| 2007-12-19 10th annual Bridge Lake bird count set for Dec. 29 |
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| The 10th Annual Bridge Lake Christmas Bird count will be on December 29. Please call Wendy Marshall for details at 593-2327 the night before, if you are going to attend. This all-day event begins at 8:30 a.m. The count begins at Lac des Roches. Newcomers are welcome. The information collected from our area will be submitted to Bird Studies Canada, as part of an international count. For more information go to the website www.bsc-eoc.org. Marshall mentioned that in mid-December, the Great Gray owls were observed. She says to watch for them on fence posts and power poles. |
| Walk softly |
| The big lake finally iced over on Dec. 8, which is a week later than last year. Although sleds and ice fishers have been out on Little Lac des Roches since mid-December, extreme caution is recommended on the big lake. The ice may be very thin in spots. I check the thickness of the ice by poking holes with a small crowbar as I walk in areas for the first time every year. |
| Merry Christmas! |
| Merry Christmas to all the residents of Lac des Roches and the surrounding Interlakes Community who provide so much life and laughter that I can easily fill a newspaper column every month. Without your stories and our casual chats, I would continually write about my adventures, living out here on the edge, with Al, Cali and Scooter - oh, I guess I do that anyways! Thanks to all of you who keep me up-to-date with the really newsworthy items, especially about the lake and the wildlife! Stay safe over the holidays and keep the information and inspiration coming! |
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| 2007-12-05 Development gets thumbs down |
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| The phone lines were busy on the morning of Nov. 28, when Charlie Wyse, MLA South Cariboo, delivered the news to the Executive of Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake (Friends), that the development proposal at the east end of Lac des Roches (LdR) "was dead". Mr. Wyse has presented the issues raised by concerned citizens and visitors regarding the proposed development, to the legislature over the last three years. The Crown Land Opportunities Branch has responded, indicating that the development does not fit in with the provinces' goals and objectives. The Friends' executive members are pleased with this news and grateful for everyone's involvement and support in the process. |
| Set for winter |
| We survived the power outage and subsequent telephone outage from Nov. 12 to Nov. 14. Since most waterfront properties pump their own water and sewage uphill, generators are considered by most, a necessity. The wind took its toll with dozens of downed trees in yards but no significant damage to property has been discovered. Residents are reminded that when reporting downed lines or tripped breakers to BC Hydro, the pole number will help identify the location for the restoration crew. A neighbour pointed out that the metal plate on each hydro pole includes an abbreviated version of the longitude and latitude co-ordinates of that pole. Not necessary information for BC Hydro, but interesting to know as it will give you co-ordinates that you may use for other reasons, such as reporting the location of a forest fire, as recommended in my Aug. 15, 2007 article. Most neighbours are speculating that although the hydro service has been upgraded and provides a more reliable service to our area, the abundance of dead and dying trees near power lines will contribute to power losses during our more sever wind storms in the fall and winter months. Since they are such a newsworthy topic, I wonder if its time to start naming our windstorms, like typhoons and cyclones? |
| Pay dues please |
| Residents are reminded that the voluntary fire protection renewal period was October, but is never too late to pay the annual dues. The Interlakes Volunteer Fire Department relies heavily on our annual dues since the department does not currently receive financial support from the Cariboo Regional District. |
| Give Me a Home |
| The "east" fire truck, which services the LdR area and was located in the Bridge Lake Community, is still in need of a new building in a secure area. The location of the truck and equipment will impact homeowner insurance for many residents. Any suggestions for a new home for the truck should be passed on to Doug Townsend 593 - 4665. |
| Birdfeeding time |
| Now that we have a layer of snow covering the ground and seed pods, it is time to put out the birdfeeders for our feathered friends who will stay through the winter. A mixture of songbird seed and black oil sunflower seeds will do well in our area. Our resident birding advisor, Wendy Marshall, says that hanging beef suet high off the ground in a tree near your feeders will help keep the birds warm in the colder weather by giving the birds a source of nutrients which will help them maintain a layer of fat under their skin. |
| Lake quality |
| The lake underwent extensive testing on Nov. 6 by Marg Sidney of the Ministry of Environment. Sidney indicated she was "happy with the health of the lake". Fall turnover (when the temperature at the surface of the lake is the same as the bottom) occurred the following week. Sidney plans to return in the spring to test both Lac des Roches and Little Lac des Roches. Official "ice-on" for Little Lac des Roches was Nov. 19. As is typical for the "big lake", as of Nov. 28, a persistent easterly wind is keeping the ice from forming even during these colder nights. |
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| 2007-11-07 Bear and 'almost bare' trapped |
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| This fall, there have been several sightings of a black bear along Boultbee Road. One visitor to our neighbour's house recently found herself trapped by a bear as she soaked in the outdoor hot tub. Despite the advise of experts, to "make yourself appear bigger" during an encounter, she didn't feel this was very appropriate while wearing only a bathing suit. This was a very curious black bear, bold enough to walk onto the deck and inspect the barbeque and a patio door. Our neighbour followed her instincts and got as low in the tub as possible, hoping the bear wasn't attracted to the steam from the warm water or her glass of wine, waiting for either the bear to leave or her husband to return from his fishing excursion. As luck would have it, their dog appeared first and the startled bear climbed up the nearest tree, the one that stands between the hot tub and the house. She was trapped in the tub by the bear and the bear was trapped in the tree by the dog - a classic "no win" situation. Eventually, the husband returned from fishing, and managed to help his wife out of the hot tub and escape, with the dog and the glass of wine, into the safety of the house. It took the bear about an hour to climb down the tree and return to the woods. According to the owner, the only damage was the loss of a bird feeder from the tree. |
| Heed signs |
| Private Property - No Hunting. This is the message on the new signs erected on the Cottage Country Estate Road, north of Highway 24, near the rest stop. Owners of the lots contemplated installing a locked gate on the road, but have settled on no gate at this time. The owners want the public to know that in addition to the lots being privately owned, the road is strata-titled and any repair cost from misuse comes out of their pockets. They hope the travelers on their road will heed their signs and use the road responsibly. |
| Busy road |
| There is considerable activity up the Wavey Lake Forestry Road, just north of Lac des Roches (LdR). In addition to installation of a new bridge and an entirely new road built northeast of "cow camp", beetle kill logging has begun just east of Wavey Lake. Sledders will have to use caution this winter when using the road to access snowmobile trails. There is little doubt that the logs will be hauled down Wavey Lake Road to Highway 24 and to do this in the winter means plowing the snow off the road. Although plowing is undesirable for sledding, it is the hazard of the limited width and the snow banks created on either side of the road which will require more caution from the sledders. |
| Fall is cleanup time |
| Yard cleanup is in full swing throughout the area although the heavy smoke drifting over the lake since the beginning of October is from burning logging slash piles Burning is taking place in the mountains on the east side of the North Thompson River and near the McDonald Summit on Highway 24. When it comes to backyard burning, in addition to the Ministry of Forest's guidelines, I don't usually light our burn pile unless it is raining or everything is covered with snow. Imagine my surprise when, in mid-October, we had snow covering everything? So, my burn pile is gone but since the snow is gone too, I am back outside, cleaning up the yard and building another burn pile, waiting for the next storm! |
| Friends monitor water |
| Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake met on Oct. 24 and although there is no change in the "under review" status of the residential development proposal at the east end of LdR, the group remains diligent on their monitoring of water quality and wildlife habitat in this sensitive watershed. The Ministry of Environment is scheduled to perform an extensive water analysis in the first week of November, as part of their program of monitoring LdR. Friends are holding a special land-use workshop on Nov. 21. All members are invited to attend. Call Bill at 593-9305 for meeting details. |
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| 2007-10-03 Loons ready to head south for winter |
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| I woke up the other morning to the sound of a loon. It is October and it won't be long before all of the loons head south. Although they'll be back in the spring, the groans and bangs of cracking ice is just not as friendly as the call of the loon on a calm night. One resident says that the first loon's call in the spring will pull him out of a deep sleep, like an alarm, signifying that summer has returned. Although many Cariboo lakes have an "ice-off date" contest, residents at Lac des Roches have toyed with the idea of a "loon back day" contest. I guess you could say we are pretty passionate (or maybe loony) about our loons. The Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake 'Lake Monitors' strive to promote a 'loon friendly lake' and have installed loon information signs and distributed loon information pamphlets to users of the lake. Although loon mortality will occur naturally through predators and natural lake level changes, humans can reduce their impact by avoiding loons and their nesting sites and reducing watercraft speeds and wake sizes near shorelines. Our loons are unknowingly part of the annual Canadian Lakes Loon Survey, which is managed by Bird Studied Canada (BSC). Wendy Marshall, a BSC supporter, says that the focus of the survey is on the survival rate of the offspring of mating loons. She reports that three loon chicks have survived this year and she is still looking for evidence of the fourth chick, which has avoided detection since July. Information about loons and the survey is available on the Internet at www.hww.ca (Search Loon) or www.bsc-eoc.org/cllsmain.html. |
| Access for public |
| The chilly autumn weather will have many residents thinking about winterizing their residences. On a windy lake like Lac des Roches, residents safeguard their docks from damage of shifting ice by pulling them up onto their shore or moving them into quieter protected bays. There are public lake accesses that have been used inappropriately for winter storage of private docks and boats over the last few years. Concerned lake users have asked me to remind all residents that public accesses should remain unobstructed throughout the entire year. In the winter, the accesses are for the enjoyment of; ice fishers; snowmobilers; cross country skiers and hockey players. In the early spring, while the ice is disappearing, anxious fishers are ready to try their luck on some very hungry trout. Stored docks and boats can inhibit their ability to access the lake. It seems we need to be reminded that public accesses in particular, were designated as such, for the benefit of those who do not own waterfront lots, not for those who do. |
| Lots of snow |
| When I read the caption under the picture of a wasp's nest, found seven feet off of the ground, in the Sept. 28, 2007 edition of the Cariboo Connector, I thought "uh-oh". The caption read; "folklore has it that if the wasps build their nest high off the ground the winter will be long and harsh." Well, we discovered a wasp nest in our aspen trees this summer. Not only was it larger than a basketball, it was at least 40-feet off the ground! Judging by our harsh autumn so far, maybe the wasps do know what is in store for us this winter. Perhaps we'll get another load of firewood for that wood heater and maybe I'll knit an extra pair of socks for inside those winter boots! |
| Giving thanks |
| Thanksgiving is just days away, and this is a good opportunity to thank all the neighbours who so readily give their time to the many community initiatives at Lac des Roches and the entire Interlakes area. As I ran down the list of neighbours, I realized everyone gives something back to the community, whether it is through the volunteer fire department, community school, community recycling program or helping a neighbour in need, to name just a few. Thanks for the giving and happy Thanksgiving to all! |
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