Members of the Haliburton County community gather at the Victoria Street school on April 29 to mark a new chapter in the building’s history. The former elementary school is now a community hub and home to Community Living Haliburton County the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society and Haliburton Dance Academy. From left Larry Hope Trillium Lakelands District School Board director of education Laurie Scott MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock Teresa Jordan executive director for Community Living Carol Moffatt Haliburton County Warden and Jennifer Wilson executive director of Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society. ANGELICA INGRAM Staff
By Darren Lum
Staff reporter
A new book by the Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association is promising a clearer picture of the stocked lakes in Haliburton County.
Stocked Lakes Guidebook provides the public with insight about dozens of stocked lakes. Each page provides the reader with the name of the lake including the contours of the lake to know where to fish the fish species present and directions to boat access launches.
HHOA vice-president of operations Dan Smith said this book is a fundraising initiative that will provide needed funds and inform the public about the organization’s stocking efforts.
“They get an idea of what we’re doing as an organization. The main thing is what you see here” he said pointing to the pond at the HHOA fish hatchery “is all the stocking we do to our county lakes which keeps the fishery in Haliburton County doing really well and improving it as well. And it’s information to anglers and outdoors people on where they can go and fish successfully.”
The book took close to a year to complete and included the help of HHOA volunteers.
The partners with the HHOA on this project as listed on the book’s cover include the MNRF Haliburton Forest and Wild Life Reserve Haliburton County Development Corporation Community Hatchery Program and Haliburton County Tourism.
Smith appreciated the work of local printer Parker Pad and Printing during this process.
The wire-bound book measuring 8.5-by-11 inches is more of a coffee-table book than one to be kept in the boat. Price has yet to be decided.
The book will be available at locations around the county.
Smith who has volunteered for the HHOA for four years is hopeful the book will be ready to sell at the Haliburton Home and Cottage Show from May 31 to June 2 at A.J. LaRue Arena in Haliburton.
There is an initial print run of 500.
“It’s good not just for the community but also people coming up cottagers. I’ve been up here for 12 years and I joined the hatchery because I’ve been a fisherman and hunter all my life and I honestly wanted to see where the fish are. Cottagers probably want to know the same” he said.
Although the street date for the book is unknown right now it is highly anticipated Smith said.
“We went around to local businesses fishing lodges restaurants outdoor stores real estate [agents] … basically went and asked them if they want to buy advertisements in this book which informs the public about local businesses as well” he said. “Everyone we talked to said ‘This is great.’ It’s going to be good for our customers. Good for the community. Good for fishermen and outdoors people alike.”
