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The Association is deeply committed to ensuring the preservation and naturalization of properties and shared land, upholding local and provincial environmental stewardship principles, applying sustainable development best practices to property development projects, and providing educational resources for our members.
We are pleased with our results and efforts to maintain the health and integrity of the lake, surrounding watershed, and woodland.
We endeavour to remain incredibly diligent to preserve this pristine environment.
Please ensure you have reviewed the Association Welcome Package, and By-Law documents, your property servitudes, and the Association, Municipal, and Provincial documents provided below regarding environmental policies.
The ILPOA Board Members are keen to support and mobilize members with their environmental stewardship goals.
Please contact the ILPOA Environment Commissioner for more information or with any questions.
Our neighbourhood is located in a densely forested area. We ask all members and guests to be well informed about fire prevention in homes and outdoors. In the event of a fire, call 911 immediately!
If you have a wood burning stove or an oil-burning furnace in your home or cottage, it is recommended to have the stove or furnace cleaned and inspected once a year.
We also recommend that members inspect smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in homes and cottages annually to ensure they are in proper operating condition. Information and tips about home fire safety are available from the Canada Safety Council.
District 2 of the La Pêche Fire Department serves the Edelweiss sector of La Pêche. Information regarding current fire ban status, regulations, and outdoor fire permits are available at the Municipality of La Pêche Fire Department website or call the office at 819-456-2161.
SOPFEU is the provincial organization which monitors forest fires in Québec. Their interactive map shows when and where fire bans are in effect. They also provide prevention resources for at home or outdoors.
Visit the SOPFEU website
Société de protection des forêts contre le feu
or call 1-800-463-FEUX
for more information.
The lake water is tested every two years. Many properties depend on the lake water for drinking and water supply to buildings. Efforts to ensure high water quality and potability include:
Motorized watercraft are strictly prohibited on Island Lake - e.g. electric, gas or oil powered vessels.
Self-propelled watercraft are permitted on Island Lake
- e.g. canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddle boards (SUP), pedal boats, sailboats, row boats, floats and loungers.
The following guidelines are a reminder of how best to preserve the integrity of the water in Island Lake and the surrounding watershed:
Thoroughly clean any watercraft that you bring to Island Lake from other waterways to ensure that any possible aquatic invasive species (e.g. zebra mussels, Eurasian milfoil) have been removed.
Ensure your septic system is properly installed and maintained.
Use only phosphate-free soap and cleaning products.
Do not use fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides or phosphates, paints, or other chemicals, near the lake or around the watershed.
Do not drain water from hot-tubs near or into the lake or watershed.
Limit the use of compost and manure in gardens near the lakeshore.
Having a well maintained and effective septic tank on all properties is critical to the health of the neighbourhood and surrounding environment - Island Lake, watershed, and lands.
Please ensure your system meets or exceeds all municipal standards. Information about septic tanks is available on the municipal website or at the municipal office.
Ensure your septic system is properly installed and maintained.
Use only phosphate-free soap and cleaning products.
Use septic-safe toilet paper and cleaning products.
There is a provincial requirement to have septic tanks pumped out every 2 years for permanent residents and every 4 years for seasonal residents. Refer to www.mddep.gov.qc.ca for Q-2, r.8 section 5, article 13. You must keep your invoices and receipts, as the Municipality of La Pêche may request information about the status of your septic system.
The Association encourages members to hire septic removal companies that use the Juggler System, which pumps about half of the filtered water, including necessary bacteria, back into your tank.
The Association organizes a bi-annual group pumping, which reduces environmental impact in the neighbourhood, damage to the roads, and cost to members. The next pumping will take place Summer 2022.
Please contact the ILPOA Environment Commissioner for more information about system tanks and systems.
In the spirit of our shared concern for the environment, consideration for neighbourhood members, and respecting our by-laws, the ILPOA requests that you adhere to the following guidelines:
Please ensure your dock size meets the specific by-law for Island Lake, which is a maximum size of 8.81 square metres. Refer to the resources section below for the ILPOA dock by-law document.
Do not cut or remove vegetation on the first 0-15 metres from the lake (bank and shore) other than a minimal opening for access to the Lake. See the Municipality of La Pêche zoning bylaw for more information.
Preserve the natural vegetation in the next 15-30 metres to slow the run-off of surface water, allow absorption of nutritive elements, and protect the beauty of the landscape. See the Municipality of La Pêche zoning bylaw for more information.
Where the shoreline has been eroded or denuded, restore the natural vegetation with native plants found there.
Minimize your pathway leading to the lake; use only natural materials on pathways; carry out vegetation preservation, and new planting, on each side to prevent erosion.
Be mindful of the aesthetic and visual impact on other lake users of the materials you use on your property - outdoor furniture, water craft and toys. Consider neutral colours, if possible, that blend into our environment. Please remove watercraft from the water and shoreline when not in use.
Consider the impact of noise on your neighbours and wildlife, especially as the density and proximity increases - barking dogs, music, TV, loud voices, landscaping and maintenance machines and tools, etc.
Noise is amplified on a lake.
The Southern Islands on Island Lake are owned by the Wesche family.
The Southern Islands are reserved for wildlife – particularly loons -that have traditionally nested on the wooded islands or the nearby rock outcropping (see Loons below).
The islands are off limits to watercraft and pets at all times.
During the loon nesting season in May-June, the Islands are off-limits to visitors. Those paddling or bathing in the area are asked not to get too close, and to avoid making loud noises.
After the nesting season, long-distance swimmers are welcome to stop and rest on the Islands.
Help protect the Island Lake Loons! Please read the guidelines: Loon Protection Info!
Island Lake has long been home to a pair of loons – or their successors - who return annually to nest on the Southern Islands.
Nesting season takes place from spring ice break-up through June.
As the human population has expanded in recent years, the loons have continued to come, but their nesting success has been erratic. On several recent occasions, pairs of Canada geese migrating northward in late April have attempted to establish themselves on the rock outcropping near the wooded islands, unlike previous years unchallenged by the loons nearby.
The loons require our support. We ask all lake users to avoid getting close to the loons or making excessive noise near the birds or their nesting site.
Canada Geese are often spotted on the lake, from late summer to early fall, as they migrate south to warmer climates. Please do not feed the birds!
An adult goose can produce as much as a kilo of poop every day, and those droppings can contaminate the lake water and your property.
Canada Geese are hosts of parasites causing Swimmer's Itch, an irritating skin rash.
Ideas to prevent geese from nesting or accessing the water and surrounding properties are outlined here: Goose Action Plan.
Herons frequently visit Island Lake. Their nesting grounds are located at nearby Beaver Lake and Five Lakes.
Mergansers nest around Island Lake. They often appear in the Fall for a few weeks after the loons have migrated to their wintering grounds.
Below are a list of invasive plants that the association endeavours to remove from the lake shoreline and surrounding land. We ask members to monitor their properties and remove any of the species identified below.
Resources on plants and their removal are posted in the resource section at the bottom of this page.
Please do not hesitate to contact the Environment Commissioner for assistance with removal and mitigation.
Purple Loosestrife reduces biodiversity and degrades habitats by forming dense stands with thick mats of roots that can spread over large areas. Property owners are encouraged to remove the plants in June, July and early August, when it is in flower.
Eurasian Water Milfoil (Zombie Weed) is an invasive plant that forms a dense carpet on a lake’s surface, crowding out the Indigenous plant species, and harms the fish population. It is most often introduced to a lake from water craft or fishing equipment. It is referred to as a Zombie Weed because each tiny piece broken off can turn into a new plant.
Giant Hogweed (Giant Cow Parsnip) grows along roadsides, ditches and streams. It invades old fields and native habitats such as open woodlands.The clear watery sap of Giant Hogweed contains toxins that can cause severe dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), burns and blisters.
Poison Ivy grows along the roadsides in our neighbourhood. It spreads from seeds and underground stems which produce dense patches. All parts of Poison Ivy plants - roots, stem, leaves - contain a sticky resin which causes an irritating inflammation of the skin. The inflamed areas frequently develop blisters and cause intense itchiness of the skin.
There are beavers that call Island Lake and the surrounding watershed home. For members living lakeside, you may notice signs of beavers - cut trees on your property - or a dam along the shoreline.
Beavers use trees for food and dam building material. Their preferred trees are aspen, poplar, cottonwood, and willow.
Beavers are most active cutting down trees in the fall because they are preparing for the winter.
To make the area less inviting for beavers and prevent them from building a dam:
Make your property uninviting by planting indigenous trees and vegetation that beavers don’t like.
Wrap individual trees in metre-high, galvanized welded wire fencing, hardware cloth, or multiple layers of chicken wire.
As a last resort, the association may remove beavers that are damaging property or negatively impacting the Island Lake watershed.
There are a dozen species of ticks in Québec. The only species that can transmit Lyme disease in our region is the Ixodes scapularis tick, also called the “deer tick” or “blacklegged tick”. These ticks are found in wooded areas or areas with tall grasses.
Preventing tick bites is key to the prevention of Lyme disease. When outdoors around the neighbourhood, remember to:
Apply an approved insect repellent containing DEET or icaridin.
Complete a tick check on yourself, your children, and pets.
Check your pet daily for ticks, especially if it spends time in wooded or overgrown areas.
Remove ticks as soon as possible. If you find a tick on your body, using fine-pointed tweezers, grasp the tick's head as close to the skin as possible and pull slowly until the tick is removed. Do not twist or rotate the tick. Do not use a match, lotion or anything else on the tick.
For more information about ticks and Lyme disease visit:
Public Health Agency of Canada