Hello Lake News Subscribers,
Find below the most relevant lake information for February 2022.
Lake Etiquette
We'd like to remind any local pet owners who are walking their dogs on or near the lake ice to please remember to pick up after your dog. This will help ensure that the lake surface is clean and safe for everyone to enjoy and reduce water contamination when freeze/thaw cycles begin.
And of course, before you head out onto the lake, it is critical that your check lake ice measurements. You can find these on our website here: https://www.chestermere.ca/1129/Lake-Ice-Measurements
Invasive Species Awareness Week is Feb. 28th – March 4th
Did you know that Alberta Environment & Parks has worked closely with the City on the removal of Flowering Rush (an invasive species currently in Chestermere Lake), since 2017?
Here is a little update from Alberta Environment & Parks on this collaboration:
Flowering rush is an invasive plant that’s making itself well known in Lake Isle, the Bow River, and the South Saskatchewan river systems, among other locations. Flowering rush can be an aggressive plant that dominates shorelines, changing water quality and flow, impacting fish and wildlife habitat, and restricting recreational access. Herbicides and hand pulling, with special approvals, seem to be the most effective control approaches for Alberta locations.
Alberta Environment & Parks (AEP) has supported Flowering rush control work in Chestermere Lake since 2017. Chestermere Lake is in a unique situation where the infested water body, a reservoir, can be modified through irrigation infrastructure manipulations. So unlike other locations of flowering rush in Alberta, Chestermere Lake shoreline is exposed during drawdown after Thanksgiving.
Once the water is drawn down, digging activity can occur provided it is not too muddy and before freezing temperatures. It requires a bit of art in the timing, but hand removal in the incoming canal to Chestermere Lake has been completed the last two years with promising results by city and AEP staff. Lake residents are then requested to manage the plants in their lakefront portion, while the city of Chestermere supports proper disposal. These combined efforts have made significant reductions to what could be established along the shoreline and passed further downstream.
For more information please visit www.chestermere.ca/ais
Winter Recreation Map
Looking for something fun to do this winter? We’ve updated our annual Winter Activity Map. This map shows you all the best places to skate, sled, and frolic in the snow in Chestermere. Have fun and stay local!
Show Us!
We want to know what activities you are enjoying on the lake this winter! Submit your photos and be featured in one of our upcoming newsletters or reach out and we can come to take photos of you doing the things you love to do!
Contact us at comms@chestermere.ca
Have you subscribed to this newsletter yet? Visit www.chestermere.ca/notifyme to get this monthly newsletter sent to you automatically, enter your email address, sign in and select ‘Lake News’ from the News Flash section.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Community Operations at 403-207-2807 or fill out a Contact Us form on chestermere.ca (select Parks and Recreation) to notify the team.