Ladies and friends aboard the Serendipity Princess
by Wendy Soloduik

'Let us walk softly on this earth with all living beings both great and small, and remember as we go that one god, kind and wise, created us all.'

Traditional Native blessing,

read by Wanda Big Canoe

The Ladies of the Lake, a conservation group focused on saving a dying Lake Simcoe, know how to draw attention to an issue.

Their 2005 "naked" calendar debut, featuring the seasoned bodies of 12 L.O.L. members around Lake Simcoe, raised more than just a few eyebrows. In fact, the group raised $250,000.

"We got the idea from watching the movie Calendar Girls (wherein members of the local Women's Institute raise money for leukemia by posing for a nude calendar, drawing international attention)," said L.O.L. founding member Annabel Slaight. "We just joked about it for a while, then we decided 'Why not?' and we plunged in. We interviewed three photographers and then decided on Jim Panou. He did a wonderful job."

After returning from a trip along the Maskinonge River, which leads into Lake Simcoe, Slaight, along with co-founding L.O.L. member Jane Meredith, decided that they needed to become personally involved with saving the dying watershed.

"Thirty years ago, the Ontario government labeled this water as 'being ill,'" Slaight tells us. "After travelling the Maskinonge, a river usually teaming with Muskie for which the river was named, and seeing the devastating effects of pollution, we were concerned by what we'd seen. The group was literally born of frustration. "

The Ladies have identified several reasons why the lake is sick. Fertilizer runoff, septic tank over flow, bird feces, zebra mussels and other invading species, petroleum spills from boaters, illegal dumping and new development.

"Lets put it this way, would you put an ice cube of lake water in your drink?" asks L.O.L. member Anne Pegg. "Probably not. But it is interesting to note that ice blocks from Lake Simcoe used to be a great source of income for the area, supplying Toronto with its ice requirements for many years."

"I remember that they would cut the ice blocks right in front of my home," adds Wanda Big Canoe, Georgian Island resident. "My great grandfather,

Charles Big Canoe, assumed the title of chief of the island after Chief Joseph Snake passed away. My family has lived there for many generations. The ice used to be so thick and clear, and now it is much thinner and undrinkable."

The group, which met for the first time in November 2004, quickly took on community support, and new memberships.

"We are now in the middle of a grassroots movement," adds Slaight. "We charge no memberships fees, and have no membership requirements, except a love of the lake. We have over 100 members so far."

The Ladies understand that saving the lake is a job that is bigger than them.

"We estimate it will cost over $100 million to save this lake. It is going to be a long haul," said Slaight. "We are stirring the pot, and are hoping that if we spread a little money around, raising awareness, it will prompt others to join us. Essentially, we are planting a seed."

With 22 municipalities bordering on Lake Simcoe's boundaries, the lake itself can be its own worst enemy. The Ladies are hoping to build a uniform front to save the lake, before it's too late.

Calendar proceeds are already at work. So far, the group has:

Invested in day boat trips showing the natural beauty of Kempenfelt Bay's shoreline

Helped to fund the Wave Project a group of college students who demonstrate how to have a nice lawn without using fertilizers

Enlisted Hilary Van Walker, chair of the board for Windfall, an ecology company, to speak on their behalf, and get the message out there

Purchased television commercials running on the A-Channel

The Ladies of the Lake are looking for new members (and possible future calendar girls!) Check out their website at: www.lakeladies. ca for additional information.

"This is more than just this lake, this lake is helping us find our soul."