Category: Community Blog

Executive members of the Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake Society manage several active initiatives and meet regularly throughout the year. Members of the society, most of whom live permanently elsewhere, receive regular updates on the society’s activities as well as events or issues that may affect the community. These updates are eventually posted on this website. To keep all recreational owners and users of the lakes informed of community activities, the society produces an annual newsletter which is delivered to all residences and utilized lots around the lake. As with previous year’s the goal is to have the 2014 newsletter distributed prior to the July long weekend although, it too will be posted on this website.

Invasive plants such as thistles and burdock will soon be popping up in the yards around Lac des Roches.  In the fight against the many unwelcome species, the Cariboo Regional District is once again sponsoring plant treatment for the general public.  The mobile crew that will do initial treatment on private land is fully booked for this season however they are taking requests for next year.  Residents who are willing to do their own treatment will qualify for free herbicide from the CRD if they attend a one-hour application seminar.  One is scheduled for June 18 in 100 Mile House.  To obtain more information on the program and to register for either the crew treatment or the seminar, call Emily Sonntag in Williams Lake at 1 800 665 1636.

The ladies of Boultbee Road have found the perfect pastime for rainy Sundays in the form of tea and coffee parties.  Never looking too hard for an excuse to get together, the last two rainy Sundays were perfect opportunities for many of the ladies at the lake to do just that.  Half of the attendees at the May 25 party were not at the lake on the long weekend and missed the last party so it was a great time to catch up on news of the past winter from the seasonal residents.  Thanks once again to willing hostess Marg Neill for offering her home and thanks to all the ladies who baked and brought goodies for the enjoyment of everyone.

Slowly, we are getting used to the idea that we must accept our expanding crop of dandelions every year.  Considered weeds by many, neighbours agree that the sooner we accept the dandelions as a positive sign of summer and relish in their vibrant colour and many uses, the better off the neighbourhood will be.  Dandelion leaves are edible and while most residents who have tried them in a salad find them to be bitter, the backyard chickens love them and attribute their bright yellow yolks to them.  One neighbour has made sweet dandelion wine which makes a lovely aperitif with any meal.  There is no doubt they attract the bees to the neighbourhood, a necessary pollinator for all the flower and vegetable gardens enjoyed in the area.  Another neighbour commented that she used to use the dandelion flowers on her lawn as a signal for when it was time to mow the grass until she realized that those little yellow flowers have a tendency to duck just before the lawnmower gets to them and only stand up again when the lawnmower is tucked safely back in the shed.  Having witnessed this phenomena several times, she just might be on to something there.  Considering dandelion flowers react to sunshine by opening and closing, perhaps they react to noise as well?  Hmmm.

 

 

The heavy rain experienced at Lac des Roches since the May long weekend is unlike anything many residents have experienced here before.  Small feeder creeks are raging high above their banks and the lake water level is creeping up some of the lower level yards at the west end.  The ground is so saturated, the excess rain water is either running in newly developed streams, pooling in low spots or bubbling down through the air pockets in the grass forcing the worms up out of their dark havens.  There are no evident risks due to all the rain but it is depressing to think of the freshly planted vegetable seeds giving up hope and succumbing to the inevitable rot and mould this type of weather can cause.  We have enjoyed the odd sunny break during the last 2 weeks which have presented some breathtaking rainbows but… the best story of enjoying the rain comes from a neighbour who entertained her young grandchildren during the May “monsoon”.  Dressed in relatively water proof clothing, the young adventurers accompanied the adults on several walks along Boultbee Road.  Not only did the tykes challenge each other to boat races in the rare running water all along the road but the young heroes worked their way along the road for several hours, “saving the worms” from deadly vehicle traffic by plucking them off the road and tossing them into the side ditch.  This act of heroism, albeit short-lived as those silly worms spend hours crossing the road during rain storms, were truly a sunny break in the otherwise bleak days.  Hooray for grannies with great rainy day ideas.

                         Beautiful rainbows at Lac des Roches

Four of the large lakes in the Lac des Roches watershed are tested for water quality throughout the ice-off months.  Volunteers from the Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake Society take bi-weekly measurements at Lac des Roches, Little Lac des Roches, Birch and Phinetta Lakes.  2014 marked the third year of Level 2 testing on the 3 smaller lakes.  Level 2 testing is performed in conjunction with the Ministry of Environment and is ideally timed within days of initial ice-ff in the spring.  For the first time, this year’s testing indicated that both Little Lac des Roches and Phinetta Lake do not “turnover” completely.  This means that the lower level of the lake does not get mixed in with the rest of the water of the lake that flushes out through normal, albeit slow, lake water flow.  Impurities and contaminates that may end up in the lake from both natural and development sources will settle on the bottom of the lake.  Undisturbed, they will accumulate over time and when eventually disturbed, likely through natural events such as lake turnover, can result in a reduction of water quality when the lower level impurities are mixed with the everyday contaminants introduced to the lake through various types of development.  Detailed reports on the lakes’ water quality will eventually be produced by the B.C. Lake Stewardship Society but initial results have ministry staff showing some concern over the new information.  A fourth year of level 2 testing by the ministry is under consideration, to confirm this year’s new data.

A single vehicle accident on May 21 has left broken glass mirrors and plastic lenses scattered on a well-used trail which parallels Highway 24 approximantely 1 km east of the McDonald rest stop.  Local hikers and riders are very familiar with the section of old highway where the pile of large boulders appeared a few years ago and the truck tire is wedged in the barbed wire fence.  About a 100 meters east of the tire is where the vehicle rolled off the highway and landed on the old road.  Residents have cleaned up much of the debris but residual hazards, hidden in the long grass, could harm people and their pets.  Tiny rocks or pieces of glass are easily launched from boot treads and find their way inside low-cut boots and sneakers.  Dog paws could also be at risk of the jagged edges.  For those interested, local witnesses indicated that the woman and young child involved in the car accident had minor and non life-threatening injuries although each was taken to hospital by ambulance.

On Sunday evening, while pedalling a pedal boat around the bay near Carlos’ point, I saw, what first appeared to be a large muskrat zigzagging its way along the shore.  As it got closer, it turned out to be a beautiful brown beaver.  It has left signs of its movement and gnawing along several properties on both Boultbee and McCarthy roads, so the sighting was not unexpected.  Although we kept our distance, it swam within 10 feet of the boat.  It wasn’t until we turned away and it made its way around the point that it made its distinctive warning noise by slapping its tail on the water.  The next morning, the distinctive drone of a large float plane, a Beaver model, grabbed my attention as it landed in the lake and taxied to a stop just across from Carlos’ point.  Evidently, the plane was picking up passengers from Lac des Roches Resort as two resort boats met the plane and loaded people and luggage from the water.  Most would agree, it was an impressive looking plane.  That makes two “beaver” sightings in two days!

 

Wendy Marshall, our local birding enthusiast, has once again scheduled regular birding outings for Monday mornings throughout the summer.  Leading the Bridge Lake Naturalists club, Wendy reports that the small group recorded dozens of species on this year’s inaugural outing on May 12 to a nearby lake.  The next early morning walk is scheduled for Monday, May 26.  Anyone interested in attending should call Wendy for details at 250 593 2327.

A short power outage late in the afternoon on Sunday, May 18 interrupted the holiday dinner plans for several residents. The outage was initially estimated for 2 1/2 hours and was evidently caused by work on BC Hydro equipment.  Residents were able to use their outdoor bbq’s to make alternate dinner plans although one resident wisely abandoned her pizza plans and switched to grilled hamburgers instead.  Residents were pleasantly surprised when the power was restored shortly after 6 pm, 45 minutes earlier than estimated.  Since the outage occurred at a time when we were experiencing a break in the rain showers, not everyone was aware of the outage.  Thank you to all the residents who reported the outage to BC Hydro.  Despite the installation of smart meters, we have been advised that our location at the end of the power line and our community’s minimal demand for electricity can mean that an outage at Lac des Roches will go unnoticed.  It is important to call 1 888 769 3766 and report an outage.  And, if you stay on the line, you can register your phone number for the outage and be advised of updates of power restoration times.