Category: Quarterly Newsletter

Meeting Highlights from this Quarter

• Annual General Meeting: Our AGM was held on Wednesday, August 25 at 7 pm at the Bridge Lake School. All incumbents accepted re-election into their positions for another 2 year term with the exception of Website Director, which will be take over by Sharron now that Al Wallewein has left the area. Marie Wallewein will remain in her current position of co-chair for the second year of her term. It was noted that Bev Sinclair has taken on Dave’s last name and our website will be revised to show here as Bev Woods, Executive at Large.
• The BC Lake Stewardship Society (BCLSS) has completed the Lac des Roches report and it is quite informative. Our group was asked for input and some feedback was incorporated into the final draft. We have agreed among the executive to send a $50 donation to the BCLSS as a token of our appreciation for all the copies of the LdR report they sent us
• Our unofficial Land Use Plan (and community care) document is just about ready for distribution and we will be sending it to the following;
  • Bruce Rattray, CRD Area L Director
  • Rick Brundage, CRD Planner
  • Donna Barnett, MLA
  • Marg Sidney, Min of Environment (Lake Stewardship)
  • Steve Maricle, Min of Environment (Fisheries)
  • Michelle Schilling, Min of Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Cathy McLeod, MP
  • Roger Packham, Min of Environment
  • Tbd, Min of Forest & Range (!00 Mile House)

  Copies of the Lac des Roches BC Lake Sterwardship Report will accompany the ULUP.

• Membership renewal: Membership reported at the Annual General Meeting totaled 81.
• Finances are relatively healthy for the society with a bank cash balance between $900 and $1,000.
• Logging: There is planned logging along Highway 24, between Lac des Roches and Birch Lake, to within 400 meters of Birch Lake cabins. A map with explanations was posted on our website.
• Action is slow on the speed reduction initiative for Little Lac des Roches, but Bill is In contact with Cathy McLeod’s office and Bruce Rattray.

Around the Lakes …

• Lake monitoring: Lake water quality testing is complete for the year. All data has been forwarded to the Ministry of Environment. Thanks are owed to all the volunteers who take the time to monitor the lake conditions for the Ministry.
• Loon chick survival this year was low. One chick survived at Rock Island and in Birch Lake. Other nests were swamped by high water and eggs were likely lost to predators.

Other Stuff …

• Telephone tree – There is a desire to re-establish a neighbourhood telephone tree for urgent messaging throughout the community in case of emergencies or suspicious activity. Anyone interested in being included on the communication chart can call Sharron at 593-0041 for more information.
• Visual inventory – The public was invited to submit input into the 100 Mile Forest District’s Inventory of sensitive areas. Links to the maps were provided through our website. Thanks to all the members and residents who passed on their comments to the consultant.
• Member alerts – Messages or information which may be of interest to our members are being sent out via email with the subject heading “Member Alert”. Any member not interested in receiving these emails may advise us to alter our distribution list.

Meeting Highlights from this Quarter

• Muddy Lake Development impacts: The subdivision at the headwaters of Lac des Roches is expanding with all the available land being turned into strata-titled residential lots. The fenced piece of waterfront land on Little Lac des Roches that is defined as common property for the 53 strata-title lot owners, is a concern to many residents in the area. Added boat traffic on the little lake and through the shallow channel to access the big lake is expected to have a negative impact on the environment, waterfowl and wildlife in the area. The society was disappointed to learn there is no public consultation or hearing process for the use of common property, such as this waterfront land, unless it involves re-zoning. The anticipated upcoming public hearing on the rezoning of the last 11 lots does not include the Little Lac des Roches waterfront land. Its ownership and use is a “done deal”. Residents are encouraged to attend the hearing (yet to be scheduled) to be informed of the developer’s plans.
• Public Access – Boat Lauch #7: Sanitary concerns and pressure on the shallow channel prompted the society to request improvements to the boat launch and public access at the west end of Lac des Roches. Communication with the Ministry of Highways revealed that there have been concerns raised recently by users of Lac des Roches from several other communities. In particular, residents from Clearwater have requested improvements or an alternative boat launch with full sanitary facilities. One possibility raised was the development of the land reserve (ULEP) north of Eagle Island into a Provincial Park. Neither the Highways nor Parks officials have expressed any interest in spending money on public accesses at Lac des Roches. Under the “Adopt a Highway” program, the society could be granted permission to place a portable outhouse on the access, but the cost to the society of ongoing maintenance and liability insurance far exceeds our financial capabilities. Highways could install and maintain a bear proof garbage receptacle but area residents are concerned that this would encourage garbage dumping. Several McCarthy subdivision residents have voiced concern about the society encouraging increased use of Access #7 since there have been issues with camping, partying and garbage in the past. Further action by the society is suspended at this time.
• Annual General Meeting: Our AGM is on Wednesday, August 25 at 7 pm at the Bridge Lake School. There are Executive positions up for election and the society’s Optimum Land Use Plan and Community Care Plan will be presented along with other miscellaneous agenda items. We hope to see some members there this year!
• Annual Community Newsletter: The annual newsletter was reduced in size to make production and distribution to all residences around the lakes financially viable. The goal is to increase awareness of the Society and its work as well as reminding residents and lake users how we feel their membership to the Society will benefit them. This is the only document that we deliver “door-to-door”. Any residents not wishing to have the newsletter delivered to their cabin/lot/home can advise any executive member and our distribution list will be altered accordingly for future publications. The newsletter is published on our website.
• Land Use Plan: After hundreds of hours of research, writing and mapping, executive members have completed documenting the society’s ideas for the optimum use of the land in the Lac des Roches area. Since many community issues have been raised during the process which are not directly related to land use, the report will include both Land Use and Community Care ideas for distribution to several governing bodies of the area in both the Cariboo and Thompson-Nicola Regions. It is hoped that our suggestions for the area will be incorporated in some immediate solutions to “burning issues” and be considered for the next update to the Interlakes Official Community Plan or prompt the consideration of a joint OCP for Lac des Roches (Cariboo and Thompson-Nicola Regions), similar to the “flagship” join OCP that has been done for Green Lake and Watch Lake.
• Lake health check: The BC Lake Stewardship Society, in partnership with the Water Stewardship Branch of the Ministry of Environment has completed the report on Lac des Roches. The report incorporates data supplied from our Society’s water monitoring activity as well as extensive testing conducted by the Ministry for the last 3 years. The report will be linked from our website. Conclusions drawn from the report indicate that Lac des Roches is relatively healthy but needs to be cared for. The Ministry will revisit higher level testing in a few years.
• Speed reduction on Little Lac des Roches: Reducing the boating speed from 20 km/hr to 10 km/hr is still actively being pursued. Most residents seem to be in favour of this path, including the Resort owner, to protect the environment and personal property and improve safety on the lake.
• Insurance coverage and cost: The society is looking into availability and cost of liability insurance in order to be able to partake in the “adopt a highway” program and “director’s insurance” to protect executive members from personal liability when acting on behalf of the society. Initial investigation suggests that the cost would be prohibitive with our current source of revenue from membership dues and donations. Funding from community grants may be a possibility but requires further investigation and commitment from members.
• Membership renewal: Memberships continue to trickle in for the current year. Several members, in particular seasonal owners, have generously donated extra funds to keep our society financially viable. Thank you!
• Birch Lake road: The bridge on the access road into Birch Lake is being replaced by the residents of Birch Lake this summer. While there continues to be an issue of road ownership and maintenance, the residents banded together to replace the small wooden bridge for safety reasons.

Around the Lakes …

• Creel Reports and Fishing: Once again, Gordon Marshall has asked avid fishers around the lake to complete creel reports of their fishing results from Lac des Roches. The Ministry of Environment uses these reports to analyze the success of stocking programs.
• Lake monitoring and Loon surveys: Lake water quality testing is underway on all four lakes. Thanks to Barry Reid and Lois Motz for taking on the task at Little Lac des Roches, lake water quality testing is underway on all four lakes; LdR, Little LdR, Birch Lake and Phinetta Lake.
• Gunfire and shooting: Target shooting, vermin eradication and goose deterring are the most likely reasons for the rash of gunshots heard around the neighbourhood this spring and summer. Authorities have responded to public safety complaints of shooting outside the legal limits of shooting, near buildings. The 100 meter restriction is inadequate if care is not exercised when using firearms near public roads or populated areas. Please be careful and considerate of others if using firearms around the lake. Several close calls this summer could have ended in disaster.
• Road maintenance: Timing of this year’s grading and dust control (spraying of magnesium chloride) was perfect and has proven to be quite effective in controlling road dust. In previous years, unexpected rain immediately following the spraying seemed to dilute the mixture and render it relatively ineffective. Queries to the BC Lake Stewardship Society confirmed that this chemical mixture is not an environmental concern.

Other Stuff …

• Birding excursions: Wendy Marshall has been leading the Bridge Lake Naturalists Club on Monday morning birding excursions throughout the South Cariboo. Non members and new comers are made very welcome and may find this opportunity ideal to experience bird watching in the area.
• Postal changes: A change in the rural postal service has many area residents moving their mailing addresses between Bridge Lake and Lone Butte. Lac des Roches addresses are now “officially” included in the Bridge Lake Post Office box service located at the Bridge Lake Store although exceptions are allowed for those who wish to maintain a rural route box out of Lone Butte. Physical addresses are now cross-referenced to box numbers for all rural route destinations.
• Recycling refundables: Residents are reminded that if they are willing to donate their refundable beverage containers to charity, this can only be ensured it containers are placed in the blue community recycling box at Bridge Lake Store (or at several other red and blue bins located along Highway 24). Often, bottles and can left at the dump or transfer stations will simply be thrown into the garbage by a well-meaning user or the container driver. The Knights of Columbus collect the refundables regularly and contribute funds into several community health needs in the 100 Mile House area.
• Burning bans: Thank you to all area users who have respected the bans on fire size and then the full burning ban currently in place. Although the applicability of the bans seemed a little unclear to some residents, reports of residents reminding residents have resulted in, what appears to be, 100% compliance.
• Green Lake/Watch Lake OCP presentation: This extensive land use plan is nearing completion and draft number 5 will be available for review at an afternoon open house, followed by a presentation at 6:30 pm in 70 Mile House at the SMAC on Wednesday, August 11. Evidence that the ideas and concerns raised by area residents is contained throughout the plan proving that public consultation can work. Congratulations to the residents of Green and Watch Lakes for getting actively involved in community issues.
• Bridge Lake speakers series: Our neighbours are hosting several presentation throughout the summer on selected Thursday nights at 7 pm at the Bridge Lake School. Beetle kill trees are scheduled for Aug. 12 and Bridge Lake Public Access is planned for Aug. 19. There is no cost and the presentations last about one hour.
• Cow Parsnip versus Giant Cow Parsnip: A search through the Internet has confirmed that the abundant plant growing around the lake “Cow Parsnip” is a non toxic and non-invasive version of the “Giant Cow Parsnip” or “Giant Hogweed” that has been on the news lately and is highly toxic to humans if handled. Although it seems to take over the forest wherever it grows, it is not considered harmful to the environment or to humans.
• Fine flies: Congratulations to Bill Jollymore for his impressive collection of hand-tied flies which were showcased at the Cariboo Regional District Library’s community showcase wall during the month of May.
• Be informed: Once again we would like to urge residents in our area to get on the e-mail distribution list to receive Bruce Rattray’s regular newsletter updates for the area. Bruce, the elected Director for Area L of the Cariboo Regional District, includes community notices, provincial messages and regional news approximately every two weeks. His messages often provide links to websites providing pertinent information such as wildfire updates and public hearing announcements. Bruce can be contacted through his website, www.brucerattray.ca or by phone 250-593-9359.

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Next Meeting on August 23, then the AGM on August 25, 2010 7 pm at Bridge Lake School

Meeting Highlights from this Quarter

• Executive members held a special meeting March 4 to discuss the impact increased lake traffic from the new Muddy lake subdivision could have on Little Lac des Roches and the channel connecting to Lac des Roches. New marketing advertisements posted on bulletin boards and in the real estate circulars indicated that the developers had acquired the lakeshore land used as a pullout at the bottom of the Lac des Roches west hill and would provide strata lot owners access to the lake. The potential for additional congestion on the little lake and channel is considerable and prompted the executive to send several letters, requesting the speed limit reduction request for the little lake to be a high priority and to request the development of the boat launch at Access #7 to accommodate additional users directly to the big lake and provide much-needed sanitary facilities.
• Further involvement of the society may include a request to the Ministry of Environment and Cariboo Regional District of special notification of rezoning or permitting of the lakefront property so that our stewardship concerns can be included in all decisions made on additional lake access. Real estate details are at www.rainbowcountryestate.com.

Around the Lakes …

• Severe dock and ramp damage due to shifting ice has been reported at many residences on the big lake. Heaving ice and frost is also responsible for pushing the lake bed material up against the shore and in many cases, higher than the shore’s banks.
• Despite measurements that indicate thick ice in spots, there are large holes in the ice on the big lake, most notably at Taylor’s Bay (at the east end of Boultbee Road) and just offshore from the boat launch at Access #7. These may freeze over on a cold night and be less noticeable in certain weather conditions. Travel and play on the ice is definitely NOT RECOMMENDED.
• Normally, the executive have an informal “ice off” challenge for both the little and big lake, but not this year. With the unseasonable warm and dry weather, likely the earliest date chosen would be the winning date which doesn’t make for much of a challenge.
• Sadly, two residents have passed away this year. Our heartfelt condolences go out to the family, friends and neighbours of Judi Stacey of McCarthy Road and Sonja Mach of Gerald Crescent.

Other Stuff …

• An open burning fire ban is imposed in the Cariboo region effective April 2. This applies to private land as well as public land and parks. No outdoor fire greater than 1 meter high or 1 meter wide is allowed. Residents will understand the need for this fire ban when they see how dry our area is already this year with little spring runoff expected from our local hills.
• Thanks to those full-time residents who were able to provide their input on a hasty poll of preferred mail pickup location in March, in response to notification that there is a revision coming to rural route postal service in our area. Of the 22 year-round occupied residences east of the Lac des Roches hill, 17 responses were received and of those, 14 indicated that the Bridge Lake Store was the preferred location for regular mail pickup.
• Thanks to Al Wallewein who has put so much time and effort into improving and coordinating our website. Al and Marie have spent many hours monitoring water quality and loon activity on Little Lac des Roches. We wish them all the best as they make their new home in Whitecourt, Alberta.
• There is much change anticipated in the demographics around the lake as there are several “For Sale” signs on lots and homes on both lakes and in the immediate area. We have free and informative “welcome packages” available for any new property owners in the area. Please let us know of any new owners in your neighbourhood.
• Congratulations to Bill and Lori Jollymore of Gerald Crescent who entertained and informed area travel enthusiasts, with a slide presentation of their trip to New Zealand for the Bridge Lake Library’s “Travels on Sunday” series. Bill will also be featuring his highly-valued hand-tied flies at the Library’s community showcase wall during the month of May.

Meeting Highlights from this Quarter

• We have tracked down 11 copies of the out of print Living By Water and they are set aside for us to pickup in Kelowna. These will be distributed to new lakeside lot owners along with our “membership package” which contains information about our society, safe boating practices, lakeside living etiquette, etc.
• Paid members totaled 123 at the Oct. 29 meeting.
• Our bank balance is under $1,000, but there are only anticipated website registration costs and the Living by Water books for known financial obligations currently.
• The Optimum Land Use project is with Barry Reid for completion. The executive have agreed that Barry should meet with Canim Lake Band Chief Archie about our proposal and that our presentation should include a “first nations” map.
• It is unclear among the executive to the extent that the use of Styrofoam for floating docks is considered a pollutant. Barry is going to take this up with Roger Pakham of the Ministry of Environment in 100 Mile House and bring information back to the membership of the Ministry’s position on use of Styrofoam.
• The two eaglets survived the summer and left the lake in early fall. Six baby loons from the entire lake and adjacent pond survived but of course, have migrated for the winter.
• Executive members each bought a custom-made vest that has our society’s name embroidered on it for better publicity of our group at public gatherings such as the OCP meetings many of us attended for Green Lake.
• We are looking into a reciprocating organization membership with the Friends of Bridge Lake Society so that our groups stay closely linked as we have so many similar issues and goals.
• There has been some talk among area residents about the benefits of a community-owned defibulator for emergencies, in addition to those owned by the Interlakes Volunteer Fire Department, one of which is located at Lac des Roches but not accessible to the public. Barry Reid is going to look into the cost, availability, training and other logistics of a machine and bring the information back to the executive.
• Marie prepared a draft Lake Stewardship pamphlet which is under review. The purpose of this pamphlet, and the responsibility for its production will be revisited in the spring in light of Marie’s leaving the area.
• Sharron suggested we reconsider our decision to discontinue our paper-based annual newsletter in order to get key messages out to residents and their guests during the summer. Our on-line newsletter didn’t generate any feedback as in previous years and it may be that residents are not visiting our website. We will discuss options in the new year.
• We learned that some reserves in the province are not perpetual but have a limited life span unless they are renewed. Sharron is charged with investigating the status of the LdR reserves.
• Although the regional boundary line issues have not gone away, Barry has suggested that we keep this item on the back burner for now, until we see how the regional districts react to our OCP proposal – which we hope to submit in 2010.
• Certain members of the executive pledged their own support of additional speed restriction signage on the little lake last summer. Gordon will find out how much money is owed to the resort owner and bring this back to those who committed personal funds.
• The “dead slow” signs in the channel have faded. Sharron will revitalize them with a bright red enamel paint once they can be accessed from the ice.

Around the Lakes …

• The annual Christmas Bird Count held on December 19, hosted by Wendy Marshall, resulted in a record number of species being identified in the Bridge Lake area. Wendy plans to schedule next year’s count in January to accommodate more birding enthusiasts who would like to attend.
• There is a marked decrease in sightings of wildlife this fall and winter compared to previous years. Deer, fox, coyote, otters, two wolves, a beaver and a moose have been glimpsed around the lake, but none are as abundant as they were last year. Speculation as to the cause is a popular topic of discussion among the residents.
• The development around nearby Muddy Lake – at the headwaters of Lac des Roches – has been ongoing since the summer. This rural subdivision is now blocked from public access by a locked gate at the new Highway 24 access, just west of Gerald Crescent.
• The drone of active logging equipment is steady, night and day beyond the hills to the south of the lake. Fully loaded logging trucks are abundant on Highway 24, presumably salvaging and hauling as much of the beetle-killed trees they can before the logs become too checked for the local mills to process. Luckily, there is still a view of green trees, mostly spruce, on the crown land that most of us view to the south, across the lake. This is not the case for many of the hills that surround us, particularly in some of the valleys to the north and east of Lac des Roches where the entire mountain side is now covered with pine trees at various stages of the death brought on by the beetles.
• Continuous requests finally resulted in BC Hydro overseeing the removal of dangerous beetle killed trees on Gerald Crescent that were a potential threat to power and telephone lines. The look of the street has certainly changed with the removal of so many trees, but the residents are much more at ease, especially when we seem to be inundated with more and more wind storms as global weather patterns change.

Other Stuff …

• Little Lac des Roches iced over in November and the big lake had ice on in early December. The ice is supporting sleds although there are several damp spots where a sled and even a walker, will bog down in the slush on top of the ice. The low water levels we saw from the dry summer and fall mean that some of the underwater springs may keep the ice open as the warmer spring water is closer to the surface than it normally is. Evidence of this phenomena has been witnessed by the new access points used by the otters, where there has not typically been open water in the past. All lake ice users should exercise great care when venturing out on the ice.
• The Olympic Torch will pass by the lake in a vehicle convoy and without fanfare on January 28 as it moves from Clearwater to Lone Butte, however there will be a small relay run through Lone Butte and the community has a celebration planned to mark this historic occasion. School buses will take all of the students from the surrounding schools to the mid-day event in Lone Butte and the public is encouraged to come out and join in the fun, enjoy free refreshments and show some community spirit for the many impressionable children who will be there.
• Several recent medical emergency calls to residences in the area serve as reminders that the 911 dispatch service works well if called immediately. First responders who live in the area will be contacted by the 911 operator and will respond if they are available. They may be called directly by residents, AFTER placing the all-important call to 911 which sets the proper emergency procedures in motion.
• We have been spared this winter so far from any significant power outages, despite several wind storms that have blown through the area. One particular power outage in November was isolated to Boultbee Road due to several trees that blew down at the very end of the road. It is extremely important for residents – especially those of us living so close to the “end of the line” to report a power outage. If we don’t tell BC Hydro about the outage, a repair crew may not be dispatched in a timely manner. Residents should call 1-888-769-3766 to report all power outages.
• Happy New Year wishes to all our members and friends of the lakes. We hope you all enjoy a safe and fun-filled year at this little piece of paradise in the South Cariboo we are lucky to call our home!

Next meeting Feb. 11, 4:00 p.m. @ Reid’s

Meeting Highlights from this Quarter

• All executive positions were filled by the incumbents at the Annual General Meeting.
• Our expenses matched our revenues last year. Website revamp and society incorporation costs will not recur next year.
• Paid members total only 24 at the time of the AGM, August 20, 2009.
• The planned bush cleanup was cancelled due to the heat wave.
• Optimum Land Use Plan presentations are on the horizon but not scheduled yet.
• Transport Canada does not have the resources required to proceed with decreasing the speed on the little lake, so they are going to focus on enforcement of the existing regulation of 20 km/hr. RCMP patrols have been promised.
• Extending Hydro power into Birch Lake, as part of the Fishing Camp owner’s development plan, may be cost prohibitive due to the requirement to upgrade the road and bridge. There is no plan for the Province to build a public access to the lake but this is a service offered by the Fishing Camp.

Around the Lakes …

• Wildlife observations this summer have been limited to birds and deer. Bear sightings are down this summer. Likely, many of the animals have been forced deeper into the forest to escape the extreme heat we have experienced.
• New road work for the Muddy Lake subdivision is underway on the north side of Hwy 24, at the west end of the little lake.
• Rumble grooves have been inset on the TNRD portion of Highway 24 at the east end of Lac des Roches.
• There is daily helicopter traffic overhead. Not sure if this is forestry or mining related in the hills north of us. Anyone know?

Other Stuff …

• Thank you members for your annual fees, generous cash donations and feedback. We like to hear from you!
• In addition to the bi-weekly 100 Mile House Free Press community column posted on our website, the “News” website page is updated regularly with important news for the area. It is proposed to send the News updates to members as these may have critical information such as storm or wildfire activity in the area. To be discussed at the next meeting.
• There are several view lots, back lots and waterfront lots for sale on the lake.
• Smoke from the forest fires to the southeast and southwest can be smelled on most days however our regular winds (both easterly and westerly) stir the air up and dissipate the smoke a little.
• The lake is cooling down with the dip in night-time temperatures, but swimming is still possible.

Note that this update was delayed so that we could include reports from our July 9th meeting.

Meeting Highlights from this Quarter

Optimum Land Use Plan Progress

The maps have been digitized but there is a desire to add some sensitive information around the Birch Lake perimeter. Barry will continue to work on these maps throughout the summer. We are also working on obtaining several letters of support for our proposed “sensitive” and protected area all around the east end of Lac des Roches.

Our Society is incorporated

We are now officially registered as a BC Society. No change to structure, just an entity separate from members.

Birds and Loons

Wendy is continuing her bird atlassing work in the area. Thanks to Wendy’s presentation last summer and her enthusiasm, Loon surveys are now being conducted on Phinetta, Birch and Bridge Lakes.

Ice off in May

The executive members held an unofficial ice-off competition for Lac des Roches and were surprised that the ice went off both big and little lakes prior to the May long weekend.

Lake Monitoring continues

Marie and Al, monitors of Little Lac des Roches and Sharron, Monitor of Phinetta Lake were visited by Marg Sidney of the Ministry of Environment and Skye Dunbar of the BC Lake Stewardship society in May. They were in the area and reviewed our monitoring techniques. Marg passed on the Ministry’s appreciation for groups like ours who take on stewardship roles to ensure the health of lakes throughout BC. Gordon and Wendy provide monitoring on big Lac des Roches and Heidi and Ralph are monitoring Birch Lake.

Seeing the lake from the air

In the fall, we may have the opportunity to take some aerial photographs and possible videos of the Lac des Roches watershed to supplement our Optimum Land Use Plan. Stay tuned.

Fish Stocking

Birch Lake, Lac des Roches and Little Lac des Roches have all been stocked this year with trout. Details are in our newsletter. Gordon reports that Luca from the resort has requested that fisheries consider more yearlings for Little Lac des Roches.

Friends of Sheridan Lake send us their Annual Newsletter

This lake stewardship group’s main focus is a fish spawning channel, but we do have contact names for this group for future reference.

Creel Reports

Once again we have distributed Creel Reports to some of the more frequent fishers on the lake for recording their catch. The biologist who monitors the fisheries on these lakes uses the data to assess the stocking success and the fishing health. This year, fisheries personnel asked for fish heads to be saved for brain analysis. This extra information, along with regular tag information such as length, reproductive matter and location caught, will help determine the survival rates between altered and unaltered yearlings in the stocking program. Anyone wishing to partake in this valuable program should contact Gordon Marshall for further instructions and thank you to those members and fishers who have agreed to help already.

Defibrillator

One of the Interlakes Volunteer Fire Department’s life-saving defibrillator is located at the home of a Lac des Roches volunteer first responder, but its availability is limited to the IVFD personnel. There has been some interest expressed among the executive and some members to have a machine more accessible so we are looking into the cost of a machine and training to use it on behalf of the community. Stay tuned.

Vests

As the executive are becoming more visible in the community by attending area events such as the GLARA OCP open house, the BCLSS conference and the FoBL AGM, we have agreed that it would benefit our group to publicize our association with our Society. Executive members have all agreed to purchase themselves a fleece vest which will have our name embroidered on them for an out of pocket cost of approximately $35 US.

Speed Issues on Little Lake & Boating Etiquette and Laws

A speeding jet boat travelling at high speed through the channel between Lac des Roches and Little Lac des Roches prompted Luca of the resort to purchase some speed signs requesting his patrons, and other boats on the little lake, to restrict their boat speed to 10 km/h which is less than the legal speed of 20 km/h. Bill has been in touch with Transport Canada over the last year on legally limiting the speed to 10 km/hr, just on the little lake, and dead slow in the channel. They require a show of support for the reduction to entertain a change so a collection of signatures in underway. Lorraine and Bill prepared a boating etiquette letter at Luca’s request and he will hand this, and a map that we have prepared showing the preferred boating areas and sensitive areas around Lac des Roches, to all of his patrons.

Liability Insurance

We will be looking into liability insurance for the directors of our society, the volunteer lake monitors and the members of the community who may wish to partake in future society events such as adopt a highway. There is some subsidization available through our membership into stewardship organizations, but this needs to be determined. Lois will be looking into this further in the fall.

ILMB Land Use

In response to a public invitation for input, our society will be sending a letter of feedback to the Integrated Land Management Bureau for land use around the lake, as it applies to forestry practice codes. There are wildlife habitats and visual qualities of the land surrounding the lakes in our watershed that we feel should be protected from tree harvesting.

Green Lake OCP Public Gathering

Marie, Al and Sharron attended the Green Lake Official Community Plan Open House on April 25. The posters, research material and people available to talk to has reinforced to our group that the work we have done on our Optimal Land Use Plan is on track. The Green Lake OCP is the first one that is water-based – meaning that it encompasses the entire land surrounding the lake, despite the lake being dissected with a regional boundary line – and an OCP jointly prepared by two regional districts. This would be a similar situation for Lac des Roches which straddles both the Thompson-Nicola and Cariboo Regional Districts. Another presentation is scheduled for August 14 which is a presentation format. No plan to have executive to attend the second meeting but it is open to the public.

Community Newsletter On-line in 2009

Our community newsletter for 2009 is online. We are not sure if it is being read by lake users or not but we will likely continue with this low cost format in the future. Apologies to members on the lake of page break consideration on the Word format emailed out. This will be corrected for next year’s edition.

Membership Maintained

Current paid members totals 83. These are members willing to pay the new annual renewal fee and support our new focus as a stewardship and community organization. Thank you members!

Highway Cleanup Planned

Our unofficial highway cleanup plans were cancelled as there has been a change in status on our request to formally “adopt” the section of highway that skirts the lake. There now seems to be support for the CRD and Ministry of Highways for the “Adopt a Highway”” plan to go ahead in the Cariboo. Since there are rules governing the public’s volunteer work along a highway, and we would like regional and provincial support, we wanted to abide by the rules. The executive have agreed to do an informal bush cleanup on July 30, near the Wavey Lake Forest Service Road, as a community volunteer event and in support of a bid for a resident to participate in the Olympic Torch Relay.

BCLSS Conference June 13

Barry and Lois attended the BC Lake Stewardship Society’s annual conference hosted by the Green Lake and Area Ratepayer’s Association. Saturday was filled with guest speakers addressing a number of environmental and lake concerns, especially in the Cariboo region. Although not offering much in the way of proactive strategies, the Ministry of Environment speaker, Roger Packham, did reinforce his reliance on the public complaint process for their ability to address major infractions affecting lake riparian zones. We have acted on behalf of a resident on one occurrence in the past by writing a follow-up letter to the ministry but in light of the conference information, we have decided to discuss inappropriate development of riparian buffer zones on Lac des Roches and Birch Lake at our regular meetings and determine if we should initiate a complaint to the Ministry on behalf of our members.

FoBL Presentation at AGM July 4

In response to an invitation, Sharron (Secretary and Publicity director) made a short presentation at the Friends of Bridge Lake Annual General Meeting on our group’s “keys to success”. The FoBL are evolving into a strong lake stewardship society, much like our Society, and there are many parallels between our groups’ development.

Welcome Packages Improved

Lorraine is working on the welcome packages for new residents. The TNRD puts out a particularly informative pamphlet on lakeside principles. Since the Living By Water books are scarce, as are these pamphlets, Marie is looking at designing a Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake pamphlet that incorporates the key messages we would like to pass on to new residents for the protection of the lakes. This informative package will constantly be updated as necessary and is available through all executive members.

Membership Renewal Reminder

PLEASE REMEMBER TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP AS YOUR ANNUAL DUES FUND OUR WEBSITE AND ABILITY TO KEEP MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC INFORMED OF OUR IMPORTANT ISSUES.

Next meeting THURSDAY, July 30 9a.m. @ Sharron’s

Annual General Meeting Thursday, August 20 7 p.m. @ Bridge Lake School

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Other Interesting Information for Members:

Tornado and Wind

A tornado was witnessed on the little lake and the huge brief windstorm on Jun 17 that destroyed many trees at the west end of the big lake is now thought to have been a tornado-like storm due to its behavior. Wow!

Summer Speaker Series

Friends of Bridge Lake are hosting its second annual summer speaker series at the Bridge Lake School. These sessions are informative and free. If you have an hour to spare to listen to these speakers talk about the subjects that they are quite passionate about, do attend. Topics are posted on our news and at the Bridge Lake store. Great information.

Mussels

Sharron sent in a box of mussel shells from Lac des Roches for analysis at the request of the Ministry of Environment. The collection process throughout BC is winding down but the analysis of these vital and somewhat rare critters will continue. Any information we receive back will be reported on to the members.

Bruce Rattray Message

Bruce made a short presentation recently at the FoBL AGM and had some information worth sending along to members who may be interested constituents. He would really like to have more recipients for his regular emailed newsletter, via www.brucerattray.ca. He also had three key messages, paraphrased here as; 1) the CRD is staffed “thin” or with very limited resources to even act on good ideas; 2) he will do his best to act on complaints but they must be in writing for the process to work; and 3) his representation in the overall democratic process is only effective if he receives feedback from his constituents, so he needs input.

Meeting Highlights from this Quarter

Optimum Land Use Plan in Progress

Our proposed land use maps have been completed – by hand. The presentation material, explaining the maps, needs to be finalized. This was the focus of the January meeting. Barry will be working on digitalizing the maps into the PowerPoint presentation. Although Maureen Pinkney has retired from the Cariboo Regional District (CRD), she has indicated that the CRD is expecting our proposal for consideration and inclusion in the Interlakes Official Community Plan.

Website Revised Again

Our website has again undergone some major renovations thanks to our neighbour at Bridge Lake, Karl Schmitz, who showed us how to improve the response times on our website and make updates to the dynamic pages. We are very grateful to Karl for his hours of work on our website and his ongoing technical consultation and guidance to our team.

Incorporation as a Registered Society Underway

The process for incorporating is underway and we were pleased to find out that our group’s name will be used as our incorporated name. Our focus and activities will not be impacted by incorporating as it has more of a legal impact on the society.

Sustainability Committee in 100 Mile House

A new group has formed in 100 Mile House that is looking at sustainability and environment issues throughout the Cariboo region. They are still determining their role and mission but are utilizing existing community organizations to spread information about their meetings and some of our members are on their emailing list. As more information is known about this group and their activities, we may put their information on our website. Any members interested in the emails may contact our executive through our email for contact information.

BC Bird Atlassing Continues

Wendy Marshall is continuing on with her work for this nesting bird inventory for our area. The general public is invited to join in and can obtain more information by contacting Wendy at 250-593-2327.

BCLSS Membership Renewed

We have renewed our membership to the BC Lake Stewardship Society for another year at a cost of $40. As a member of this group, our lake monitoring activities are performed with the criteria used on lakes throughout BC, and the data is tracked and analyzed by society and Ministry of Environment officials. Membership also provides insurance to volunteers in our group involved with lake stewardship activities, provided annual forms are completed and filed with the BCLSS.

Marie Wallewein named liaison with Cariboo Regional District

Co-Chair of Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake and full-time resident on Little LdR, Marie Wallewein, is our official liaison with Bruce Rattray, Area Director with the CRD. Although Bruce and the CRD have websites to provide regional information, any issues that arise that require immediate feedback or results, will be handled through Marie for our area.

Request to Refrain From Rezoning Rejected

Our group was approached by the Friends of Bridge Lake, requesting our support on their letter to be sent to the Cariboo Regional District, requesting that rezoning for large parcels of land not occur during the offseason months, but rather be postponed for the summer months when more residents are in the area and available to be present at rezoning meetings. Ours and several other community groups were included as supporters of the request. The request was denied by the CRD Board. They felt adequate methods were in place for residents not living in the area to voice their concerns about rezoning and that there was too much activity in the Cariboo to allow for any delays in the process. Residents are reminded that current rezoning and development activities in our area are mentioned and detailed on several websites, listed here;

• Cariboo Regional District (CRD) – www.cariboord.ca
• Bruce Rattray, Area L Director CRD – www.brucerattray.ca
• 100 Mile Free Press – www.100milefreepress.net
• Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake – www.lacdesroches.org (this web site)

Advisory Planning Commission Representative Named

Bruce Rattray approached the Friends executive, requesting suggestions for a Lac des Roches resident who may be suitable for sitting on the APC, Advisory Planning Commission for Area L. This group meets throughout the year, as required, to review land use applications such as rezoning requests. Friends submitted the name of Sharron Woloshyn, full time resident at LdR, as a willing candidate and was accepted by the board to sit on this volunteer commission for the current term of the Area L director.

Community Forum Held at Interlakes

The office of Cariboo South MLA, Charlie Wyse of the NDP opposition party, requested a meeting with representatives from several community groups in the South Cariboo. After some input into the agenda, the meeting was transformed into a public forum or meeting with a proposed agenda of presentations by Canim Lake Indian Band, Integrated Land Management Bureau and Interior Roads. Several members of our group attended and agreed that this, as one of several community forums held throughout the region seemed to be the beginning of the election campaign.

Muddy Lake Development Gets Go-Ahead

Despite concerns raised about lake water quality and congestion along Highway 24 at little Lac des Roches, the Cariboo Regional District approved the rezoning on the agriculture land to the north of the highway for a 43 lot subdivision which surrounds much of muddy lake, the lake at the headwaters of LdR.

Green Lake OCP Presentation Scheduled for April

The Green Lake OCP is ready for presentation to the public, and will be presented at the 70 Mile House SAMC on Saturday, April 25. Three members of the Friends executive are available to attend and will be driving down for the presentation. We hope to get some ideas from the presentation that will be useful for our own OLUP, which is still being revised.

Community Newsletter On-line in 2009

Our community newsletter for May 2009 will not be printed and distributed door-to-door as it has been done in previous years. The newsletter will only be available on-line at www.lacdesroches.org. This change will eliminate the cost of printing (over $200 in 2008) and effort to deliver to each cabin.

Membership Growing

On March 26, our current paid members totaled 81. These are members willing to pay the new annual renewal fee and support our new focus as a stewardship and community organization. Thank you members!

 

Highway Cleanup Planned

Although several residents currently perform routine cleanup along the highway and at the public access site, members of the executive plan to do a work party cleanup along the highway from Phinetta Lake to Little Lac des Roches. They will also include a cleanup of an illegal dump site on the Wavey Lake Forestry Service Road. Although the CRD and District of 100 Mile House have designated April 20 – 26 as official spring cleanup week, our group is targeting early June for our cleanup. It will accommodate travel plans of several executive members and we can be assured that the significant amounts of snow fall from this winter will be long gone – not a likely occurrence in the month of April for our area.

Welcome Packages to be Revised

Gordon Marshall and Lorraine Jollymore will be updating our welcome packages that we have been distributing to new property owners on the lake. The package will contain a map of the lake and sensitive areas and a complimentary copy of “Living by Water” which we will be purchasing from society funds.

Meeting Highlights from this Quarter

New Cariboo Regional Director for Lac des Roches

Bruce Rattray attended our meeting on November 12. At the time, he was one of two candidates running for the Area L Representative position for the Cariboo Regional District (CRD). Since then and with an overwhelming show of support at the November 15 civic election, Bruce has assumed the position as our area rep. Bruce lives at Bridge Lake and promises to do his best to improve communication between area stakeholders on regional issues. Since our meeting, Bruce has provided a very informative website www.brucerattray.ca and would like to include as many residents as possible on his newsletter emails. We encourage all members and stakeholders of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake to provide Bruce with an email address to keep informed of local business. Send contact information to bruce@brucerattray.ca.

Lakeshore Development Award

In the spring, when boats are returned to the water, we are going to review the present lakeshore development on our lakes with the intent of finding good examples of riparian buffer zone protection.

Optimum Land Use Plan

Our proposed land use maps have been completed – by hand. The presentation material, explaining the maps, needs to be finalized. This will be the focus of the January meeting. Barry will be working on digitalizing the maps into the Powerpoint presentation. Although Maureen Pinkney has retired from the CRD, she has indicated that the CRD is expecting our proposal for consideration and inclusion in the Interlakes Official Community Plan.

Incorporation

Our Treasurer, David Wood, has recommended that we proceed with incorporating our group under the Society Act of B.C. Although there has been no question raised to our legitimacy as an organization, there are certain safeguards and standards for registered societies which have long term benefits should the make-up of the founding executive be significantly changed. The cost is minimal for this process.

No Birch Lake Public Access Yet

Bill Jollymore reports that there is no Government funding set aside in 2009 for developing a public access into Birch Lake. No development is planned for the near future.

Membership is growing

Gordon Marshall reports that our membership renewal count is at 95 and growing. We are pleased that residents are showing their support for the new stewardship and community focus of Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake by becoming members once again. Thank you to our members for your support!

Wildlife and Water Creatures

Wendy Marshall will lead the Christmas bird count on January 3, beginning at 9 am at her house. Please call her by the night before so she knows who to expect – 250-593-2327. The BC Lake Stewardship Society is looking for volunteers to participate in a freshwater mussel study throughout B.C. lake. Sharron has offered to do this for Lac des Roches as the bay in front of her house is full of mollusks.

Muddy Lake Development will impact Lac des Roches

If the 450 acres of agricultural land is rezoned to accommodate the proposed 43 lot subdivision around Muddy Lake, there will definitely be an impact on area lakes, especially little Lac des Roches. Although Muddy Lake cannot be seen from Highway 24, it flows into the west end of Little Lac des Roches. Muddy lake is extremely shallow and has no sports fish so residents and their visitors will be looking to other area lakes for their chosen water recreation. The proposed main access is between the Lac des Roches Resort turnoff and Gerald Crescent, causing safety concerns on the highway and lake congestion activity of new residents and visitors looking for lake access. Unfortunately, our members have not indicated their feelings on development in general (as requested in our May 2008 Community Newsletter), so we cannot responded to this proposal on behalf of our membership. Individuals who wish to learn more about the development and let their concerns be known may do so through the CRD (Bruce Rattray). The public information session was held on November 14 and the public hearing is expected to be scheduled in January or February.

Land swap for Heritage Island

There was a public meeting on November 22 to discuss the proposed swap between the privately owned 62 Heritage (Rainbow) Island on Bridge Lake for approximately 90 acres of Crown Land on the south shores of Bridge Lake, east of the ice caves. This land swap is in response to the public’s opposition to the proposed development of Heritage Island into a 31-lot subdivision. An Integrated Land Management Bureau (ILMB) representative was present at the meeting and stated that the land swap was conceptual only and still needed investigation. Individuals can let their concerns be know through the CRD or ILMB.

Park it right here

Barry has inquired about park status for the crown land at the east end of Lac des Roches. Although he discussed his idea at length with a representative at the 100 Mile House office of the Ministry of Environment the subject land is in the Kamloops jurisdiction so it must be followed up with offices there. Watch for more to come in the future on this topic.

Objectives and New Ideas

With our new focus on stewardship and community, we need to be looking ahead at our focus once the Optimum Land Use Plan is complete. All executive will be thinking about what our priorities should be going forward for an upcoming meeting. Members are invited to submit their suggestions for these priority discussions.

Other Interesting Information for Members:

Other Development Continues

There are several other development proposals in the area, on Bridge Lake, along Highway 24 and Lone Butte. These are difficult to find on the CRD website but can be found easily through Bruce Rattray’s website. Another excellent source for area information is the Friends of Bridge Lake website, www.friendsofbridgelake.org.

Fire Dues Still Required

Although the referendum passed for property taxes to fund Fire and Emergency Services in the Interlakes Area L, tax funding won’t be made available to the local volunteer fire department until August 2009. The Interlakes Volunteer Fire Department is counting on property owners to pay their volunteer fire dues for 2008/2009 which were mailed to property owners in early November, 2008.

Our Website Improved

With the generous assistance of Karl Schmitz, our website has received a much needed makeover. Although we think the appearance of the site is much improved, it is the background programming that has been most significantly improved which is a great relief to those of us still on dial-up. Thank you Karl!

Ice is on – just

Little Lac des Roches iced over completely November 25. Snowmobilers were on the lake on December 17. The big lake finally froze completely on December 14. The first snowmobilers were through the channel and on the west end of the lake on December 20, but although the temperatures have been very low during the cold snap, (-40C at the lake level), there are suspicious patches in the middle of the lake and extreme caution should be exercised!

Season’s Greetings

Merry Christmas to all of our members and residents and we hope you and your families have a safe and prosperous New Year. We’ll see most of you in the spring and summer.

Meeting Highlights from this Quarter

Our website has been revised and reflects our stewardship and community focus.

All executive positions are filled with the same dedicated people with the exception of Madeline Kerr who has stepped down due to other commitments.

Our expenses exceeded our revenues last year but we will not be printing our newsletter or revising our website again and we will see increased membership revenue due to our new structure.

We have a preliminary PowerPoint presentation of our “Optimum Land Use Plan” which we would like to see incorporated into the area’s Official Community Plans. Our twelve existing maps will be further refined during the winter. We have plans to make a video of the lake also.

In order to re-stock Birch Lake, there must be usable public access. We hope to obtain some clarity on the status of the access development and the ownership standing of the road and bridge.

No change in status for the following projects:

• New lake map and sign at the rest stop
• Reducing the boating speed on Little LdR
• Registering Friends of LdR and Birch Lake as an official society

Around the Lakes …

Many sightings of lynx, deer, otters and ducks. A beaver is at work below Boultbee Road. BC Bird Atlassing will continue throughout the year. Barred Owls can be heard in the evenings.

Six loon chicks have survived to date on all of Lac des Roches and there is a noticeable decline in the duck population in the entire watershed. It was noted that the paddling motion from canoes and kayaks is very disturbing to the loons and paddlers are requested to keep their distance, especially if the loons act distressed.

This is the first year that water testing is being conducted on all four lakes in our watershed, LdR, Little LdR, Birch Lake and Phinetta Lake. Fall water testing of LdR by the Min. of Env. is planned for September.

The spruce tree mortality rate is on the rise as they fall victim to pest infestation similar to the pine beetle.

Interlakes Fire Service Referendum

The referendum passed. Property owners in CRD Interlakes Area L will see a property tax increase next year. Within three years, the fire department hopes to be certified which may benefit some residents and qualify them for a discount on their fire insurance cost.

Meeting with Other Community Groups

Two of our executive members were invited to attend meetings in April with CRD Area L representative, Maureen Pinkney and with South Cariboo MLA, Charlie Wyse. Other invited guests were executives from area community groups from Green Lake, Deka Lake and Bridge Lake. The purpose of the meetings was to establish communications between Regional and Provincial Government representatives and these likeminded groups that have common interests and issues. These were very positive meetings and will hopefully be the first of many such exchanges. They have given us some ideas for follow-up regarding property owner contact lists, inclusion on the Regional Planning Advisory Committee and Provincial parks designation plans.

Friends of Bridge Lake

Bruce and Shirley Rattray of Friends of Bridge Lake attended our May meeting to present their group’s issues. This was in response to our letter to them that did not support their position of opposition to the proposed development, as our members have not voiced their opinion on private development in the South Cariboo.

FoBL have two key issues.

1. Opposition to the development of Rainbow Island to 29 strata lots and commercialization of the one servicing mainland lot, and
2. Criticism of the public consultation process used by the CRD on such a development.

Bruce presented a history of the group’s formation and the many issues that have been identified to support the opposition to the development. He also mentioned that the dormant Bridge Lake stewardship group, the Upper Bridge Creek Watershed Society, has been absorbed into the Friends of Bridge Lake and provides them with some considerable history of the lake to work with in their future stewardship plans.

At the time of our May meeting, the rezoning hearing was scheduled for May 30. Since then, the CRD was scheduled to vote on the rezoning at their June 27 Regional meeting. On the morning of June 27, a deferment was granted to the developer so that he may investigate an alternative proposal.

Watch for new information posted on their websites, www.crd.bc.ca. or www.friendsofbridgelake.org.

Around the Lakes …

Ice Off – Wendy Marshall will see if our ice-off data has been submitted to the Canadian group that is tracking this information, www.naturewatch.ca.

Birding – Wendy is looking for local help with the new bird atlassing project.

Other May 7 Meeting Items

New Signage – No update on the new lake sign for the rest stop but we are hoping the CRD will still fund this initiative for this year.

Little Lac des Roches Boating Speed Limit – No word yet from the CRD or Transport Canada on our request for further reducing the boating speed from 20 km/hr to 10 km/hr.

Society – We are reconsidering the benefits of forming a registered society. The decision to proceed will be discussed and voted on at the upcoming AGM.

Website – The major revisions to our website are near completion and will go live this summer.

Community Newsletter – Our 2008 newsletter was ready for printing and distribution around the lake by the May long weekend. This is the last year of manual distribution. Non-members will have to provide mailing contact or view the newsletter on our website.

Map-based Land Use Presentation – We will be presenting our land use maps at the upcoming AGM. Workshops to complete this presentation are scheduled throughout July. We encourage members to provide their thoughts on how the area land should be used for inclusion into this project, as it will be going to the CRD and TNRD for consideration of the Official Community Plans for the area.

Deka Lake questions taxes – We received a copy of a letter that was published in the 100 Mile House Free Press from the Deka Lake Ratepayers Association questioning the rural tax increases in the South Cariboo. We will be investigating the entire assessment process further to see how we could best get involved. We would like to hear from our members on if or how you would like to see our group involved in the rural property tax issue.