COBDEN — An Algonquin College professor will complete a six-hour swim of Muskrat Lake to increase awareness of the challenges facing the lake and to raise funds for the Muskrat Watershed Council (MWC).
Sarah Hall will begin her 16-kilometre swim between 7 and 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 17. She will start in the Muskrat River at the bottom of Meath Hill and finish at the Cobden beach/boat launch area.
As co-ordinator of the Environmental Technician Program at Algonquin College Waterfront Campus (Pembroke), Ms. Hall and her students have worked closely with the MWC on water testing and installation of controlled tile drainage in the Muskrat Lake watershed. Now she will also bring her love of open water swimming to the task.
This is not Ms. Hall’s first long-distance swim. In 2014 and 2015, she swam the Northumberland Strait between New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. This year she’s decided to bring all that energy and fundraising effort home.
She will be accompanied by a safety kayak and two other teammates who will each be swimming with her for a portion of the distance. Local paddlers are encouraged to support Ms. Hall and her team as they swim but motor boat drivers are kindly asked to avoid the group.
Ms. Hall is looking forward to seeing supporters at the finish line to meet her in the early afternoon. Please stay tuned for details about a waterfront BBQ and a silent auction to be held at the Cobden beach/boat launch area after the swim.
Proceeds from the swim go directly to the Muskrat Watershed Council, a volunteer, community-based, not-for-profit organization whose goal is to improve water quality for local communities by using scientific and local knowledge. The MWC seeks to engage and empower people and communities in identifying and reducing nutrient loading from all sources on the Muskrat Lake Watershed.
You can make a donation to support Ms. Hall’s swim at www.gofundme.come/swim-for-lake.
For more information about the MWC, please contact MWC Chair, Karen Coulas at 613-646-2746, visit the website www.muskratwatershedcouncil.ca or engage on Facebook Muskrat Watershed Council – MWC or on Twitter @MuskratWater. For more information on the swim, please contact Ms. Hall at [email protected]
