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Helping to keep Moose Lake blue

Moose Lake Watershed Society kicking-off annual campaign
20.14.07.Keepourlakeblue
The Moose Lake Watershed Society is encouraging residents to Keep Our Lake Blue this summer. File photo.

BONNYVILLE – The Moose Lake Watershed Society (MLWS) is hoping residents will help keep the local water body blue this summer.

For the second summer, the MLWS and Lakeland Industry and Community Association (LICA) are partnering for the Keep Our Lake Blue campaign.

“The goal is to show small actions create a large compounding effect on the lake. Everybody can kind of do small actions that will basically contribute to keeping our lake more blue than green,” explained MLWS chair Kellie Nichiporik.

Mason Unrau, education and outreach coordinator with LICA, said, “We wanted to see how residents could change their actions to help decrease the algae blooms and phosphorous and work toward improving the water quality.”

Some of the actions people can take this summer are planting native plants on their lawn or lakefront property, using a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks, fix any leaky or broken faucets, spread organic mulch around plants to retain moisture, or water the lawn or plants in the morning or evening to minimize evaporation, among others.

Simple steps like these can help decrease the number of detergents, fertilizers, manure, human waste, and decaying plants that end up in the lake and cause high levels of phosphorous.

Those living around Moose Lake can stop by the Shaw House on July 17 to pick up a yard sign saying they signed up to help improve the health of Moose Lake.

“Every year, Moose Lake turns quite green with algae and we usually get blue-green algae blooms as well,” noted Nichiporik, adding some bacteria can be deadly to creatures living in the lake and prevent recreation in the summer months.

“We’re really hoping to reduce the amount of runoff and pollutants that are entering the water, specifically phosphorous is what we’re targeting.”

There were 37 households that signed up to participate in the campaign last year, and Nichiporik hopes to surpass that number this summer. She encouraged everyone living around Moose Lake to take part because “what starts as small ripples creates huge waves.”

“I think everybody always thinks ‘I’m only one person, what effect does it have?’ Overall, if we all collectively put together our actions, we could have a huge difference,” she exclaimed.

Unrau agreed, “I’d encourage residents to participate because they’re contributing to the health of the community and the health of the rest of the population that are needing the lake. It will help their property and make the lake healthier so that it will be beneficial for them to participate because they’re taking direct action and making sure Moose Lake is healthy. They’re participating in the long-term health of the place they call home.”

Robynne Henry, Bonnyville Nouvelle

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