Congratulations to speed skating medal winners!

Several speed skaters from Lac Le Jeune won medals at the January 10th Logan Lake LOop event, a regional competition.

Foster Wynne won gold in the peewee boys category and Gillian Mitchell won for peewee girls. Evan Wynne won gold for bantam boys. Sylvia Currie skated to bronze in the masters women. Don't ask how many women were in that category! :-)

Doggy care in Lac Le Jeune

Debra Miller, a Lac Le Jeune resident, is offering this really useful mobile doggy care service. After getting numerous requests from friends over the years, Debra finally turned her long-time hobby and passion into a business and walk the dog was born.

Walk the dog believes a good dog is a well-exercised dog! A firm believer in Cesar Millan’s (the dog whisperer) philosophy, exercise, discipline, and affection, in that order, are the cornerstones of a happy, balanced, and healthy canine. Adequate exercise, socialization and positive reinforcement are key. Whether your pooch needs a stroll around the block or a vigorous hike, a number of different services are offered geared towards your dog’s specific needs.

Services

• Potty Break
• Neighborhood Walks
• Hikes/Park Trips
• Pet Sitting
• Pick-up and drop-off services (vets’ office or groomers)
• Kitty visits

walk the dog
walkthedog.debra@yahoo.com
250.374.8135

Submitted by Debra Miller
Photo of Skippy by Frank Morton

Moose spotting

Fortunately, Hana Struss had a camera with her on a walk yesterday. She came across this moose on the little lake lower road.

Photo by Hana Struss

Reminder about leghold traps

Trapping season is here again. Be watchful for leghold traps when you are out enjoying the winter. There are 3 LEGAL traplines that impact our area. My last reply from Barry Penner stated that the government is not prepared to make any changes to trapping regulations as trapping is such a small industry. Please remind friends or folks you meet out in the woods, especially people with dogs and/ or children. Most of the traps that have been seen around here are right next to logging roads that are accessible by truck or snowmobile. They are often baited with cow legs etc. Any dog is going to be curious. Please be careful.

Submitted by Bev Lorimer

New recycling and garbage program

Beginning January 2nd disposing of garbage will cost money. Unfortunately, recycling doesn't get any easier...yet. Here's the program in a nutshell:

Pay-as-you-Throw
All of these items can be recycled.
• Newspaper
• Paper (like junk mail, phone books, greeting cards, computer paper, etc)
• Boxboard (like cereal boxes, shoe boxes, etc)
• Tin and aluminum cans (labels and lids are ok)
• Plastics numbered 1-7 (discard caps, rinse containers)
• Plastic film, like plastic bags
• Magazines and books
• Corrugated cardboard
• Glass (jars, bottles -- no ceramics or other glass)

At this point we don't have a "blue bag" recycling program at the Lac Le Jeune transfer station. When we get that progam we'll be able to dispose of an unlimited number of clear or blue garbage bags filled with the first 7 items (unsorted) from the above list. Corrugated cardboard and glass must be separate.

The rest of your garbage must be bagged. The cost to dispose of the bags depends on size:
4 kitchen catcher bags = $1
2 large kitchen bags = $1
1 standard garbage bag = $1
1 oversized garbage bag = $2

But don't bring cash! You need to purchase an Eco-Card from *most* municipal offices or one of these retailers.
Will this program will work? TNRD makes a few claims:
• It's an alternative to increasing taxes to cover costs of garbage removal
• It will reduce waste by as much as 40%

Gripes:
• We have to drive to purchase an Eco-Card. Why not offer it online? Or at the transfer stations?
• The Eco-Cards are only available at some municipal offices; why not all of them?
• Purchasing PLASTIC bags to package up our recycling seems conterintuitive.
• We need to drive over 30 kilometres to dispose of materials for recycling.

Fears:
• We will see more garbage on the side of the road. As it is there is an alarming amount of garbage thrown out of car windows, especially on Lac Le Jeune Road.

How do you feel about this new program?

Donate to the Children's Hospital Foundation

Merry Christmas - Joyeux Noël! BC Hydro is committed to raising $1 million for the Children's Hospital Foundation this season. All you have to do is visit this site to drop a coin in the slot. There is no cost to you, and the website is pretty cool. Spread the word!

Thanks to Lucy Lindros for the link!

Burn Site

Please respond to our poll! At a recent meeting of the Lac Le Jeune Conservation Society one of the items for discussion was the pine beetle burn site. We have permission to use this site, however we have some details to work out such as liability insurance, monitoring, timeline, etc. Before we go ahead with further action, the most important question is how many people would actually use this site.

Respond to the poll before January 30, 2009 and add your comments to the blog (click the "comments" link below this article). We look forward to your feedback!

2009 Polar-thon

Registration is open for the 2009 Polar-thon!

This annual family event will be held January 11th and is organized in conjunction with with the Logan Lake Polar Carnival, a 36 year old tradition at Logan Lake. The Polar-thon is a winter triathlon, combining

• 3 km ice skate (any style)
• 5 km run (in 2.5 k intervals) , and
  
• 4 km ski (freestyle or classic)

Come enjoy the great outdoors and get some exercise! Prizes are given for various age and team categories. The new prizes this year are Best Costume and Best Team Costume.

You can register online or download and print the brochure (PDF) to mail, fax, or hand deliver. Register by January 2th for early bird registration fees: $25 for individuals and $40 for teams. Team registrations must be completed by noon on January 9th.

Race day registration & bib pickup is from 8:00am - 8:30am and the awards & draw prizes from Runners Sole will be held at 11:00am at the Logan Lake Recreation Centre.

Overlander Ski Passes

It's time to register for club membership and early bird ski passes at Stake Lake trails. Follow the link to register online on the Overlander Ski Club website.

Now we just have to wait for snow!

Halloween

Happy Halloween! There were some amazing costumes this year. I didn't even recognize this character with the mask until I heard his giggle. Seeing the dad in the background helped. :-)