Lac la Nonne Enhancement

and Protection

Association

L EL EL E P AP AP A Why should I

become a LEPA Member?

• To protect and preserve this lake

• Become and advocate for clean water

• Be pro-active

• To protect your investment

• Help restore the fishing that once flourished

• This is your lake; leave it to your children and grandchildren in better shape than you received it

• Conservation and preservation is contagious – catch it now!

• An excellent opportunity to meet friends; all with the same goals

President Greg Hall

Vice-President Rod Kause

2nd Vice President Gisel Bourgeois

Treasurer Darlene Sadoway

Secretary Shauna Hall

Directors Nola Majeau Rod Kause

Mandy French Ashley Niebach Dwayne Miller

Leisa Miller Jill Brown

Councilor LSA Wayne Borle

Councilor BHD

Doug Drozd

See our Website for the Director in your area.

With a stable membership of 300 plus families and a new revitalized executive, LEPA continued to have good participation in on-the-water and off-the-water activities in 2016. In addition, we have moved closer to a water quality improvement solution. The Annual Grade 5 Wetland Education Day involved 3 schools this year: Rich Valley, Neerlandia, and Dunstable. The weather was incredible and nearly 100 students were engaged in learning about the lake ecosystem. In addition, Grade 5-6 students from Rich Valley School were assigned a project from their teacher, Rod Peterson, to study the Wetland Ecosystem of Lac La Nonne and make recommendations to LEPA as to what we should do about the continued development around the lake. Darlene Sadoway and I attended presentations from the students where they provided convincing evidence and arguments that if land development around the lake continues the wetland ecosystem will be severely damaged. Pretty smart students!! Read more about these bright young students and their assignment in this newsletter. The Boat Regatta gets more popular every year. Sixteen boats participated in the Pirate Themed Parade while more than 100 people came out for hotdogs, ice cream, drinks, and conversation about the state of the lake.

The Annual Silent Auction and Pot Luck Supper fundraiser held at the Rich Valley Agri-plex was successful in raising nearly $5000. We are so thankful to businesses in Barrhead for their continued generous support during tough economic times. At the Annual General Meeting, Branden Ganton, a Fisheries Biologist from the Alberta Conservation Association, stole the show with his excellent presentation on the different water aeration methods that are in the marketplace reviewing their strengths and short comings as a solution for increasing the oxygen content in the lake. More inside this newsletter! In 2017 LEPA is exploring two new potential solutions to the continued deterioration of water quality in Lac La Nonne. 1) a pollution solution by dilution – the input of water from the Pembina River and 2) the application of an alum solution to reduce algal and aquatic plant growth. Both these initiatives are described further inside this newsletter. Don’t panic!! No decisions have been made. The late thaw of the lake this year and the late heavy snowfalls will result in clearer water for a longer period of time this year as compared to last year. So get out there and enjoy it! Greg Hall, President

LEPA Charities #107583650

RR 1, Site 1, Comp 14 Gunn, Alberta

T0E 1A0

www.lepa-ab.ca LEPA.contact@gmail.com

Annual Membership $10.00 per family

May 2017

JUNE 17: Annual General Meeting Belvedere Hall 10am—Noon JULY 22: Boat Regatta Regatta @ Mission Boat Launch 11am Family Picnic @ Klondyke Park 1am SEPTEMBER 16: Outreach and Silent Auction Rich Valley Agricom 3pm—9pm

Stay Tuned for Event Updates ….

www.lepa-ab.com

AND

N e w s l e t t e r

PRESIDENT MESSAGE

Working together for the health of the lake and surrounding area

Blue-Green Algae (Cynobacteria) Frequently Asked Questions

What is blue-green algae (cynobacteria)? Blue-green algae is a naturally occurring type of bacteria in many lakes, ponds and reservoirs. This bacteria can multiply quickly in the summer months leading to extensive growth called a bloom, some of which may produce toxins. As the blooms decay, the toxins may be released into the water. What do blue-green algae blooms look like? Blooms may range in color from blue-green or greenish-brown, brown or red/pink. They often smell musty, grassy or of ammonia. Are blue-green algae blooms a health risk? Yes. People who come in contact with visible blooms may experience heath concerns, including skin irritation/rash, sore throat, red eyes, swelling of the lips and hay-fever like symptoms. People and animals who drink this water are also at risk of headache, fever, diarrhea, vomiting and cramps, muscle and joint pain, and even liver damage. Consumption can be fatal to humans and animals. What should I do if there is a Blue-Green Algae Advisory at the lake? ♦ Avoid all contact with the blue-green algae blooms. If contact occurs, wash with tap water as

soon as possible. ♦ Do not swim or wade in any areas when blue-green algae blooms are visible. ♦ Limit consumption of whole fish or fish trimmings. It is known that fish may store the toxins in

their livers. People can safely consume fish fillets from the lake. ♦ Do not feed your pets any whole fish or fish trimmings from the lake. ♦ Never drink or cook with untreated water when an advisory is in place. Boiling the lake water

will not remove toxins produced by blue-green algae. Can I swim or play in the lake water where blooms aren’t visible? Areas of the lake that do not have visible blue-green algae blooms can be used for recreational purposes, even when a Blue-green Algae Advisory is in place. It is always recommended to rinse off with clean tap water after leaving the lake at any time.

For more information on Blue-green Algae Blooms and Advisories: www.albertahealthservices.ca (Health Advisories section)

Non-Toxic Mosquito Repellant

Safe and effective

method of deterring

mosquitos.

Simply slice a lime in half

and decorate with a

significant amount of

cloves!!

♦ Have your soil tested and follow the soil recommendations. Unless a soil test indicts a need, phosphorous fertilizers should not be applied to establish turf.

♦ A phosphorus-free fertilizer should be used on high phosphorus testing soils.

♦ Water your lawn after fertilizing, but do not allow water to run off into the lake.

♦ Never apply fertilizer to frozen ground.

♦ Clippings not left on the lawn, leaves and other plant debris should be removed as soon as possible from street gutters and driveways. If it washes into the lake, plant material can carry phosphorous into the water. This plant material can be composted, used in the garden as mulch, or disposed of through appropriate community services,

♦ When mowing lawns, do not direct clippings into the street or the lake.

♦ Aerate compacted or high thatch lawns to promote better water infiltration and reduce potential runoff potential.

♦ Leave a “buffer zone” - a strip of unmanaged grasses or natural vegetation—to grow around the shoreline. This vegetation will help prevent soil erosion from the shoreline and will also remove and retain some of the nutrients that would otherwise enter the lake.

♦ Avoiding over-application of fertilizer by following the soil test guidelines as well as by practicing simple landscape maintenance techniques will help reduce potential pollution problems and protect natural resources.

Source:

C.J. Rosen, C.J. and B.P. Horgan. Preventing Pollution Problems From Lawn and Garden Fertilizers. University of Minnesota

NATURAL SOLUTIONS Simple Tips for Fertilizer Application and

Landscape Maintenance

Bats are one of the least studied and most misunderstood animals in Alberta. It is in the best interest of all Albertans to change this as they are very beneficial to us economically and to the landscape ecologically. Certain species of bats, in particular the little brown bat, is considered to be a riparian species. They are an integral part of the ecosystem, filling the ecological niche of being the primary insectivore. The bats require an aquatic landscape for foraging and the environment requires them to keep insect numbers in balance. One of the goals of this program is to bring awareness to the ecological importance of bats, as their important role is often overlooked and therefor they are not valued. This program has a two pronged approach addressing the most serious problems facing bats: a negative public perception and a data deficiency of critically important habitat. Through this program we engage the rural community to become interested in the welfare of bats while dispelling harmful misinformation through one on one consultations with landowners. We want to target areas where bats and humans often coincide. Land around water bodies are prime bat habitat and we want to target these areas as part of this program. 2016 was the first year of the “Save a Barn, Save a Bat” program and in our first year, 20 bat roosting sites were visited, 178 bat houses were built and nine speaking events were held. We hope to expand upon the successes of this program in 2017. We believe that the Lac La Nonne area could provide us with a wealth of information on colony locations but we need the help of land owners in the area to identify them! If you would like to take part in the program or would like more information please call Lisa Card at 780-674-8069 or email lisa.card@hwy2conservation.com. The “Save a Barn, Save a Bat Program” is supported by the Alberta Conservation Association and the Government of Canada.

OUTREACH AND

SILENT AUCTION

The Annual Silent Auction is scheduled for September 16, 2017 at the Rich Valley Agricom starting at 3:00 Donations are greatly appreciated please contact Greg at 780-886-9000 or Darlene at (780)-967-2790

Students learn about wetland ecosystems by studying life in a local pond, slough, marsh, fen or bog. Through classroom studies, and studies in the field, students learn about organisms that live in, on and around wetlands and about adaptations that suit pond organisms to their environment. Through observation and research, students learn about the interactions among wetland organisms and about the role of each organism as part of a food web. The role of human action in affecting wetland habitats and populations is also studied. At the beginning of the unit the students are given a very simplistic overview of the unit. They are then asked to complete the introductory assignment which requires the students to research the topic of a wetland ecosystem, learn the different aspects and issues of a wetland ecosystem, take a stance on an issue and then report their research findings to an audience. The assignment is to be completed without any direct instruction, only support from the teacher.

Highway 2 Conservation’s “Save a Barn, Save a Bat” Program

Wetland Ecosystem Overview Grade 5 Science

A Little Brown Bat at a site near Lac La Nonne

Roosting site of a large colony of big brown bats

Safety Around the Lake

If you were out on the lake last boating season, you would have seen some of LEPAs Hazard Marker Buoys. As you recall we purchased 20 of these buoys last year and a group of our directors went out in the spring and deployed 12 of them on known hazardous locations. We will be out there marking these locations again this spring and are definitely interested to hear from our LEPA members of other areas to mark. Please reach out to us at: LEPA.contact@gmail.com

In short: The size of Lac La Nonne precludes the ability to effectively aerate it. Over the course of the last few years the ACA has explored a number of aeration methods including: surface mechanical aerators, micro-pore diffusers, oxygen injection and numerous other strategies for use in stocked trout ponds. In our experience, the most effective method for oxygenating a lake in winter has been surface mechanical aeration. With this method, water is thrown into the air by electrical pumps sitting at the surface, effectively a golf course fountain. The agitation creates millions of water droplets increasing the surface area for oxygen exchange from the atmosphere introducing more oxygen. We have successfully installed systems for overwintering ponds up to 160ha. However, as size increases, so too does effort and cost associated with aeration: pumps, cables, electrical service points, fencing, signage, monitoring and inspection to name just a few. It is my opinion that the aeration of Lac La Nonne (~1180ha) would require such infrastructure, equipment, and effort, that it is not economically and logistically feasible. Brendan Ganton, B.Sc., P.Biol Fisheries Biologist Alberta Conservation Association

FUTURE CONSIDERTIONS

River-to-Lake Transfer Projects

During a presentation at the 2016 LEPA AGM, I re-introduced and expanded on a concept brought forward in a 2006 LEPA restoration workshop as lake level stabilization through transfer of water from the Pembina River. Under this concept, stabilizing the lake through water transfer would replace a deficit of water caused by generally higher seasonal temperatures and lower seasonal precipitation; as well as landscape changes reducing natural flow and water supply within the creeks the lake has historically relied on. Expanding on the concept, I further suggested that there may be additional value in exploring an ongoing, seasonal diversion of water from the Pembina River as it appears to be much lower in nutrients than the lake. Over time, a diversion of water holds the potential to ‘flush’ nutrients from Lac La Nonne increasing water quality.

Brendan Ganton, B.Sc., P.Biol Fisheries Biologist Alberta Conservation Association

The project’s technical advantages. Unlike other such existing or planned River-to-Lake water transfer projects in Alberta, pumping water from the Pembina River to Lac La Nonne to replenish, dilute and flush the lake water, is a relatively simple project. Separated by only 3 km and with only 26m difference in water surfaces elevations between the river and the lake, a set of 110 HP pumps could transfer (borrow) 3.6 million gallons per day from the river’s average billion gallon daily spring run-off flow. Such flow could start overflowing the lake the very first season of pumping. A silt-settling flow retarder channel could be built near the river (or provided by an existing old Oxbow) to remove most of the silt from the turbulent spring run-off, and would be pumped an extra 600m into the lake’s 18m deepest part, for good distribution. The existing MacDonald Creek, which meanders 13 km in wooded area before reaching the Pembina River, would serve as a very good filter to the lakes water returning to the river.

Lake Stabilization and Flushing Concept Is Aeration An Option at Lac La Nonne?

FUTURE CONSIDERTIONS