by Ted Simmonds
“Derelict Docks” was the phrase we used to describe a campaign that started in 2020 to remove discarded or decrepit docks in Bayfield Inlet, all with the aim of preventing flotation foam refuse from entering our waterways.
The campaign continued last summer, when we extended our attention on Nares Inlet, removing half a dozen docks and identifying four more for action this coming summer.
We had generous permission from the Nares Landing Association and Springhaven Lodge to use their beach for removing docks and getting them into my truck. We had to make sure that no debris was left behind, and we used a magnet to collect any dropped nails or screws! Win-win.
I also removed another 10 docks in Bayfield last summer, usually by pushing them to the shore by my boathouse on Hwy 529A, just beyond Thompson Marine, to be dismantled and then transported in my truck to the township dump at Site Nine.
In both inlets it appears that most of the derelict docks have now been removed!
All cottagers, especially those who haven’t visited their properties in recent years, are welcome to get in touch with me at 647-382-2445 if you need a dock removed or are wondering about the condition of a dock.
As well, if you come across any large chunks of styrofoam near your cottage, please pick them up yourself and drop them at my boathouse (the green one, at the inner end of Boathouse Row on 529A) or call me and I’ll come and get them.
My motto is that work for myself is indeed classified as work, but labour for others is actually “fun.” And by the way, if you want to have fun with me sometime this summer, just give me a call!
