Big Rideau Lake
Encyclopedia
The Big Rideau Lake is a lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...

 situated in the province of Ontario (Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...

), Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The lake is located 72 kilometres (44.7 mi) to the southwest of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...

, Canada's capital city. It is 32 kilometres (19.9 mi) long and is 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) wide. The lake is much narrower at its northeastern end than at its southwestern end. The lake forms part of the Rideau Waterway, and is the largest lake along the route of the Rideau waterway. In 2007 the waterway was registered as a UNESCO http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1221/ world heritage site. The Upper Rideau Lake is connected to the Big Rideau Lake through the Narrows Lock at the southwestern end of the lake. The small community of Rideau Ferry is located at the junction between the Big Rideau and Lower Rideau Lake, at the northeastern end of the lake. The town of Portland, Ontario
Portland, Ontario
Portland is a community located in Eastern Ontario within the township of Rideau Lakes in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Ontario, Canada, north of Kingston and situated on the Big Rideau Lake....

 is located along the southern shore of the lake. A speed skating
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...

 tournament is held each winter on the Big Rideau Lake at Portland http://www.portlandoutdoors.com

The shoreline of the Big Rideau Lake is lined with hundreds of cottages and homes
Homes
Homes may refer to:*the plural form of "home";*an abbreviation of "homie".HOMES may refer to:*a mnemonic for remembering the names of five Great Lakes....

. A public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...

 recreation
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...

 area and campground, Murphys Point Provincial Park
Murphys Point Provincial Park
Murphys Point Provincial Park is a provincial park near Perth, Ontario. The 1239 hectare park features natural areas prepared for hiking or skiing as well as access for day-use, camping and water sports at Big Rideau Lake...

 http://www.ontarioparks.com/English/murp.html http://www.friendsofmurphyspoint.ca, is located along a substantial stretch of the shoreline on the northern side of the lake.

The Big Rideau Lake Association (BRLA) http://www.brla.on.ca/home/home_index.htm is a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 that was formed in 1911, and operates summer programs from Cow Island one of the many islands in Big Rideau. Its purpose is "to preserve and enhance the quality of life on Big Rideau Lake." The BRLA places private shoal markers throughout the lake, marking hazards underwater at some times in the navigational season. A group of markers indicate the extent of a shoal: go around, not between.

The common fish found in the Big Rideau Lake include Sunfish
Centrarchidae
The sunfishes are a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The type genus is Centrarchus . The family's 27 species includes many fishes familiar to North Americans, including the rock bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappies...

, Rock Bass
Rock bass
The rock bass , also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, or red eye is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. They are similar in appearance to smallmouth bass but are usually quite a bit smaller...

, Northern Pike
Northern Pike
The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...

, Large and Small Mouth Bass
Smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...

, Crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...

, Walleye
Walleye
Walleye is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the northern United States. It is a North American close relative of the European pikeperch...

 and Lake Trout
Lake trout
Lake trout is a freshwater char living mainly in lakes in northern North America. Other names for it include mackinaw, lake char , touladi, togue, and grey trout. In Lake Superior, they can also be variously known as siscowet, paperbellies and leans...

.
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