Monday, October 10, 2016

Minutes: Lac Le Jeune Conservation Association AGM - August 14, 2016

LAC LE JEUNE
CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
August 14, 2016

1. Introductions:

Vote to adopt previous meeting minutes.
Moved by Paul Carrol, seconded by John Krawchuck

2. Water monitoring project - Hugh Burton:

Hugh wanted us to know that Muriel Whittaker has passed away.

“On Friday, August 5, 2016 Dr. Muriel A. Whitaker of Edmonton passed away at the age of 93 years. Born on June 14, 1923 in Kamloops BC, Muriel spent her early years as a teacher and Resort owner at Lac Le Jeune BC. Muriel maintained a summer cottage at Lac Le Jeune BC and took pride in never having missed a summer visit from the time she was two weeks old.  Muriel was a supporter of the Lac Le Jeune Conservation Association and attended the AGM whenever she could. 

The Committee has completed their assessment and GOVT funding ended. The Monitoring Project has lasted for four years and a great deal of info was compiled about our water quality and the “stage” of Little LLJ and Big LLJ. This info is in the hands of Marg Sidney from GOVT.  She will get together with Hugh and release a final report regarding status of the lakes.  Lakes have three categories: Young lakes, middle aged lakes, and final stage  lakes.  The info is to determine what level the life cycle the lakes are in. Little LLJ is an old lake and Big lake is Mid life.  Hugh brought his equipment and can show people at the end of the meeting what it is and how it is used.  Samples were originally taken every two weeks at the beginning of the process and then monthly between ice off and ice on periods. BCIT has shown interest in using LLJ as a test lake but that has not been finalized. Marg will continue with spring and fall sampling although she has “officially” retired. The lake seems to be “harder” now than before and there is more sediment and issues with algae. Hugh and all the volunteers were thanked.

Ajax:
The Association submitted a letter during the public consultation time period. The Association has also made a formal written request for a second review. The Prov GOVT is not open to that but the Federal GOVT is. The review is still up in the air. Corinne Shock thanked Sylvia Currie for compiling our individual opinions and concerns into one concise and complete submission.

Citizens on Patrol:
RCMP not available at this time to speak with us. Citizens on Patrol is looking for volunteers. It is only approx. four hours per month. A criminal background check is required and there is some training. Please contact the Logan Lake detachment for more information.

TNRD Invasive Plant Program:
Earlier this month, Kathryn Terasoff from TNRD hosted an education meeting regarding invasive plants. Knapp weed is a big problem. There are three options: Goats, curb side, and bio-herbicide irradiation. Herbicides are not recommended as they kill everything. We should try and attempt to coordinate the mowers at a time when the weed is not in seed. Bugs are an option and we are on a list to attempt this. See the blog for more information. Sylvia has also set up a google map to take pictures of the invasive plant to post. The bugs that are used are indigenous to our area and are not foreign. The bugs that is recommended is available to us at Jacko lake. There was discussion that we could try to organize this with the ski club and Walloper Lake as there is quite a bit of Knapp weed there.

Community Directory:
Steve Roy can be emailed at laclejeune@laclejeune.ca for changes to the directory. We are aware not everyone wants to be a part of this.


Treasurer’s Report:

As of 04/30/2015
Cr
Dr
Balance




Cash Balance


2,604.00
Revenue:



Membership 
295.00


Interest
0.18


TNRD (cable repair)
500.00



795.18


Expenses:



Bank Fees

3.60

BC Lake Stewardship Society

50.00

Hoskin Scientific (probe repair)
1,840.36

Halloween Kids Party

300.00

Magnetics/Copying/Registry fee
88.04

AGM Expenses

178.74

Copying-Membership/LLJCA info
49.80

Insurance

575.00



3,085.54

Current Cash Balance:


313.64




Investments:



GIC


4,592.03




Current Assets:


4,905.67





Moved by Pat Burton, seconded by Hugh Burton to accept the report.

Guest Speakers:

RCMP
Unable to attend

TNRD:
Ronaye Elliot was able to attend and Corinne Schock thanked the TNRD for helped with the cost of a new pump for the RENEWs. Ronaye wanted us to be aware that the TNRD had a weed committee at one time. Southern Interior Weed Control Committee now controls money from forestry and highways. TNRD has control of the bio control. Send letters to Todd Stone about Knapp weed control and they should help finance it. Tell Tod Stone that Highways dept is not handling the weed situation and they need to spend more money on it. There is a budget set aside for that. 

As well, she wanted us to know that a certain percentage of the TNRD tax revenue goes towards the hospital. TNRD has a hospital board.  20% increase in 2018 (one time) for the Kamloops hospital. TNRD also helps the smaller hospitals, ex Lyton, Chase, etc. 
Raves (outdoor music events) are a concern. Alkali Lake was a possible site for one.  TNRD was able to shut it down as they didn’t have a permit. 750 tickets were sold.  A special use permit is required. TNRD are trying to control that. The concern is forest fires and litter. 

BC Parks:
Michele wasn’t able to make it but left some information which is on the blog.  BC Parks is concerned about boat storage and docs on the south side of the lake. There is also some info about the signage on the trail networks that are part of the Gus Johnston.  Parks also did some work with deadfall on the Gus Johnston.  They will look at repairing the cattle guard on the north side and repairing some of the swampy sections on the GJ.

KBRA (Kamloops Bike Riders Association):
Catharine Pendrel is in Rio competing and she is from Kamloops. A crew was out with Paul Barry (one of the owners of Spoke) learning trails and rebuilding an old trail that was used in the 80’s. They hooked up with a forestry fire crew and helped clear more of the trails. Hopefully the KBRA will be able to use some of the snowshoe trails at Stake Lake in the near future.

Elections:
Clay will take over from John Krawchuck as the rep for the lower subdivision
All present executive members will stand. 
Executive committee re-elected.

Meeting adjourned.


Minutes prepared by Cynthia Swain

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Neighbourhood moose

This cow moose and calf have been making the rounds around our LLJ neighbourhoods and hiking trails. These photos by Hana Struss are from this morning on Lookout Road. 

What do you do if you encounter this pair? Here are some moose safety tips from WildSafeBC

  • Never approach a moose. Give the animals a wide berth and ensure they always have an escape route. 
  • Female moose with calves need extra space. Moose cows are very protective of their young and may attack if they perceive a threat. If you come across a cow and calf, calmly leave the area immediately. 
  • Be aware of moose body language. A threatened moose may lower its head and flatten its ears before charging. If you see these behaviours, find an escape route. 
  • If a moose does charge you, getting inside a nearby building or car is the safest option, but hiding behind a large tree or other solid object may effectively block the charge. 
  • Dogs and moose don’t mix. A moose can seriously injure or kill a dog if it feels threatened. Likewise, loose dogs can harass moose, causing undue stress. Never let your dog out if there is a moose in your yard.