Personal cottages can provide a relaxing resort for many Canadian families. Cottages are a great way to spend your summer, or winter holidays with your friends and family. Some fun and adventurous activities you can do at a cottage include, but are not limited to: biking, hiking, portaging, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, going for a picnic and swimming. And of course, you can also enjoy a beautiful day boating on the lake with some friends. What’s not to love?
The problem arises when everyone starts to love it. Increasing interest and participation in the cottage life community can have some negative impacts on the community itself. When the population increases, so does the number of trees being cut down to make room for new cottages and other buildings. This is harming the natural environment by destroying natural habitats, routines of animals and possibly increasing the likelihood of contaminating the water and land.
Families driving to get away from the city can also have a major impact on the natural environment, not to mention create huge traffic jams. When we finally get to the cottage, an increase in fellow cottagers makes it harder to enjoy the privacy and relaxation I came for. Each time I go up to the cottage there is another family moving in, or a new building or cottage being built, resulting in an increase in population and noisy construction.
There are many possible reasons why these problems could be occurring in the cottage community. It could be that a lot of families just want to get away from the big city to actually enjoy the natural environment, have some down time in their life and to bond with friends and family members. However, it seems like some families just want to keep up with other families, thinking that in order for people to like them or to be included they have to buy a cottage like every other family.
With an increase in population and a subsequent increase in buildings and cottages, cottagers should not neglect the effects that come with these changes. When the population increases, a family’s attitudes about the cottage life can change. Think about it: just to get to the cottage now will take you hours, you could be stuck in traffic the whole time, and depending where your cottage is you’ll probably have little to no privacy when you get there. The cottage community, the city getaway, is now turning into a small town itself. All these negatives might make you think twice about going up every weekend, or for a week during the summer.
There is no official answer to fix all these upcoming and current issues; however, there are ways to slow their development. One way would be to monitor how many families are buying cottages. Another way would be to limit how big the cottages can be built, and to limit the number of buildings per lake. These ideas may not solve the whole problem—however, it is a start.
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