LLJCA 2013 Mandate and Goals

The Lac Le Jeune Conservation Association Executive met earlier in January to review our mandate statement and to set goals for 2013.

Mandate

The mandate of the Lac Le Jeune Conservation Association is one of stewardship. It is well expressed in our constitution where it states:

The purpose of the Association is to help ensure the protection and conservation of our delicate physical environment: the air, water, forest, and wildlife that surround us.

Goals

To that end, our goals for 2013 include the following:

1. Continuing to monitor the water quality of the Big Lake. (Please contact any executive member if you would be willing to assist in this project. Many hands make lighter work) 
2. Expand the more sophisticated monitoring to the Little Lake if Marg Sidney from the Ministry of the Environment is able to secure funding. The more sophisticated monitoring involves taking water samples from different lake depths that are sent for analysis for chemical content. 
3. Fuel Management Project: John Krawchuk spearheaded an initiative to look at removing the beetle killed pine along the Gus Johnson Trail (and perhaps other areas). These pose a hazard to hikers and skiers. John has been in touch with Forestry and Parks about this. A couple of days ago we were contacted by Jason Tomlin (Emergency Services Supervisor at the TNRD) who indicated that provincial funding my be available to assist in this project. 
4. Fencing to limit access of cattle to the lake. There are two cattle ranches that use this area for summer grazing. We have checked with the BCLSS (B. C. Lake Stewardship Society) regarding what has been done in other areas regarding this issue. We will need to discuss our concerns with the two ranches and with their approval (and probably other government agency approval) identify where fencing should go to better protect the quality of the water. BCLSS has provided us with a list of groups that provided funding for projects such as this. (They also indicated that this initiative has been successfully done in other lake areas because ranchers want clean water too.) 
5. Creating a water flow from the Little Lake to Meadow Creek. Brian Chan suggested that the reason for the significant fish kill in the Little Lake last winter was likely caused by a lack of flow in the lake. Earlier in the year we had discussed this concern with Marg Sidney and she told us that putting a culvert under the beaver dam has worked in other areas. (BCLSS indicated that Green Lake had successfully dealt with a similar problem and have sent us contact information)

photo by Frank Morton

Posted by David Wyse, President, LLJCA