Noise, speed and wake concerns are the common theme of this year’s Safe Quiet Lakes survey. The not-for-profit community group has released its results from its 2017 survey, which looked at what has changed since the original survey was released in 2013. The survey asks cottagers and permanent residents about life on the water.
Chair of the research committee, Greg Wilkinson, says the 2013 survey was to get a baseline, and many of the same questions were asked this year. He says 1,000 more people took part in the survey this year, and people from over 130 lakes and rivers responded. He says there is a common theme of love for the waterfront in all of the responses, and the survey shows people care deeply about the water and feel they have a responsibility to preserve the natural state of the lakes.
However, Wilkinson says many of the same concerns were shared.
Wilkinson says that means if you feel good about safety and noise levels in your part of the lake, you’ll feel good about the lake as a whole.
He says the data collected in the survey is going out to government officials, industry groups, sports groups and lake associations.
Wilkinson says education and communication was an important factor of this year’s survey, so that will be something the association is going to work on. He also notes the OPP has expressed interest in learning more about the data and how people feel about police presence on the lakes.
Wilkinson the survey showed canoes are the most popular boat, and paddle boarding has grown by 60 per cent since the 2013 survey. More details about Safe Quiet Lakes, including how to get involved, are available on its website. You can also click here for a summary of the 2017 survey.
