ACTION NEWSLETTER ST-FRANÇOIS VOL.6-No1 - JULY 1999 AWord from theVicePresident ereweareintheheartofsummerandinthemiddleof A fourth perspective of action is Hanother season of cleaning up. Again, this year, Action the necessity of maintaining our alli- Saint-François has received precious aid from the Federal ance with other organizations. Let us Governments Eco-Action 2000 Program in order to help us mention our collaboration with the As- out in achieving our goals. Since the beginning of May, our sociation of the Tomifobia River for coordinator, Mr Robert-Léo Gendron, has been providing a which, last winter, we worked on diligent presence, both on our premises (18 Wellington North, cleaning up a log jam south of Ayer’s Room8),andontheterrain.Arenewedboardofdirectors has Cliff. We also have regular contacts been elected at our last general assembly, April 30th: with the RAPPEL (Regroupement continuity has been provided for and a puff of fresh air pour la préservation de l’environne- instilled!Some important projects have alreadystarted that ment des lacs*) and the CREE (Con- will help Action Saint-Franois increase its visibility. and its seil régional de l’environnement**). involvement during the coming months. Finally, Action Saint-François was re- cently invited to participate in the Pierre Dansereau, vice-President and highly worthy task of making the creation of a committee for the Magog different populations aware of the River basin (please, take note of the We had reported, in our last edi- subject through do or to door con- article on the subject). tion of May 1998, that our organiza- tacts. In order to illustrate this, let me tion had lost its general coordinitor point out in our journal the chat we In ending this communication, I since the previous month of Septem- had with Yesim Sökmen, a young and wish to thank the following persons ber. We succeeded in maintaining our recent Turkish immigrant to our coun- who have left the board of directors as activities, thanks to our volunteers’ re- try, who is experimenting with a cul- of the last general assembly: Ginette markable work and efforts. Some de- tural integration process that has Favreau, Mansoor Danis, Simon lay was unavoidable, notably in the been sped up through the task de- Trépanier. Continuity has been es- delivery of our journal initially planned scribed above. for mid June. tablished by Yannick Boulanger, As regards associative life, we New perspectives for action are Charles Coulombe (our new Presi- are going forward with the creation of dent), Jean-François Denis (Secre- being proposed for the coming an electronic forum which is being ac- tary), Robert-Léo Gendron, William months, some of which have already tivated in the context of the current been introduced to the general as- debate on water management. A Lucy (Treasurer), Guillaume Paul Li- sembly. It goes without saying that we short article on the subject is pub- moges, and your humble servant, maintain our priorities for the clean up lished on the involvement of Action Ecologically yours, operations, which go on as planned Saint-François in the ungoing histori- *Assembly tor the preservation of the with our coordinator (please, refer to cal process which will influence Qué- environment of lakes. the article on the subject). Before the bec’s future policies on water man- **Regional Council for the Environment. end of the season, we shall endeav- agement. Please note that a our to take stock of what remains to document is made available for con- be done and thus, have a better idea sultation at our office, to those of you SOMMAIRE of what action to take as concerns who are interested in finding out what those sites that have already been is at stake in the management of wa- Clean up operations in 1999 .............p.2 listed. ter resources in Québec. We want to Another perspective is our ongo- know what you think and what your Memoir .............p.3 ing pursuit of new recruits in the mu- opinions are on the subject; we shall A school for integration . p. 4 nicipalities usually visited. A very then introduce as soon as next Fall, a Protection of the good team of strongly motivated memoir that would reflect our mem- Magog..............p.5 young people is already at the difficult bers’ideas on the subject. Clean upoperations by Action Saint-François, in 1999 or the sixth consecu- Ftive year, Action Saint-François gets a se- ries of clean up operations going on the banks of waterways and the adja- cent meadows suscepti- ble to flooding, that make up a part of the sloping ba- sin of the Saint-François River. Robert Léo Gendron Picture by Robert-Léo Gendron Coordinator Our volunteers at the Key Stream in the Spring of 1999 This year, we have risen to (unless it rains) or, on occasion, decades of bad habits and ne- the challenge of cleaning-up 16 during the week. Everybody is glect. Furthermore, our chores waterways located in the follow- welcome! Already, 60 volunteers help prevent the further use of the ing municipalities: Canton d’Ea- have come forth, and many of banks of the waterways as dump- ton, Canton de Brompton, Canton them have come back more than ing grounds, even if this phenom- de Hatley, Lennoxville, Saint- once, claiming that they had en- ena is much less seen today. Denis-de-Brompton, Stoke and joyed themselves! It really is on Waterville. It has been estimated Problems caused by waste have site that one can get the feel of the that some 24 tons of scrap will be not stopped growing by the year. importance of what Action Saint- taken out of those waterways. In That is why we must stike at the François is doing! Some are so fact, 11 tons of scrap have al- heart of the matter by diminishing astonished by certain sites that ready been removed in 9 weeks our consumption of material of operations. Often, a layer of they immediately feel an urge to goods. It is our way of live that we scrap exposes another layer and do something about making all must change and we must do it the rubbish disappear. Others be- we are often struck by the magni- fast, if we are not to sink under the come conscious of the fact that tude of certain sites when we start pile of waste we have created. the task. our society in Québec (and all hu- mans for that matter, when they So! if you want a great oppor- In 1999, our first clean up op- can afford it), is a great consum- tunity to participate and do a good eration was held on the first of mer of goods that it cannot man- deed, and if you want to meet in- May and the last one should take age properly, nor ecologically, for teresting people who share your place on the thirthieth of October; that matter! concerns about the environment, that represents 27 different op- you are always welcome to join us erations, nine of which have been Action Saint-François’role is in our Saturday morning chores. completed. Chores are done on to provide everyone with an op- Call us at 563-5362. Saturday morning, between eight portunity to intervene in the repair o’clock in the morning and noon of the immense damage done by Until we meet again. 2 An appeal is made to members in order to produce a memoir A public consultation on water management in Québec http://www.asf-estrie.org/asf/ ction Saint-François and its members are the BAPE*. To do so, it was decided to Acreators of a water management concept that go forward with a formula that bears all the qualifications to become the norm in the would promote the participation of all the members. A document has field. To better define this approach, it has been decided been written and submitted for dis- to call for the collaboration of our members, in order to cussion to all the members and produce a memoir that will represent what Action sympathisers of the organization. Saint-François has accomplished so far. In the context In spite of the short delays and lim- of the ongoing public consultation on water ited resource, the board decided management, an opportunity to speak out and make upon an innovative formula which ourselves heard has arisen because a travelling will promote the use of a chat line on the Internet. commissionfromtheBureaudesAudiencespubliquesen Environnement* has been at work since last spring, An electronic forum throughout the territory of Québec. Pierre Dansereau and Luc Luc Loignon then sent to all the homes of its Loignon are busy at putting in members. Thanks to its 800 mem- place the process that will elabo- Since 1992, the numerous ef- bers and the work accomplished rate on the memoir submitted by forts made by our organization to on the terrain, it can be said that Action Saint-François. Members improve on the quality of water Action Saint-François has be- and sympathisers are called upon have almost become impossible come both an expert in water man- to visit our site (http:/www.asf- to count. This state of affairs agement, and “the” creator of a estrie.org/asf/) in order to consult speaks for itself. Although the concept to manage such a sys- with the information already avail- clean up operations along the tem. able and to participate in the pro- banks of streams of the Saint- cess being put into place. Pertinent François River lower basin, has Financial support information will be found there. become its best known achieve- Members who wish to obtain a ment, Action Saint-François has In order to promote and facili- printed copy of the work document done far more.