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By Sue Smith
Welcome back to the lake to all of you who spent the winter in the city and Happy Spring to all residents of Lac Latourelle. We had a ton of snow this winter but the breath-taking beauty of the pure whiteness compensated for the wear and tear on shovels and snow blowers. It will be truly exciting to watch the green leaves emerge and the budding plants pop up through the soil -- let's hope that the deer don't eat them before they blossom!
On behalf of the APELL executive we hope you have a safe and happy season at the lake. We invite you to renew your membership in APELL. Membership forms are available on the website. We hope you will volunteer at and participate in the APELL events planned for this season. To start off with, our Spring Meeting is Saturday May 30th at 10:30 am at the Lac Long Recreation Center. We hope to see you there. The agenda is on the website in both English and French.
| DON'T MISS THE SPRING MEETING! SATURDAY MAY 30th - 10:30 a.m. |
APELL executive and members were busy last year. With thanks for everyone's efforts, here is a summary of APELL events and accomplishments.
January 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June to August 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
Ongoing
We want you! We need you! Where are you? Will you join us? APELL wants more residents from around our beautiful lake to join our lake association. Here is how you will benefit from joining APELL:
Membership application forms are available on the website and we will be ready to sign you up at the spring meeting. We will do a door-to-door membership drive after the meeting and will have membership applications available at all our events. If you are already a member --- tell your neighbours about APELL and invite them to join.
What can we do to capture your membership? Please let us know how we can serve your needs better --- we want to know. APELL's slogan is "Working together for our Members" --- so please join and help us serve your interests in better protecting the health of our beautiful lake.
Does everyone in your family have their Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC)? Did you know that the deadline is fast approaching? Don't worry! APELL is offering a half-day boating safety course on Saturday, June 27th at the Muncipal Hall in Blue Sea. The cost of the course is $55 per person and you will finish the day with your PCOC in hand. Advance registration is required. For more details see PCOC Boating Safety Course - June 27th, 2009.
What is the PCOC?
The federal government's Competency of Operators of Pleasure Craft Regulations require operators of pleasure craft fitted with a motor and used for recreational purposes to have proof of competency on board at all times, beginning on September 15, 2009. The most common proof of competency is the Pleasure Craft Operator Card (PCOC) which is issued following the successful completion of an accredited test.
Do I need to take a course before I write the test?
Taking a boating safety course is strongly recommended regardless of age or experience. Taking the test alone costs $50.
Why take the course?
What is covered in a course?
The course covers a full range of basic boating information such as:
Having more knowledgeable boaters on our lake will contribute to reducing the number of injuries and incidents and will save lives.
See you on June 27th!
Local stores and services can reach the community and help protect the environment all year-round by advertising on the APELL web site. Our visibility in the region has increased, thanks to our new signs, and the web site provides news and information to residents and cottagers throughout the area.
Introductory advertising rates are $25 per year. Businesses who donate goods or services to support an APELL event receive a free ad for one year. Ads include your name and logo, a brief description of your business and contact information. For more information please contact webmaster@apell.org or Sue Smith at 819-463-1687.
See sponsors.
Mark July 4th on your calendars and start putting aside some of those treasures gathering dust at home and at the cottage. APELL will be sponsoring a table again this year at the Blue Sea community garage sale as a fundraiser and to encourage recycling.
New this year will be an APELL snack bar selling drinks and food to raise money for projects on our lake.
Contributions for the garage sale and baked goods should be delivered to the Blue Sea Municipal Hall on Saturday July 4th by 0800 am. Please put price tags on your treasures. Volunteers to help with organizing, pricing and selling are encouraged to contact Sue Smith 819-463-1687 as soon as possible.
And don't forget to come to the municipal hall in Blue Sea on July 4th between 0800 and 1400 to take advantage of the bargains and support APELL.
Blue Sea's bylaws are in for a makeover. Bylaws are an important mechanism for establishing standards for property use and maintenance and the municipal inspector has been asked to review and update Blue Sea's bylaws and submit them to Council for approval.
APELL has requested that the process for dealing with applications for variances (requests from residents for exceptions to the rules) be changed to make sure that neighbours - especially seasonal residents - are informed about requests that could affect them and have a chance to voice their concerns. More information about the bylaw review and the variance process will be provided at APELL'S Spring meeting on May 30th.
Thanks in part to encouragement from APELL, Blue Sea has joined the municipalities of Grand-Remous, Montcerf-Lyton, Deleage and Gracefield in supporting the Green Fund. Council has set aside a total of $10,000 for environmental projects in the municipality for 2009, of which approximately $4,500 will go to the Green Fund. This will help secure access to grants totalling over $100,000 to support environmental work in the region.
Our gratitude goes out to APELL Director Richard Labelle, Lise Labelle and President Sue Smith for attending all the Blue Sea Council meetings and speaking to items pertaining to APELL in question period --- your presence has been a significant and positive influence.
APELL's Executive Committee met several times over the fall and winter months to review last year's events and activities and plan the 2009 season. The group's financial situation is always an important topic at these meetings, given that protecting the environment and offering information and services to our members requires a healthy balance sheet. Some of the topics discussed include:
APELL starts the 2009 season with a bank balance of approximately $750. Treasurer Bob Smith will present full financial statements at the Annual Spring Meeting on May 30th.
The next time you go by Patrick Whelan's shoreline you'll notice he has some very fine shrubs growing near the water. And a little more leisure time to sit on his porch and enjoy the view.
Last fall, with the help of good friends from APELL, Patrick planted several species of phosphate soaking native plants including redwig dogwood, sweet gale, water berry, wild raisin and his favorite -- potentilla! Not only are these plants attractive, but they don't require much maintenance. Pat's lawn mower is well on its way to retirement!
The revegetation of Patrick's shoreline is designed to transform part of his lawn into an eco-friendly protection of Lac Latourelle. These plants will:
APELL members were guided in their work by Annie Parent, a biologist from the Société Sylvicole de la Haute-Gatineau. Annie offered a full-day workshop on the importance of revegetating our shorelines. Using a PowerPoint presentation delivered at the BLue Sea municipal hall in the morning, Annie described the roles and functions of the shoreline and the importance of replacing grass with natural plants to prevent Lac Latourelle from aging prematurely. In the afternoon we all headed over to Patrick's cottage and neighbour Judy Watson's place and Annie taught us how to plant the shrubs she had selected for their properties.
APELL members who were unable to attend the workshop can access Annie's superb handouts via the website and learn about the types of shrubs to use, where and how to plant them. Perhaps residents could get together in the future to help each other revegetate our shorelines? Instead of "barn raising" we could start "shoreline raising" parties!
Thank you: to all who invested their time by attending; to Patrick and Judy for generously offering their properties; to COMGA for funding the workshop; to the Municipality of Blue Sea for letting us use the municipal hall; and especially to Annie Parent who with her vision for healthy lakes created this fabulous workshop to get us all started making Lac Latourelle's shorelines even more beautful!
In the USA in the 1800s the postal service vowed that neither sleet nor snow nor rain would prevent the mail from getting through. In 2009 nothing will stop the residents of Lac Latourelle from getting through to their mail boxes! Luckily there is a team of snow plow magicians who generously plowed the snow in front of our new mail boxes so that we all had easy access. Thank you to the group who faithfully dug out a path to the mailboxes all winter long.
The Blue Sea dump opened for business on March 7, 2009. Hours of operation are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every second Saturday for the months of March and April, and July through December. During May and June, the dump is open every Saturday. You must bring your dump card and your driver's licence with you. There are user fees associated with a few items such as cut lumber, imitation brick, etc. Check with the municipal office at (819) 463-2261 for more details.
There will be door-to-door pick up of large items in May (19th to 22nd) and September (8th to 11th).
If you are building a new cottage, expanding an existing one or looking for a way to reduce wear and tear on your septic system, you may be interested in learning more about composting toilets. These ingenious appliances are odor-free, easy to operate and designed for seasonal or full-time use. And since they completely bypass the septic system, there is absolutely no risk of ground water contamination.
Depending on the model you choose, composting toilets can be used all year round, indoors or outside, and work with or without both electricity and water. Many units look just like a regular toilet and used on a seasonal basis by a family of four, will only require emptying once a year. The "output" is dry, completely sanitary and ready be used on your garden. If anyone on the lake already has a composting toilet, APELL would love to hear what you think.
If you're curious and would like more information, type, "composting toilet" into a search engine or visit the websites of two of the better known suppliers: www.sun-mar.com or www.envirolet.ca.
By Patrick Whelan
Do you know someone wanting to rent a cottage for a week or so during the spring, summer and fall season 2009 or next year? If so, why not suggest they check out my property located on chemin Jos. Cousineau? My telephone number, in Ottawa, is (613) 565-7778, or at my cottage at (819) 463-2555. Includes deck with barbecue, color television, hot and cold water, shower facilities, full modern kitchen with microwave and dishwasher, wood stove for those cool nights, and electric base heater. Single large bedroom with queen size bed and double sofa bed in living room for additional sleeping requirements.
Here's How You Can Help APELL
The success of our lake association depends on hard work from volunteers. This year we hope that more members will join our hard-working team and spread the workload so that "many hands will make light work"!
This year there are many options for you to choose how to help:
Let your executive know how we can serve you better and represent your interests in our community. Join APELL this year!
Saturday May 30th 10:30 AM: APELL ANNUAL SPRING MEETING at the Lac Long Recreation Centre. Our Mayor, Mr. Laurent Fortin, will update us on Blue Sea happenings and projected plans.
Saturday June 6TH: ANNUAL LAKE CLEAN-UP. APELL needs people, boats with motors, trucks, ATVs, rope and chain saws. BBQ lunch to follow.
Saturday June 27th: BOATING SAFETY COURSE to be held at the Blue Sea Municipal Hall. Make sure everyone in your household has their Pleasure Craft Operator Card in time for the September 2009 deadline. APELL is sponsoring a bilingual half day course that will give you all the information you need to be a responsible operator and pass the test with flying colours! Refreshments will be available. The cost of the course is $55. More information to follow on the website and at the Spring Meeting.
Saturday July 4TH: BLUE SEA MEGA GARAGE SALE. To raise funds APELL will have a treasure table and snack bar. Please bring your priced sale items to the municipal hall by 0800 am. APELL will sell coffee and muffins at the Garage Sale. Can you donate some muffins? Or help staff the snack bar? Or sell treasures? Please let Sue Smith know at 819-463-1687.
Saturday August 1st: APELL POTLUCK PARTY at Adcock's barn --- fun for little kids and big kids! Please bring a potluck dish and your own beverages. The Métro in Gracefield has generously donated hot dogs for the event. Come out and meet your neighbours. Guest Annie Parent, Biologist, will bring her shoreline plants for sale.
Saturday September 26TH 10:30 AM: APELL ANNUAL FALL MEETING (with elections) at the Lac Long Recreation Centre.
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Copyright © 1996 APELL
All Rights Reserved
Droits d'auteur et copie © 1996 APELL
