Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Lock it up!

Lock

To add to the list of recent thefts around Lac Le Jeune, Bob Willis reports that some small items were recently stolen from his dock area on Water Street. This seems to be a trend around long weekends. Be sure to lock up! And remember that good neighbours can be your best protection, so keep in touch about your travels and watch for suspicious activity on your street. 

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Surprise!

You never know what you'll find inside a bird house, especially in Lac Le Jeune. 



Monday, May 21, 2012

How to greet a dog


Earlier this year I attended an excellent 2-day seminar facilitated by Dr. Sophia Yin, an internationally-acclaimed veterinarian/animal behaviorist. It was organized by 5-Star Dog Training and held at Thompson Rivers University. Dr. Yin offers many free resources to educate vets, other dog handlers, and the general public about how to greet and interact with dogs. With so many dogs around Lac Le Jeune, I thought I would share this illustrated poster on how to greet a dog. You'll probably recognize several scenes in the what-not-to-do column. I think the most common misconception is that you should reach your hand out for the dog to sniff.
Click on the image for a larger view

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Pets for Adoption

Thompson Rivers University Animal Health Technology needs loving homes for:
  • Kidd: 10mth old Collie cross, very high energy, great with other dogs and people, still learning how to interact with cats, needs lots of activity and attention. 
  • Magoo: 5 yr old orange male tabby, friendly but likes attention on his terms:-) Good buddies with Carchuck 
  • Carchuck: 2 yr old black/white male, friendly, cuddly with personality plus! Good buddies with Magoo 
 Check out the TRU Pets for Adoption website for more information.

Submitted by Sonia Walczak

Friday, May 11, 2012

Fire Prohibitions Start 15 May

Effective at 12 noon on Tuesday, May 15, the size of open fires will be restricted in most of the Kamloops Fire Centre to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect the public. Read more at the BC Wildfire Management website.

Also of note, since April 1, Kamloops Fire Centre crews have responded to wildfire incidents covering approximately 300 hectares. Many of these wildfires resulted from poorly planned open burning. Everyone conducting open burns are encouraged to read this information bulletin.

Of particular note:

  • Do not burn during windy conditions. Weather conditions can change quickly and carry embers to other combustible material and start new fires. 
  • Never leave a fire unattended.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

ICE OFF - the sequel

Thanks once again to Steve Roy for capturing the moments leading up to ice off on the Lac Le Jeune webcam. Get out the popcorn!

 

Winter Kill

There appears to have been a significant winter kill on the little lake, which explains the presence of so many eagles recently; they were gorging on the dead fish that were trapped in the rotting ice last week.

Hugh Burton shares some information about the biology of this phenomenon:
Winter kill results when oxygen dissolved in the water decreases below the point at which the fish can still retain life function. This degree of oxygen depletion occurs when the level of organic material in the water exceeds a critical level. The organic material is made up of dead leaves, trees lying in the water, dead: reeds, bulrushes, aquatic plants, and most significantly dead microscopic plants (phytoplankton) and dead microscopic animals (plankton). As these dead organisms decay the process uses up the oxygen present in the water releasing gasses such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and methane. When the lake is covered with ice, the water beneath it is relatively static, and of course there is no surface area open to receive replacement oxygen. Natural water flow from inlet to outlet as well as mixing due to wind action is important in the maintenance of oxygen levels and these are reduced during winter conditions. Shallow eutrophic lakes (those with a high natural organic content) are particularly subject to winter kill as there is a much higher level of biodegradation occurring. This leads to a critical loss of oxygen and high level of resultant toxic gases and consequent die off of those animals that have the highest demand for dissolved oxygen. The longer the ice on period the more critical this becomes. Once the fish start to die under the ice they too begin to decompose further contributing to the oxygen depletion and toxic gas accumulation.
This recent evidence of winter kill goes a long way to supporting our concerns for Lac Le Jeune water quality, particularly for that of the little lake.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

ICE OFF!

Let the records show May 8th as ice off day for 2012. And, for the record, apparently our records for the history of ice off aren't accurate, but we're still waiting for someone to come forward with a revised list. Anyone?

From the laclejeune.ca webcam

Friday, May 4, 2012

Birds at Lac Le Jeune

After a long, quiet winter, most of the residents at Lac Le Jeune are anxiously awaiting ice-off. Even the birds have been very busy out on the remaining ice, eager for spring and summer to arrive. Earlier this week there was plenty of activity to observe on the Little Lake. At one point, I saw five eagles together on the ice. Watching the wildlife here is what makes Lac Le Jeune an exciting place to live!