Your most recent information for July 2021:
If you have not yet renewed your 2021 membership, here is your direct link: click here
INDEX: 1 Announcements 2 Our concern 3 Elections 4 Transparency Testing 5 Bowman 6 Notre-Dame-de-Laus 7 du Brochet and Newton Lakes 8 Newton Bay
1
Four Announcements:
- THIS SUMMER… A SURPRISE AWAITS YOU ON LAC DU POISSON BLANC !
A community activity to do with family or friends.
A unique treasure hunt … with PRIZES and a BONUS: a better knowledge of all the points of interest of the largest lake in our watershed!
DETAILS COMING SOON! SPECIAL THANKS TO MARGARET AND MATTHEW for all the preparations.
- THE RAIN BARRELS HAVE ARRIVED AND ARE READY TO BE PICK UP!
THANKS MATT FOR YOUR VOLUNTEERING !!
Please contact Matthew if you have purchased one or write to us: abv.poissonblanc@gmail.com
- Consultation for the development of the urban plan for Lac-Sainte-Marie:
Interested in giving your opinion? Click on this link: https://fr.surveymonkey.com/r/ZTKNZ3W
- FALSE NEWS FROM US:
Despite the promise to install turtle crossings in 2020, this project was not renewed by LSM for 2021 so no panels will be installed!
2
OUR GREATEST CONCERN:
The Southern Islands of Poisson Blanc:
photo: Parc régional du Poisson Blanc
In my opinion, probably will be the management of the southern islands.
As an association, we are working together to make the Municipality of Bowman aware of the urgency to act!
We received many comments in 2020, inappropriate behaviour on Lac du Poisson-Blanc. We got a proposal from a local reporter to make the headlines for a television network. According to this journalist, there is a limit to the rampaging of the islands by a reckless minority. Their ignorance probably stems from recklessness in their actions towards the flora and the fauna and a lack of empathy towards the people around or after them.
Last summer we had a disastrous record on the vitality of the islands south on the Poisson Blanc.
It makes sense: more holiday visitors do more potential damage to the natural environment.
But beyond the overcrowding of sites, we have witnessed almost unbelievable scenes of inappropriate incivility. Some have organized “parties” on the islands with their “guetto blaster” and big fires. Also, some of them parked or blocked access to private properties. Others have left their waste or their empty beer crates, their excrement and even that of their dogs, which is pathogenic for wildlife. Others put them in bags assuming that someone else was going to pick them up.
AS AN ASSOCIATION, pending the establishment of a real management committee for the southern islands, we:
- We will regularly publish campaigns on Facebook from organizations such as “Sans Trace Canada” or “Rando Québec”.
- We will ask the Air-Eau-Bois Outdoor Base to prepare a pamphlet to give to their customers inviting them to respect the rules of good behaviour in a natural environment. A sort of social contract that informs them in addition to empowering them.
- Will ask you to take photos or videos of vandalized sites. To share them on our Facebook page and / or to communicate with the Municipality of Bowman at 819-454-2421.
- Encourage the «Base de plein-air» to regularly patrol the sites it uses with its customers.
- Continue, within our financial means and with possible funding from Bowman, the installation of awareness posters on the southern islands.
- Make the Municipality of Bowman responsible for providing more monitoring for these islands.
The idea is not to control access, which is public, but to apply certain preventive measures by various means.
…………………………………………………………………………………..
NOW YOUR NEWS!
…………………………………………………………………………………..
3
Municipal Elections:
IT’S IN NOVEMBER, ARE YOU REGISTERED ON THE ELECTORAL LIST OF YOUR MUNICIPALITY?
WE ARE REPRESENTED BY THOSE WE ELECT.
If you don’t vote… DON’T criticize your municipality afterwards !
Direct link to the municipality of LSM to register: https://lac-sainte-marie.com/en/elections-2021.php
To the Municipality of Bowman: https://bowman.ca/utilisateur/creer
Link to the municipality of Notre-Dame-de-Laus: https://www.notre-dame-du-laus.ca/services-aux-citoyens
4
Water quality transparency tests at Lac du Poisson Blanc:
Johanne after more than three years will no longer do the transparency testing for Newton Bay and Lac du Poisson Blanc!
We need a volunteer to replace her. You don’t know what it is, here are some links to give you an idea…
The RSVL requests to carry out transparency measures, here are the documentation to be sent to the transparency manager.
- Protocol : Protocole de mesure de la transparence de l’eau (gouv.qc.ca)
- Data collection : fiche-collecte-donnees.pdf (gouv.qc.ca)
- Supplementary Information : Pourquoi mesurer la transparence de l’eau régulièrement? – Réseau de surveillance volontaire des lacs (RSVL) (gouv.qc.ca)
Are you interested in doing the transparency testing? Write to us: abv.poissonblanc@gmail.com
I’m sure Johanne can explain ALL of the details to you.
News by sector:
5
Bowman:
- Following our 2020 petition: It is clear that speed bumps do the “job”. A few curses from people in a hurry have even been heard when they have to brake quickly to avoid losing their trailer! It will teach them to hurtle down the coast at full speed! Let’s hope that they will learn to slow down their ardour.
- Parking: Unfortunately, there are still trucks with trailers parking illegally along the road up the hill to avoid paying for parking. It is believed that better no-parking signs should be posted on both sides of the street and thus avoid confusion. Johanne will follow up with the municipality. On the other hand, it is difficult to enforce the non-parking notice which is posted on the huge sign at the entrance at the end of the road since no traffic signs prohibiting parking are installed along the way. I remember not too long ago that there were a few and I think it would be important for the municipality to re-install these signs on both sides of Poisson-Blanc road.
- Road Repairs: Bowman, confirms that there will be repairs to the road but cannot confirmed when at this time.
- Public security: We come across cars from the Sureté du Québec in the area. THANKS to the SQ and the municipality for this more regular monitoring. We hope that this will continue throughout the summer, especially during the two weeks of construction.
- The islands: About awareness posters and pamphlets for island users. Bowman will defray the costs for the posters and Air Eau Bois will defray the costs relating to the documentation given to customers. The Air Eau Bois base will take care of the design and installation of the posters. For municipal banned camping signs, Bowman must look at his regulations. GOOD NEWS! Bowman is negotiating the management conditions of the islands in order to see to its protection. The municipality will inform us of the developments when the agreement is signed. Our Island Guardian Angels (Brown family and others) have not shared any photos or comments on Facebook so we assume all is well on the Islands.
6
Notre-Dame-de-Laus:
- The Association is currently studying the request of the owners of Lac Cuillerier and north of Poisson Blanc to join our Association.
- Final acceptance will be at our AGM in September if the Board of Directors accepts the proposal.
- If the answer is YES, the Representative of this sector may ask us to join the Federation of Lakes of Notre-Dame-de-Laus to have a voice with the NDL City Council. Details to come soon.
7
Du Brochet & Newton Lakes:
- Our sector representatives did not report anything abnormal.
- The municipality of Lac-Sainte-Marie has installed a sign limiting the speed to 30km / h at the bottom of the TransOutaouaise towards LSM (Brochet sector). In addition, they cleaned around other safety signs. Our community is safer THANKS! This panel is even better than our original request.
- Newton Lake is still waiting for a dangerous curb to be corrected on the Chemin du Grand-Poisson-Blanc, but without success. David will call again for the “nth” time.
8
Newton Bay:
- We have to be proactive and far-sighted, while facing the current challenges of progress / pleasure / accessibility / pollution / erosion. So many things have to be considered and worked on. Boat traffic will increase in the bay in part due to the Montée JM / boat launch, and yes this will lead to additional issues that were not raised namely the spread of invasive species already in the canal / bay, noise pollution etc, but these are things we already experience to a lesser degree. All the properties sold, plus all of us here already in the bay, add to the mix / increase in human activity and the results of it. If every person in the bay has a boat, well, that’s a lot of boats. Over the past twenty years the bay has become very busy / noisy. Let’s focus on how to balance everything and come together as a community to fix the problem with open, two-way communication, while respecting each other. We, the owners and users of the bay / lake properties, hold this place dear to our hearts more than anything else, so it’s up to us to manage the issues as best we can and come up with solutions.
- Margaret and Jeff asked their volunteers to set up their buoys. Overall all the buoys are installed except a few yellow ones. We hope that these will be installed soon. We have received the names of new volunteers who have been handed over to those in charge. In addition, we have bought new yellow buoys for our volunteers who would like a second one.
- For yellow buoys, I am told that some think that yellow buoys will harm the value of their property … The value of the water body will / is certainly affected if one is too lazy about the spread of Eurasian Watermilfoil. Buoys can be a temporary measure in some cases. “We have the resources at our disposal to improve the situation, now it’s up to us to be proactive. Don’t let this go because the milfoil will continue to invade.
- Unfortunately, two new areas have been identified with the presence of watermilfoil. Although we are a reservoir that empties annually, this cursed plant continues to spread. Invite your friends and family to have fun on the large lake and especially avoid the infected areas in the bay. It will be regrettable, in ten years, to see our bay at the same level as lakes Simon, BlueSea, Pemichongan etc. Now is the time to act!
- Good news for our members near a boat launch which has become in three years an “unofficial” descent for large boats on the Poisson Blanc despite the fact that it is located in a spawning ground and private property. Although many locals used it for a long time to access the lake, it was still private and not an acquired right. We must respect the privacy of neighboring owners and access the lake from a public place (the MRC boat launch on Montée JM). To explain this change, in 2019 and 2020, there was verbal violence, entries or exits at all hours of the day or night, invasion of nearby sandy private land, blockades of private entrances, destruction of vegetation to expand the trail. In addition, if there was damage to the boats or trailers, is the owner of the land responsible for the repairs ?? … hum
- We sent an explanatory email about a zoning change in two sectors of the bay. The Association cannot take a stand, but we make a point of informing our members impartially about the proposed changes. If you have not received this email, write to us: abv.poissonblanc@gmail.com
- NEW following a decision by members at the 2020 AGM, you will notice two new vertical buoys from TRANSPORT CANADA asking to check your wake (your waves) in our two “channels”.
- Finally, your representative Jeff wrote to the Municipality of Lac-Sainte-Marie about the recent access to Montée Jean-Marc which is a welcome addition for our area, but it is not yet completed. To date, the municipality seems to ignore our questions but we are optimistic that soon we will be able to provide you with more details. Our three questions related to road works in this sector are:
-
- The current state of Montée Jean-Marc is not suitable for car traffic … the road is very rough with a lot of unevenness, a lot of large stones etc. Does the municipality intend to put more gravel on the road so that it can be drivable for cars? We have heard that there may be more work required for the culvert, but in the meantime people are wondering if that work will be done this year or in the near future?
- The MRC boat launch on Montée Jean-Marc is a popular addition and is used by several members. The descent exists but there is no parking for non-residents, so it is feared that many vehicles park along the roadway blocking normal traffic. We understand that you are considering reworking an existing parking lot further away but we do not know the details, can you provide us with more information on this real problem especially for our canoe camping boaters?
- The last element concerns the signage on Ch du Gr. Poisson Blanc near the intersection of Montée Jean Marc…, we had suggested to the municipality to install a slowdown sign in order to warn the downward traffic of a curve in the steep slope immediately before this intersection. Could you please provide us with an update on this request as well?
