For the first time since its inception, the Sylvan Lake Management Committee’s Take It Off program has seen the successful removal of all ice huts from the lake before the program’s deadline.
“This makes us happy as committee members and local residents that people seem to be paying attention to the message we’ve been promoting, along with our partners in municipal and provincial government,” said committee chair Keith Stephenson.
Stephenson at the start of ice fishing season said the committee has long aimed to see a 100 per cent removal rate, and had just three huts left on the lake at the end of last season.
Members also want to see program registration eventually reach the same rate in order to ensure ice huts can be connected to their owners in the event huts become damaged, vandalized or abandoned.
“The more we get registered, the easier it is to control,” Stephenson said.
The committee in mid-March issued a public advisory encouraging the early removal of ice huts from the lake in light of quickly deteriorating ice conditions.
Registration forms for next year’s Take It Off program can be found on the Town of Sylvan Lake’s website at www.sylvanlake.ca.