Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Need help with spring projects on your property?


Do you have spring projects to do? Available for big or small jobs at a good rate.

Hitachi 50 Rubber tracks, Blade, Thumb, 42inch clean up bucket, 24inch digging bucket, 16 inch digging bucket. $70 per hr.

I have done lots of work in the area and know the community well.

Thank-you 250-554-3466 or 250-319-5639 JAYRO EXCAVATING

Fully insured and WCB

Monday, March 30, 2015

ICE OFF

I added the ICE OFF poll to the blog but haven't had a chance to let everyone know it is there. Today we're seeing lots of open water. It's all happening so fast and early!

The results of the poll are fairly predictable, but what the heck, vote anyway!

Sylvia

Saturday, March 21, 2015

Invitation to Participate in the Water Monitoring Program

New Recruits Needed 


  • Are you concerned about our environment? 
  • Is the water quality of Lac Le Jeune of concern to you? 
  • Can you spare a few hours per year to help on the completion of this important project? 
If you can answer yes to these questions you will be welcome to join us. There is no special scientific background required as all necessary information is supplied on site and printed sheets.

We are entering the fourth and final year of the Water Monitoring Program at Lac Le Jeune. We have had a dedicated group of volunteers working on this for the past three years but have had some unavoidable attrition among our members this year and would really appreciate it if those vacancies could be filled.

To effectively and fairly distribute the scheduling of volunteers throughout the monitoring period (from ice off to ice on) we require at least 15 people. Since we carry out the testing a minimum of twelve times per monitoring period, each volunteer can expect to have 3 or 4, two hour shifts, throughout this period.

Water safety is essential, so for the testing on the big lake we like to have three people and two boats employed for each testing period and two people and a single boat on the little lake.

Wherever possible both lakes are done sequentially on the same day. The sampling time preferred by the MOE is between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm. The schedule occasionally has to be changed up or down a day in order to avoid poor weather but is the exception rather than the rule.

A summary of what is involved in the sampling and testing: 

Once on the lake the air temperature, wind direction and strength, barometric pressure, and surface water temperature are noted and recorded.

The Secchie disc (an 8” diameter weighted disc in an alternating white and black pattern) is lowered through the water column till it can no longer be seen. This depth is recorded as the Secchi Depth and is used in the criteria for collecting samples at a later stage in the process. It provides a good indicator of the depth to which light penetrates. This depth changes with the season, light conditions and numerous environmental factors throughout the year.

A probe, which measures: Temperature, conductivity (hardness of the water), and Oxygen concentration in % and mg/L, is lowered through the water column stopping at 0.5 m, 1.0 m and every metre thereafter to the bottom. The four measurements noted above are recorded at each level providing a vertical profile of information.

Water samples are taken at specific depths calculated from the data provided by both the secchi depth and the meter readings. These samples are divided and processed as prescribed by the MOE protocol and are sent for analysis yielding information on concentration of Nitrates, Phosphates, and Chlorophyll “a”. In addition one of the samples is preserved so that plankton and algae species can be identified and quantified. When all the test results are combined they provide an effective reference with respect to the state of health of our lakes and are invaluable in developing strategies for managing the quality of our water and the continuing excellence of our fishery for years to come.

Contact Hugh Burton at Phone: 250-314-6760 or email: hughlejeune@telus.net

~submitted by Hugh Burton~

TNRD Free Disposal Day

photo by Cat Branchman
Thank you to TNRD for contacting us about this event! A poster will be available soon.

Sunday, April 26, 9am-1pm, is Free Disposal Day at the Lac le Jeune transfer station.

Residents may bring ONE FREE LOAD PER HOUSEHOLD to to the transfer station. One load is defined as a maximum of one 8 foot pick-up truck box OR one 8 foot trailer.

Be prepared to wait in line, it will be a busy day. Please tarp and secure your load before leaving home! You can be fined $100 for failing to secure your load.

Check TNRD Environmental Services for further information.


Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Noise regulation bylaw


photo by Jake Fowler
In February, 2015 the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board of directors passed an noise regulation bylaw.

A bylaw of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District to regulate the making or causing of noises

The 4-page document outlines the bylaw in detail (PDF), and the TNRD bylaw enforcement web page provides information about how to initiate a complaint. Here are the general regulations from the bylaw document:
6.1 No person shall make or cause, or permit or be made or caused, any excessive or persistent noise which disturbs or tends to disturb the quiet, peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort, or convenience of the neighbourhood or persons in the vicinity. 
6.2 No person being the owner or occupier or tenant of real property shall allow or permit such real property to be used so that excessive or persistent noise which occurs therein or emanates there from, disturbs or tends to disturb the quiet, peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort, or convenience of the neighbourhood or persons in the vicinity. 
6.3 No person shall play or operate any radio, stereophonic equipment or other instrument or any apparatus for the production or amplification of sound either in or on private premises or in any public place in a manner which disturbs or tends to disturb the quiet, peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort or convenience of the neighbourhood or persons in the vicinity. 
6.4 No person that owns, keeps or harbours any dog or other animal, or any number of dogs or other animals, shall permit such dog(s) or animal(s), to make or cause excessive or persistent noise, by cries, barking or howling, which disturbs or tends to disturb the quiet, peace, rest, enjoyment, comfort, or convenience of the neighbourhood or persons in the vicinity.
The bylaw was initiated by residents who live near Angels Animal Rescue in Merritt, and the focus on dogs is reflected in the rather unusual wording "dogs or other animals". However, the bylaw is meant to address any type of "excessive or persistent noise".

The Armchair Mayor News reported that Ronaye Elliot, Director of Area J (which includes Lac Le Jeune) gave notice that she would not support the bylaw in her area: “My folks have said to me they don’t want a noise bylaw.” However, the outcome is that the bylaw will apply to all 10 electoral areas.

A Bylaw Infraction Complaint Form and a Barking Dog Incident Form (again, a form for dogs but not other types of noise?) are available on the web. Hopefully residents of Lac Le Jeune won't ever need to download them! Thankfully, anonymous complaints are not permitted. And here's some advice: If you are ever on the receiving end of a complaint, keep your own noise logs.

Thanks to Howie Mattfeld for suggesting we post information about this new bylaw on the blog.