Links and locations

Yesterday was a beautiful day at Ivry, with the type of weather we all dream about. Despite the forecast of a long hot dry summer, so far the weather has been wet and cool. But that’s okay, because everyday is a beautiful day.

I came across the link from the Quebec government showing which lakes in our area are affected by the blue-green algae.

http://www.msss.gouv.qc.ca/sujets/santepub/environnement/index.php?id=46,49,0,0,1,0&noregion=15

I also came across this one:

http://www.gouv.qc.ca/portail/quebec/pgs/commun/asurveiller?lang=en&location=pgs/asurveiller/evenements/grands_dossiers&id=pgs.asurveiller.evenements.grands_dossiers.cyanobacteries

If you know of others, please pass them along and I will post them.

In other news, some road construction began on Chemin Lac la grise just above the Town Hall. About 100m of road was dug up, though I am not sure why. It is now just hard packed dirt, which I suppose will be covered in asphalt again at a later time.

If there is some construction going on in your area let me know.

I have also been trying to think of ways this blog could be used to help promote the preservation of your local environment. I have considered tips, links, and information, but also I feel we should be more proactive. If you see something happening that you feel we all should know about, please feel free to share it. The sooner we know about the problem, the faster we can react, the quicker we can solve it.

Have a good day.

I attend my first municipal meeting

Last night I attend my first meeting of the municipality of Ivry-sur-le-lac. I met quite a number of people I didn’t know, and had a pretty good time. There were the 8 members of the council, which consists of the Mayor, the Director General, and six councillors. There were six residents who showed up, including myself, and according to the Mayor this was a pretty good showing.

The business was conducted quickly and efficiently I thought. I found out we will be getting a new Toyota truck to replace the one we no longer have, and also that there will be a new inspector who will be checking water quality and also providing professional consultation services for the municipality. We also seem to have a small surplus in our budget.

During the question and answer period, a number of people raised some good points, concerning work permits, the use of the municipal garage, and the testing of water from a stream that feeds into the lake from the Ivry Sud. I didn’t ask any questions, but I did introduce myself to everyone.

It was quite a difference from the excitement of the Association meeting on the weekend! But overall it was an enjoyable experience.

Today is hot and humid. I have been spending time in the basement, on some woodworking projects, and sandra (my wife) has been taking the sun. She and I are different that way.
Peace.

I attend the Association meeting on July 7th

I attended my third association meeting last Saturday. Although if I understood correctly, this was the 95th meeting of the Association since its founding. Which is pretty amazing I think.

As always there was a pretty good turn out, I would say at least 75 people or so. Quite a number of items were discussed, though of course the hot topic was water quality, and in particular the blue algae situation.

I am not as well educated as I should be in this area, but a couple of things became evident as I listened to others speak:

- Blue algae is a natural outgrowth of lakes getting old. All lakes get old and so all lakes will eventually be affected. All we can do, is to try and slow down the process. A very interesting brochure was given out, from Fisheries Canada, that showed a number of things that can be done to slow down (or speed up) the process.

- Each of us can do something to help. In particular, make sure your septic system is not only pumped at regular intervals, but that it is not leaking. All septic tanks have a finite life expectancy. If yours is fifteen or more years old it should be checked. Another thing we can do is not to plant grass, and in particular not to plant it down to the water's edge. At Lac Lantier they have created a ten meter buffer zone from the waterfront of all properties where people are not allowed to cut their grass.

- Another thing we can do is avoid using fertilizers on our lawn, since they contain chemicals which will run into the water speeding up the blooming process. All fertilizers, including compost, are bad, Also try to avoid using dishwashing soap that contains phosphates. All other household soaps are regulated and phosphate free, but dishwashing soap is not. If anyone has some suggestions please share them. (Thanks to Jenny Patton for that info).

From the amount of discussion and questions that were asked, this was obviously something that is upper most in many people's mind. We must all work together on this issue. If we do not, the water in our beloved lake will turn to poison, and we will not be able to swim in it, wash in it, or anything else.

Let us all be committed to preserving the natural beauty of our lake.

Welcome

Greetings everyone,

My name is Jerry Golick, I am a fairly new resident (rented here for three years, and have owned a place for the last five years). At the association meeting held on July 7th I volunteered to create a public forum online where members of the Lac Manitou Association could share ideas, concerns, news and any other useful information. I will be asking Jennifer Patton to send everyone the address to this blog. Hopefully many of you will choose to visit here occasionally, and also to contribute.

I have no set agenda for this blog. I shall post material as it becomes available, or feel free to post it yourself. I'll give it six months to a year, and see how it goes. With a little luck this blog will play a useful role in helping us stay in touch with one another, and more importantly, be another tool to help us keep our lake, and our area, a wonderfully perfect place for ourselves, and the generations to come.

Peace.