Touchstone on Lake Muskoka. Timeshare Villa

Breathtaking vistas across Lake Muskoka. Amenities galore, including infinity pool, restaurant and bar.
This three bedroom luxury fractional property is just waiting for you to arrive. Everything is taken care of, so you can relax and take in all that Muskoka has to offer, including enjoying the two sided fireplace from living room to Muskoka room.
A1/A2 fractions offer prime first two weeks in July and another summer week in August in addition to ten other weeks throughout the year. Use all thirteen weeks, or put some into the rental pool. Or purchase 1/8 alone. Prime holidays rotate between the owners. Full fixed schedule available upon request.
Condo fees include housekeeping, cleaning, maintenance.

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Compass Exposure Data

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Sunrise, sunset, moonrise, moonset data (July 1)

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Lake Joseph

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Lake Joseph is located to the west of Lake Rosseau in the central area of Muskoka. Like Lake Rosseau, Lake Joseph also extends into Seguin Township in Parry Sound District. Access may be gained to Lake Joseph via Hwy #69 and #632 as well as Muskoka Roads #7 and #169. Lake Joseph drains into Lake Rosseau by way of the Joseph River and also via the Port Sandfield “cut” located at Cox Bay.

Lakes Joseph, Rosseau flow direction

Lakes Joseph, Rosseau flow direction

Lake Joseph is a large, clear, and deep oligotrophic lake. It is the premier lake trout lake in Parry Sound District, possessing excellent lake trout habitat and supporting a large, primarily winter, fishery. The lake is a core lake of the Muskoka Lakes Fisheries Assessment Unit and a large body of inventory and assessment data exists. A review of lake trout population assessment and creel survey data was done in 2010. From 2003-2009, the average abundance of lake trout (>30 cm long) was estimated at 36,000 lake trout. From 1988 to 2009 the winter fishery averaged about 25,000 hours of effort with about 9,000 lake trot being caught and 5,000 harvested. The long term harvest appeared to be sustainable, but a decline in abundance occurred in 2009 that will be monitored to determine if a downward trend is occurring.

In 2016, the end date of the winter fish sanctuary was changed from a fixed date (Feb. 15) to the Friday before Family Day. The change ensures that lake trout fishing can occur during the Family Day weekend as Feb. 15 falls on or after Family Day in some years.

What Is A Watershed?

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A watershed is an area of land that drains to a river, lake or stream. It includes all the land, air, plants and animals within its borders. Land forms such as hills or heights of land largely determine the boundaries of watersheds and direct the speed and path of its rivers.

Structure of a Watershed
Each watershed has a unique mixture of land and water habitats: from wetlands, rivers and lakes to forests, grasslands, farms, towns and cities.

All living things depend upon the continuous cycling of water and nutrients through ecosystems. The effects of forestry, agriculture, industry and urbanization are all recorded in the water as it flows along its path. For better or worse, each tributary stream, wetland or spring which joins together reflects the health of the region in which it is found.

Watersheds fulfill three primary functions: to capture water, to filter and store water in the soil and to release water into a waterbody. Within the complex living system of a watershed, everything is connected.

Thinking of a watershed as a giant sponge helps explain the connections between all parts of a watershed and how a river like the Muskoka River can always be flowing. As precipitation falls, it is stored in the watershed’s land and waterbodies (the giant sponge) and slowly released through shallow water discharge into the river.

The term Muskoka watershed refers to all watersheds lying totally or partially within The District Municipality of Muskoka and includes areas in Algonquin Park, the Township of Seguin and the Township of Algonquin Highlands.

All water in Muskoka’s watersheds eventually flow into Georgian Bay.

2014 MUSKOKA SUMMIT ON THE ENVIRONMENT

I am a volunteer in Muskoka. As well as being on the executive of theMuskoka Watershed Council, I am also  the videographer/video editor. This gives me a great opportunity to ensure that truly wonderful ideas and presentations are not lost after the words are spoken and the video projector is turned off. I record, edit and post to our YouTube channel, lectures and presentations at Muskoka Watershed Council events.

Kai Chan from the University of British Columbia presents the3rd lecture from the 2014 Muskoka Summit on the Environment. On June 8th and 9th I recorded the presentations over the two day summit. Broadcast, in part, by CBC Radio’s Ideas with Paul Kennedy, (here’s the 2014 Muskoka Summit CBC broadcast), these were world-class lectures, presented here in Muskoka. I am delighted to be able to ensure these are available to the world.

CBC Ideas: Muskoka Summit on the Environment
CBC Ideas: Muskoka Summit on the Environment

Kai’s engaging presentation: Towards a Future Both Better and Wilder: Harmony Through Small-Planet Ethics.

It is time for small-planet ethics, wherein we treat our planet as we do our house and home.

The question, of course, is how to enable such behavior. The answer—to be elaborated—lies in unlocking the immense potential of human ingenuity and compassion, and the filtering the current cacophony of competing noise. Enable people and organizations to contribute simply and enjoyably—but meaningfully—to a future both better and wilder, and they will.

About Us

About Us

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Buying or selling a Muskoka cottage requires professionals with deep knowledge of the Muskoka market coupled with an innate desire to create and enable the deal supported by industry leading proprietary technology to support us and our clients. virtualwaterfront.net is the home of much of that technology which iOS deployed throughout our real estate practice.

Utilizing our technology, we are able to accurately share our listings; way beyond the technical limitations of MLS, we can highlight some incredible waterfront in Muskoka and offer an honest portrayal of Muskoka cottage properties we represent.

Steve manages our web presence, technology, video, photography, design, etc. whenever he’s not showing or inspecting a cottage. Catharine, as our main connection with our clients is just as busy; 24/7. We are both proud members of the Muskoka community and are actively involved in many volunteer activities; serving on local boards and committees, contributing both time and monetary support in advancing the greater good. Steve is a past member of the Muskoka Watershed Council (MWC), serving as its Chair of Communications. We are members of Friends of the Muskoka Watershed which supports the work of the MWC. Catharine is on the Board of Directors of the Muskoka Lakes Association, where we are also members. These organizations help to protect your investment in water quality and our pristine Muskoka environment. We support the local economy by purchasing services and products from other local businesses whenever possible. Please ask us about our favourite local services, companies, organizations and suppliers.

Our refined style, high energy, in-house creative and industry defining technology sets us apart. We consistently provide the best in service, all wrapped up to look like fun.

Thank you for your interest in virtualwaterfront.net and cottageinmuskoka.ca., we look forward to providing you with a higher form of realty.

Muskoka River Watershed

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The Muskoka River Watershed is located on the eastern side of Georgian Bay. The headwaters of the river arise on the western slopes of Algonquin Park, and flow southwesterly for a distance of approximately 210 km to discharge into the southeast corner of Georgian Bay. The watershed measures over 62 km at its widest point and is approximately 120 km long, encompassing an area of approximately 466,000 hectares (4,660 sq km).

The watershed is divided into three main drainage areas: the North Branch, South Branch, and Lower Muskoka. The North and South Branches comprise approximately the eastern two-thirds of the watershed. Originating in the highlands of Algonquin Park they flow southwesterly until converging south of Bracebridge and then flow into Lake Muskoka. The Lower Muskoka subwatershed covers approximately the western one-third of the watershed, and receives the inflow from the North and South Branches as well as Lakes Joseph and Rosseau. This combined flow passes through the Moon and Musquash Rivers and discharges into Georgian Bay.

Over 2000 lakes have been carved out of the Precambrian Shield and cover over 17% of the watershed. The largest lakes in the watershed are Lake Muskoka (11,579 ha), Lake of Bays (6,763 ha), Lake Rosseau (6,258 ha) and Lake Joseph (5,460 ha). The Muskoka River descends approximately 345 m in elevation along its 210 km journey from its headwaters to its mouth at Georgian Bay.

 

Physiography & Topography

The entire watershed is situated on the Canadian Shield, on bedrock formations that date from the middle to late Precambrian Age. The topography varies from the rugged Algonquin Highlands to rocky knolls and ridges through the middle and lower portions of the watershed. Soils are generally sandy, and shallow in depth atop the underlying bedrock. Deeper deposits of sand, silt and clay soils can be found in the valleys through the central part of the watershed.

The watershed is mainly forested, with mixed hardwood (i.e. Maple, Birch and Oak) and coniferous (i.e. White and Red Pine, Spruce, Tamarack and Hemlock) species.

Climate

The watershed experiences cool to moderate temperatures, and is one of the wetter areas in the province. The average annual precipitation is nearly 1000 mm, including nearly 300 cm snowfall.

Fisheries

The Muskoka River Watershed contains predominantly cool and cold-water fish species. In the upper part of the watershed, most lakes and streams are considered cold water, and support species such as Lake Trout and Brook Trout, although Smallmouth Bass have been stocked in a number of lakes. The large lakes in the watershed are relatively deep (50+ m) and cold, and are well suited for communities of Lake Trout and Whitefish (cold-water species). Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout have been stocked in selected portions of the watershed.

Much of the lower part of the watershed (with the exception of the large lakes) is considered cool-water habitat, supporting communities of Walleye, Northern Pike, Muskellunge, Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch and pan fish, such as Black Crappie, Pumpkinseed, Bluegill and Rock Bass. Many of the important fish spawning areas on the system are located below the many rapids and dams, and along shorelines of lakes. These extremely important habitats are of primary concern because they can be affected by fluctuating flows and water levels.

Wildlife

The Muskoka River Watershed is home to a diversity of mammal, reptile, amphibian and bird species. In many cases, the life cycle of these species is directly related to the river (including its tributaries and lakes) and the land-water shoreline interface (to provide habitat and food sources). An important example of this complex linkage would be the wetland areas found along the river and in coastal areas of lakes. Some of the animals dependent on the wetlands include waterfowl for their nesting and staging areas, and furbearers (Beaver, Otter, Muskrat, Mink, Raccoon) and mammals (Moose) for habitat and feeding areas. Reptiles and amphibians depend on wetlands for all or parts of their life cycle, and Osprey, Eagles and Herons benefit from the shallow water feeding opportunities.

Settlement

The area has been inhabited by First Nations for at least 5,000 years, first by Algonquin, then Iroquois and by the mid 18th century, by the Ojibway. By the mid to late 1800’s, European settlers were drawn by the timber industry, and the first sawmill in the watershed was established in 1865. By the 1870’s, 20 sawmills and shingle mills were operating in Muskoka Bay and Gull Lake alone.

Many of the now reconstructed dams along the waterway owe their origins to the timber industry. The dams, constructed of stone and timber, would have been used for waterway transportation and/or to float logs through shallow points along the river. The timber industry peaked in the late 1800’s and most of the sawmills and all of the log drives are now gone. However, the forest products industry is still an important economic activity in the watershed and there are considerable areas under timber license with several sawmills in operation.

Since the establishment of the first sawmills in the watershed, hydroelectric power production has been an important component of the local economy. Although many of the small mills and their associated power producing facilities shut down following the downturn in the logging industry, hydroelectric power generation still maintains a presence on the river.

There are 10 hydroelectric generating stations in the Muskoka River Watershed, with five being owned by Ontario Power Generation (OPG), three by Lakeland Power and one each by Algonquin Power and the Orillia Power Corporation. These facilities co-operate with MNR in the control and management of flows in the Muskoka River.

Economy

Over the years, tourism has grown and is now the most prominent industry in the watershed. Numerous public lodges and resorts throughout the system provide employment and support a variety of other service-based industries. In addition to tourists, seasonal and permanent residents contribute to the economic base through consumption of goods and services. Commercial and business operations within the watershed are concentrated along the transportation corridors and in centers such as Bracebridge, Gravenhurst and Huntsville.

Tourism

The watershed’s tourism industry beginnings can be traced back to the 1860’s with the introduction of steamship navigation to the area. As early as 1869, commercial lodging was provided to sportsmen traveling to the area to make use of the abundant natural resources. In 1876, the railway was extended from Severn Bridge to Gravenhurst, thereby making the area more accessible for tourists from southern Ontario and the United States.

By the early 1890’s the Muskoka area was a prime vacation spot for wealthy Canadian and American tourists.Today, Muskoka is one of the premier vacation destinations in Ontario. Thousands of people visit each year, staying at one of the many resorts or returning to cottages as seasonal residences.

Recreation

Water-based recreational pursuits include boating, fishing, hunting, swimming, camping, canoeing and kayaking. In the winter months, activities such as hiking, snowmobiling, cross country skiing and ice fishing are popular.

Protecting the Watershed with a Waterfront Safe Dock

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Docks

The Dock Primer 
Georgian Bay Building and Septic Department
Huntsville Building Department
Lake of Bays Building Department
Bracebridge Development Services
Gravenhurst Building Department
Muskoka Lakes Development Services
Fisheries Act – Chapter F-14, Section 34: Fish Habitat Protection and Pollution Prevention
Navigable Waters Protection Act – Chapter N-22, Part 1: Works Subject to Approval
Fisheries and Oceans Canada – Projects Near Water
Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry – Bracebridge Office 705-645-8747

 

About virtualwaterfront.net

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There is only one way to judge a cottage or waterfront property. That’s to go and experience it personally. Representations, photos explanations can’t compare and may be biased.

VirtualWaterfront.net

The technology behind virtual waterfront.net builds unbiased panoramas, 360° models, calibrated waterfront video, compass maps and sunrise/sunset models. We then blend these with information and presentation from MLS listings and other sources here as well as powering other Muskoka cottage real estate sites.