Elk Lake Advisory Group Meeting

[Silver Streak]

A meeting of the Elk/Beaver Lake Recreational Use Advisory Group will be held
Thursday October 14 at the CRD Parks headquarters at 490 Atkins Avenue starting
at 7:00 PM. The meeting is open to the public. Agenda items include discussion
of 2011 events requiring boating restrictions (ie. mainly rowing regattas)and a
vote to determine whether the Advisory Group supports or rejects these proposed
events. Membership on the Advisory Group will also be discussed. There may be
a possibility to expand membership to additional recreational use groups.
Transport Canada will also update buoy placement on the lake. If you are a user
of Elk/Beaver Lake plan on attending. Please also pass this message along to
your other friends who use this waterbody. A good attendance would be most
appreciated by myself and your angler rep on the Advisory Group.

 

[Sandman]

Sorry that I missed this. I am hoping there were some fishermen in the crowd? Anything of interest to be shared?

Catch and release -- into my frying pan.

 

[Silver Streak]

The Advisory Group narrowly approved the proposed events requiring boating
restrictions in 2011. These included mostly rowing events totalling 27 days
and with rowing courses in the lake for a potential 53 days next year.

Transport Canada reps attended and advised that the Victoria Rowing Society
application for the placement of 9 permanent buoys in a line and spaced
250 meters apart would likely be approved in December. The public response
to the application has been both positive and negative however, according
to TC, no concerns were raised which would affect the public's access and
ease of navigation. This approval by TC was not unexpected and would have
been granted even if all of the response to the application was negative.
It was a done deal from the start. Unfortunately politics is running the
management of recreational use on Elk Lake. The Advisory Group has no power
whatsoever. In fact, there was mention of terminating the Group as they have
made no progress since formed in 1993. The conflict between mainly fishermen
(anglers) and rowers continues to this day and will likely continue.