Pigeon Lake Rice Farming

[Sinker]

In my experience in the south end of sturg, the rice gets less and less every year. I know pigeon has tons of it, but its nowhere near any reserves. Wild rice isnt a bad thing. Its excellent cover, and waterfowl love it!

 

S.

[Tom McCutcheon]

I have to agree with Sinker, wild rice makes excellent cover and waterfowl do love it. However the location where it is being harvested and reseeded is a long way from the local reserve.

The reseeding has literally plugged a number of navigable channels and choked off the mouth of bays so there is very little turn over of fresh water. Whether it turns over from wind/wave action or runoff from nearby small feeder creeks, the bays are becoming stagnant and breeding grounds for mosquitos only.

[John Bacon]

Here is another article on the topic.

 

http://www.mykawartha.com/opinion-story/5812878-in-the-pigeon-lake-wild-rice-dispute-this-man-is-on-the-side-of-the-rice-and-the-first-nation-comm/;send=false

[Tom McCutcheon]

The area seen from the aerial photo is just a little further north than the entrance to the bay I am on. The rice extends south for about another 1/4 of a mile and is extremely thick. Entrance to our bay used to be approx. 100yds wide, now it is just wider than 20 feet, and filling in further each week.

Mr. Jones makes some valid points, and no one, especially myself could argue the persecution of natives in the past. However that occurred a number of generations ago and I was always taught that you can not change what has already happened, but you can change what you can do now and for the future.

Nothing gets fixed unless you have open minds on BOTH sides of a negotiation table.

 

Perhaps if Mr. Whetung had asked for guidance prior to operating his mechanical harvesting and reseeding, we may have been able to come to a better solution than just going ahead with his selfish plans and screw everyone else.

I am sure there would have been some opposition to his enterprise from some cottagers, (I am not that naïve) but compromises could have been reached.

[jimmer]

I think that people concerned about the rice should not be put into the same category as the other issues (listed in the mykawartha article) that have faced the First Nations over the past 200+ years. That being said, this is the Kawarthas Lakes not the Muskoka Lakes, we should all be used to the weed growth and changes that takes place over the years. I curse the stuff, but also realize its importance.

[crappieperchhunter]

Had no idea it was being planted...but driving up to Bobcaygeon every weekend it is very noticable just how much it has taken over large areas of the lake. Lots of waterfront cottages have a better looking lawn then I do...to bad its actually wild rice If I was one of those home or cottage owners I'd be upset as well because you no longer have a nice lake to look at and I'm sure it has decreased your property value quite a bit as well.

 

James Whetung should be allowed to harvest the old traditional way or not at all IMHO.

[fishindevil]

the wild rice has doubled in the last 20yrs easily.....emily creek on sturgeon lake is almost chocked right off now,and there hardly used to be any years ago,it was just bullrushes,but not now the lakes sure are in bad shape thats for sure....