Current Events

For current news and events on link to:

FSJ Now! http://www.fsjnow.com/clcs/index.php

Energetic City.ca http://www.energeticcity.ca/clcs

2009-10 Board of Directors Executive: Jim Krauss - President Brian Churchill - Vice President Edward Stanford - Past President Moira Green - Treasurer Pam Okrainec - Secretary Directors: Allan Blair Stan Gladysz Judy Lang Glynnis Maundrell Lindsay Sahaydak Ann Sawyer Verena Hofmann Arthur Hadland Larry Evans Bruce Kosugi Featured articles (click here) now appearing in Fort StJohn's Alaska Highway News! Annually each Spring and Fall Ice Off and On Each year it is interesting to monitoring when ice first covers the lake and then celebrating the first day of ice-free conditions. Bob Ohland, long time area resident had kept records of ice-off dates from file:/ 1983-2000. Society members have been looking at ice-off and ice-on conditions since 2001. (Note that the bars of blue indicate period of open water on the lake.) In 2008, ice was completely off the lake on May 13th and back on Nov 19th.   Annually each July The Great North American Secchi Dip-In The Dip-In is an international effort of volunteers collecting and monitoring water quality in Canada and the United States. This is sponsored by the North American Lake Management Society and the US Environmental Protection Agency, and by Kent State University. The BC Lake Stewardship Society compiles and submits data for lakes in BC. More than 2,500 volunteers measure transparency in their favourite lakes. They use an instrument called a "Secchi" disk; a flat, horizontal, black and white disk that is lowered from a rope into the water until it disappears. Transparency is affected by the colour of the water, by particles of silt or clay or by small plants called algae. It provides an indirect measure of some forms of pollution. Transparencies reported have ranged from near zero to more than 20 metres of Secchi depth. As data accumulates, it may be possible to see if the transparency of our lakes is changing over time. The Charlie Lake Conservation Society has participated in the Dip-In over 5 years. Transparencies have varied from 1 – 2 m, depending on the amount of algae in the water. For more information contact BCLSS ( www.bclss.org  ) or Kent University ( http://dipin/kent.edu) More information on the Great American Secchi Dip-In, including participating programs and state-by-state results for past Dip-Ins, is available on the World Wide Web at: http://dipin.kent.edu/ Annually each May Charlie Lake Annual Spring Clean-Up Each spring, soon after the snow disappears, volunteers are seen around the lake on a specially announced weekend. Litter and other winter treasures are cleaned up as part of a group effort. The surroundings are returned to their natural beauty for all to enjoy. For more information, watch for announcements posted around town, on FSJ Now!, Energeticcity.ca and on the radio.

Summary of Past Projects

2007

Trail Building at Charlie Lake Provincial Park


During the fall, members of the Society worked with BC Parks to develop a 1 km trail to connect residents to existing trails in the extension to Charlie Lake Provincial Park.  This new park land was a result of the sale of land and donations from PetroCanada to BC Parks.






















2007 PRRD Lakeshore Development Guidelines Awareness Presentation

Lakeshore residents and developers have a valuable guideline from the Peace River Regional District for sensible planning and developing property around the lake and close to streams.  A powerpoint presentation was developed by the Society to help highlight some of key considerations.

























2003-2005 Volunteer Lake Water Sampling

2002-2004
Development of the Strategic Environmental Plan for the Charlie Lake Watershed

• Clive Callaway, of the Living by Water Project, provided lake residents with information on waterfront living. The community workshop provided practical information on saving time and money, protecting health and safeguarding waterfront property investments through natural methods.

2001

Community Education and Stewardship program

- Presentations for families at Charlie Lake Campground, Beatton

Park, and Rotary Park  
- Community workshops
- Other community activities

The focus was on lake ecology and to examine how we can minimize our impacts on the lake. This applied not only on Charlie Lake but on the ecosystems of lakes in general.

Salmonid Renewal Project

Charlie Lake is a high use lake in terms of both land development and recreational activity. Fish populations are easily affected by both of these activities. Since very little fisheries work has been carried out at Charlie Lake in the past decade, this project collected valuable information that can help protect and enhance the fish populations and their habitat, through future planning and management strategies.

1999

Wetland Conservation Project

The Charlie Lake Conservation Society supported the Ministry of Environment and Ducks Unlimited in their effort to re-establish a wetland area at the south end of the lake. Walking paths and benches were constructed around the area, as well as signs so that the area could also be used for education. The CLCS and the Boy Scouts planted many tree seedlings in the area.

CLCS ordered and distributed tree seedlings to lakeshore residents to encourage riparian area planting for lakeshore stabilization and songbird habitat.

Volunteer Lake Water Sampling

The CLCS initiated a volunteer water sampling program to measure the change in the lake nutrients over the summer. This is an ongoing project and provides information for brochures. We also produced a Lake Care brochure for distribution to public.

Signs were installed around Charlie Lake to encourage improved lake use and practices.

1998 & 1999

The society arranged for the building and distribution of 100 bird nesting boxes to residents around the lake.

CLCS ordered and distributed tree seedlings to lakeshore residents to encourage riparian area planting for lakeshore stabilization and songbird habitat.

1998

CLCS ordered and distributed tree seedlings to lakeshore residents to encourage riparian area planting for lakeshore stabilization and songbird habitat.