| Sailing News
- The news is listed below in
chronological order. If you would like an item posted, please email
the web master. |
| 2020 NEWS
-
Eight Bells for Founder of Catalina Yachts, ------------------------------------------------------
2019 NEWS
- GPS Rollover, Samco Hearings. 2018 NEWS
- Regional Plan,
Sundance Boat Launch, 2017 NEWS
- Lake Management 1,
Lake Management 2, Tansy Infestation,
new ramp,
2016 NEWS
- AOSA Status, WWMC Meeting, WWMC Spring
Newsletter, Launch like a Boss.
WWMC General Meeting, Prevent Mussels,
WWMC Fall News Letter. ARCHIVED NEWS - Wabamun Power plant - Wabamun Power plant 2 - Wabamun Power Plant
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2019 NEWS |
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GPS ROLLOVER
- There’s been a lot of talk on the various forums about some doomsday GPS
scenario that’s rumoured to happen in April. (It’s not an April 1 thing)
While I don’t know what it is from a technical perspective, the question
was posed on the Ray tech forum, and they have assured that none of the
plotters or GPS units that any of us may have will be affected.
I think I can say this, as none of our boats are really large enough to
accommodate an A or C series plotter. I know there’s a couple of “a” (
lower case) and Axiom units out there. I know of at least 2 a65 units.
Ray Marine also suggests the GPS1xx units are unaffected.
All that said, there’s some kind of patch coming.
If you have a Garmin or Lowrance or anything else, it might be time to
start reading up on this.
It’s called the “gps 2019 rollover” Gary Hamilton
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2019-01-22, SAMCO
DEVELOPMENT APPEAL HEARING - This second meeting concluded the public
portion of the appeal board hearing with the remaining residents and
interested parties having addressed the Board. There were few empty
seats. The meeting concluded at approximately 10:00 PM, well past
the intended time. After a 10 minute recess the Board announced they
would deliver their decision in 15 days.
2019-01-13, SAMCO DEVELOPMENT APPEAL HEARING - Affected Wabamun Lake residents and others using the lake were out in force at County Parkland appeal hearing for this controversial Wabamun Lake campground. Wabamun Area Stewardship Alliance (WASA) was formed to oppose this campground development. Time ran out for the remainder of the WASA speakers to address the appeal board so this hearing will reconvene at Parkland County Centre on Jan 28, 4 PM. Plan to attend as a show of support.
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2018 NEWS |
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2018-11-13, WABAMUN LAKE SOUTH SHORE LAUNCH RAMP
- Click on
County Parkland Council meeting to view the WWMC presentation (Stan
Franklin) on this subject. Then click on item 6.3 below the video to
view Council's discussions and final decision on the subject.
GOOD NEWS: Sundance Boat Launch On November 13 Parkland County Council voted to begin construction of the $2,000,000 boat launch on the south side of Wabamun Lake, near the Sundance power plant. The funds have been set aside, the lease agreement has been signed with TransAlta and the environmental impact assessment has been completed. Construction is expected to begin in May or June 2019 with the launch opening anticipated for the spring of 2020. With Parkland revenues in decline, Mayor Shaigec correctly made the case that Wabamun is not just a Parkland lake. It is a significant provincial resource used by many non-Parkland residents. As such, there should be some measure of cost sharing for the launch by surrounding municipalities and the provincial government. Regardless, the County has now committed to construction of the site. WWMC
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2018-03-31, PUBLIC RELEASE OF THE NORTH SASKATCHEWAN REGIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL RECOMMENDATIONS - The Government of Alberta is currently in the process of developing a Regional Plan for the North Saskatchewan Region of Alberta. The plan will provide the policy integration, direction and clarity needed to help guide decisions that collectively reflect and support the needs and values of Albertans; it will help to achieve Alberta's long-term economic, environmental, indigenous and social outcomes for the region. Regional plans are a key element of the Land Use Framework (LUF)<https://landuse.alberta.ca/Pages/default.aspx>, which was released in December 2008. The LUF establishes seven land-use regions and commits to the development of a regional plan for each. The next step in the planning process for the North Saskatchewan Regional Plan is the public release of the Recommendations Report from the North Saskatchewan Regional Advisory Council. Established in 2014, the Regional Advisory Council was comprised of individuals with a cross-section of knowledge, experience, and perspective in the region who were appointed to develop recommendations to government on how to address the region's issues and challenges. Advice from the RAC, in addition to feedback from the public and stakeholders, will guide development of the draft land use plan for this region. You are invited to: Read the North Saskatchewan Regional Advisory Council's Recommendations Document available at: Recommendations Document<https://landuse.alberta.ca/LandUse%20Documents/NS%20RAC%20Recommendations%20Report_Final.pdf> Provide your input in the online survey through May 4, 2018 at: Online survey<https://extranet.gov.ab.ca/opinio6/s?s=39582> The release of the draft regional plan will initiate another round of consultation to gather feedback before the plan is finalized. We appreciate your input regarding Alberta's regional plans. If you have any questions or comments please contact the Land Use Secretariat. [LUF logo] Land Use Secretariat 6th Floor, Forestry Building, 9920-108 St. Edmonton AB T5K 2M4 Telephone: 780-644-7972/780-644-7973 Email: LUF@gov.ab.ca<mailto:LUF@gov.ab.ca> |
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2017 NEWS |
| 2017-07-31, WEATHER ALERTS -
While the reception on the VHF weather channels at Wabamun Lake is
poor (lousy to spotty), I did receive a weather alert broadcast early in the
afternoon. It is a steady warbled 1 Khz (approx) tone. Panache's VHF was
monitoring Chan 16 at the time and it displayed a banner scrolling across
the bottom of the screen telling me there is a weather alert and to hit
any key. This I did, after which the radio immediately switched to
weather chan 1, from which I listened to the weather broadcast.
"Severe thunder storms developing in Edson and to arrive at Wabamun later
in the afternoon. (in English)" About 4 PM another weather alert was
transmitted giving the all clear. Great service if you ask me. Panache has a Standard Horizon DSC VHF e/w GPS. http://www3.telus.net/sail/sj23/e_electrical_tips/e10.html#location While I have enabled most features, including respond to weather alerts, I had no idea Environment Canada was broadcasting this signal. The manual states this operation is exclusive to the US. What do they know! At any rate this is new to me this year and I'm happy it works. Unfortunately other VHF radios around me did not receive this signal or
can't decode it to warn the operator. So check your VHF options for this
feature and enable it if present. It should give you enough time to seek
shelter instead of being totally surprised by black clouds coming over the
horizon.
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| 2017-07-11, NEW LAUNCH
RAMP FOR WABAMUN - The Parkland County Council has approved
funding for land acquisition and construction of a new south side boat
launch that is set to be completed in 2019. Click on
https://www.parklandcounty.com/en/live-and-play/wabamun-lake-boat-access-and-nutrient-management.aspx
for more information.
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 2017-07-10, TANSY
INFESTATION (Alberta Invasive Species Council & MD of Greenview No. 16) -
On Aug 14 several government groups will partner with local
volunteers to deal with an infestation of Tansy on an island on the Smokey
River, 8 KM
downstream from where it crosses highway 43. Click on this link for
more information. (http://mailchi.mp/1f21d01923dc/tansy-island-photo-contest-flowering-rush-and-post-doc-op?e=60b89c7b77).
Tansy has a tendency to spread its seed during Spring runoff with the
potential to infest and out compete native vegetation downstream.
This would include the Peace River, Slave River, Great Slave Lake and the
Mackenzie River. By being proactive MD Greenview hopes to save the
large inaccessible areas of native vegetation along this water shed.
Because Tansy grows along the water it is controlled by digging up the
plants and burning them to destroy the seeds. This effort is
expected to take several seasons. So if you can spare some time please contact
Kristin on the link above. She will send you further instructions.
PS: The island is 8Kms downstream from highway 43 so there is an opportunity for adventure and maybe a nifty ride on a jet boat. TOP |
| 2017-06-23, LAKE MANAGEMENT - Hi folks! I hope you are all getting to spend some time enjoying Alberta's lakes as we move into summer! I have a few updates on the Respect our Lakes program to share - please feel free to pass this information to anyone else in the lake community. I am happy to announce that many of the Respect our Lakes Signs that we first debuted at the Alberta Recreational Lake Forum (ARL) back in April, have been distributed to groups across the province. For those of you who weren't able to join us at ARL or haven't heard about the signs yet, please see the attached sign order form for more information. I have also included a general order list, so you can see which lakes in your area have had signs ordered to date. If anyone is still needing signs, please fill out the attached form as we still have signs available. I look forward to seeing these signs up on the landscape and would like to thank everyone who has participated in the sign program by helping distribute and install - we wouldn't have been able to get this important messaging to all of these lakes without your help! As requested at ARL (in addition to the signs), I now have waterproof 17 X 10†posters of the responsible Lake Recreation and Responsible Lake Living signs to put up around lakes at kiosks. We have also finalized, and have in printed copies in hand, the new Responsible Lake Recreation brochure<http://aep.alberta.ca/water/programs-and-services/respect-our-lakes/documents/ROL-ResponsibleLakeRecreation-Jun2017.pdf>. If you would like to order any of the above (signs, posters or brochures), or have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. As always, we also have our ROL displays available to lend people for events that we can't attend in person. Thanks all - enjoy your summer Janine Higgins, Community Engagement Lead Community Engagement Branch, Central Service Area Phone (780) 643-1780| Cell (587) 986-6694 9th Floor, 9915-108 Street, Edmonton, T5K 2G8 Alberta Environment & Parks TOP |
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2017-05-23, LAKE MANAGEMENT
- Late last month, I was privileged to
attend the ARL (used to be CARL) annual meeting of groups involved in lake
management for the Province of Alberta. About 200 people attended from
NGOs, government, summer villages, First Nations, environmental groups, and
one lone representative of boating i.e. yours truly. Not that I
think I can do this by myself - I can't. It has been said that rules
are made by the people that show up, so we need to show up much more than we
are now. As it is, boaters get blamed for a lot of things that they
don't do - like dumping potties overboard, noise pollution, washing away the
shoreline through large wakes, etc.
We need much more representation in this and other watershed management organizations and all the areas which government looks to for guidance in how to set up the rules. This is very important at this point in time. Please consider joining your local watershed group or NGO, summer village, etc. If we are left behind, we will have no say in government policies and will shoulder the blame for many things we have nothing to do with and thereby find ourselves more restricted as time goes by. These commitments usually take one evening a month only in the winter when we can't sail or boat anyway. The things you learn by participating will expand your enjoyment of the lakes in areas you haven't even thought of. Once again, please consider getting involved for the good of boaters everywhere. Phil Sutton |
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2016 NEWS |
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2016-11-03, WWMC Fall Newsletter -
Click here to download. (check your download folder). Highlights include:
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2016-09-14, PREVENT MUSSELS
IN ALBERTA -
The Alberta government has introduced new legislation
and guidelines to prevent invasive aquatic life forms (zebra & quagga
mussels) from taking hold in Alberta lakes, ditches, drainage areas, etc.
Be aware that it is now
illegal to transport your water craft with a closed drain plug. In
addition, there are additional guidelines to follow when retrieving your
boat this Fall and into the future.
Click here for
details.
TOP
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2016-09-1, Annual General
Meeting -
7:00 PM on Wed, Oct 19 at the Alberta Environment &
Sustainable Resource Development office, 250 Diamond Ave, Spruce Grove.
All members and guests are welcome.
What’s in Store in 2016 for the WWMC?
Call for Nominations
Here's your chance to help the lake by serving on the board of the WWMC.
We can certainly use your assistance to inform and shape policies that will
ensure the health of the lake. Interim Appointment to the Board
Tracy Muloin and Renee Bliss were appointed to the Board as interim members
during the past year. At the AGM a motion will be made to confirm these
appointments as per our bylaws.
TOP
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2016-07-27, AOSA Status On Friday, July 22 the AOSA executive received word from the Alberta Registrar that the AOSA is revived as a society as of June 21, 2016 thanks to the work of Linda Payne (secretary), Ron van Amsterdam (treasurer) and the rest of the executive for giving up their time during the summer to make this happen. Enjoy your sailing Phil "Peg-Leg Sutton |
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2016-06-10 -
How to Launch like a Boss. - Great message.
TOP
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2016-05-24, WWMC
Spring Newsletter. Click
here to download.
Highlights include:
The next meeting of the WWMC is Wednesday, June 15, 6:30
p.m. We meet in the West Board Room at Suite #1, 250
Diamond Avenue, Spruce Grove, Alberta
TOP
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2016-04-1, WWMC Meeting,
Wed April 20, 2016. After our winter hiatus, our regular monthly board
meetings will start this coming Wednesday, April 20, at 6:30 p.m. All are
welcome! |
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ARCHIVED NEWS |
| 2011, Wabamun Plant Power House Implosion - I thought their technique for levelling the building might be effective, but it wasn't. |
 2011-03-18,
Wabamun Power Plant Chimneys (and then there were none) - Friday morning the weather was calm
and clear. Just perfect for blowing something up. I talked
to the demolition guys who assured me the event was a "go." Failing that
Roy and I were going for coffee! Sure enough the sirens were heard just
before 09:00, followed shortly by a sequence of explosions.
We all held our breath as nothing seemed to be
happen. Then slowly the center smoke stack toppled to the North East.
It didn't take long to drop. Wow what a cloud of dust.This was followed by a second explosion, (the smell of cordite in the air was pretty strong by then), but nothing happened. About 20 minutes later you could hear ambulance sirens so we all expected the worst. Speculations were rampant among the spectators on the roadway where I stood, just west of Jubilee hall. We all wondered who was injured. Then the rumour mill reported the blast would be repeated in 45 minutes and moments later the blasting was to resume the next day. Since we hadn't had breakfast we decided to go for coffee. Unfortunately we never heard the subsequent sirens so we missed the final part of the action. During our absence the demolition crew lit off two more sets of charges to drop the next stack. This one must have been built pretty well. Apparently the third stack went down with no problem. I don't know why they didn't ask me. I could have tied a line around it to the back of my Jeep! A whole lot cheaper. Below is a photo sequence of the first stack falling. Now we will have to find another navigational mark on the east end of the lake to set the Coal Point Cardinal buoy. Rats. On another note, the old guideline that if you can't see the power plant stacks you shouldn't be on the lake, needs to be amended. Definitely a new era on the water. Bob Schimmel.
VIDEO - For a video of all three smoke stacks falling down
click
here. This video was taken by a person standing behind me while I
was putting on my jacket.
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