SKELETON LAKE GROUP NOMINATED FOR AWARD

Adam Malik, Advocate Staff

The efforts of the Skeleton Lake Stewardship Association have not gone unnoticed. The group was nominated for the Emerald Award in the Not-For-Profit Association category. The Emerald Awards are handed out by the Alberta Emerald Foundation for Environmental Excellence, which recognize outstanding initiative and leadership Albertans demonstrate while facing various environmental challenges.

"They're to encourage positive environmental activity," added Brian Curial, a member of the board of directors for the SLSA. Curial said it's great for the organization to be nominated and recognized for what they're trying to accomplish. "We're very pleased with the nomination," said Curial. "It gives us credibility for what we do and gets the attention of people."

The awards will be handed out in June, but Curial admitted he was a bit surprised to hear anything yet. "It,s still early. We'd be thrilled to win," he added. "It'd be a great indication of how hard we've worked. We'd be doubly happy to win." But, winning isn't everything. "Even if we win, that doesn't solve our problem," said Curial.

The problem he is referring to is the declining levels of Skeleton Lake. "We (land owners at Skeleton Lake) noticed the water levels had dropped in the last eight to nine years," explained Curial. "When the rain level increased, we assumed the water level would also increase, but it did not."

20-year decline

The levels have not dropped slowly. Curial said five feet of water has disappeared from the lake in just the last eight years. "It's on a 20-year decline," he said, adding increased precipitation one year thwarted the decline, but levels have gone down since then as well. "We never recovered and continued to decline even with increased rain." The SLSA decided to find the roots of the problem. One was the Village of Boyle, which draws about 50 million gallons of water from the lake. "It's going down about 250 million gallons per year, so there are other factors," said Curial, adding the village alone cannot be blamed for the problem. The group went before village council in November and presented the problems. They showed records of the water level in the lake were stable until 1987.

He also believes development is playing a big role in the problem, saying the number of developed lots has doubled in the last 20 years. "We are looking into how people are developing their land," said Curial. "Are they cutting off the ability for water to get into the lake?" The SLSA is working with Alberta Environment as well as the County of Athabasca, Village of Boyle and other government organizations to make a watershed management plan to deal with all of the issues.

One natural problem the lake faces is a very low watershed ratio, said Curial. A 3:1 ratio between the size of the watershed and the size of the lake is the absolute lowest Alberta Environment says is enough to sustain a lake long-term. Skeleton Lake's ratio is 4:1. In comparison, Amisk Lake's ratio is almost 10 times that amount. "It's a significant difference," said Curial.

The group is also looking at water quality in the lake. "We're looking at the effects that watershed alterations and road may have," said Curial. "Fishing has gone down and we want to know what's causing it ... the biodiversity and the economic impacts and things like that will be ongoing." The group will require biologists and environmentalists to also help report the conditions of the lake.

All this information will be put together in a document, but Curial said it may take years. "It's going to be ongoing throughout the years ... and anyone who wants to be a part of it is more than welcome," he added. The entire SLSA is worked by volunteers and has charity status. They have even been able to set up a website at www.skeletonlake.com.

Curial said they would need to fundraise and get government grants to lay the groundwork and make presentations to get more people talking about it. They have a town hall meeting planned in Edmonton on April 26 at the Italian Cultural Centre at 7 p.m. and at the Boyle Community Centre on May 27 at 10 a.m.

Personal Ties

The members of the SLSA have personal ties to the lake. For Curial, his family has owned a cottage in the area for about 40 years. "My parents bought the cottage in the '60s and now it's my cottage," he said. "I went up there a lot when I was a kid and I take my kids up there, too." "That lake has been so important with my upbringing, I'm alarmed with (the water levels) going down."

Not only is he concerned about his enjoyment of the lake, but the future generations that will take over the area. "Will it be here for our kids and grandkids?" wondered Curial. "That's what we're all worried about."

Curial said when they noticed the drastic changes, action had to be taken. "It was sort of a wake-up call," he said. "(The cottage) has been in my family for 40 years and it's an important part of my life." "We have to stop taking (the lake) for granted. We have to start thinking about our kids and our grandkids."

Adam Malik, Advocate Staff