Invitation to connect from Ron McGivern

I was delighted to receive this note from Ron McGivern, candidate for TNRD Director, Area J. I thought the best way to get the word out about Ron's willingness to connect with members of the Lac Le Jeune community was to simply copy his message to the blog. With his permission, here it is:

I would like to introduce myself. My name is Ron McGivern, and my family and I live in Cherry Creek on a small acreage. We have an active rural lifestyle, complete with horses, chickens, dogs, cats, and who knows what else will show up. Two 4H steers are coming in a few weeks. We are both leaders in 4H; my wife Marie is President of the Kamloops and District 4H council, and I am an A leader with a local club. (We always welcome new members by the way, both horse and outdoor living-sheesh, had to get the plug in). I am the Academic Director, Faculty of Arts with Thompson Rivers University. 

I understand the challenges faced by rural and small community residents, and would like to be your voice within the TNRD. I note solid waste is an issue with your community, as with many others in the TNRD. In others it is water, sanitation (septic), small business and of course the latest issue thrown at us all- the Ajax Mine proposal. By the way, I am far from being convinced this proposal is of benefit to us in Area J. Conversations with folks on Goose Lake Road ( in the middle of it all) have informed me of the incredible impact this will have in Area J. 

If any of your neighbours would like to get to know me, I can certainly try to come by Lac Le Jeune for a chat before the election. We can schedule that! Otherwise, please have your neighbours contact me if they have any questions of myself and my candidacy. 

Regards, Ron

You might also enjoy reading Ron's blog: Tales From Hobby Farm Hell. Lots of good belly laughs!

Overlander Ski Club Update

Here's an update from Dwayne Geiger of the Overlander Ski Club.

The chill is in the air and the ski season is right around the corner. In preparation for what is shaping up to be another great season please note the following important reminders: 

• This Saturday: October 29th, 2011, Ski/Winter Swap Heritage House, Upper Lounge 100 Lorne St. Drop Off: 8:30 - 10:00 am. Doors Open: 10:15 am. Sales close at Noon. Volunteers always appreciated. Contact: Dana dmanhard@shaw.ca 

• Overlander Trail Clean Up and Maintenance Day November 5. Set aside a few "healthy" hours. For more information see website updates.

• Early Bird Rates in effect until November 13. No Price increases for 2011/2012 Please feel free pass this email on to all friends, family and colleagues in order to build Overlander Ski Club.

October at LLJ

Photo by Hana Struss

Walking Sticks and Canes

Terry has a new hobby making walking sticks and canes. You can buy one for $20 to $25 or have one custom made. Call Terry at 250 374 8432.

Lac Le Jeune Shoreline

Disturbing 

October 13 Rural alliances protest at TNRD

I am passing along this notice concerning the Rural alliances protest at TNRD re solid waste management /consultation Oct 13, 2011

Members of the Pritchard rural alliance are spear heading an action to remind the TNRD that the rural residents of the TNRD are still looking for responses from them regarding the issues around closure of transfer stations and other issues such as the imposition of the Chase ecodepot on Pritchard residents despite their objections. The main point is to sit in on the meeting of the TNRD of Oct 13 at 1:30 and there will be some information handouts and picketing just before the meeting. 

This is a good opportunity to have a show of numbers to indicate just how many rural communities have been negatively affected by the TNRD solid waste management plan as elections are only a few weeks away. Please inform residents in your community of this action and please come out to support if you can.

Ski season coming soon!

It's time to register for the 2011-2012 season at Overlander Ski Club. If you register online and by November 13th you'll save a few bucks.

Washer and Dryer

Free! 

Frigidaire front load washer and dryer set. 11 years old. The dryer works fine and has only been used occasionally. The washer drum has come loose and needs to be repaired. 

Pick up one or the other or both before September 30th. 

Contact Sylvia Currie, 250-377-0063, sylvia@webbedfeat.com

CONSERVATION

I would like to comment on the Lac Le Jeune CONSERVATION Association meeting last week.

The constitution of the LLJCA reads:

“The purposes of the association are:

a) To help ensure the protection and conservation of our physical environment: the air, water, forest, and wildlife that surround us.

b) To care for and preserve the natural beauty of Lac Le Jeune and surrounding area for the enjoyment and recreation of all.”

Have we as a group lost sight of the purposes of the association? I am concerned that our focus now seems to be on the residents rather than the environment in which we live. The fact that the presentation on the Ajax mine proposal was not included in the LLJCA meeting, the lack of interest shown by a few LLJCA members, including executive members, and the comment made that it was not in the association’s best interest to be part of the Ajax Mine discussion are all examples of the apparent lack of concern for the place in which we live.

There are many conservation issues that could be addressed at our local level. An example might be to inform/educate people about the fragile environment we live in. At the trailhead at Stake Lake there is a well done information board about the uses, history, plants and wildlife in the Stake Lake Trail system. A board like that would be beneficial at the trailhead of the Gus Johnson, the road to Rossmore Lake and/or the bottom of the old “racetrack” trail system by the little lake.

Maybe we should be looking at some trail enhancement, such as little bridges over wet areas or highly used places. At Hudson Bay Mountain in Smithers, the Mountain Bike Association has done an amazing job with the trails. They applied for and received considerable grant money for their trail work. Maybe there is some grant money that could be available to our community (in consultation with the appropriate government agencies) to hire people to help us improve the trail system here.

Many small communities build and maintain bluebird boxes. You will notice these on the fences on the way to Logan Lake and a few around the ski hill area here.

Another example might be to use our association to put pressure on the Forestry Ministry to ensure the surrounding logged areas are replanted in a “timely” manner. Take a drive out to some of the areas that were reforested 8-10 years ago and you will be amazed at the growth that has happened. We cannot see that here in our logged areas.

What about an information handout to new residents, covering topics like fire restrictions, maintaining range fences, appropriate care of septics, refuse care to avoid attracting our 4 legged friends, etc? When we built our house we had to sign off on a list of topics like this before we were given a building permit. I do not think that happens anymore.

As development in our area continues and it becomes a busier place, we need to establish stewardship of this beautiful place we are privileged to live in.

Submitted by Bev Lorimer, September 23, 2011

Resident since 2000

A friend and user of this area since 1988.

Lac Le Jeune Conservation Association AGM and Ajax Mine Discussion

Map of the Proposed Ajax Mine Site (click photo to enlarge)

For Lac Le Jeune residents who were unable to attend the AGM of the Lac Le Jeune Conservation Association on Saturday, September 17, minutes will be sent out to all residents via email by the association's secretary.

The discussion of the proposed Ajax Mine project and it's impact on our community was removed from the LLJCA proposed agenda by members of the executive and instead was held after the AGM had officially adjourned. A speaker from the Kamloops Area Preservation Association (KAPA), John Schleiermacher, was present to give residents an overview of the project and to address concerns by KAPA that complete information was not being provided by the Ajax Mine proponents. A representative from the Ajax Mine had also been asked to speak at this meeting, but declined. Foremost on the KAPA agenda is to gather signatures via petition and to encourage letter writing to request a more comprehensive review than the one currently being used to make the final decisions on this project. KAPA is pushing for transparency regarding the future operation of the mine, something all Kamloops and Lac Le Jeune residents deserve. Much of the information and the facts and figures that Mr. Schleiermacher provided in the meeting can be found on the KAPA website, Stop the Ajax Mine. Petitions were available to sign at the meeting which will be presented to the Kamloops City Council. Signatures on a petition for the TNRD have also been sent to Ronaye Elliott, our representative with TNRD, who was present for both the AGM and the Ajax Mine discussion afterward.

• If you have further questions about the Ajax Mine project for John Schleiermacher, he can be reached by email at johnschlr@aol.com.

• If you would like to gather signatures requesting that the city of Kamloops request a more comprehensive review of the project, please print the petition and circulate it for signatures. Completed petitions may be returned to John Schleiermacher (email him for his mailing address: johnschlr@aol.com ) or return them to Jenny or Jeff Perry (250-372-8612). Petitions may also be signed at the Kamloops Farmers' Market downtown on Saturdays.

• If you, as an individual, would like to send a letter requesting a more comprehensive review of the proposed Ajax Mine project, please print and mail this letter to the Honourable Peter Kent, Minister of Environment in Ottawa. This is a sample letter and may be edited to reflect your personal concerns about the proposed mine.

• And if you would like to view or print a brochure with concise information about the proposed project, it is now available here from the Stop the Ajax Mine website.

During the AGM, members were again reminded about the Lac Le Jeune - Life in our Community Blog as a resource for information about our community. If you're reading this now, please take a moment to bookmark this site and join via the link on the right sidebar. You can also add it to Google Reader or any other subscription service you may use. The Lac Le Jeune Blog also has an option to follow by email.