Lisa Van Shie-Wynne

On Saturday, April 24th we lost a beautiful and strong member of our community. Lisa Van Shie-Wynne passed away peacefully in her home. She was just 44 years old.

Members of the Lac Le Jeune community will remember Lisa participating in many outdoor activities. She competed in nordic ski races, and following the birth of her first son, Evan, she continued to ski faster than any of us could imagine -- even while pulling Evan in a pulk! We saw Lisa playing tennis, swimming across the lake, running, cycling, building snowmen with Evan and Foster, out walking with her dogs and family, gardening.... She'd always have a big smile on her face. Lisa was involved in helping her kids and others enjoy sports by coaching speed skating and x-country skiing. She loved to be with her family and to spend time outdoors. We all admired her strength and determination; she lived her life like she was planning to stay.

The service will be held at the Holy Family Parish on Monday, May 3rd at 1:00pm.
Here are some links to heart-warming photos and stories about Lisa:
In Memorium
Schoenings condolences

This photo was taken in 2005 in front of the skating oval on Lac Le Jeune with some of the original River City Racers.
Left to right back row – Lisa Van Shie-Wynne, Sara Spence, Eric Spence
Left to right front row – Evan Wynne, Tori Spence, Josie Spence, and Foster Wynne.

Sorting recyclables

Ever wonder what happens to your recyclables after you take them to the Lac Le Jeune Transfer Station? This short video shows the sorting process.

Equipment for hire

Do you have a use for an excavator or dump truck? Contact Ed Duffy: revcon2006@gmail.com, 250-372-3370

Looking for Friends, Part 2

Some of you will recall Looking for Friends, Part 1 starring Benji and the lynx. Watch who came to visit this time!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

ICE OFF - the movie

There have been some questions about the accuracy of the Lac Le Jeune ICE OFF records. This year Steve, operator of the Lac Le Jeune webcam, decided to record this historical event. Here you have it folks, ICE OFF -- the movie! This section only covers April 12 - 17, 2010. Stay tuned! It can only get better!

Ice Off

Well, it's that time of year again when we inspect the shore line each day to see if the ice is receding and watch for pools of water forming on top. It's a daily topic of conversation for LLJ residents out on their walks. Will it be earlier this year than last? We're always hopeful on days like today with that nice, warm breeze.

Well don't hold your breath! Mike Brugger drilled a hole 5' in front of his wharf and the ice was 21" thick. His report: "Sorry, but NO fishing this weekend."

Last year we posted ice off dates back to 1982.

Community Fuel Management Plan, update #3

This is an update prepared by
Tim Cole, RPF
Lonely Mountain Consulting Co.
tim.cole@telus.net

250-377-7654office

250-318-3196cell

I am pleased to inform you that we are approximately 60% finished the fuel management plan and are on time and on budget. There are now significant changes observable in the community and so far, we have had tremendous positive feedback. We have been completing the sites as conditions allow as the ground is still frozen in many sites and we will complete these in the next few weeks. Many of you are also aware of the fire guard that we constructed south of the community on the ridge that can only be seen from viewpoints north of Lac le Jeune, however very little is visual from the community itself. The guard does cross the trail accessing the top of the ski hill as well as the old road accessing Ridge Lakes on the west side of the ski hill. If you are crossing the guard or are inclined to walk or ride on the guard, please use caution as there are numerous hazards such as lose logs and small stubs that can sneak up a pant leg and do some damage. We will be moving a hand crew to go through in the spring and remove these stubs, but please be careful in the meantime. The construction of the multi-use trail on the main guard will also be completed when the ground thaws.

There has been some discussion in the community regarding the construction of a multi use access trail on the south side of the lake that will access properties on Lookout, Marmot, Osprey and Ridgemont and I wanted to inform all concerned that our fuel management plan does not address this issue and we have no plans or budget to construct a trail. I did not add this proposed trail into my initial proposal and referrals, so it would have to follow a separate approval process.

We are happy to see the popularity of the firewood that has been made accessible to the residents as well as the kind gestures to the crews. Currently there is firewood available on the Park Dr West Road near the cattle guard. Next week, there will be firewood available at the end of the Walloper Lake Road near the wildlife fence/gate. Please refrain from cutting firewood yourself while the crews are on site as this is a safety issue for yourself and the crew. If you enter the worksite you are under the supervision of the site crew leader and need to follow their instructions to maintain a safe work site. H.I.S. also incurs liability for all people on site including visitors and visitors with chain saws is not acceptable. You are welcome to cut firewood from designated logs set aside after hours when the crews are gone and still welcome to collect pre-cut firewood while the crews are on site. Thank you for your understanding. Also, please do cut logs that are left on site and generally away from the road as these are prescribed for wildlife and soil conservation purposes as well as any standing trees on site. All dead and/or dangerous trees close to the road will be removed and all remaining standing timber has been prescribed to be there. If there are logs along the ditchline, you are free to cut and remove this as firewood.

The main access road will be treated within the next two weeks as we are waiting for it to be mostly snow free. Please watch for warning signs, trucks and crews along the road as we all travel this route a bit faster than the internal residential roads where the crews have been so far.

As this plan addresses fuels outside our property boundaries and tactical suppression in the event of a wildfire, we also need to address fuels on our own properties to enhance the plan overall. Some of us have had the pine beetle do this work for us, however there many other things we can do. Here is a link to a Fire Smart brochure (PDF) from the Ministry of Forests that has some very good information for rural residents. The more residents that fire smart their properties, the more effective our fuel plan as a whole becomes, reducing the threat of catastrophic loss of our homes and community.

Thanks to everybody for the positive and constructive feedback and understanding as this project continues. Please call or email me if you have any questions or concerns and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.