Memories of Skippy

Skippy lived a long and happy life at Lac Le Jeune, and sure appreciated all the pats, treats, hugs, and smiles you gave him over the years. He loved to ride in his "skippy mobile", an all terrain/all season stroller that we converted to the perfect solution for a 3-legged dog that wanted to go everywhere with us but couldn't do it on his own. He was photographed in that stroller by so many tourists passing through Lac Le Jeune that he must be in hundreds of photo albums around the world!

Skippy April 13, 1998 - August 6, 2010

Dog missing

During yesterday's thunder storm the Lorimer's dog jumped the fence and has been missing ever since. Kootenay is a German wire-haired pointer, brown and white, and is wearing an orange collar. If you have seen Kootenay please call Sylvia 250-318-2907 or email sylvia@webbedfeat.com

UPDATE August 6th:  Kootenay has been found! Thanks for your help!

Bear Aware

News Release:
Bear Aware Arrives in the Thompson Nicola Regional District

Kamloops. BC (22 July 2010) – Bear Aware is here! The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) is excited to announce a new partnership with the British Columbia Conservation Foundation (BCCF). The popular Bear Aware program will be available to residents of TNRD Member Municipalities and Electoral Areas throughout the summer and into the fall.

Bear Aware is an education program that works with communities to manage bear attractants. Attractants are things that bears eat in our communities such as garbage, tree fruit, bird feeders, pet foods, compost, beehives, barbeques, and almost anything else that is edible. Over 900 habituated bears are killed in BC each year. An habituated bear is a bear that is comfortable around humans. A food-conditioned bear relies on finding food near people. When bears become habituated and/or food-conditioned they may become a safety risk to people. .

Bear Aware is a program of the BCCF. Bear Aware strives to reduce the number of habituated bears and potential bear-human conflicts. The program has been effective in many B.C. communities. TNRD Bear Aware Community Coordinator Katelyn Leitch, plans on running an equally effective program in the TNRD. Katelyn will also be addressing the importance of responsible disposal of household waste as well as the negative environmental impacts of illegal dumping. These duties are unique to the TNRD Bear Aware program and complement some of the recent changes to the Regional District’s Solid Waste Management Plan.

Bear Aware works with communities in many different ways. Presentations, door to door campaigns, and garbage tagging are just a few examples. Bear Aware relies heavily on volunteer participation. If you would like to get involved in any of the above activities, you can contact Katelyn Leitch, TNRD Bear Aware Community Coordinator.

BC is bear country, so we will always be living with bears. We need to manage our attractants to keep bears out of our communities. Bear Aware and the TNRD thanks those residents that have kept their properties free of animal attractants.

To report damage caused by bears or human safety issues as well as illegal dumping, call the RAPP line at: 1-877-952-7277.

Be Bear Aware!
www.bearaware.bc.ca

For more information on how to manage attractants - contact bearaware@tnrd.bc.ca
and Katelyn Leitch at 250-319-6265

Campfires prohibited

This news release was just posted on the Wildfire Management Branch - Ministry of Forests and Range - Website:

KAMLOOPS - Effective at noon July 29, 2010, all open burning, including campfires and fireworks, will be prohibited across the Kamloops Fire Centre's jurisdiction to help prevent human-caused wildfires and protect public safety.

The fire danger rating is currently high to extreme across the Kamloops Fire Centre making the risk of a campfire sparking a wildfire a concern to forest officials. Resources from the Kamloops Fire Centre have responded to 55 campfire related incidents so far this season. This takes away valuable resources that are needed to respond to naturally occurring wildfires.

This ban applies to open fires of any size, including campfires, fires with a burn registration number and industrial burning, fireworks, tiki torches and burning barrels.

The ban does not apply to cooking stoves that use gas, propane or briquettes, or to portable campfire apparatus with a CSA or ULC rating using briquettes, liquid or gaseous fuel, as long as the flame is kept under 15 centimetres in length.

The ban covers all of the Kamloops Fire Centre's jurisdiction. Within this area, the ban covers all BC Parks, Crown and private lands, but does not apply within the boundaries of local governments that have forest fire prevention bylaws and are serviced by a fire department. Please check with civic authorities for any restrictions before lighting a fire.

Anyone found in violation of an open fire ban, including campfires, may be issued a ticket for $345. Should a wildfire occur as a result of recklessness, a person can be fined up to $1 million or spend three years in prison and be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

The ban will be in place until September 30, 2010, or until the public is otherwise notified.

The Kamloops Fire Centre covers an area from the northern border of Wells Gray Park, north of Blue River to the US border in the south, and from the Bridge River Glacier west of Goldbridge to the Monashee Mountains east of Lumby.

To report a wildfire or unattended campfire please call *5555 on your cell or toll-free 1 800 663-5555.

New Transfer Station Hours

The TNRD has issued new transfer station hours which will begin on Wednesday July 28th. They are following the results of our survey.  

The new hours will be: 

Wednesdays from 8:00 am - 12 noon and on Sundays from 9:00 am until 1:00 pm. 
The hours will remain the same throughout the year.

Raw Food Class

Julie Bayman, a recognized Alissa Cohen Raw Food Chef and Instructor from Pure Cuisine, is coming to Lac Le Jeune to offer a Smoothies and Deserts raw food class.

When: August 22, 1:00 - 3:00pm
Where: Lucy Lindros' house

We'll be making chocolate cherry bomb smoothies, banana ice cream, coconut cream pie, and MORE. As part of the day we are also planning a bike ride around the lake in the morning 9:00 - 11:00am to work up an appetite. Optional of course!

If you are interested in taking this class contact Lucy Lindros: lindy17@telus.net

LLJCA Annual General Meeting

Lac Le Jeune Conservation Association 

Annual General Meeting

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Lac Le Jeune Resort

(downstairs - use outside entrance)

10:00am - 12:00pm

A barbecue will follow the meeting

AGENDA

Annual outdoor music concert

All residents of Lac Le Jeune were invited to attend the private music festival tonight. Following the original notice about the concert there was a brief flurry of email from residents. Some individuals were opposed to the idea, citing possible violation of criminal code. Others stepped forward to add their vote of approval, emphasizing that live music in our community is not an everyday event and, furthermore, we were given plenty of notice. 

As of 9am today, the results of the public poll show support for the outdoor music concert, with 76% in favour or indifferent, and 22% opposed:

How do you feel about an annual, evening, outdoor music concert hosted at a LLJ residence?

• I like it 38 (57%)
• I don't like it 15 (22%)
• Doesn't matter to me 13 (19%)

Votes so far: 66

Unfortunately, it's impossible for everyone to be happy with the outcome. Nevertheless, it has been useful to openly discuss issues that are important to us in our community.

Late afternoon concert

If you happen to be out on the lake or wandering down Water Street Thursday, July 8 at 4:30pm, stop to listen to Patchestra, an eight-piece string quartet that will be playing on Hugh and Pat Burton's deck for a private party. What a relaxing way to spend the afternoon!

Happy Canada Day

Happy Canada Day from Skippy and his friends