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The Problem With Septic Waste – part 1
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2015 AGM Important Information
The MBC 2015 Annual General Meeting:
Date – Saturday July 25th 2015
Time- 09:27 AM (tying to get everyone out by 11:36)
Place – Stanhope Firefighters Hall 1095 North Shore Road
Plan to arrive early for coffee and registration!
INFORMATION TO REVIEW FOR MEETING:
2015 Election call and notes MBC
Financial Reports – logged-in, registered users only – at minutes and financial
April Note – Spring Things
Greetings, MBC members!
My research indicates that today’s weather at the lakes shows a firm tendency towards springiness –
I suspect that the Ice-Out winners will be announced soon. Things are definitely speeding towards the opening of the busy-season – the opening, dusting, boat-wetting and the rest, will be underway in only a few weeks!
Your Association is also gearing up and would like to ask for some of your time to help with the MBC spring-cleaning.
MBC Newsletter – Spring 2015 Issue
Last year’s home delivery of our newsletter to ALL the cottages in our membership area, in a package with local information flyers and other bits and pieces, was very well received and led to a number of new memberships and more than a few renewals from old friends whose memberships had lapsed.
We have decided to do this again for 2015, and we’ll be needing some volunteers to help out.
This effort requires people for both the assembly of material into packages and door-to-door delivery. Both of these activities are a great opportunity to get to know a few of your fellow members and the delivery part is an excellent excuse to get out and see a bit more of your favourite neighbourhood.
If you can spare a few hours of your time during the period starting on the May long weekend and for a couple of weeks after, please get in touch via e-mail to pres@mbclakes.ca or even by giving me a call at (604) 551-2788 – a firm schedule of activity and locations will be set as we see what the response is to this appeal.
How About Some REAL Spring Cleaning?
A few of our members have suggested, over the last while, that it might be time for MBC’ers to do a bit of tidying up along the roads of our area. I spend a good deal of time wandering around and, from time to time, I get back to the cabin with my pack full of stuff that others have left in the ditches. I suppose they got too tired to carry it any further.
If any of those who have contacted the Association about a litter-collection effort (and others, of course) would like to get on with this, the MBC will help organise and supply the basics required. Again: PLEASE GET IN TOUCH WITH US AS ABOVE!
When The Ice is Finally Gone
Beyond the joy you will experience when you have won the Ice-Out contest (you HAVE entered, right?) the softening of our waters means the opportunity for drifting about. The Canadian Power Squadron has some excellent safety tips for early season boaters, many of which are applicable to non-powered water-craft.
Have a look and get ready for a safe season! https://cpsboat.wordpress.com/2014/03/20/spring- boating/?utm_source=FOCA+Elert+April+2015&utm_campaign=FOCA+Elert+April+2015&utm_mediu m=email
More coming soon.
Volunteer Opportunity – Membership Renewal…Getting News
There are a couple of ways that MBC’ers who are not so lucky as to be able to enjoy the Highlands all year can stay in touch with what’s up while they are away: All the local papers have web editions; Canoe FM, the Highlands’ award winning community radio station, can be heard on the web; And, best of all, as members we get terrific updates from Past President, Paul MacInnes. Consider becoming part of the information chain – summer or winter, you could contribute bits and pieces from your corner of the lakes by way of comments on the “News” page of the MBC web-site. Check all the links, below.
http://mindentimes.ca/ http://highlanderonline.ca/ http://www.canoefm.com/
Could you be an MBC Lake Steward?
Some changes in our long-term volunteer line-up mean that we are looking for Stewards for Maple and Beech Lakes this year. MBC Stewards track various aspects of water quality on our lakes by participating in our coliform sampling program and keeping their eyes and ears open for changes to our most important resource.
These are positions that will require more than the minimal couple of hours of yearly commitment from volunteers and, optimally, some ongoing research and training.
Initial education and training would start with a Stewards Lake Testing session, organized by the CHA, being held at the Stanhope Firefighters Hall on Saturday, April 25th 2015. The MBC has reserved two spots at this session.
If you are interested in learning and doing, and if you will be able to put in a few hours per month (or so) over your summer – and a bit from time to time in the off-seasons – please contact: pres@mbclakes.ca as soon as you can.
Membership Renewals and Payments
As Past Pres. MacInnes has noted, our somewhat annoying end of year renewal date has had the happy effect of putting our membership renewal numbers to date at levels never seen before and we have also seen a healthy number of new memberships, as well!
THANK YOU ALL!
We would really be pleased – ecstatic, in fact – if more MBC’ers could find the time to renew their memberships on-line. Members can do this even if they have already sent in a form and / or made a payment either by cheque or by E-transfer; this has a number of advantages:
- You can make sure that all your contact information is correct, and that you will receive all the updates we send out
- It is far faster and easier for members to do this themselves than it is for us.
- You will receive a receipt via email (don’t forget that MBC membership can get you a discount on your cottage insurance and they like receipts for proof) Paying by Interac E-transfer also simplifies things and gives you an extra confirmation receipt!
We are still learning how best to manage our on-line membership database –please remember that all of these things are being done by your neighbour-volunteers, not hot-shot web types – and members will be receiving notifications of their renewals over the next while. In the meantime, you could give it a try yourself, it’s really quite easy:
Go to https://mbclakes.ca/
Under “Membership” scroll down and click “Join the MBC”
Click “Select” under Annual Membership $30
You will arrive at Account Details and, to the right of this you will see “Already have an account?” – as an old member (even a really old member) you do have an account, so click the “log in here”
Your Username is your email address (if you have recently changed your email and find that you can’t log in, try your old address. This is one little wrinkle we are trying to work out) and, unless you have logged in and changed your Password, the default Password is welcomembc.
Review and fill in the few bits of required information (don’t forget the Discretionary Donation part if you can spare a bit!)
You will be given the opportunity to set your own password along the way.
Fix Your Reno Disaster?!
Cottage Life Magazine is looking for someone who needs help with a reno gone bad – look at the link and see if you’d like to try
Master My Disaster (Cottage Life) – Casting Call
How to renew your membership!
The easiest way to renew – especially if you do not have any changes to your information – is by sending an Interac E-Transfer to: treasurer@mbclakes.ca
If you need to change information or wish to renew but don’t know how to do it on-line you can download the 2015 for and send it as usual.
What’s with those Buntings? (The answer is here)
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Snow Buntingshave been moving through, and may be doing their synchronized flying tricks over a field near you. Their two-toned colouration makes them seem to appear and disappear as they swoop and swirl. It also makes them blend in well with the patchy snow areas that they prefer. They will burrow deep into the snow to avoid very cold temperatures. Snow Buntings may attract Merlins, Kestrels and Sharp-shinned Hawks.
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