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Molly's Story
REPULSED BY THOUGHTLESS DEVELOPMENT
Molly and her husband, Bob, had a passion for conservation, seclusion and the quiet peace of nature. They were repulsed by what they saw as thoughtless 1950s cottage developments with clear-cut shorelines and cottages like city row houses crowding the waterfront. Unnatural, manicured lawns replaced the beautiful forest, and out front, lakes were churned up “into motorboat drag strips.”
GUARDED BY PROTECTIVE COVENANTS
Initially, their plan was to find a secluded lot with 100 feet of shoreline. But in 1957 they couldn't resist when they saw the vast area of forest on the shores of Little Glamor (locally known as Little Bear Lake) and they bought it. They sought a way to safeguard the property against the ravages of uncontrolled development, and their lawyer offered a solution for how they could sever off and sell the properties and still protect them. Protective covenants could accompany each deed and would set out building restrictions that were bound to the land, no matter how many times the properties changed hands.
“Bob and I were reluctant developers, selling off only enough to cover expenses like road building, surveys, severances, forest management and preserving wildlife,” says Molly.
When Bob died, Molly became more purposeful and dedicated. She shifted into high gear; working tirelessly in the bush, pacing off property lines, blazing trees, clearing scrub and extending the road.
The results are lots with 200 to 300 feet of lake frontage, one cottage per lot, with plenty of room for septic tanks to ensure the lake water quality remains high. It's also acid free because of the limestone base, so there is excellent fishing for bass.
“Nowhere else in Haliburton will you find on one lake the low density eco-neighbourhood of cottages, range of terrain, and natural attractions that we have,” says Molly.
(Copy includes exerpts from Cottage Life article, May 2000, "Molly's Vision," by Pat Maitland. Photo at right: Paul Orenstein)
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