Redstone Lake Cottagers' Association

A Brief History
A group of cottagers, on what was then a lightly populated Redstone Lake, got together in the Spring of 1961 to discuss the formation of an association that would act as a single voice to better promote their mutual interests in the area. They subsequently formed the Redstone Lake Cottagers Association (RLCA) to represent cottagers on Redstone Lake, Little Redstone Lake and Pelaw Lake in Haliburton County, Ontario.

They put together a set of bylaws and elected an Executive Committee consisting of a President, a Vice-President, a Secretary and a Treasurer supported by five Directors. The RLCA received its official Charter from the Province of Ontario on August 16, 1961.

The original objectives of the organization were set out as follows:
1) To advance the cultural and social interest of the summer and permanent residents of the Township of Guilford, in the County of Haliburton and the Province of Ontario and vicinity.
2) To promote the interest of persons owning property in the said Township of Guilford and vicinity and advance any plans for the advantage of the said resort and vicinity; and
3) To promote aquatic and other social and physical activities among the young people of the said Township of Guilford and vicinity.

The Charter specified that the RLCA was to be a non profit organization and any profits or other accretions to the Corporation were to be used in promoting its objectives. The annual membership fees were set at $5.00 for a family membership.

Over its inception, the RLCA has represented our cottagers on many different occasions. We have regularly provided input to local municipal meetings and various county projects. The RLCA has purchased and maintains a number of fire pumps on our lakes. Several years ago the RLCA mapped out and identified Emergency Designation Numbers (EDN) and provided signs for our membership. These EDN numbers were then distributed to local Emergency Services Organizations to assist them in finding our members faster in case of an emergency. We are currently involved in the Haliburton County 911 Project and have recently completed our Road Naming Project. In the early 1990’s we assisted the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources with their lake trout spawning bed rehabilitation program in Redstone Lake. This came about after our lakes were identified as one of four lake systems in the Province that had their own native strain of Lake Trout. One year we were also successful in convincing a local developer to refrain from starting construction until after several Blue Herons had completed raising their young.

In recent years the focus of the RLCA has changed somewhat to reflect a greater emphasis on our environment. This includes much more than just monitoring water quality, which is excellent in our lakes. With the setting up of this web site, we are undertaking our most ambitious project yet; the development of a Lake Plan. This Plan, to be built over the next few years, will identify our priorities as a community and help us chart our direction in the future, allowing our members to continue to enjoy the many benefits and beauties of the Redstone experience.