Cold snap is icing over lakes

Ice covered Little Lac des Roches on Nov. 19 when night-time temperatures stayed below zero, and has remained intact through the severe wind storms that followed. Although it appeared ice covered the big lake on Nov. 29, when temperatures had dipped below -20 C, there were open patches at the west end. The strong winds and wave action has been taking the ice off ever since. Cold temperatures and still air is needed soon to freeze the big lake and ensure the ice is thick enough for the many holiday visitors who use the lake for cross-country skiing, walking and sledding. Birdwatchers busy
Birding continues to be active throughout the winter. The Feeder Watch program is in full swing and will continue until April. Residents are encouraged to participate in this fun activity and data collection is flexible within a few guidelines at www.birdscanada.org. The Christmas Bird Count outing will begin at Lac des Roches on the morning of Dec. 18. Area naturalist Tom Godin will be along for this fun-filled day of touring nearby Bridge Lake, ending back at Lac des Roches for refreshments. Wendy Marshall at 593-2327 needs to know who will be participating, in order to plan the excursion by Dec. 17. Bring a lunch, dress warm and expect to be entertained.

Sewing cause

Lac des Roches’ Bee Gees (Boultbee Gals) held another "bee" in November. With their sewing machines, a full coffee pot and Christmas baking samples, the ladies made 16 cloth table coverings for the Bridge Lake Community School Society. The new table cloths will debut at the school’s upcoming public Christmas Dinner and Concert on Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. Thanks to George Martin for his generous donation of very suitable fabric.

Winners succeed

The winning at losing session for the Bridge Lake Community School Society was a success and will continue as an informal drop-in session for those interested in discussing healthy lifestyle changes. Call Wendy at 593-4538 for more information.

Lake monitors

The Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake met on Nov. 24 to discuss water quality monitoring. Marg Sidney from the Ministry of Environment in Kamloops attended the meeting and discussed testing methods, data collection timing and the conclusions that have been documented in the reports generated by the BC Lake Stewardship Society (BCLSS) for both Lac des Roches and Little Lac des Roches. The lakes are considered healthy at the existing level of development, but the increased nutrients found in the lakes are not coming from the lake itself – the natural method – but rather from external sources such as household waste water, farming and logging activities and, most definitely, road maintenance. For this reason, residents and agencies must be aware of the chemicals being used in everyday living and eliminate those which are known to be harmful to the environment.

Daily exercising

The walkers of Boultbee Road are not deterred by the snow or cold weather. The ladies are grateful to Interior Roads for the plowing and sanding which makes walking a lot easier although walking poles and boots grippers are highly recommended. Special thanks to John Clarkson for his considerate gesture of plowing a walk path for the ladies when the plow is detained. The walkers meet at the half way point on the road at 12:30 p.mm every day and invite all the local ladies to join for good conversation and exercise.