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HERB LAKE LANDING NEWSLETTER
2010

Partially Completed Gazebo built at the Community Gathering Place 2009

2009 Activities

We had a busy year in 2009 and these are some of the activities and events that took place:

Hometown Funding:  We received a $2,750 grant.  We built and painted a 12 x 16 foot screened gazebo and made a parking lot at the community gathering site.  A walking trail was created by volunteers with chainsaws and the brush and debris hauled away.  Thanks to all the volunteers who worked tirelessly on this project and to Cathy Stabback who phoned and organized the work bees which continued all summer.

Wellness and Recreation Funding (WAR Fund):  We received a grant for $1800 from the Wellness and Recreational Fund.  Volunteers washed, repaired and painted the cement floor in the Seniors’ Community Center.  Ken and Marion Markosky donated a shuffleboard.  We purchased new shuffleboard rocks, two card tables, eight chairs and a Wii Consul with two remotes.  In addition, Brenda Gaudry conducted a workshop on “Wilderness Spirit”.

In Motion Funding:  Under Charlene Waterman, our community joined the In Motion program a provincial initiative to help all Manitobans make physical activity part of their daily lives for health and enjoyment.  We received a grant of $1755 to purchase a treadmill and exercise mats.  The McDougals donated a second treadmill.

July 1^st Parade:  The Seniors won first prize for a float in the Canada Day parade at Snow Lake with a theme of old times.  The prize of $100 was added to the Seniors Fund.

Street Signs:  McDougals donated the street signs and the community purchased the posts.  The seniors purchased and painted wooden house numbers and put them on all residences.  House numbers make it easier for anyone to locate a residence, especially in an emergency situation.

Defibulator:  A defibulator was purchased for the community from Hydro funding and will be kept in the heated fire hall. Bob Smith provided first aid training in a course attended by: Don, Freda, Hazel, Jim, Glenn, Margaret, Blaine and Jacqueline.

Pioneer Day:  Pioneer Day was held on August 2^nd and 40 people attended at the newly constructed gazebo and recently upgraded gathering place, thanks to Hometown Funding.  (Full details are available on our website at www.herblakelanding.ca) The day began with a pancake breakfast, later followed by hot dogs cooked over an open fire, donated by Cornerview Grocery. Later there was a delicious potluck supper. Cathy & Greg Erickson of Norway House donated the community’s 92nd birthday cake, There was a roving mic for people to participate in story telling; a horseshoe tournament on the beach organized by Dawn Roberts; a Wilderness Spirit workshop conducted by Brenda Gaudry and Peter Roberts entertained with a few songs.  Thanks to Dawn Roberts for being master of ceremonies; to Zack Roberts for singing O Canada; to Barrie Phillips for the write-up and photos of the event, and to Bradley Spencer for providing a large thermos coffee container for our events and gatherings.

Heart and Stroke Ten Day Challenge:  Our community successfully competed in the Heart and Stroke challenge.  We won first prize in the semi-active challenge and second prize overall in the province.  We completed 2,573,026 steps.  Eleven people participated:  Al and Margo McDougal, Greg and Candyce Carswell, Don and Freda Hiebert, Glenn and Margaret Spencer, Jim and Hazel Corman and Jacqueline Phillips.  At a special community meeting, Charlene Waterman, our Recreation and Wellness Consultant, presented us with the winning prize.  Also in attendance was Robert Barbeau, Municipal Development Consultant, Cory Young, Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Regional Director and Kevin Slobodia, Protective Services.  Don Hiebert, the eldest senior, accepted the gift.  Cory Young brought congratulations from Harvey Bostrom, Deputy Minister of Manitoba Aboriginal and Northern Affairs, and presented us with a plaque honouring the participants. Full details are available at: http://www.gov.mb.ca/ana/news/newsletters/2009/july_aug_09.pdf

Volunteer Award: Hazel Corman was presented with a Service Excellence, Volunteer Category award from members of the community.

Emergency Evacuations:  Cherlyn Cain of the Red Cross spoke to our community regarding evacuations in the event of forest fire or other emergency and Mark Francis, of the Emergency Measures Organization, informed us of available services in the event of such an emergency.

Fire Protection:  Sixteen ten-pound fire extinguishers were provided to replace old, outdated ones for residents’ homes.  Funding for the fire protection program and the Fire Chief’s                                                                                                                                                                                    honorarium have been cut, but the extinguishers were approved as a necessity for community protection.

Northern Harvest Forum: In October, Freda, Hazel and Margo attended this forum held at Wabowden.  The goal was to encourage participants to gain practical knowledge from presentations and workshops and to share it with people in their home communities.  Topics were: planting in raised gardens, food preservation, growing fruits and berries, gathering traditional food, healing through plants, cooking healthy, smoking meat, cold storage and canning.

Pandemic Plan: The H1N1 Flu response kits were received.  The winter population is eight adults and two children and day to day medical services will not be needed.  Residents look after their own water and waste disposal. In the event of an emergency, residents will care for each other, and if people get sick they will go to the Snow Lake Health Centre.

Aboriginal and Traditional Workshop: A Local Traditional Knowledge workshop was held over a two-day period in November with representatives from Manitoba Hydro in an effort to incorporate local knowledge and wisdom to the Environmental Impact Assessment for the Bipole III transmission project. The main objective of this workshop was to help MB Hydro choose the best alternative route for the 60-meter wide corridor so that it minimizes impact to the local heritage resources. It was attended by Freda, Don, Hazel and Margaret

Hydro Wuskwatim Transmission Development Fund:  We received $5,410 from this fund for community development purposes.  The funds are greatly appreciated.

Seniors Fund:  We have a community Seniors Fund from money donated by the volunteers who clean the garbage site and burn the brush pile, and for rent of the community hall to Hydro for meetings and lunches.  Last year from this fund, we purchased a television and Shane’s Music in The Pas generously donated a DVD player.  Thanks to the volunteers who contributed to this fund. 

Cupboards in Senior Center:  Thanks to George Delgatty, cupboards were salvaged from an old building and were scrubbed and painted and put up in the Seniors Center.

Pot Luck Thanksgiving Gathering: A Thanksgiving gathering was held with everyone in the community invited.  After the potluck there was a social time with Wii games and shuffleboard. Some of the seniors were leaving for the winter months and goodbyes were said.

Snow Removal:  Thanks to Glenn Spencer for snow removal in seniors yards.

Garbage Dump:    Residents are requested to keep the dump clean and to recycle as much as possible.  There is regular cleanup of the garbage dump from May to October.

Community Brush Pile:   This brush pile from clearings and brush trimmings is burned every spring by volunteers.  Aboriginal and Northern Affairs pays us to burn, and the funds are donated to the Seniors’ fund.

Old Appliances and Large Scrap: Thanks to Brian Hicks for making the arrangements, old appliances and car bodies were removed from our site at the same time as the Snow Lake dump was cleaned, with no cost to our community for this service.

Recycling:   There is a white barrel at the garbage site for pop cans, bottles and other recyclables.  Thanks to Al and Margo for looking after this recycling.  Recycling can also be taken to the depot at Snow Lake and used saleable items can be donated to Second Glance, the thrift store in Snow Lake.

Burning of Derelict Cabin:  With George Delgattys permission, his old cabin was burned in the fall.  The building had originally belonged to Joe Kerr, an early pioneer of the area who moved it to Herb Lake Landing from his previous location on Wekusko Lake.

2010 Activities

Beautification of the Community: At a community meeting, Charles Nyabeze, a representative from the Lands Branch, brought up the subject that we have old buildings in our community that are beyond repair, are a fire hazard, and are a danger to children who may want to explore them.  Also, we live in a very picturesque area and the decaying buildings detract from the beauty.  We are hoping that owners of these old buildings will take George Delgatty s lead and help the community get rid of them.  There is equipment in the community that could be used to dispose of these buildings and the work could be done for a nominal cost. 

New Horizons Grant:  New Horizons grants are for projects that encourage seniors to contribute to their communities by sharing their skills, wisdom and experience, and for projects that help reduce isolation.  Projects are initiated and led by seniors and benefit the communities where they live.  We have recently been approved for a grant.

Walking/Exercise Program:  In April we will organize a walking/exercise program at the Seniors Community Center and we will schedule times to walk and to meet for exercise.  Everyone is welcome to join.  We plan to provide walking sticks/hiking poles at the Seniors Center for anyone to use on the local trails.

Heart and Stroke Challenge: The community would like to participate again this year in the Heart and Stroke Challenge which will be held on May 10^th to 21^st.

Canada Day Parade: The Seniors will again enter a float in the Snow Lake parade on July 1^st, Canada Day.  If you have ideas, or wish to volunteer, please contact Freda or Margo.

Helping Hands Program: On April 15^th, Sue Matheson, together with two other university professors, will spend a day volunteering in our community.  Their expertise would be appreciated, and one suggestion is for them to assist with recording information on past and present residents in order to compile a history of the community.

Northern Gardens: The students from the Wabowden School, together with their teachers, Eleanor Woitowiez and Bonnie Monias, are encouraging northern communities to become more self-sufficient by planting raised bed gardens.  A couple students with a teacher are willing to come to our community to help plan and organize gardens with us.  Raised bed gardens offer better drainage, the soil warms faster than ground level gardens, and they are easier to weed.  Although not everyone wants a large garden, many people would enjoy the convenience of growing herbs and salad greens. If you are interested in gardening with raised beds, please contact Hazel.

Diamond Willow Walking Sticks Workshop:  We made an In Motion request for a workshop to be held June 5^th on making diamond willow walking sticks to be conducted by Brenda Gaudry.  These one-of-a-kind walking sticks and hiking poles are very popular.  Please let Hazel know if you would like to attend.  Brenda’s site is at: http://www.wildernessspirit.ca

Pioneer Day:  Pioneer Day is tentatively scheduled for August 1^st this year. If you have suggestions for activities or entertainment, please contact Hazel.

Special Thanks: We appreciate the work that Robert Barbeau our Municipal Development Consultant and Charlene Waterman, Recreation and Wellness Consultant, do for our community.

Web Page:  We are establishing a web page at: www.herblakelanding.ca to promote our community.  Thanks to Linda Butler and Barry Phillips for working on this project. 

Newsletter:  This newsletter is distributed by email to the property owners at Herb Lake Landing to keep residents informed of the activities in our community.  The community thanks Linda Butler for publishing this newsletter.

 If you have comments or suggestions,
please contact us at: herblake100 at hotmail.com
with the usual symbol for “at”.

Published April 6, 2010.