An abandoned ice hut was fished out of Lake Nipissing this afternoon by a pair of Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry employees. Photos by Jeff Turl.
The hut was floating in about four feet of water 100 feet off Sunset Park in the West Ferris section of the city.
The workers donned waders to walk through the freezing water to tie a rope around the structure and haul it out by truck.
The location suggests the owner had pulled the hut close to a boat launch while the ice was still solid with the intention of removing it, but never accomplished the task.
The owner is unknown an there are no registration numbers visible on the hut, as required by law. Registration numbers are supposed to be displayed on the outside of the ice hut at least 2.5 inches high (6.3 cm).
Contents were strewn about inside, but remained contained within the hut.The deadline for removing the huts off Lake Nipissing was March 30th and the maximum fine for not doing so is $25,000 or a year in jail, according to MNRF spokesperson Jolanta Kowalski.
Regardless, all ice huts must be removed before ice breakup, even if no removal date applies.
The hut is one of about 50 or so that were located off Sunset Point, a popular fishing spot both in winter and summer.
The mystery icehut is taken from the scene by flatbed truck. Photo courtesy MNRF.
See original story here: Who owns this icehut? http://www.baytoday.ca/content/news/details.asp?c=77286
