A 4.3 ha – or 10 acre – bog has been a topic of discussion since it floated into Sunny Cove last summer. It had broken free from its original home during the lake’s historic flooding, and settled in, blocking boat access to the Fort Frances campsite’s shoreline. It was so big, trees were growing in it. It posed a hazard to boaters, as it shifted around and if left alone, there was concern it could take root in its new home, and become impossible to move.
A group of local residents recently decided to take matters into their own hands – using more than a dozen boats over several days, they were able to push the bog out of the cove, and into the lake. It has since naturally settled into Hopkins Bay – for the time being.
In last week’s Times, we asked readers to weigh in on who they felt should be responsible for the bog’s relocation. There were 177 readers who weighed in. The provincial government was the top choice at 36 per cent, followed by letting the bog stay where it wanted to be, at 32 per cent. The federal government and Town of Fort Frances tied at 10 per cent, with nine per cent feeling the work was the responsibility of private citizens. A write-in option was available for anyone who wanted to provide a more fleshed-out answer. Here’s what our write-in voters had to say about the bog and who should be responsible for its safe relocation:
- MNR
- When a bog is moved by people who don’t want it in their waters, they have to be careful that it isn’t sent out into the lake where it is visible during the day but very dangerous at night.
- If it was taken care of months ago it would have been a trivial issue and wouldn’t be an issue today…
- As a community with spirit, sometimes you just have forget who “should” do it and bring people together to fix it. Often times, it’s much, much easier, and brings pride to those who did.
- The MNR receives moneys from fishing and hunting licenses. They should be responsible for moving that bog
To see a full story on the bog’s relocation so far, see yesterday’s Fort Frances Times, or visit us online at fftimes.com. There, you’ll also find the new weekly reader poll.
