More than 50 Clinton and area residents turned out for the public meeting to explain the MARSLIFE Project that will be taking place in Kelly Lake in July.
Donnie Reid gave some background of the project by explaining the training and exploration exercises are similar to the training astronauts undergo before space missions.
In fact, there will be an astronaut training in Kelly Lake. The project trains scientists to work in extreme conditions and the use of the underwater Rover will simulate exploration on other planets.
The structures they will be studying, although sometimes referred to as “fresh water coral” are not really coral at all. They are bacteria, which may help explain how life is formed.
If similar structures are found on Mars, it could indicate that there was life formed on Earth and Mars around the same time but for some reason Mars’ life arrested.
They have already photographed structures ranging from baseball size to structures taller than a man in Kelly Lake.
Reid also debunked a couple of local myths. Kelly Lake is not bottomless and there is no train in the lake.
Kelly Lake is about 135 feet deep and the only manmade item seen on the bottom is an old rowboat.
While the exploration is underway, they will be filming underwater that will be able to be seen on the Internet in real time. There will be 70 to 80 people here for the project.
A command post will be set up in the parking lot of the Cariboo Lodge and people are welcome to come and tour the facility. There will be a “community day,” as well as a special “teachers and media day” during the week the command post is set up.
Nick Wilkinson explained how members of the public can contribute as members of the Remote Science Team. He has developed a program called MAPPER that organizes the photo tagging process while enabling anyone to contribute over the Internet.
By labelling (tagging) the still photos from the underwater filming, participants earn points that can be used to obtain downloadable pages, “unlockable achievements” and more. For details on how to sign in, you can e-mail nick@rasksystems.com.
Bean dinner
The Royal Canadian Legion #194 Ladies Auxiliary invites everyone to the annual Traditional Bean Dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. tonight (March 30) in Clinton Memorial Hall.
Come and enjoy the homemade beans, scalloped potatoes, baked ham, coleslaw, pie and beverages. Tickets ($10 for adults and $5 for children under 10) are available at the door.
65th anniversary
The Royal Canadian Legion #194 will celebrate its 65th anniversary on April 2, as the Clinton Branch received its charter on April 3, 1946.
There will be vintage army vehicles on display, honours and awards, a ceremony and displays. The doors to Clinton Memorial Hall, at 306 Lebourdais Ave., will open at noon with the ceremony commencing at 1 p.m. The public is welcome to attend.
Following the Honours and Awards Ceremony, there will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the handicap ramp at the Royal Canadian Legion at 310 Lebourdais Ave.
A dinner and dance will be held in the community hall with the doors open to ticket holders at 5:30 p.m.
The Clinton 4-H Club is preparing the dinner that is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and dancing to Whisky River begins at 8.
