lakes.
- Fish Ontario
Website: www.fishcam.duluth.com
Casting about for some local fishing advice? Fish Ontario’s Website has the answers you’ve been trolling for:
forums, a calendar of events, recipes, topical classified ads, links to further information, and more.
- Gardening for Life
Website: www.goforgreen.ca/gardening
A national program to encourage water-wise, chemical-free, native gardening. Read through fact sheets such as
“Gardening without chemicals” and “Gardening with native plants.”
- Geocaching
Website: www.geocaching.com
In the September/October 2005 issue of Cottage Life magazine we introduced you to the sport of geocaching, a
game of hiking hide-and-seek that can take you to remote areas of cottage country. Visit this site to find
out the coordinates of more hidden caches and to get acquainted with the geogaching community.
- Gloucester Pool Cottagers Association
Website: www.gloucesterpool.ca
The Gloucester Pool Cottagers Association, which maintains this site, boasts members from four Parry
Sound-area lakes: Little Lake, Baxter Lake, MacLean Lake, and Gloucester Pool. Their Website contains
information on local history and events, and explores environmental issues of concern to cottagers across the
province, including the invasion of Giant Hogweed, the troubling migration of Canada Geese, and the logistics
of water testing.
- Hike Ontario
Website: www.hikeontario.com
If you haven’t already explored all the trails that skirt your back 40, take advantage of links to hiking
clubs and trail maps. (See also www.trailpaq.com.) Hike Ontario is a registered charity.
- International Dark-Sky Association
Website: www.darksky.org
Shines a spotlight on the negative impacts of light pollution and how you can help prevent it. Donations can
be made on their Website. (For information about the Torrance Barrens Dark Sky Reserve – a 1,900-hectare
night sky-protected conservation area northwest of Gravenhurst – visit
www.rasc.ca/light/print/muskoka/dsr.htm.)
- Inukshuk Creator
Website: www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/images/inukshuk/game.html
Build an inukshuk - virtually! Pile up rocks to create your own monument on the internet and locate it in a
range of beautiful settings.
- LandOwner Resource Centre
Website: www.lrconline.com
The LandOwner Resource Centre provides information and training on a wide range of shoreline naturalization
and wetland preservation programs. Its Website includes details about the centre’s programs and events, a
list of brochures and videos available for order online, and links to government sites and related
organizations.
- Lifesaving Society
Website: www.lifesaving.ca
Did you know that drowning is the third leading cause of preventable death for children under the age of 10?
So reports the Website, the place to go if you’re looking for tips on how to stay safe around the water.
Their site includes a list of safety tips geared specifically for cottagers as well as a guide to being ice
smart in winter. If you want to brush up on your first-aid skills, they’ll also help you locate a convenient
course location.
- MNR Bear Wise
Website: www.bears.mnr.gov.on.ca
This Ministry of Natural Resources site has a number of fact sheets on black bears, including one on what
cottagers can do to keep bears away, and another on how to deal with a bear encounter. The site also contains
a useful map showing that the area with the highest bear population density in the province (40-60 bears/100
km2) cuts a wide band through prime cottage country.
- Muskol
Website: www.muskol.com
The first thing you’ll want to check out on the Muskol Website is the "Bug Forecaster." It’s a clickable map
of Canada that gives a three-day prediction on the "probability of being bitten" (low, medium, and high) in
various areas across the country. There is also a section about West Nile Virus, and a number of "Bug Bytes"
(mosquito trivia).
- National Office for Pollution Prevention
Website: www.ec.gc.ca/nopp/docs/fact/en/p2cottage.cfm
The National Office for Pollution Prevention, part of Environment Canada, publishes a cottage-specific
Pollution Prevention Fact Sheet, found at this site. It offers tips for preventing the generation of
pollution at the lake as well as some suggested activities to help protect natural resources through
conservation and the efficient use of resources.
- Nature Conservancy of Canada
Website: www.natureconservancy.ca
If you’ve been thinking of donating your cottage land or establishing a conservation easement on your
property, this is the place to go to find out how. A charitable organization, they can also send out cards
for money donations made on a friend's behalf.
- Nordlys Northern Lights
Website: www.northern-lights.no
You’d have to have a really remote cabin in the far, far north to get the breathtaking views of the Northern
Lights the average Norwegian does. But Ontario cottage country is also home to some stunning views of the
aurora borealis. This English-language Website from Norway helps explain the science behind the greatest
light show on earth. Includes hints on when and where to see them, and delves into the history and mythology
around the phenomenon.
- Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs
Website: www.ofsc.on.ca
Check out updated trail conditions, find links to local clubs, and read up on snowmobile safety. Includes
illustrations of officially recognized hand signals.
- Ontario Watersheds
Website: www.ontariowatersheds.ca
Helpful information for maintaining a healthy watershed. Once registered (registration is free), you can
access water-quality data from across the province, and also find out how to effectively monitor you own
watershed. Then, you can add your information to the database for others to access.
- Ski and Snowboard Canada
Website: www.skicanada.org
As long as you have heat and a little insulation your cottage can be an ideal base for a ski weekend. From
this site, click on the map of Ontario to call up a list of downhill and cross-country ski facilities around
the province. There are links and directions to cottage-country favourites like Blue Mountain, Sir Sam’s, and
Hidden Valley.
- Stoke City Wakeboard
Website: www.stokecity.ca
If you’re stoked on wakeboarding, this is the site for you. Newbies should visit Wakeboarding 101 to learn
about gear, lingo, and how to do boarding tricks so you don’t "burn the toast." If you’re already a nutter
who’s ready to giv’r, check out the local "newz," events calendar, and links to buy gear.
- The Park To Park Trail Association
Website: www.parktoparktrail.com
The Park To Park Trail Association is trying to establish a public trail linking Killbear and Algonquin
provincial parks. The site includes information on the organization’s effort and a map showing existing and
proposed trails that would complete the network.
- The Wildlands League
Website:: www.wildlandsleague.org
The Ontario chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society has been a leader in fighting many
environmental threats to the province’s lakes and forests. The group is currently onside with cottagers
protesting a quarry on Mellon Lake, near Kaladar, Ont. Learn what’s at stake and how you can get involved.
The Wildlands League is a charitable organization.
- The Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre
Website: www.wyemarsh.com
The Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre in Midland promotes an understanding of the environment and wildlife with
year-round programs. Take a canoe for a spin through the marsh - home to a diverse array of birds and
mammals. Explore their hiking and walking trails on your own or with an Outdoor Educator. The Wye Marsh is a
registered charity.
- Tree Canada Foundation
Website: www.treecanada.ca
Ever wondered which types of trees are growing in your back forty? The Website for the non-profit Tree Canada
Foundation includes a searchable index of Canadian conifers and their deciduous counterparts. Listings
include photos of bark, leaves, flowers, cones, and other identifying features. Also contains a detailed
tree-planting guide. Tree Canada Foundation is a registered charity.
- Wildflower Farm
Website: www.wildflowerfarm.com
Cottage gardeners will want to peruse Wildflower Farm’s online catalogue. Use their Wildflower Selection
Guide to get specific information on plants and seeds native to cottage country, including their optimal soil
and shade growing conditions and colour photos of each species.
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