The editor asked that I include a little about myself in my first article. My career as a professional accountant took me to various work locations throughout B.C. , with writing being a significant part of my job, creating training material and procedure manuals. Since retiring to the Cariboo just over three years ago to help my husband build our house, I have become; a carpenter’s helper; plumber’s helper; roofer’s helper; welder’s helper, and will be any other needed helper to finish our house over the next few years. At Lac des Roches, I live "on the edge". The edge of a beautiful lake, the edge of the South Cariboo, the edge of the Interior Plateau, the edge of wilderness, and sometimes, when I am dirt biking or sailing, just plain "on the edge"!
I recently noticed that Lac des Roches (LdR) was listed as a "community" on the banner of the Cariboo Connector newspaper. I was curious about what prompted the paper to define my neighbours and me as a community. Was it because of the formation of "Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake", a group of citizens concerned about area development plans as presented by Land and Water B.C. ? Was it due to the lake stewardship initiatives? Was it because of the concerns voiced over the possible construction of a water retention dam at the outflow of the lake? Maybe it was due to the initiative to heighten awareness of recycling opportunities and arranging to have a community recycle bin placed at the Bridge Lake Store? I placed a call to Chris Nickless, publisher of the Cariboo Connector, to get an answer to my question and this led to an interesting discussion about my community. It turns out Chris hadn’t used any specific criteria but he did recognize that we are "way out there", that we are somewhat unique from the rest of the Interlakes community, and there seems to be "a lot going on". Chris ended our discussion with the suggestion that I share information with my neighbours and neighbouring communities, so here I am, submitting an article. There is a certain bond that develops with the members of a community who are living with certain challenges; in two different regional districts; at the end of the hydro grid; through a Cariboo winter above the elevation of 1134 meters, to name a few. I hope to provide readers with a sense of our strong community spirit through this column and I plan to write about the many activities and initiatives that bring my neighbours together, such as lake stewardship, land use planning, historical and cultural events, and community items from "the edge". Here are a few community items that spring to mind.
Out on the lake
The ice monitors have advised me that Little Lac des Roches, Birch Lake and Lac des Roches were ice-free on May 4th, 5th and 6th respectively. Boaters were on the lake, with fishing lines in the water on the same days. I witnessed the first sport tubers in the frigid waters of LdR on June 7, taking a very short ride behind a ski boat.
Towers going up
Applications for permits over Crown land that appeared in the 100 Mile Free Press this spring indicate that communication towers are planned for Highway 24, one to be located above the LdR rest stop. These towers will provide cellular service to travellers of the entire highway and are a welcome development to the cellular subscribers of my community.
"Living on the edge"
As I watch the media’s coverage of the flooding and potential flooding throughout BC and Alberta, I am so grateful to be living "on the edge" of a hill. My entire acreage, like the majority of the area lots, slopes down to LdR. A local contractor recently told my neighbour that he could probably make a living just making flat spots for people. Evidently, most residents want to have property on a slope, and then they immediately want flat spots for their stuff. This is so true! I keep asking for flat spots in my yard. Oh . . . did I mention I am also a cat operator’s helper?