The Association is a Registered Charity

New Member of the Board of Directors

2018-11-05 - Following last year's Annual General Meeting, there was one position of Director remaining to be filled. At its meeting on October 27, 2018, the Board of Directors filled this position with the appointment of Guy Gauvreau, a long-time resident of Lake Edja and an active member of the Edja Lake, Roberge and Caya Owners Association. We welcome him to the Council.

The Association can be Recognised as a Charity

2018-09-25 - In a letter received today, the Canada Revenue Agency informs us that the Association meets the requirements for tax exemption as a charitable organization under the Income Tax Act. Thanks to those responsible for this success, including our Treasurer John Turnbull who led the effort, the members who participated in the August 25^th Special General Meeting to authorize the request to change our letters patent (French only) and our secretary André Beauchemin who was responsible for quickly obtaining our supplementary letters patent (French only - for the English translation of key changes, click here ) from the Registraire des entreprises du Québec.

Special General Meeting

2018-08-25 - As part of the Association's efforts to be recognized as a charitable organization by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), members were invited to a special general meeting today, August 25^th, to review an application for changes to the letters patent of the Association, a prerequisite for complying with CRA rules. During this meeting, the 16 members present unanimously approved the resolution presented authorizing this request for a change in our letters patent with the Quebec Business Registrar. To access the documents on our website, click here. Thanks to everyone present, including the Mayor of Blue Sea, Laurent Fortin.

Annual General Meeting 2018

2018-07-27 - The Association held its 10^th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday, July 21^st, 10 a.m. to noon at the Municipal Hall in Messines. Nearly a hundred people participated in this Assembly. An update was made on various issues of interest to the Association and its members; a few issues to underline:

• The recruitment campaign is a resounding success with close to 400 members as at July 21^st; [+]
• The intended use of jute tarp to smother Eurasion milfoil has not yet been sanctioned by the provincial ministry responsible for the environment. The ABV of 7 remains confident of finding an acceptable solution; [+]
• The Assembly approved a resolution to allow the Association to support the "Alliance pour un programme national de gestion du myriophylle à épi" (Alliance for a national Eurasian milfoil management program) and to join its campaign to tackle this problem, which is affecting more and more lakes in Quebec; [+]
• The need for volunteers to ensure the sustainability of the Association’s programs is emphasized, particularly for surveys and related activities of the water quality monitoring program;
• The boat washing program is well underway and an increase in the number of boat washings was observed. The importance of this technique to eliminate the risk of proliferation of invasive exotic species is underlined.

Over the next few days and weeks, we will add more details on each of these topics.

Board of Directors 2018-2019

2018-07-27 – At the July 21^st AGM, the Board of Directors is renewed for 2018-2019. There were four positions to fill. Three of the outgoing directors, Robert Duval, Sally Southey and Benoît Bélisle, were not renewing their mandate. The fourth, Don Karn, agrees to renew his mandate. The Board welcomes two new members, Mary Sheridan and Paul R. Ouimet, elected by acclamation. There is one unfilled position. The following presents the new Board.

The Blue Sea Lake Watershed Association Board of Directors for 2018-2019. From left to right: W. Robert Roe, Paul R. Ouimet (new Director), Mary Sheridan (new Director), Francis LeBlanc (President), Brian Lahey, John Turnbull (Treasurer) and Don Karn (Vice-President). Not in the photo, André Beauchemin (Secretary). There is one unfilled position.

For the contact details of Board members, please click here.

Protect Our Lakes - Wash Your Boats!

Photos: M. Grégoire & P.R. OuimetApril 2018 - Representatives of the Association and of the two municipalities of Blue Sea and Messines met recently to plan the boat washing program for 2018. The two municipalities are taking steps to launch the program for the start of the fishing season on April 27.

To Learn More About Washing Boats!

Source: Web video of the MDDELCCApril 2018 - A web video produced a few years ago by the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment and fight against climate change (MDDELCC) highlights the importance of boat washing and illustrates how to do it in 5 steps to prevent the spread of invasive species in our aquatic environments. Click here to see it.

Avoid the Spread of Eurasian Milfoil - Pay Heed to the Yellow Buoys! Why?

Photos: P.R. Ouimet

April 2018 - It's time to recall the danger of Eurasian milfoil for the health of our lakes and the importance of avoiding areas delimited by the yellow buoys installed by the Association to indicate the presence of milfoil bed, areas that boaters must avoid.

Eurasian milfoil reproduces mainly by fragmentation of the stems. The stems are broken naturally or cut accidentally (fishermen, boat propellers, etc.) These fragments are then deposited elsewhere at the bottom of the water. Each fragment of one centimetre or more can produce a new plant.

Eurasian milfoil beds become so dense that other species of aquatic plants naturally present are eliminated. Thus, there are fewer aquatic plant species in our waters. This loss of biodiversity results in an impoverishment of the aquatic environment. This plant can also significantly harm fishing, among others lake trout fishing. Finally, Eurasian milfoil is also a constraint to the use of aquatic environments for human recreational purposes.

For more information, two sources of interest: the Eurasian Water-Milfoil website pages of Ontario's Invading Species Awareness Program and of the ministère du Développement Durable, de l'Environnement et de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques (French only).