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Enviro Lac Gauvreau

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Archived News

2023


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Six members acclaimed to Enviro Lac Gauvreau Board of Directors — No election required

August, 26 2023 — Six nominations filled the six vacancies, so an election was not required. It is our pleasure to acclaim the following members to our BOD:

* Matt Belanger: Current Board member, long time resident. Bank Manager.
* Tom Booth: Retired financial advisor, long time cottager and now full-time resident; balanced views.
* Jennifer George: Lawyer, keen to help achieve the aims of the Association.
* Kim Mandzy: Biologist with experience in non-profit organizations coordinating environmental projects.
* André Poliquin: years of experience in labour movement and Government of Canada; keen interest in protecting the environment.
* Laura Wesley: experienced retired public servant, with knowledge and skills in communications, human dynamics and decision-making.

They join Samuel Breau, John Leech, Rink de Lange, Paul Loeven, Bruce Stockfish and Emma Thom who are serving the second year of their term.

We congratulate the new Board members for their willingness to serve in this capacity and look forward to working together.

As your new Board takes up the task of preserving and improving the environment of Lac Gauvreau, we all express our gratitude for the contributions made by Phil Allen, Christina McNiven, Daniel Kobewka and Marc Montsion during their time on the Board and look forward to their continued support as we move forward.
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Read about our AGM and other important news items

August, 2023 — Your environmental association has had a very busy summer…

AGM
An In-person and ZOOM Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held 10:00 am, August 26, 2023.

Members were invited to attend the AGM to discuss our best way forward. This hybrid meeting was held at the Complex sportif La Pêche, Salle Desjardin, 20, chemin Raphaël, Masham.

Door to door campaign well-received
By now you will have received a visit from one of our volunteers distributing lake information and updating your contact info so that we can keep in touch. Feedback we have received has been positive; please let us know if you have any comment on our ongoing programs.

Milfoil Removal Adjacent to Your Property
After research and trials, Enviro Lac Gauvreau has purchased two Weed Ripper tools for use by its members. So, if you want to borrow one for a day:

Send an email to: envirogauvreaurakes@gmail.com with your name, address on the lake, phone number and two possible dates that you want to borrow the Weed Ripper. It is free, but if you damage it or lose it, you’ll have to agree to pay for a replacement. You will then be contacted for a confirmation of the date and conditions and where you can pick it up. The rake comes with an extension if needed.
> Visit our "Eurasian Watermilfoil" webpage (Scroll down to "Methods to control of Eurasian Milfoil")

Boating — Did you know?
In the absence of legally enforceable speeding limits on Lac Gauvreau, Enviro Lac Gauvreau has worked hard over the years to develop evidence-informed guidelines that can guide your use of the lake while using watercraft, including the motorized variety. This practice is in line with our vision to help residents to continue enjoying and using the lake, while balancing the need to protect the health of the lake for future generations. We can all be grateful to those who are respecting the guidelines!
> Visit our "Responsible Boating" webpage

Field visit - hydromorphologist
On July 6 and 7 two scientists visited the lake and Parent Creek to assess potential options to reduce deposits of silt and nutrients in the lake. This visit was related to our plans to apply to the Quebec Ministry of Environment for a constructed wetland / re-meander program.

Jean-Philippe Marchand, Concordia University, Jakob Siedersleben, Innsbruck University and Rink de Lange, Enviro Lac Gauvreau conducted soil samples at Parent Creek.

(More news to come.)

Lac Gauvreau is safe for swimming but total Phosphorus (TP) levels remain high
E.coli - Bacteria (E. coli) samples from all lake testing sites in June and July indicate levels well within those considered safe for swimming, although Parent Creek levels are extremely high. (This result was immediately reported to the Municipality and the Campsite, as it could pose a danger to health.) The E. coli reading at Site 5 at the creek's outlet into the lake is low.

Total Phosphorus (TP) levels place Lac Gauvreau at the threshold between Mesotrophic and Eutrophic. Mesotrophic lakes have an intermediate level of productivity. These lakes are commonly clear water lakes and ponds with beds of submerged aquatic plants and medium levels of nutrients. Eutrophic lakes have high biological productivity with excessive levels of nitrogen and phosphorus that support al abundance of aquatic plants and algae. Occasionally, an excessive algal bloom will occur.

The first measurements for turbidity show improvement over previous years. Turbidity is the quality of being cloudy, opaque, or thick with suspended matter. It is a key measure of water quality.
> Visit our "Water Quality Monitoring" webpage
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La Pêche finances ambitious programs for Enviro Lac Gauvreau

July, 2023 — Read about our plans for the summer and what you can do…

We are pleased to announce that the Municipal Council has recently approved our Green Fund application and granted us $24,718. We have an ambitious plan to work with landowners and several partners to re-meander a part of parent Creek and create a wetland to help reduce the nutrient and silt input into the lake and prevent further eutrophication of the lake. If things progress as we hope, we may qualify for 100% funding from the province to do this. We have started to work on this already with ACRE (Environmental land trust), a number of specialists and soon also Native Plant Solutions (Ducks Unlimited).

Ongoing plans:
  • We plan to install a number of Floating Treatment Wetlands in the lake to see if that could improve water quality on a micro level.
  • We just distributed native plants for the lakeshore to people around the lake and we plan to continue this program. The Municipality will also start a shore re-naturalization program.
  • We will purchase and lend to members special rakes to clear Eurasian Milfoil in front of their properties, details to follow.
  • The effort to adhere to the boating guidelines appear to have resulted in less floating milfoil in the lake, which may open the door for treatment options in the future. Keep up the good work!
  • We continue with our expanded water testing program. Not only to monitor safety for swimming, but also to test for nutrients, turbidity, dissolved oxygen etc.
We really need your active support, so what can you do?
  • Subscribe to our mailing list so you can stay informed on what is happening. If you don’t receive our emails yet, contact us at: enviro.gauvreau@gmail.com
  • Become a member / renew your membership. The cost: only $20,- per person, bigger donations are most welcome! One membership per person, max two members per address. Please pay through e-transfer to enviro.gauvreau@gmail.com or via cheque to Enviro Lac Gauvreau, CP 144, La Pêche QC J0X 2W0.
  • Continue browsing this website as it is now a great source of excellent information on the lake. Here you will find all the research reports on Lac Gauvreau and Parent Creek and much more.
  • Come to the Annual General Meeting to discuss our best way forward. This meeting is scheduled for August 26, 10 am Salle de Jardin, Masham. We plan to make it a hybrid meeting, in person and on Zoom.
  • Volunteer! We need people to help with a number of activities such as the installation of floating wetlands and most importantly - talk to your neighbours, discuss what is happening, share the progress on the lake.
  • Consider becoming a board member. We need to elect 5 or 6 new energetic, active board members this summer. If you want to contribute, please contact us at enviro.gauvreau@gmail.com
And don't forget to enjoy the lake!
In the meantime, as seasonal activities pick up again, please continue to follow our Lac Gauvreau Watercraft Guidelines and all the rules involving fires. We all need to work together to continue to preserve our precious lake.
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Enviro Lac Gauvreau has purchased a wide selection of plants that we are giving away for FREE to plant on the shore.

April 14, 2023 — Our lake has consistently high nutrient levels resulting in excess plant and algae growth. There have been potentially dangerous blue-green algae blooms in the last 10 years.

You can help protect our lake by planting shrubs and trees on the shoreline; this simple measure will absorb nutrients before they get into the lake.

CLICK HERE for a complete list of free plants.

Please email Daniel Kobewka dkobewka@gmail.com with the subject line “Lakeshore” to reserve your plants. Availability will depend on demand. Pick-up will be the week of May 13th or 19th (depending on delivery time) at 51 Chemin O-Bertrand.
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Enviro Lac Gauvreau has been busy in the off season!

April 14, 2023 — Over the past number of months, in addition to putting together the Shoreline Restoration plan, Environment Lac Gauvreau has:
  • Researched construction of floating wetlands.
  • Submitted a Green Fund application to the Municipalité de La Pêche, which included money for comprehensive studies to support improvement measures, water testing, milfoil control, and extensive education/communications efforts. Total amount requested is almost $25,000.
  • Met with municipal representatives and discussed water testing and inspections, among other subjects.
  • Put together a water testing plan, supported by the government’s RSVL program, to complete the picture of our lake’s water quality.
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Enviro Lac Gauvreau has requested just over $25,000 from the Municipal Green Fund to finance a number of planned projects this year

March 22, 2023 — As water testing over the years has shown, nutrient levels in the lake are not decreasing, contributing to more frequent blue-green algae blooms. This can further limit the use of our lake for recreation, swimming etc, so we are now looking more closely at what can be done around Parent Creek, the biggest contributor to nutrients.

We plan to hire Native Plant Solutions (NPS), the consultancy arm of Ducks Unlimited, to do a feasibility study for a constructed wetland along Parent Creek to act as a nutrient sink and reduce silt deposits in the lake. NPS will also investigate all other potential means to reduce nutrients in the lake such as the further restoration of the lakeshores, installation of floating wetlands in the lake, or the use of chemicals to lock up the nutrients in the sediments at the bottom of the lake.

Part of the funding would also be used to further promote adherence to the boating guidelines introduced last year and a pilot project for floating wetlands. It will allow us to continue assisting lakeshore owners with the naturalizing of their lakeshores by making available native lakeshore plants.

Enviro Lac Gauvreau hopes to hear from the Municipality in the first half of April, and will keep our lake residents informed of any developments.


Gauvreau Lake News (archived)


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