I am not a fisherman.
If I was and I had a favourite lake or two, I might have some choice words for a group that wanted to come in and take away my access to it.
Especially if the group in question was based in Edmonton and not even located within the municipality tasked with maintaining the lake’s green spaces.
As I understand the situation, that’s basically what is happening at Dolberg Lake.
While I have reached out to every fishing group I could find based out of Edmonton, I haven’t been able to clarify which one put forward the application to have the lake’s designation changed.
But that is only part of the problem.
According to residents I have spoken with, Woodlands County councillor Dale Kluin and County of Barrhead CAO Debbie Oyarzun, the real issue here is that there hasn’t been any real consultation on the part of the province.
Again, if I was a fisherman, or if I had a family and took them to Dolberg Lake regularly, I would be pretty annoyed too.
After all, we’re talking about a select group of individuals who want to restrict access to a lake that everyone has been using, simply because they want a new fly-fishing trophy lake of their own.
In addition, I have been told this group wants to introduce new species of trout, end winter ice fishing and stop the use of bait, hooks and rod-and-reel fishing there.
Kluin said municipalities such as Woodlands County and the County of Barrhead itself have gravel pits that have been tapped out, that they are tasked with reclaiming for one environmental reason or another, and he explained that if given the chance, he believed either would have been more than willing to set up one of these as a lake or a dugout.
I can’t speak for the County of Barrhead, but I believe that would have been a reasonable suggestion.
Maybe I’m shooting from the hip here, because I’m basing the majority of this column on heresay and speculation, but the whole process, forgive the pun, smells kind of fishy to me.
I’ve been working on this issue for two months now and I’m still no closer to an answer than the County.
