Ladies of the Lake bare their souls, in new fundraising calendar

[Spiel]

Ladies of the Lake bare their souls, in new fundraising calendar

 

 

July 18, 2008

Miriam King / bradfordtimes.ca

 

 

When the Ladies of the Lake first decided to “bare all” in their Naked Truth calendar, in 2006, it seemed like little more than a “gimmick” – hardly the sort of serious initiative that was needed to save Lake Simcoe from further degeneration, as growth pressures continue to erode the natural heritage of the watershed.

 

The “gimmick” ended up raising awareness of the challenges facing the lake, from invasive species to Phosphorus pollution, putting Lake Simcoe front and centre in the minds of residents and politicians alike – and raising $250,000 for education projects.

 

The Ladies are doing it again. With a $30 million Lake Simcoe Clean-up Fund established by the federal government, and a Lake Simcoe Act introduced by the Ontario government this summer, they haven’t rested on their laurels, but once again have bared their souls to create a new Ladies of the Lake Calendar.

 

With dramatic photographs by photographer Jim Panou, the focus this year is on a traditional First Nations message of hope, guidance, and Thanks, for the scenic beauty and natural resources of Lake Simcoe. The theme, which came out of the Citizens’ Action Plan to Save Lake Simcoe (funded by the Ladies of the Lake in partnership with the Windfall Ecology Centre), is “Drink it. Swim it. Fish it. Love it.”

 

Wearing costumes, and their familiar yellow t-shirts and blue feather boas, the Ladies of the Lake welcomed press and special guests to the launch of the 2009 Calendar, held at Crate’s Landing in Keswick. Sponsors for the event were BrightStar Corporation, which is building the condominium development on the site to LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) standards, and the appropriately-named “Naked Grape” winery.

 

Ladies of the Lake had its roots in “frustration,” co-founder Annabel Slaight told the crowd. The lake was “sick - not due to any one thing, but because of thousands of things people were doing to it.”

 

Slaight and co-founder Jane Meredith “moved from frustration to action,” with the help of friends and neighbours, and the “Ladies of the Lake” – now about 100 strong – was born.

 

The 2009 calendars are available for only $15 apiece, and include a set of 16 “Lake Simcoe Action Cards”, that provide helpful environmental tips and information for residents. “We’ve kept the price low so everyone can help the environment by purchasing a few extra as gifts,” Slaight said; funds raised will be directed towards a new Youth initiative.

 

Among the invited guests were York Regional Councillor Danny Wheeler; MP for York-Simcoe, the Hon. Peter Van Loan, and Ontario Minister of Culture, Aileen Carroll, who brought greetings from Environment Minister John Gerretsen. “We listened, as the government, and we will continue to listen to the people,” Minister Carroll said, referring to the new Lake Simcoe Act, introduced last month. “You have animated this process… bringing government and the people impacted, together.”

 

In addition to the launch, John Blackburn presented a $15,000 donation to the Ladies of the Lake from BrightStar Corporation - and John Faggiani, of Naked Grape, announced a campaign that will donate $1 from the sale of every bottle of Naked Grape wine at the LCBO later this summer, to the Ladies of the Lake.

 

And a note of interest to Bradford West Gwillimbury residents: One of the photographs in the calendar was shot in the Holland Marsh, in a field of carrots - featuring strategically placed baskets.