Welcome! BCIT students and instructors performing an expanded study

Those who follow the blog will know that a group of our residents, under the direction of Marge Sidney from the Ministry Of the Environment (MOE), have been monitoring the waters of both the main lake and the little lake for the last three and a half years. Over that time we have accumulated a lot of information on the temperature, oxygen concentration, nitrate and phosphate levels and the specific conductivity. Samples have also been taken using predetermined criteria that permit identification of the plankton and phytoplankton living in the lake. We have done a minimum of 12 samples per year from ice off to ice on. We have not done any sampling during the winter months nor have we gathered any information concerning the fish.

On Monday March 2, 2015 through to Wednesday March 4; a group of students and instructors from the British Columbia Institute of Technology, directed by Marge Sidney, will come to Lac Le Jeune to perform an expanded study under winter conditions.  In addition to what we have been doing, this study will include catching fish under the ice, aging them, sizing them relative to their age, examining stomach contents, and observing what parasites they might be subject to. The bottom of the lake will be dredged in several places, which will permit evaluation benthic sediments in terms of the number and types of organisms residing there and the nutrient and minerals that are sequestered there.

Plankton, phytoplankton and invertebrate organisms will be collected from several sites around the lake using special vertical and horizontal traps. Since these are the organisms which make up the base of the food chain, information on the types present and their numbers is invaluable to maintaining a viable fishery.

The group will also carry out the same profiles we have been doing which will give information on the winter conditions that we were unable to do. We are most fortunate to have BCIT do this comprehensive winter study as it will add greatly to the information we have gathered over the past three and a half years.

Marge Sidney is really hoping that as many residents as possible will come out to witness the proceedings. The most interesting part will probably be the placement of the fish nets early Monday afternoon. There is a shallow set and a deeper set put out through holes cut in the ice with a chain saw. There will be two holes for each set separated by many metres. The nets themselves will be installed between these holes using a special tool called a jigger board. It is designed to crawl from one hole to the next just under the ice carrying the net with it. The nets are left out overnight and retrieved the next day hopefully containing fish. We will scout out areas where fish are numerous prior to deployment.

Hope to see you there, it should be interesting and instructive.

~ submitted by Hugh Burton ~ 

Have you seen Hardy?

UPDATE: HARDY HAS BEEN FOUND. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!

Charlene Hanuse is doggy sitting a 1 year old black lab named Hardy.  He got out and bolted around 5:30pm today (February 15).

If you spot him, please all Charlene at 250-572-6245.

He is harmless, but probably a little scared.

Unfortunately, we don't have a photo at this time.

Lac Le Jeune (Fish Lake or Trout Lake) History - The Baby Camp

Here are some interested snippets about Lac Le Jeune's early history.

---

A note of Isobel Maclean (daughter of Sidney C. Burton and his wife Jane Ann) written - June 1996

Lac Le Jeune - The Baby Camp 

Several people have asked me if I remember the Baby Camp at Trout Lake. 

I do have memories of it but am afraid this information may be a bit inaccurate. 

The year was probably 1912? The idea was to give babies and young children a place to recover from childhood ills aggravated by the Kamloops heat. 

The camp sponsored by a church group (?) was half way along the back road on the down side. It consisted of wooden platforms with a tent over the ridge pole, each had a stove. There were at least six of these. 

Tents were taken down over the winter but the platforms remained. This camp did not last too many years. The women probably got too lonely or found it a hardship, carrying water from the lake and cooking and caring for small children in primitive conditions. 

The tents finally disappeared and the platforms left to the elements and any camper who needed a few bits of lumber. 

Those remaining platforms were a great place to play! 

---

From the Kamloops Standard - 04 November 1913 - p. 11 - Tuesday

Lac Le Jeune - Fish Lake - Babies' Summer Camp - 1913 

Babies' Summer Camp -- Donations Are Urgently Needed for Valuable Work

The following is the financial statement of the "Babies' Summer Camp" that was established this summer at Fish Lake by some of our prominent lady citizens. The receipts from subscriptions paid up are $521.75, to which can be added $48.50 for subscriptions promised but not yet collected.

There will, therefore, be a total of $570.25 receipts while expenditures for the building, six house tents and furnishings amount to $621.25, leaving a deficit of $51 which has to be met.

The committee consisting of Mesdames H.M. Fulton, Harriet A. Syme, V.T. Lee, E.J. Lee, F.E.H. Morley will be glad to receive more subscriptions as there are many other things that are required yet for the camp. The committee also wish to thank all those who have already so generously subscribed towards the movement which is an estimable one in every way.

~ submitted by Neil Burton

Have you seen Luke?

UPDATE FEBRUARY 17: LUKE HAS BEEN FOUND, SAFE AND SOUND! 

UPDATE FEBRUARY 16: LUKE HAS BEEN SPOTTED IN KNUTSFORD. KEEP LOOKING!

One of the TRU Animal Health Technology program dogs has gotten loose. He is a Husky, black and white and has a collar and leash attached. He is timid but likes other dogs.

If you see him please call us at 250-572-5914 (Sonia) or 250-828-5174 (TRU - AHT building) or 250-320-5578 (Erica).

 He was last seen February 12th in the Springhill area by Kamloops Bylaw officers at around 1:45pm.

Mailboxes...again

Our mailboxes have been broken into again. Leslee Lucy spoke to the postal worker who delivers our mail, and it appears the mailboxes were broken into sometime between yesterday's delivery and today's. The mail will not be delivered until the community mailboxes are repaired.

This is happening frequently. We should all check our mail daily. Some residents have opted to pick up mail in Kamloops.

Thanks to Leslee and others who passed along information about the community mailbox issues today!

Food Bank Day - Free Skiing

Head over to Stake Lake for free cross-country skiing on Sunday, February 8. Instead of purchasing a trail pass, bring a donation to the Food Bank. Here is the top 10 list of foods they are always looking for:

1. tomato sauce
2. peanut butter
3. canned fruit
4. baby food
5. canned vegetables
6. pasta
7. formula
8. rice
9. tuna
10. beans

Canadian Masters National Cross Country Ski Championships

Some big events coming to Stake Lake!

The Canadian Masters National Cross Country Ski Championships, hosted by the Overlander Ski Club will be held February 8 - 14, 2015. This event welcomes up to 500 skiers from across North America.

Here’s the competition schedule for the week:

Monday, 9 February 10:00 am. 10km and 20km Long Distance Classic
Tuesday 10 February Skiers day off Skiing/Exploring Kamloops
Wednesday 11 February 10:00 am. 5km and 10km Short Distance Classic
Thursday: 12 February 10:00 am. 5km and 10km Short Distance Skate
Friday: 13 February Skiers day off Skiing/Exploring Kamloops
Saturday: 14 February 10:00 am. 10km and 20km Long Distance Skate

Are you available to help out? Follow the link for volunteers.

The Masters will be followed by the Overlander Loppet on February 15. The Loppet has a rich history in the community and has always been a very successful event with over 200 participants taking part in the 30 km skating race.

Logan Lake Polar Carnival 2015

Polar Carnival Buttons are on sale NOW at Esso, Grocery store, IDA, WHY, and a few other Locations around Logan Lake. You will require a button to participate in many events.

These are just some of the events. Check the Logan Lake Wellness Health and Youth Society (WHY) website for updates and details.

Thursday February 5 

• International night starts at 5pm... Participating restaurants: 
• Old Village Café-Ukrainian
• Black Bull-Italian
• Aardvarks-Thai, 
• Little Baileys-Greek

LL High School

• 430-530 Literacy Family Night. 

Black Bull and Pick n' Shovel

• Darts 7pm

50/50 Draw starts (get tickets at the WHY)
Scavenger Hunt starts (pick up sheets @ WHY or HUB International by 4pm)

Friday February 6

LL Elementary school

• 6pm grad class concession/bake sale 
• 6-7pm Kids Carnival games, magician& Fun Zone blow up 7-745pm Family glow stick dance 

LL Seniors Centre

• 6:30-9pm Social (wine&cheese) Music by Fern 

Saturday February 7

LL Seniors Centre

• 8-11am Pancake Breakfast (must have Polar Carnival Button) 
• Horse drop Bingo Squares for sale 

LL Library

• 11am -1pm Polar Carnival Posters/videos 

Rec Centre Outdoors

• 12-2pm Family games ( see flyer for a list of games) 
• Adult warming station at fire pit 
• 1pm Horse drop Bingo 
• 2pm Chili cook off (judging) 

Rec Center Indoors

• Hockey games throughout the day 
• Minor Hockey concession open 
• 12-2pm Face painting 
• 1:00 pm LL Arts Council Arts and Crafts (curling viewing area) 
• 130-3pm Scavenger Hunt winner announced 
• 1:45pm Polar Carnival Passport station open (bring your passport and receive a treat) 
• 50/50 Draw at end of day (if not claimed number will be posted at the WHY)

Questions? call the WHY office at 250.523.6229

Citizens On Patrol

Have you noticed this sign by our mailboxes? The Citizens on Patrol Program (COPP) involves keeping a neighbourly watch over their communities in an effort to reduce crime. In Lac Le Jeune, Coleen Krawchuk and Carolyn Chandler have been patrolling the area over the past year to watch for any unusual activity. The role of Citizens on Patrol is to simply observe and report back to the police anything that might require follow-up.

This program is always looking for volunteers. It's a great way to give back to the community, and at the same time hang out with chums for a few hours each month :)

Improving information for snowmobilers

This request, posted to the Kamloops Snowmobile Association website before the new year, caught my attention:

(from the KSA News: Private Land Issue)

I have property at Lac Le Jeune at the west end of the lake. each year I have problems with snowmobilers trespassing on my private property. I have it signed and posted with No Snowmobiling or No trespassing signs. It seems as if once they get on a machine they lose their ability to read. Have you any suggestions to alleviate the problem? 

The Ridge Mountain Forest Service Road goes through our place, and as long as they stay on the part of the road that is not maintained I have no problem, but unfortunately, many of them do not. I do not want to involve the police, and with help I would rather solve the problem at this level. 

I would appreciate a response so we could talk this over. I realize that it is probably not your members that create a problem but maybe they have some ideas that would help 

Thank you very much 

Jocko Creek Ranch

https://flic.kr/p/bnYwVa

I don't know the outcome of this request, but it occurs to me that signage isn't the complete solution. The question of where snowmobiles are permitted in the Lac Le Jeune area has been raised over the years. Some areas are obviously off limits, yet in other areas it's not always clear. For example from the lake, snowmobilers often weave in and out of the provincial park. There are no signs; they might not even know it's a park.

It seems that anyone venturing out on snowmobiles in a new area would first research trails systems and locate the staging areas. As someone who knows very little about snowmobiling, I thought I would do a quick search to see what information is readily available.

I started with the Kamloops Snowmobile Association (KSA) website since they have a stewardship role. This is the description of the Lac Le Jeune area on the Kamloops Snowmobile Association website:

Located 20 minutes south of Kamloops, the Lac Le Jeune area snowmobile trails run generally towards the south and east of Lac Le Jeune. The elevation is 1300m to 1680m, there are many other users in the immediate area of Lac Le Jeune that must be respected. There are cross country ski trail systems and local residents. This area is managed by agreement with the KSA (Kamloops Snowmobile Association) and MoTSA (Ministry of Tourism, Sports, and the Arts. Once you are far enough south of Lac Le Jeune conflicts are not an issue (obey signage). The ungroomed trail system runs through picturesque rolling plateau terrain on unplowed forest industry and ranching roads, through numerous meadow complexes, lakes and old forest fire burns. Sightings of moose are common in this area, ice fishing is also popular. This area is also accessed through Edith Lake and Rossmore Lake.

The Sun Peaks section on the KSA site includes maps in various formats: PDF for download, GPX for GPS devices, and KML for importing to Google Earth. That's useful! But nothing for Lac Le Jeune.

The next logical step was to check the Ministry of Tourism, Sports, and the Arts referred to on the KSA website. It's now called Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. That ministry doesn't seem to deal with anything related to snowmobiling. Rather, the focus is on competitive sports.

I then checked the BC Recreation Sites and Trails website,  which is part of the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Operations. Oh good, it's an interactive site! I clicked on "planning your trip" then selected activity type: Snowmobiling and region: Southern Interior West. No mention of Lac Le Jeune... or Logan Lake... hmmm.

The advice on the BC Snowmobiling page on the Ministry of Environment website (so many ministries, so little time! :D) gives the following advice for people exploring new areas:

• actively seek out local recreation maps for the area you will be visiting 
• respect and protect all local land use signage 
• avoid entering designated non-motorized areas 

https://flic.kr/p/eQsEFe

This is good advice if you have 1) maps, and 2) good signage. It would also be helpful if they would provide links to places you can find these recreation maps. A search looped me back to the BC Recreation Sites and Trails website. Sigh.

As far as I can tell, from the KSA website and other recreation and government sites, there are no area maps available for Lac Le Jeune. There are also no concise resources that educate visitors and newcomers to our area about where snowmobiles are permitted. I found lots of websites, loops, broken links, and heaps of descriptive text -- it's a lot to navigate and make sense of. And in the end, none of it was helpful for someone considering a snowmobile trip to the Lac Le Jeune area.

It seems better information (along with good signage) would be a big step in the right direction to solving this problem.

Help please! Where can we find useful information and maps for visitors and newcomers to Lac Le Jeune? If it doesn't exist, how can we work together to create it? 

Sylvia Currie