Events and Issues facing Star Lake
Archive for 2024
December 24 - Merry Cristmas and Happy New Year!
Not much to report right now. The garbage bins are back at the Hwy 301 site. The lake is frozen over, but mushy in spots and not open for snowmobiling yet. Lots of fluffy snow covering everything right now. On the south side of the lake Paul Gustavson is doing a great job of clearing the block roads. The capping of the mine shafts south of Star should be commpleted by now, but I wasn't able to get up to have a look yet. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you in 2025!
December 1, Update:
So far, nothing much to report. I'm assuming the capping of the old mine shafts south of Star Lake has been completed, but I haven't heard officially about that nor heard from anyone who's been up for a look yet.
Oct. 15 Update:
Discouraging end to a nice weekend. A group of hunters left a mess by the old red gate along the Blk 4,5,6 entry road: coffee cups, water bottles and the remains of several grouse, plucked and gutted. Sad to see such disrespect. When I used to hunt I tried to leave the land the way I found it.
Thanksgiving 2024 Update:
Fall Colours - This Thanksgiving Weekend seems to be the peak for fall-colours. I hope folks got a chance to see the various tree and shrub species at the height of their colours. In another week most of the leaves will be down.
Mine Shaft Capping - work is well underway to cap the two remaining unsecured mine shafts south of Star Lake. A private contractor is conducting the work under the province's Orphaned and Abandoned Mines program. They have positioned one of their fork lifts to block access to the road when crews are not at work. Folks should stay away from the area until construction is completed.
Public Beach Docks - The new floating docks at the public beach were pulled up onto the beach for the winter on Oct. 11. I hope Parks will be adding some flags or markers to ensure snowmobilers don't crash into them!
Lake level - I checked the lake level at the outlet control structure on Oct. 12. The water is at the 3.0 marker, down from 4.0 (a 10 cm drop) from summer level. There appears to be almost no flow out from the lake at this time.
Garbage Collection - I'm sure most folks have already heard about the bears-in-bins issue and that some of the collection bins have been removed for now (until the end of November when the bears should be hibernating). There's a number of media articles on line, here's a recent CBC article:
How do you keep bears out of trash?
For now, the garbage and recycling bins at West Hawk Lake, across from the gas station, have been left in place, while the ones on Hwy 301 by Star Lake have been removed. Parks is going to have to come up with a better system. I understand there are ongoing discussions and the Whiteshell Cottagers Association is involved.
Beaver Activity - The culvert at the Blk 4,5,6 entry roads is currently clear and there's little sign of any beaver activity in the creek. I haven't been able to check the culverts along Hwy 44 yet. If anyone happens to check please let me know.
Ticks Still Around - Just a reminder about ticks. Autumn is still an active period for some ticks, especially the Black-legged Tick (pictured below), the species that can carry Lyme Disease. They are tiny, compared to the more common Wood Tick. Please do regular tick-checks.
Autumn 2024 Update:
Mine Remediation - work has begun to cap the dangerous open mine shaft south of Star Lake. Here's an update from Orphaned and Abandoned Mines Remediation Program. For more, see below.
Hunting season: I've added a short update to the Hunting Safety page. Hunters, please remember YOU are responsible for the safety of others using the Park. It's a big park, there is no need to hunt close to developed areas.
Newly Installed Public Beach Docks - While folks are generally pleased, and are enjoying, the newly installed docks at the public beach, there remain some issues. Some have questioned aspects of the accessibility of the docks, but the main concern is the remaining original docks' cribs and rock piles. There are rock piles to the northwest corner and west side of the swimming dock, and a particularly dangerous rock pile just off the end of the boat launch dock. The top of that pile is only 70 cm below the surface. I contacted the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which has jurisdiction over developments that may impact fish habitat, and was told that removal of such un-natural, man-made hazards is allowed. Another solution may be to add additional sections to the docks to cover the extent and alignment of the original docks. I have made Parks staff aware of this issue and I assume it can be rectified for the safety of all users.
Here is the video (6:30) I made with my GoPro camera of an underwater view around both docks:
To leave a comment click the "watch the video on YouTube" button.
Update to the dock hazards: Solution coming? I heard from Parks that the plan will be to remove the old dock crib materials next spring. I'll post more when there is confirmation of a plan of action next spring. Good to hear back promptly from Parks on this issue. (Sept. 25, 2024)
Bear Sightings - We had a good, but short blueberry season this year. By the middle of August berries were dwindling and bears were getting hungry. Not surprisingly bears began to show up in the cottage areas soon after. Please remember to remove all bear attractants: bird feeders, dog/cat foods, garbage, etc. from around your cottage.
Some recent media coverage from Global TV about bears and garbage bins includes some footage from our Hwy 301 station: "Whiteshell, Man. residents say they can’t ‘bear’ trash invaders".
(I tried to post this link on Face Book, but they are blocking Canadian media outlets!)
CBC jumped on the bear-bin-bandwagon, too. Here's their article: Nuisance bears feast at non-resistant trash bins, concerning Whiteshell resident.
Summer 2024 Issues
August 2024 Update:
Star Lake Family Fun Day, August 3, 2024 was a great success! I've posted some images and videos at this link: Star Lake Day 2024 (This is a large, image-heavy page so please be patient when loading it.)
Park Specialist, Joanne Podolchuk sent notice that the dangerous open mine shaft south of Star Lake is finally to be capped and made safe:
"Please be advised the folks from Orphaned and Abandoned Mines (OAM) will be started work on the Sunbeam site location mid August 2024 and the Thomas Boyes site (not near Star) in September of 2025. (View a picture of the site in question: a partially open mine shaft.)
Project specific questions can be directed to the OAM folks at EPRBranch@gov.mb.ca."
So, please be aware that some heavy equipment will be in the vicinity of the Blk 4, 5, 6 entry road in the coming weeks.
Chainsaw Carving - The West Hawk Lake Chainsaw Carving Challenge returns this year! The event runs August 23-25. It's a great show and exhibition. There's live carving demonstrations and lots of finished carvings to view and purchase, and auctions of some of the newly completed carvings!
July 2024 Update:
Dock news: The docks on the public beach have finally been replaced. Work commenced on June 24, both main structures were in place by June 26, with some finishing touches to come. Here's some images.
Boat Launch Dock June 24 | Boat Launch Dock June 24 | Boat Launch Dock June 26
Swimming Dock June 25 | Swimming Dock June 26 | Swimming Dock June 26
Star Lake Family Fun Day 2024 was a HUGE SUCCESS!
I'll be posting some pictures and videos shortly! (Go to this page - link coming soon!)
May 2024 Update:
Lake Levels: Last year we saw low lake levels from a combination of low snow-melt/low rainfall and a damaged outlet control structure. This spring, so far, we are seeing high lake levels! Heavy spring rainfall, an improved outlet control structure and busy beavers have combined to bring the lake to well above normal summer levels.
A comparison of recent pictures of the outlet control structure:
Sept. 2023 (2023-09-23) | Apr. 2024 (2024-04-13) | May 2024 (2024-05-17)
It has been reported that beaver trapping is underway near the Hwy 44 culvert. It seems the beavers have dammed up one or both of the culverts (again). Hence the lake level being above the high point on the control structure (May 17 picture?).
(NOTE: I am posting this May 23 in advance of a forecast heavy rainfall for the days of May 24-25! We'll see what happens!)
Mining in the Park: Though nothing has been requested at this point, as far as I know, McFarlane Lake Mining (MLM) has suggested in a recent news update that it may be pursuing additional exploration at it's "West Hawk Lake" property (AKA Star Lake's back yard). MLM has made another Private Placement offering to raise funds for it's operation:
"McFarlane Lake intends to utilize the net proceeds from the Offering: (i) to further explore the Company’s past producing McMillan and West Hawk Lake gold properties; (ii) to expand compliant gold resources at the High Lake property; and (iii) for general working capital purposes. "
You can read their latest News Update at this link: https://mcfarlanelakemining.com/news-may-16-2024-mcfarlane-lake-announces-up-to-c1-million-private-placement/
You can also read about "Private Placements" at this link: https://mcmillan.ca/insights/raising-capital-in-mining-practical-considerations-for-private-placements/
I will continue to monitor this situation and inform Star Lakers of any further updates.
March 2024 Update:
Hydro brush clearing: Over this winter Hydro has been clearing brush from its transmission lines in our area. On March 14 I took some pictures of the main transmission line that heads westward from the substation south of Star Lake: "
Transmission line clearing 01 | Transmission line clearing 02 | Transmission line clearing 03
It's unfortunate that the site will look messy for a number of years, but this work was necessary for the maintenance of the transmission line. This clearing also has the added benefit of maintaining a fire break around the south end of Star Lake. In the event of a major forest fire pushed by the prevailing northwest winds this clearing would aid firefighters in protecting both the Hydro infrastructure and cottages.
Mining in Parks: You can review any updates on the Mining_Issues page.
Block 4,5,6 Creek culvert: On March 15 I took some pictures from the Blk 4,5,6 road where the culvert allows the creek to pass beneath the road. Things look good for the spring melt, I hope.
State of the Blk 4,5,6 road culvert
Star Lake Outlet: On my recent March visit to the lake I was unable to get to the Star Lake outlet control structure to see the state of things. If anyone has any info or pictures of the site please pass them along. Thanks.
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