In mid-May, all the lakes in the Lac des Roches chain were stocked with Pennask and Blackwater rainbow trout. Depending on the size of the lake, the numbers of fingerlings ranges from 1,200 to 12, 000. Craig Adamson was one of the drivers stocking with fish from the Clearwater hatchery. Several residents witnessed the stocking activity and were not surprised to see a lot of interest in these vulnerable baby fish generated among the local fish-eating loon inhabitants. Residents and visitors fishing these lakes can assist biologists’ analysis of stocking programs by maintaining a creel report of their catches. Call the writer for more information on contributing to this valuable exercise.
Testing one, two …
Annual level one water testing has begun at all the lakes by the volunteer monitors. Level two testing has been conducted for the second year on the 3 small lakes by Marge Sidney of the Ministry of Environment. This year, she brought a volunteer assistant Leah Apeldoorn. Leah is a recent graduate from BCIT’s Fish, Wildlife and Recreation Diploma Program and hopes to have a career involved with wildlife. The data from both level one and two testing will be analyzed and compiled by the BC Lake Stewardship Society in a report of the overall health of each lake. These reports are linked to the local website, www.lacdesroches.org.
Birthday party
A dozen ladies gathered on May 24 to celebrate a milestone birthday for friend and neighbour Dale Yeager. It was a great turnout as there were a surprising fourteen ladies at Boultbee Road on that day. Eva Bechtel’s delicioius European baking is always a popular draw to get the local ladies to put down their garden and housework tools for a tea cup or mug and enjoy some laughs and companionship.
Flotsam and jetsam
Rising water is freeing debris from the shores and causing some ater hazards. Residents often do their part to secure floating trees to protected south shores and pick up and dispose of floating garbage, but many of those neighbours have not yet arrived for the summer. Boaters should be cautious.
Invasive plants
Residents may qualify for either spraying of their private land or receiving an amount of herbicide for spot spraying of invasive plants. Last year, the team targeted thistles, burdock and orange hawkweed, all of which are a concern in the Cariboo. Contact the CRD for more information on available invasive plant treatments.
Bloom’n good
It is thrilling to see the Saskatoon bushes finally in bloom. Many of the bushes still resemble peeled bananas, having had so many limbs broken down to the ground by the bears last year. Now we need a break in the rain and some warm temperatures to encourage the flying critters to pollinate so we can enjoy berries later this summer.
Early gardens
While some local gardeners are lamenting over the continuous rainfall and worrying about soggy seeds and seedlings, there is a positive side. Dense cloud cover has night time temperatures staying above freezing which means no more 2 am awakenings to cover seedlings with buckets and tarps.
Concerning wildlife
Everywhere, sightings are down for all critters, large and small. Even waterfowl seem to be sparse this year. A family of Canadian geese at Taylor’s Bay has only 2 goslings whereas a dozen are more common. Something is definitely amiss with our animals.
Winged wonders
Wendy Marshall has scheduled the next birding excursion for Monday, June 10. This will be an all day trip including several special destinations known for diverse sightings. Call 250-593-2327 for more information.