Public Open House – logging work in our area

Vanderwell Contractors will be doing some logging work this year near East Fawcett Lake. The Municipal District is holding a Public Open House discussion with representatives from Vanderwell, to ask for input that could help mitigate how this work will affect the nearby communities. Vanderwell has graciously agreed to work with the public when possible, to try to address these concerns. The meeting will be held in the Store Community Building at Fawcett Lake Resort on Friday, June 13 at 10.00am.

The majority of this logging work is to take place on the east side East Fawcett Lake Rd. Near Fawcett Lake Resort, work will mostly be straight east of Walleye Drive. Near Broken Paddle, work will be in the entire area east of the government road. This is commercial work which has already been approved. In addition, it is expected that work will also include the clearing of Fire Guards (100m wide) just east of Fawcett Lake Resort as well as south and west of Broken Paddle. There was a telephone conference held earlier this spring regarding this Fire Guard plan which helped to clarify this plan.

The hope is that these two projects can be combined to reduce unnecessary clearing of natural areas. Additional information is available:

– the announcement of the Open House released by the Municipal District
– the Vanderwell Long Term Logging Plan map near Fawcett Lake Resort
– the Fire Guard plan

This meeting is open to the public. Everyone is welcome to attend to learn more about how and when the work will be done, and to voice their concerns to those who are able to address them if possible. Fawcett Lake Resort management will be attending this meeting and will be raising the following concerns.

– Exactly how close to the lake will there be activity (including work other than logging)?
– Is there a new vehicle access being built to the land or to the lake that will remain once the work is completed? Can this be prevented?
– What will the land look like when the work is completed (trails, roads, usable clearings)?
– Will there be any sort of camp or administration building set up. Where will this be?
– How close to populated areas will heavy equipment be operating and when will this happen?
– Will we experience construction noise pollution during the camping season (May to Sept)?
– Is there a schedule of when will work be done in each area?
– What days of week and hours of day should we expect work to be done?
– How much hauling traffic should be expected on East Fawcett Lake Rd, and where?
– Is there a plan for repairs to the road during and after the work?
– Can the Fire Guard plan be reduced because of the commercial logging?
– Will there be an opportunity for the public to gather firewood from the area after the work is done? When will we know the time is right?

We must realize that the reduction of hazardous fuels is proven to reduce wildfire risk. In addition, the communities around East Fawcett Lake were founded on the logging industry. We all love the nature around us, yet we all must remember that forested areas are a resource and that the regular harvesting of this resource (even those areas near us) provides a benefit to us all.

If anyone would like additional information or would like to add concerns or questions to this list, please contact Curtis Albach at 587.877.0746 or Curtis@fawcettlakeresort.com .