Lac Le Jeune FireSmart - Help is Available!

Please be advised our neighbor at the ski hill is opening up their property to accept wood waste, these piles will be burnt this upcoming fall. 

Old ski hill will be open to accept wood waste following 3 weekends:

• August 17 - 17
• August 23 - 24
• August 30 - 31

Please contact either Dean Redknap or Clay Govett for access.

• Dean (250-819-1900) 
• Clay (250-819-4779) 

REQUESTS: 

• Open to local residents only 
• Clean wood, branches, limbs, needles (no construction waste) 
• Please dump as close to an existing pile as possible, preferably between them. 

Additional Resources available 

• 2 of the Local Firesmart Representatives listed on the Firesmart BC website are available for educational walk thru of your property - on a volunteer basis! 
  • Bill Miller (bill.miller@ubc.ca)
  • Clay Govett (clay.govett@gmail.com)
• Should you require formal assessments for any reason, fees may be applicable.  
• The Local Firesmart Committee is offering to "call to arms" local volunteers to assist with fire mitigation of local properties for those whom may need some assistance, Contact Bruce Mitchell to offer your assistance or request for some help. 
• Bruce Mitchell (brucej53@telus.net)
• Scott Alan has secured "preferred pricing" for local residents, Scott has access to fire pumps, hose, fittings, sprinkler systems and much more! 
• Scott Alan (250-862-1239)
• Both Dean and Clay have contracting companies that can assist with tree falling, pruning, etc and removal, again we are prepared to offer preferred rates for fellow residents. 

 -- Clay Govett -- 

Save the Date! Conservation Association AGM

"Save the Date" CC-BY 2.0 by wuestenigel

The 2022 Lac Le Jeune Annual General Meeting will be held Sunday, September 18 at 10:00 am. Agenda and details to follow.

BC Hydro Scheduled Power Outage

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

There is a scheduled power outage planned for Lac Le Jeune so that work can be done on equipment.

When: Jul 18, 9:00 a.m. to Jul 18, 3:00 p.m. 

Regions: 

• Logan Lake
• Merritt
• Mamette Lake
• Chuwhels Mountain

FireSmart: There's No Place Like Home!

 

Thanks so much to everyone who has been rolling up their sleeves and applying the FireSmart principles in and around their yards (Zone 0-2)! It’s time to move to the edges of our yards and into our community (Zone 3: 30 – 100m). Things to think about in Zone 3 are much the same as in Zone 2, it is about removing low hanging branches within 2m of the ground, spacing trees 3m apart and removing smaller coniferous trees that could act as a ladder up to the branches of larger trees. Remember to consider the health of trees in this process and removing diseased trees over healthy ones! It is also important to consider our neighbourhood and the steps we can take to ensure that our street addresses are clearly marked and that we clear vegetation from access routes! 

Note: Want a deeper dive into these tips? Download the FireSmart Begins at Home Manual.  This manual outlines the steps you can take at home to reduce the potential impacts of wildfire.

There’s Something’s Happening Here! 

You may have noticed some work happening in and around Lac Le Jeune. In addition to what’s happening at the resort, BC Parks is working on the Parks side of the Gus Johnson trail and the Ministry of Forests has plans to undertake fuel reduction efforts. Julie Maxwell, Registered Professional Forester (RPF) and the Land and Resource Coordinator with the Ministry of Forests, joined the Lac Le Jeune FireSmart Committee (LLJFSC) meeting in April to share plans for fuel reduction. The map below outlines about 30 hectares of Crown Land around Walloper Lake that is scheduled for spacing and fuel reduction this year and further areas that will have treatment in 2023. 

To support community efforts, the LLJFSC is working with regional and provincial partners to help mitigate the risks in our community! Locally, the Committee has a few additional things underway: 

• We now have 3 trained FireSmart Representatives who will be able to help homeowners identify priorities for managing wildfire fuels on their property. We are planning a series of pilot assessments in June. Watch these updates for how to access this service! 
• We are working on accessing a chipper to help homeowners remove excess brush from properties.
• We are putting together a list of fire suppression equipment and pricing to assist in planning for and accessing necessary equipment and supplies.
• We have representatives from each neighbourhood in the LLJ area - except Walloper Lake and the little lake: 
• LLJ Subdivision: Clay Govett & Dean Redknap 
• Lookout Road: Jim Phillips and Bill Miller 
• Rainbow Drive/Water Street: Brian Gordon 
• LLJ Road East: Glenn Sparrow, Brad Smith 
• Cowan Pond: Chris Murray 

• Stay tuned for an upcoming Lac Le Jeune FireSmart Community meeting – date, time and location to be announced soon! We hope you will join us and learn more about how you can take action to keep your home and our community safe! 

Calling All Walloper Lake Residents!

 

The Lac Le Jeune FireSmart Committee is looking for a representative from Walloper Lake to join community FireSmart efforts! Please contact Bruce Mitchell (brucej53@telus.net) or Colleen Kennedy (colleenkennedy.apple@icloud.com) to learn more!

FireSmart: Zoning Out!

In the last post, we explored FireSmart Zones 0 and 1.  So...you've got the area immediately around your house cleaned up and the yard closest to your house is golden, now is the time to move a little further out in your yard to the 10-30m area (or Zone 2 in FireSmart)!

In this zone, you really want to think about tree spacing (3m apart for coniferous trees) and pruning the tree branches within 2m of the ground. This step may involve removing smaller coniferous trees that could allow fire to move into the treetops. You don’t need to clear cut your yard here, this is about selectively removing trees to protect your home, while still maintaining Lac Le Jeune’s natural beauty! 

Not sure how to prune your large trees? The FireSmart guide even provides tips and tricks for that! There is also a wonderful landscaping guide and hub to help shape your future choices! 

Note: Don’t want to wait until our next FireSmart Tip? You can go right to the FireSmart site and download the FireSmart Begins at Home Manual. This manual outlines the steps you can take at home to reduce the potential impacts of wildfire. Watch for a print copy on your door step in the coming weeks – if you we haven’t already reached your house!  

Handyperson Wanted

"Toolbox" https://flic.kr/p/c4QJzC

Looking for a person to help out with general maintenance like painting, landscaping, splitting wood, etc.

Preferably someone who lives at Lac Le Jeune or the surrounding area.

If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Brian @ 604 841-9572.

Lake Monitoring: All the Cool Kids Are Doing It! Training Date Set!

We are delighted to report that the LLJ Lake Monitoring program is back in action!  The probe is working and we were able to get measurements on the big lake in January and February, but we need your help.  We are still looking for volunteers to assist with this important program to ensure our lake stays healthy. 

With a few more volunteers,it will only be a teeny, tiny commitment to participate! We have a training date set (Thursday, May 12, 2022 @ 7:00 pm - 3840 Rainbow Drive on the lakeside lower deck) and will provide all the resources you need. All you need to do is volunteer a few hours of your time!  

Come on out, join us and learn more (and we promise there will be treats). As an added bonus, you have an excuse to get out on the lake (either summer or winter)! 

Please contact Colleen Kennedy (colleenkennedy.apple@icloud.com or 778-921-0095) if you are interested in learning more!  Can’t make the orientation on the 12th? No worries, we can also provide 1:1 training at a later date. If you are signing up, please advise if you have access to an ice auger for the winter monitoring. For those who have already signed up – we’ve got you! 

Help wanted at Cowan Pond log cabins

 "We are hiring" by focusonmore.com

The log cabins on Cowan Pond (formerly Woody Life Resort) are now under new ownership and doing vacation rentals. We are looking for a supervisor to assist in managing 22 – 30 cabins. We are also looking for someone to do minor repairs and painting for both cabins and our amenity building. 

For more information, please contact Mona Murray – mona@mcmrealestate.ca or phone 250-319-0813.

Want to Play in the Lake?

                                                                                                               Image: Ron Lyster, 2021

Are you looking for an excuse to get out on the lake? If so, we hope you will join us and volunteer for the Lac Le Jeune Lake Monitoring Program. This initiative helps measure the health of our two lakes by lowering a probe into the lake to capture information like temperature and dissolved oxygen!

The old adage rings true - many hands make light work! So, with just a few more community volunteers, the time commitment of each person will be less than 2-3 hours per year!  The good news is that the fabulous Hugh Burton is planning a brief orientation session in the coming weeks (date and times to be finalized) and he will teach you everything you hoped to learn and more! 

If you are interested in joining us, please e-mail colleenkennedy.apple@icloud.com with your phone number and preferred e-mail address and we will notify you when the orientation is happening!