Twenty-one members of the Bouchie Lake Watershed Stewardship Society (BLWSS) met at 7 p.m. at Bouchie Lake Hall last Wednesday for their annual general meeting (AGM). At the meeting, they heard financial reports as well as reports on their two main projects: combatting the algae at Bouchie Lake and improving the public access at Milburn Lake.
On the financial front, the meeting heard that Bouchie Lake residents had donated a total of $5,460 towards the purchase of almost $8,000 worth of microbes that were introduced into the lake over the summer to combat the excess algae growth. The balance of the funds was provided by the earnings from a maintenance contract between the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) and BLWSS for the upkeep of the public access sites at both lakes.
The meeting heard that the program to combat the algae has been very successful over recent years, but that this year’s results were not as good as hoped for, despite introducing more microbes than ever before. The supply company was advised of the situation, and next year, a change in provider will be considered.
The Milburn Lake Public Access Improvement Plan was adopted by the society at last year’s AGM. A full copy of the plan can be requested from BLWSS through their email contact at blwatershedss@gmail.com. The report on the plan indicated that a collection of multiple letters of community support has been successfully completed, while permitting and funding processes are underway. The society has applied for a letter of permission from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI), which holds jurisdiction over the site, to carry out the necessary work. MoTI has yet to grant that permission. The society applied to the CRD for a development permit, which has been granted to MoTI as owner of the land. Funding applications have had limited success to date, probably because the necessary permits are not yet in place. The society is continuing with its efforts to secure the support of MoTI for this project, which has broad-based support in the community.
Upcoming plans include a casino night fundraiser in conjunction with the Friends of Bouchie-Milburn Society. Finally, two more directors were elected to add to the eight already elected at last year’s meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:40 p.m. and was followed by light refreshments, informal discussion and a slide show showing the ongoing flooding problems at the Milburn Lake public access, as well as safety and water pollution concerns.
— Submitted by the Bouchie lake Watershed Stewardship Society
READ MORE: Society working to improve Milburn Lake access
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