Dear residents of Barkmere,
As announced at recent council meetings, your Consultative Committee on the Environment (CCE) together with the BLPA has created a new initiative: The Community Environmental Action Patrol (“CEAP”).
The objectives of establishing the CEAP are:
To educate and engage the wider Barkmere community in environmental protection actions;
To improve our ability to conduct general environmental surveillance and data gathering; and,
To create a reliable community group to call on in the event there is a serious environmental emergency at the lake.
To put the CEAP concept into action, the first project identified is to survey the shoreline of the lake in search of Eurasian Milfoil.
The “Ask”
We are asking each resident on the lake to survey their shoreline to the left and to the right, from their dock up to the respective neighbour’s main dock at least once (preferably several times) between July 1st and August 15, looking for milfoil. The surveying would ideally be done by snorkeling when there is good visibility from the shore to a depth of approximately 3m. The surveying can also be very efficiently done via kayak, paddleboard, or canoe. To aid in visibility there is an aqua scope available for short term loan from the town office. The office opening hours are posted on the Town’s website www.barkmere.ca.
Once you have done your surveying, we ask that you complete a Google Form which includes the key information we seek. If you think you see some milfoil, we ask that your mark the position either by using the small buoys available at the town hall, or any other method to assist in relocating the spot. We will send some experts to confirm, or not, the presence of milfoil.
We will consolidate the surveys and update a map which we plan to have available for consultation by all via the Town’s and BLPA’s websites.
If you would like to review information which would be useful in identifying Eurasian Milfoil, please consult the resources available in the Environment section of the Town’s website
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us at CEAP@BLPA.ca.
Thank you very much in advance for your collaboration and input.
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