A group of concerned citizens in Ninette and surrounding Pelican Lake properties held a public open house a week ago to discuss strategies for preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species into the lake, specifically zebra mussels.
Community meetings are essential for sharing concerns, gathering community input and providing information on what could potentially be a lake-changing disaster should zebra mussels be introduced into Pelican Lake.
Thus, the recently constructed Pelican Lake AIS Mitigation Model that has been proposed to the RM of Prairie Lakes. The model proposes a combination of measures such as monitoring, educating, sharing early detection strategies and control methods to tackle invasive species before they reach the water in order to protect the lake's ecosystem.
A townhall meeting has been planned for September 8th to discuss this further with the community of Ninette and all stakeholders.
The threat of zebra mussels in the southwest corner of the province has ramped up since the positive identification of a live zebra mussel on a rock at Clear Lake's Boat Cove in Riding Mountain National Park earlier this summer.
The Sandy Lake Protection Group has worked together with their municipal council to construct the 'OneBoat/OneLake' Program as a bylaw, and other lake communities are wondering if they too should adopt this strategy.
The fact that the closest watercraft inspection station is just outside Minnedosa at a rest stop at the Hwy 16 and Hwy 10 junction puts lakes in the southwest corner of the province at greater risk for AIS offenders.
It's important to note Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and the Province of Manitoba have the authority over the protection of waterways against aquatic invasive species. Municipalities control only the land that gives access to the lake, they do not control the lake itself.
"The RM of Prairie Lakes is only looking at controlling access to Pelican Lake in terms of aquatic invasive species," explains Healthy Lake Committee Chair, Trevor Maguire. "They don't want to restrict people from getting on the lake and enjoying the lake. They just don't want the lake full of zebra mussels."
"We're in a unique circumstance because our [healthy] lake exists because of the aeration system," continues Maguire. "If you take the aeration system away, because zebra mussels will foul it almost immediately and there will be very little we can do about it, you're going to start seeing die-offs again and you're going to see this lake go back to the way it was in 2012."
"So, we have a little more heightened concerns about that," he adds.
"But it's an open house on September 8th, and all I can say to people who want to attend it is to show up with your ideas, be respectful and express your concerns," says Maguire. "That's what the RM wants to hear. And if you can't be there, send a note to the RM, again being respectful, sharing your concerns and also the things you like about the proposal."
"I have nothing but positive things to say about this committee taking the time to sit down, do the research and come up with some ideas," adds Maguire. "If none of those ideas come to fruition it got the ball rolling, which is way more than most other communities in Manitoba have been able to do."
Listen to the full interview with Trevor Maguire below.
To view the Pelican Lake AIS Mitigation Model visit the RM of Prairie Lakes website here.
An open townhall meeting has been scheduled for Sunday, September 8, 10:00am in the Ninette Townhall. The meeting will be a question-and-answer format and will provide the opportunity to ask any questions about this initiative. Representatives from the volunteer group as well as from council will be in attendance.
(photo credit Healthy Lake Committee)