I am so pleased to warmly welcome our members to another unforgettable summer on Big Basswood Lake, filled with the joy of reconnecting with family, friends, and neighbors. As our local members are fully aware, the Big Basswood Lakewatershed area had an impressively snow-filled winter this year, and lake temperatures remained quite low until late June. Summer is now in full swing and there are several upcoming events for our community to enjoy.

The Big BasswoodLake Association’s 2026 Annual General Meeting (AGM) will take place on Friday, July 17 at 4:00 p.m. at the 12-Sided Barn, with a social hour to follow with appetizers and beverages. This is a board election year and we stronglyencourage any members who are interested in supporting the association through volunteer board membership to email Bobby Swain at b swain@outlook.com to submit their _ names for consideration. Board membership is open to all BBLA memberswith residences on Big Basswood Lake and requires participation by video conference in our spring and fall boardmeetings, as well as the AGM. It is a great way to support the lake community and help preserve our community’s shared resource.

Your volunteer board has been hard at work over the winter. Key highlights of our activities include regular contact with Huron Shores municipal planners regarding this year’s overhaul of the municipalities Official Plan (the primary land-use and local zoning framework). We have also supported our members’ participation in the Water Rangers Program in collaboration with Huron Shores and the Nordic Institute. We look forward to welcoming the Nordic Instituteat our AGM to hear a full briefing on the program. Our board members have also actively participated in Huron Shores municipal committees for both environmental affairs and economic development.

Other upcoming events include the (nowannual—we hope) Both Sides Now Concert Featuring Goose and Gander on Wednesday, July 22 at 7:00 p.m. And, on Saturday, July 25 at 4:00 p.m. sharp, bag pipers will return to perform on Lolly Hunting’s dock (participation by boat is strongly encouraged).

I want to acknowledge the recent efforts of BBLA member Jim Falconer is leading efforts to coordinate the upcomingAugust 11 “Bio-Blitz” to help protect and document our local ecosystem, in collaboration with the Central Algoma Land Trust. The Bio Blitz will offer Big Basswood Lake residents the exclusive opportunity to have a local naturalist traveldirectly to their shorelines by vessel to help identify and catalogue species. This is a community-driven, citizen science effort to record as many plant and wildlife species as possible within a specific location and time frame. Observations will help map local biodiversity and support the long-term conservation efforts of the Central Algoma Land Trust and the Big Basswood Lake Association. More information will be provided at the AGM.

Finally, I want to take amoment to acknowledge the May 30, 2026 passing of our beloved BBLA member and longtime community and business leader Bryan McDougall. Bryan was a life-long resident and friend of Big Basswood Lake. He grew up in Thessalon and spent most of his summers in or around the Basswood. He cared deeply about the lake and was a constant supporter of the lake association and its initiatives on behalf of the stewardship of our lake. I knew Bryan since I was a little boy and hewould show up to my family’s cabin in his iconic jet boat—one of the coolest lake memories of my childhood. A friend to many, many on the lake, he will be missed by us all…