Kukagami Environment Watch Area News
http://www.kewatch.blogspot.com/ Spring 2012
In the spring,
at the end of the day,
you should smell like dirt. Margaret Atwood
(here's hoping you can get out to the garden soon!)
The Ice is Gone!
Early afternoon, Monday April 9th, the last floes of ice were blowing down the lake with the strong northwest winds. This is one of the earliest dates for an ice free lake, second only to 2010, when the ice blew away on April 3rd. The average ice-out date for the past 30 years occurred in the last ten days of April.
The long warm weeks of mid-March almost resulted in the earliest ever ice-off Kukagami Lake. But alas, seasonal temperatures returned, and the ice got thicker for a week or two. Even though all the ice was gone from Klondike Bay by April 5th, it was just possible to walk on the ice of the big lake on the morning of Friday April 6th. This was only possible because the overnight temperature dipped well below freezing each of the preceding 5 nights. See lots of photos on the KEW website.
Oops!
Someone went skidooing a little late this year, don't ya think? If it was you let us know and we'll help get a crew to pull the skidoo out of the water!
Spring Road Clean-up
Early spring means we can get an early start to the annual spring Road Clean up! Between now and May 5th, you can sign up to clear the litter from a section of Kukagami and Fox Roads. To register for your section of the road, drop a line here at kewatch@gmail.com.
Bring a friend – it's a fine way to spend a spring day while at camp.
**Please note! The City wants us to sort the roadside trash into separate bags of recyclables and garbage. We have clear bags for the recyclables, and black bags for the garbage. Please let us know if you need these supplies!**
You also need to sign a waiver. Please wear a bright orange vest while working…and keep yourself safe!
Wolf Lake!
Efforts are underway to bring stronger protection to Wolf Lake and the Chiniguchi River system. A postcard campaign to encourage the Minister of Northern Development and Mines, our own Rick Bartolucci, to stop auto-renewing the mining claims and leases in the area. Check out www.savewolflake.org and request a postcard from KEW at KEWatch@gmail.com
Water Watcher
Now that the ice is off the lake, it's time to think about how we can keep the water clean – clean enough to drink while having a swim this summer!
#1 Check your septic system…is it working properly?
#2 Does the drainage from your sump pump and eaves troughs go to a leaching pit at least 50 feet from the lake?
#3 Check your boat…clean before launching? Motor working properly? All bilge water dumped before changing lakes?
#4 Do you have a place far from the lake for cleaning your car and/or ATV?
Website and Newsletter
The KEW newsletter is published quarterly, and sent by email to any interested person. The Website is updated randomly through the year – so check for new information and photos! Submit photos and news items to our email – listed below.
If you know anyone who would like to receive the KEW newsletter, send his or her e-mail address to kewatch@gmail.com. If you would like to be removed from the list, please reply to this address.
