Category: Community Blog

Depending on where exactly you live at Lac des Roches, your senses are being bombarded with the many signs of spring. Close to Highway 24, we see the returning motor homes from the southern states and hear the many motorcycles offering their rider’s their first trips of the season. Along the south-facing slopes, the gophers have just appeared and the eagles and hawks are eagerly searching for the many burrowing rodents that have lost the snow as their safety protection. Near the seasonal creeks, the very rare sound of melt water is bubbling over the rocks and down little falls, making its way to the lake. The faint smell of wood heater smoke is supplemented with backyard burning of mostly tree limbs, brought down by the heavy ice and winter winds. Everyone can enjoy the thousands of geese, swans and cranes that are letting their presence be known as they fly and squawk overhead. In our house, we are anxious to complete the lingering winter projects so that we can move our efforts to the outdoors and enjoy the returning warmer weather and sunshine. With all this spring activity, it almost seems a shame that, despite spring just barely upon us, several neighbours are already thinking about fall and winter. They are taking advantage of the spring conditions to gather firewood for next year’s heating season as the warm and breezy days of spring and summer are just the right amount of time to season the beetle-killed pine for the coming winter, and, there are relatively no bothersome flies in the forest, yet!

Really quiet

Reporting in the April 1 column about the quiet spring break due to lack of visitors this year, one neighbour has responded with an observation of how quiet the lake itself has been this winter. She is quite correct; unlike previous winters, this year the lake was almost silent. Usually the cracking and shifting ice on the lake, especially when the temperatures drop so fast in the winter evenings, growls and warbles with eerie sounds. The snow and ice that collected on the lake ice may have prevented much of the cracking and served as a sound buffer for the noise we usually hear throughout the cold winter. This is probably another indicator of how long the ice will actually last this year.

Cleanup delayed

Lingering snow will delay the roadside cleanup. The designated week of April 20-26 was a little too early this year as eerie snow hoodoos (the formations of snow sculptures among the melting snow banks) still cover many of the ditches. Organized clean up will be scheduled sometime in early June.

Finally, we are enjoying some seasonably warm days and mild nights and the impact of the warmer weather last week was immediate. Water, cracks and dark patches appeared on frozen Lac des Roches over night. The softening and melting snow will limit the recreational activity on the lake, but it is about time the ice was starting to go for the year! Many neighbours have shared their stories of minor damage caused by the melting and shifting snow and ice on roofs. The unusual ice buildup from earlier this winter has most of the ice sliding off roofs in large sheets and damage occurring to roofs and the structures below. Several metal roofs and eavestroughs are buckling, deck railings have been damaged and one storage shed is leaning due to the weight of the snow. Luckily, all the damage appears to be relatively minor and certainly repairable. It will be such a relief when the last of the stubborn snow and ice slides off the north-facing roof at our house, more for the safety of our pets than to protect our property.

Swan songs

Phone lines were busy the morning of March 30, when neighbours alerted neighbours of our first group of trumpeter swans at Lac des Roches this year. Wendy Marshall reported that not only did the 17 swans fly right next to her house, but all the other song birds feeding in her yard seemed to sing out in a welcoming chorus as the swans tooted and soared overhead. Wendy was convinced their clatter was a celebration of the beginning of spring. I happened to notice the same flock circle and set down on the ice for a well-deserved rest, below our yard. I must add that later that day, I was travelling through Chilliwack, and passed a boggy farmer’s field where more than 100 swans were resting and feeding, but the sight and sound of the year’s first little flock of swans approaching our ice-covered lake was much more thrilling for me!

Nifty nests

Last week’s warm weather has attracted many of our nesting birds back from their summer migration grounds. This winter, at the suggestion of a neighbour, I saved all the yarn clippings from my many crochet projects and, as I walk our dog this spring, I am placing these short bright coloured pieces of yarn along our rail fence. My hope is that the nesting birds will find these scraps and weave them into their nests. It will be delightful to find my yarn scraps interwoven in the many nests that reveal themselves in the fall, once the leaves are off the trees and it will be a new item that I can add to our Thanksgiving scavenger hunt!

Good sledding

Fresh snow, up to 10 inches deep, was a pleasant surprise on a snowmobiling ride in the hills north of the lake on April 5. The deep snow, thick lake ice and sturdy ice bridges over most of the creeks will likely entice plenty of sledders out on the trails probably for a few more weeks. Some of the lower trails, especially those with southern exposure, will suffer with some bare spots, but most of the trails seem quite passable. Early settling and melting occurs in the tree wells and marsh creeks so sledders need to be extra cautious when encountering these areas of deep “holes” that will swallow up a sled with ease. In the warmer spring weather, digging a sled and rider out of deep holes is very hot work.

As readers have read in the other community columns, the birds are slowly making their way back to the South Cariboo for the season. Wendy Marshall, our local bird enthusiast, reports the return of common redpolls and redwing blackbirds. I heard my first goose of the year on March 24. Like most of the high altitude lakes around us, Lac des Roches is still completely frozen. As I peered through the blowing snow, I followed the sound of the goose flying low to the ice around Rock Island, where he circled and headed back to the west. No doubt he was scouting for open water, which has been observed in a small creek near the southeast corner of Bridge Lake. It seems it will be a while yet before we start seeing the large flocks of returning birds and their many relatives passing overhead to their more northern summer mating grounds.

Quiet break

Spring break was very quiet this year around Lac des Roches. Despite excellent winter recreational conditions, our normal numbers of visiting part-time residents were down considerably. Activity on the lake was limited to a few ice fishers braving the blowing snow and a few families sledding and trekking when the wind died down. Even the cottage ice rinks that normally attract visitors for hours of pond hockey and recreational skating have not been maintained and some not cleared at all this year. A few neighbours speculate that with the unusually harsh winter experienced throughout the province, particularly in the lower mainland, there is no need for residents to travel four to six hours for winter recreation…They can find it in there own backyards down south!

Deep snow

After exploring the local fields on snowshoes, one neighbour reports increased animal activity as evidenced by several different prints and holes in the snow. It seems a coyote, with a keen sense of smell and obviously very hungry, dug a deep and narrow tunnel straight down through four feet of snow to reach a mouse nest in the grass below. Not only is this a story of determined animal behavior, but the deep snow will likely be a challenge for our wildlife for weeks to come yet.

Green green grass

Drivers on Highway 24 will see evidence of the roadside brush clearing from the last few weeks. I suspect that some travellers may not immediately recognize the bright coloured patches, every 100 meters or so, for what they are: wood chips sprayed from the chipper machine. These brown and green patches on the snow remind me of a humorous comment made by a taxi driver at the Vancouver Airport just prior to the opening of Expo 86. He pointed to the green stuff on the newly excavated boulevard (which I am sure was the green-tinged mixture of fertilizer and grain seed the road crews typically spray after road work), and told me that the city was sprucing up the place for Expo, including “painting the grass green. ” I got such a chuckle out of his explanation of the green stuff, I never contradicted him. Our green stuff is chipped tree limbs!

Friends meet

Members of Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake met on March 26 to review several items of society business. A quarterly summary of their winter activities and plans for the upcoming lake monitoring season is sent to all members and posted on their website www.lacdesroches.org.

Along the shores of Lac des Roches, spruce trees are dying. Trees show the tell-tale signs of an insect attack when the needles on the limbs change colour from green to brown, sometimes within a few weeks. Depending on the travel direction of the insects on each tree, the limbs will show signs of death from the top down or the bottom up. Like the beetle-killed pine trees, these dead spruce trees are a falling hazard in a very short time. Many residents are having these trees removed to protect their property. A number of residents have lamented about the cost and the effort required to remove these trees since they find the heating value of the spruce far less than that of the abundant pine for wood heating. The one positive side, however, is that in most cases the removed tress have provided a better view of the lake and the lush shores along the south side of the lake. There is always something to see on the lake, even if this year it is just the tracks that show up in the morning from those elusive animals.

Animals moving

Despite the recent frigid temperatures, the animals are indicating more movement whenever the nights are milder. Snow tracks indicate more movement of rabbits, ermine and coyotes along the lake shores and fields overlooking the lake. One Boultbee Road resident played host to a moose bedding down for several nights in late February near her dock, which her dogs were quick to point out every morning!

Snow piling

Everywhere I look, I see we are running out of places to push plowed snow. The secondary roads around the lake are getting very narrow as there is only so much space between the road and the banks on either side to pile the snow. Snow piles on the edges of driveways and accesses are getting so high, gates and fences are no longer visible from a distance. We have been looking at our own yard, and the piles of snow that we have accumulated since December, and are now getting a little concerned about where all that melting snow is going to go before it makes its way down to the lake. This will definitely be a year to watch drains and culverts closely for freezing and perhaps digging some temporary trenches for water runoff where possible in the frozen ground.

Warming up

Thanks to the neighbour who told me about the product available for better music enjoyment while working and playing outdoors. Some wise entrepreneur has designed toques and earmuffs with built in headphones that are comfortable, warm and provide quality sound. They plug into your favourite electronic device such as iPod or cassette player and can be a great companion when enjoying the great outdoors on colder days. Enjoy our great outdoors!

Another single vehicle rollover on the Lac des Roches hill on Feb. 21 justifies the concerns voiced by several nearby residents of the feasibility of the proposed access point at the bottom of the hill for a new subdivision. The combination of slope, curve, shade and existing road accesses make this particular corner dangerous, even when driving the posted speed limit of 90 km/hr. This is a bad piece of road in the best weather conditions. Most locals know to use extra caution when travelling down the hill, especially since there is a school bus stop at the bottom of it, but there is no signage to warn the unwary traveller that this can be a dicey spot.

Thank you

Reportedly, the three young people involved in the Feb. 21 vehicle accident were not badly hurt and did not require the ambulance that was dispatched to the scene. A big thank you goes out to our members of the Interlakes Volunteer Fire Department who provided immediate medical aid to the victims at their home. It seems our local member was just leaving his home in response to an incident near Bell Road and came upon the Lac des Roches accident. It is comforting to know our neighbourhood has dedicated individuals with significant medical knowledge.

Aquatic Society

The South Cariboo Aquatic Society made a presentation to eight area residents who attended a public meeting on Feb. 24. The society’s work is at a very preliminary stage, but they envision that, once built through government grants and private fundraising, the aquatic facility’s operation and maintenance costs would be funded through property taxation. Despite the low turnout at the meeting, which included one Lac des Roches resident, the society feels there is significant support from
the outlying regional residents for their vision of an aquatic facility in 100 Mile House. Not all of the attendees indicated their support for the facility through anticipated use, but everyone had suggestions for the society to consider.

Birds count

The backyard bird count between Feb. 13 and 16 attracted more responses than any of the previous years’ counts, according to the website www.birdcount.org. By Feb. 25, six checklists had been submitted for the Bridge Lake area, which includes Lac des Roches, and 16 bird species had been identified. Although more submissions may have been added to the website by the March 1 deadline, remarkably over 89,000 checklists had been submitted for North America, tallying almost 12 million birds. Now that is participation! Thanks go out to all that participated in our area and beyond.

Not spring yet

During the two days of spring-like conditions early last week, a confused willow tree on our property produced its first furry bud for the season. Ironically, I found our first pussy willow hanging at eye level on my walk path, as the limb was bent over further from the additional weight of last week’s snow on the already heavy burden of snow and ice from this harsh winter. I think this wayward bud was a fluke and we have a few weeks left to go before we will see the tell-tale signs of spring, one of which is the budding out of willow trees around Lac des Roches.

The area around Lac des Roches has seen significant snowfall this year, and the snow continues to pile up on structures and trees. Driving 15 minutes along the highway either east or west will reveal a significant reduction of snow pack. If it looks like we are getting a little more than our share of snow…we are! The heavy buildup of snow combined with cold temperatures has resulted in minor damage in the area to personal property and the forest. Bent tree tops are breaking off due to the excessive weight of the snow. Where rain and light snow has previously slid off or been blown off structures, the weight of the snow has changed a dome-shaped roof on a truck canopy to a bowl-shaped top and bent the canopy frame for at least one boat stored nearby. Roof and wall vents have plugged up with ice, keeping plumbing and exhaust systems from working properly. This is definitely a year to be thankful for our year-round neighbours and local caretakers who keep a watchful eye on properties.

Snow and water

Under the snow on the lake, there are many areas where deep slush has accumulating on top of the ice. Snowmobilers will often find their machines bogged down and stuck in the deep slush. While skiers and trekkers can get wet and discouraged, they can also find themselves stuck to the extent that the slush will react like quicksand or Cariboo mud when trying to get free. Although the lake ice is still thick and solid, these slushy patches can appear without notice as the water seeps up the cracks and should be expected everywhere, especially in bays or sheltered areas where the snow has blown in.

Games impact area

The Navy Dive Team cancelled this years training exercise under the ice on Little Lac des Roches, citing an Olympic preparation event as the reason. The impact of the 2010 games is apparently going to be far-reaching for a long time, even to our little corner of the Cariboo.

Moose Movements

Thanks to resident Wendy Marshall for alerting me to the cow and calf moose that crossed the lake near Rock Island last week. As mentioned in the last column, these, and most of the other common wild critters, have been quite elusive this winter but, as predicted, the phones were busy last Wednesday when residents were eager to share their sighting information. I only hope they come back to the north shore of the lake this winter as they haven’t nibbled or pruned all of our lakeside alder trees yet!

Sightings of wildlife on frozen Lac des Roches usually prompt a string of excited phone calls between neighbours and are noted in this column. This year, however, it is the lack of wildlife sightings that is the talk in the neighbourhood. Only one occurrence of canine hunters along the shore was observed so far and it was unclear whether they were wolves or large coyotes as they didn’t stick around for more than a few minutes. Although there is evidence of at least one otter bounding and sliding along the lake edge, and the yards around the lake show signs of fox, coyote and moose, these animals have only been glimpsed by a few residents. Residents are encouraged to share their stories if they know where the critters are.

Feathered friends

Residents are encouraged to donate a minimum of 15 minutes of their time and join in on the Great Backyard Bird Count initiative between Feb. 13 and 16. Volunteers report their sightings online to www.birdcount.org, which is where instructions on how to participate can be found. This is just one of the many bird studies that local birding enthusiast, Wendy Marshall, contributes to and she has offered to answer any questions volunteers may have on joining in on this activity. She can be reached at 250-593-2327.

Committee expansion

The Cariboo Regional District (CRD) has increased the size of the Area L Advisory Planning Commission (APC) to include an appointed representative from the Lac des Roches area. This expanded eight-member team is one of several groups involved with reviewing development applications early in the process and provides input to the CRD Director, Bruce Rattray. Bruce provides easy access to detailed information on all CRD applications on his dynamic website, www.brucerattray.ca.

Lac des Roches friends

The stewardship and community group, Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake, is working on an optimum land use plan and is holding extra meetings throughout the winter months. Information about their initiatives is on there updated website www.lacdesroches.org. Their next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 12

Lac des Roches resident Wendy Marshall reported that the Bridge Lake Naturalists held their 12th annual Audubon Christmas Bird Count on Jan. 3. It was a beautiful morning and a few volunteers braved the -24 C for the traditional bird count. They began at Marshall’s, followed a pre-defined route around the north shore of Bridge Lake with several stops to count species and numbers. As always, the black-capped and mountain chickadees topped the list for numbers of individuals. One boreal chickadee and high numbers of pine grosbeaks were counted this year. All five woodpeckers were present and of special interest was one ring-necked pheasant (likely an escapee from one of the local pre-staged hunts last summer). One American dipper presented itself in the stream and a flock of Bohemian waxwings were seen feeding on rosehips. The final tallies will be posted on the Audubon website www.audubon.org/bird/cbc.

Snow and more snow

Our neighbours on the coast have good reason to complain about their weather as they have had more snow in a month then they would normally experience over several winters. A few Cariboo neighbours are similarly complaining about shovelling the snow again and again this year. Some would argue that shovelling and plowing snow is what we do here in the winter. One neighbour described how she loads her favourite tunes on an iPod recorder, puts in her earplugs and contently shovels snow for hours. I daydream and compose this column while I clear a kilometer of doggie walk paths after every storm. Another neighbour’s comment on all the repetitive shoveling was "enough already"! While there are a number of us who enjoy the exercise, fresh air and sense of accomplishment we get from shoveling, it must be true; that everything should be enjoyed, in moderation, even shovelling snow.

Snowmobile update

Sledders using the trails off of the Wavey Lake Forestry Service Road have been providing updates of condition and changes observed up the road. The loggers have moved their equipment out and the moose have moved in. More moose and moose tracks have been sighted in the first half of January than were observed by some sledders during all of last winter, likely due to the deep snow that has accumulated since Christmas forcing them onto the roads and trails. The snow in some of the cut blocks is reportedly five to six feet deep but is so powdery from the cold weather that keeping sleds from getting stuck has been a real chore, even for some of the more experienced sledders on powerful and long-tracked machines. The wet snowfall and milder temperatures we have started to see since mid-January may improve the sledding conditions in the mountains, but have made for extremely wet conditions on most of the lakes.

Town hall meeting

The Area L town hall meeting is scheduled for Feb. 7 at 1:30 p.m. at the Interlakes Community Hall. CRD staff will present the proposed 2009 budget and business plan and discuss community services and general issues. Residents have been invited by Bruce Rattray, our area director, to advise him in advance of particular topics for discussion so that he can ensure the right resources are available.

Many Lac des Roches residents chose to stay close to home during the holidays this year. This seems to have been a very wise decision with the extreme cold temperatures, fierce winds and untimely power outage. Although many of us holed up for hours at a time in our warm houses, there was no shortage of invitations into the homes around the neighbourhood. Many residents ventured out short distances to celebrate Christmas and the New Year within the community. More than one neighbour has mentioned to me that they felt a stronger sense of community this year, than previous years and it seems we all like it that way. Cheers to our friendly community!

Recycle those ashes

One thrifty resident has revealed an excellent method of dealing with the slippery conditions on our roads and driveways, resulting from December’s ice storm. In addition to putting sand down where vehicles need extra traction, he saves buckets of ashes for sprinkling on the tires of a vehicle for extra traction. It seems cold ashes will adhere to rubber and offer immediate traction. Ashes that remain on the snow or ice will attract heat from the sun — even in frigid temperatures — and sink into the snow and ice much faster than sand. This usually means it will remain on the ground through the next snowfall and plowing session. What a clever way to provide needed traction and dispose of waste ashes.

Sleds on the lake

By Jan. 1, ice thickness 30 feet from shore measured between 10 and 12 inches thick. There were several slushy areas on the lake due to water seeping through cracks where the weight of drifting snow forces the ice downward. Although significant winds have swept away much of the snow and left shallow drifts along the entire length of the lake, snowmobiles have been using the big lake since the end of December.

Caring for our canine

The recent cold snap prompted our decision to insist on protective booties for our aging canine pal. Thanks to a pattern found on the Internet, a little Velcro and convincing my husband that he no longer needed his 1970s suede jacket (yes, the Starsky & Hutch styled one), my little pal got her first set of custom-made doggie boots. What a difference they make to our walks when it is below -20 C. Now if I could only teach her not to lick the snow off of cold metal. Yes, her tongue was momentarily stuck to the shock absorber on a visiting snowmobile last week. Yikes.

Active logging

The logging was still ongoing up Wavey Lake Forest Service Road between Christmas and New Years, evidenced by the freshly plowed road. Snowmobilers must use caution when travelling to the trails which are accessed from this busy road.

The last word

This is the last time I will mention the stray cattle that have wandered around Lac des Roches since the livestock hauler accident in October. It seems that the last animal was hauled away before Christmas, thanks to many members of the community pitching in to capture it. Between setting up a pen, providing food and water, reporting its location and locking the pen gate, almost a dozen area residents can be credited for the end of this ordeal.

Snowboarding tracks down the cut banks on the Boultbee Road corner of Highway 24 are a sign of reckless behaviour. This corner already has the dubious distinction of being one of the more dangerous corners along the Lac des Roches stretch of Highway 24 due to the slow traffic entering and exiting the highway for the side road and the nearby popular rest stop. Motorists often drift over the centerline on the corner, evidenced now by the sound of tires on the new centerline rumble strips. The sudden appearance of a snowboarder gliding down the bank toward the highway could cause a motorist to swerve. If conditions are icy or there is oncoming traffic, the results could be disastrous. So, a plea goes out to snowboarders in the area; please find a safer place for your sport, away from the highway, for your safety and the safety of motorists.

Ice is everywhere

Winter certainly came fast and furious! The freezing rain in early December took its toll on many trees. We have several 20-foot aspen saplings that are bent over to the ground due to the weight of the ice coating their branches. Many walking routes are challenging as the tree limbs, once high over one’s head, hang at face level due to the weight of the ice and snow. Although it appears that we have almost a foot of fluffy snow everywhere, underneath the top 10 inches of snow is a two-inch layer of ice, impossible to penetrate with a plastic snow shovel. Road and path clearing requires a lot of extra effort and some heavy-duty hardware like a steel shovel to get down to the dirt and gravel below. While Little Lac des Roches has been iced over since Nov. 25, the ice only covered the big lake on Dec. 14. The cold snap should freeze the layer of slush on top and thicken the ice from below for safe use by Christmas but, as always, sledders on the big lake must be mindful of the areas where there is often thinner ice due to the underwater springs that reduce the ice buildup from below.

Cattle eluding capture

The few remaining stray cattle that survived the livestock hauler accident in October are being cared for by area residents. Although they are still "at large," they are receiving feed and water daily. While these animals can be hazard to unsuspecting motorists, they move slower than the wildlife often spotted on the highway and should be easier to avoid.

Birthday wishes

Congratulations to our neighbour, Lorraine Jollymore, who celebrated her "seventy-something" birthday on Dec. 6. Her husband Bill arranged an open house for friends and neighbours but it seems Lorraine did most of the baking. She claims she enjoyed it, so I guess it was a gift to her, letting her bake for those who attended. I wonder if that means Bill should do all the baking for his upcoming 75th birthday party.

Newsletter online

Our new Area L Cariboo Regional District director, Bruce Rattray, took office Dec. 12. Bruce is anxious to include all residents and interested parties on his regular emailed newsletters. This is an excellent way for residents, especially those who live permanently elsewhere, to keep informed of CRD and area activities. Check out Bruce’s website www.brucerattray.ca and send your contact information to bruce@brucerattray.ca to be included on his mailing list.