Cottage Season ...

2025 Spring

It's Finally Here!

Victoria Day weekend - May two-four! After such a cold snowy winter, can you believe it's the start of another cottage season?

Welcome back to Skeleton Lake! This year, we've got some great news to share with you ...

Did you notice? There’s a new brand in town!

We did something new. Your Board embarked on an exercise this past fall to create a message and a visual that identifies and reflects who we are as Skeleton Lakers.

It goes without saying that the love we share in our community for “one-tree island” is timeless. Everyone knows where it is. People love it so much it's even been a wedding venue! It’s been the image proudly worn on our t-shirts and sweatshirts for many years.

If "one-tree island" is where we have been, what does our future look like? We don’t need to tell you how special Skeleton Lake is. You probably already feel it. After all, we choose to be here. We enjoy it here. We invest here. We protect and care for our lake. We care for each other.

Our greatest strength and what we all have in common is quite simply this:

It’s OUR lake and we LOVE it here.

We have so much to be thankful for. We have the envy of others with our crystal clears waters and fresh air. There is beauty all around us including magnificent vistas of sunrises and sunsets and evening loon calls.

Our challenge was to take that emotion of loving our lake and turn it into a visual brand identity while keeping the heritage of something special from the past. If you feel connected to a brand it’s because that brand represents something you believe in.

Hopefully you love our new look as much as we do. Watch for our new lake image to appear on merchandise, online and in everything we do.

Supporting the SLCO is important to the future of our lake - we can’t do it without you.

Welcome back! It doesn’t matter how long it’s been, or who you’re with. As soon as your feet swing out of the car and touch the ground, you feel it – it’s like one deep breath and you’re back to the Lake where it feels like home.

The SLCO has been working very hard over the fall and winter, not only in defence of the Official Plan to protect our lake from quarry development but to also bring you fun summer programming, new merchandise, increased member benefits and a special member gift that will be revealed soon!

Have you renewed your membership yet?

If you've chosen our auto-renewal program your membership will have automatically renewed on May 1st. Credit cards expire or change over the year. If your card is not up-to-date you would have received a notice. We ask that take a few minutes to log in to your account to ensure your payment information is current. If you need help please ask as we are happy to send you an invoice that you can easily pay online. Simply email angela@skeletonlake.ca with any questions or for assistance. We have about 300 members of a possible 450 cottagers on the lake. We’re looking for 50 new members this summer. Do you know someone who is not part of the SLCO yet? Please send this email to them and ask if they will join us.

Member support helps us do the following:

Create policies that protect our lake from the damage caused by the quarry industry.
Monitor township agendas and advocate on your behalf.
Conduct annual water testing to monitor and preserve lake quality.
Organize member events that bring our community together.
Develop merchandise that showcases pride in our lake and helps raise funds.
Organize discounted services like water-access septic pumping.
Maintain our social media sites, emails, and website.

Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to seeing you on the lake this summer!

A member gift is waiting for you.

Come and get it!

This year as a special gift to thank you for your membership support, the SLCO is inviting members to a summer launch party on the last weekend in June. Come by the Skeleton Lake Marina to say hello to your Board members and pick up a very special gift. It’s something we have been working on since last fall and we hope you will love it as much as we do. We will also have a selection of our new merchandise available for purchase.

Stay tuned for day and time to be announced very soon.

2025 Events Calendar - We are working on it!

As you can see, we are still finalizing events and dates. We hope to get all events confirmed in the next couple of weeks and to post all details on the SLCO Website and Facebook Page. Stay tuned!

Plan to participate and meet your fellow Skeleton Lakers!

For complete details and updates, visit the Events Pages of the Skeleton Lake website.

All New this Summer!

Be the first to sport the new SLCO logo!

We are excited to announce that we have new logos for our official Skeleton Lake Cottagers Organization line of merchandise. Here are just a few of the items you'll be able to order online. Order by June 10 for pickup at the Skeleton Lake Marina on or after June 27. Or … pop by the Marina to check out the items on display (date TBA).

And we haven't forgotten the kids! Watch for new kids clothing with a brand new logo ... just for kids! We'll also be adding a few items as the season progresses so we'll be asking for your feedback.

We'll let you know when the store is up and running!

Scan the QR code to view more products and place your orders by the June 10 deadline!

Sandy Harju Celebration of Life

As many of you may already know, Sandy Harju passed away on February 16, 2025. Sandy and his wife Nancy were the owners of Troy Cove Marina from 1995 to 2017. In Sandy’s honour, all are invited to a Celebration of Life to be held at Wilson’s Lodge (1253 Skeleton Lake Rd. 2) on Sunday, June 29 at 1:30 p.m. Please come by boat or car to enjoy some snacks and drinks and celebrate Sandy’s life and honour his memory. Please RSVP to jim@skeletonlake.ca.

District of Muskoka Establishes

New Rules for Garbage for 2025

Muskoka has introduced new garbage rules for 2025 to reduce waste. Garbage will not be collected if the rules aren’t followed. No green or black garbage bags any more. Garbage has to go into clear bags.

Green Bins are for compostable materials. If you had a compost bin delivered you are expected to use it. Compostable materials make up 40% of the material currently going into the landfill site. Plastic or plastic coated materials don’t go in the compost bag. Compostable bags are required. If you did not get a compost bin you can include compost in your garbage. Water access people do not have a composting option unless they do it themselves. The District of Muskoka will see how the new compost bins and bears co-exist ...

Recycling is unlimited, but it has to be a clear blue bag. Remember, paper with a plastic coating stuff like coffee cups and some take-out food containers cannot be recycled. Also, containers full of food waste are not recyclable. Please rinse out the containers, throw food in the compost bin before putting containers in the bag of recycled stuff.

Garbage that is not recycling or compost must also be in a clear bag (not a clear blue bag) so that they can see what’s in it. No green or black garbage bags any more. We are also limited to one garbage bag a week per household, unless you are water access, then two bags are permitted. Coffee cups, take out food containers, plastic wrappers, diapers, cigarette butts, bottle caps and styrofoam goes in the garbage bag. If there is a lot of food waste or stuff that should recycled, the garbage won’t be collected. In the clear bag we are allowed two small bags of materials that we don’t want other people to see (no idea what that would be). Dark bags will be accepted at the transfer stations to the end of this year.

We are all going to have to work a little harder and spend a few dollars on new bags to help out with the garbage issues in Muskoka. Please follow the new rules or take your garbage with you when you leave. David Suzuki would be proud of you.

2024/25 Board of Directors

This year, two new directors have stepped up to the plate! Angela Greenway has done a fabulous job to increase our membership to an all-time high ... and she's not stopping now! Tracey Newman is now onboard to help organize your events. And, you may recognize Joanne as the Bones of Skeleton Lake editor. All three have been on the lake since birth - maybe a total of almost 200 years!! Learn more about all of our current Directors on the SLCO Website.

Would you like to be an SLCO Volunteer?

SLCO is always looking for members who have skills in the areas of: communications, fund raising, merchandising, environmental policies and planning, charitable organizations, social media and more. If you think you can help us to improve what we do and strive for more community spirit, please contact volunteer@skeletonlake.ca.

Bones - Third Print

If you are new to the lake ... you may not have your copy of "The Bones of Skeleton Lake"! This 250 page history of the lake includes over 800 photos and fabulous stories contributed by SLCO members from all parts of the lake! Over 750 copies have been sold.

If you are one of the few who do not have a copy you can order here.