Society Activities …
Meetings. During the last quarter we held our Annual General Meeting on Dec. 9 and had an executive meeting and the following items were discussed;
- Director’s positions were ratified. Harold and Penny Edwards have been appointed to the board as Directors at Large.
- Membership duration has been expanded to 2 years for the same $10/family membership fee. All fees paid in the 2012 calendar year are deemed to cover membership until Aug. 31, 2014.
- The developers of the Muddy Lake subdivision told the membership that they, alone, are applying to have the “no build” covenant removed from the gated waterfront common property on Little Lac des Roches until they succeed. They wish to have the ability to build structures within the designated zone and apply for the development of a boat launching facility
- On behalf of private land owners, our society will respond to the Kamloops Forest District’s request for input on the planned logging over the next two years in the hills to the south and southeast of Lac des Roches. Anyone can provide input but must do so by December 31, 2012
- A Cariboo Historic Driving Tour guide is under development and we will advise them of the order in council that designates the Hudson’s Bay Fur Brigade Trail from Little Fort to Lac des Roches as a protected heritage trail
- The BC Lake Stewardship Society had its funding for Level 2 testing reinstated for a year and we will send a letter in support of its ongoing need for our watershed. We are currently in a 3 year level 2 cycle for Birch, Phinetta and Little Lac des Roches. Muddy Lake monitoring and testing is planned to commence after ice-off in 2013.
- Several memberships have now lapsed and these members will receive one more reminder with the distribution of the last quarterly member’s update.
Around the Lakes …
- Invasive plant spraying. The Cariboo Regional District has modified its invasive plant spraying program for 2013. Going forward, private property spraying will be on a 50/50 cost sharing scheme as opposed to fully subsidized by the CRD. Some spraying for thistles and burdock occurred along Boultbee Road in the summer of 2012.
- Active logging. The Wavey Lake Forest Service Road is very busy with logging trucks hauling beetle-killed pine from 205 Road (Meridian Lake turnoff) to the Highway 24 junction. Evidently, hauling occurs only during weekdays but plowing is a real possibility on the weekends, and is expected to continue through the entire winter. Trail access from 201 Road is recommended to reduce the number of encounters with these trucks. The first unnamed trail access, across from the old cattle loading chute has not been cut out in the last few years and is considered impassable but will be addressed as an alternative trail access next summer.
- Cellular coverage. Telus’ new cellular tower was erected on the mountain above the rest stop on November 30 and is now functioning. Several residents and visitors report signal strength at “full bars” from Boultbee Road and Access #7.
- Power blips. As expected, we are experiencing power blips and the odd hydro outage during stormy and windy conditions. Several residents believe the repetitive blips are responsible for electronic component failures. Residents may want to reassess their away procedures and consider turning off appliances such as ovens and microwaves at their breaker panel to protect the vulnerable electronic panels and switches from these power fluctuations.
- Downed trees. Tree cutting crews dispatched to protect hydro lines and telephone cables from danger trees have worked in the area this fall. For the most part, their work near the right of way has protected us from locally caused outages but snow and wind are still taking trees down on private properties around the lake. Full time residents keep an eye out for and deal with any trees that may cause damage to property but the crown land trails and roads are not getting the same level of attention. Users of the back country need to be prepared to encounter trees blocking their path.
- Ice conditions. Newsletters and the local newspaper is filled with cautions about the lake ice this year. The big lakes froze very quickly, followed by several days of snow storms. The insulating quality of the snow has allowed the underwater springs to melt the thin ice, creating ice holes of varying sizes, many much bigger than the size of a man’s foot. The weight of the heavy snow then caused the water to flood the ice under the snow in many areas, creating a layer of slush – sometimes 4 inches deep. Where the recent wind storms have swept the snow off the ice, ice has formed and will be getting thicker with the cold night temperatures. Closer to the shoreline or in bays where the blowing snow accumulates, there is evidence of ice holes, thin ice and is some cases, no ice. The few remaining days until the arrival of many of our seasonal lake users may provide enough cold weather to freeze the slush, thicken the ice and cover of the holes, but extreme caution should be exercised this winter. Unfortunately this year’s weather conditions have left the ice surface bumpy and uneven, not anything like the smooth glass-like surface we enjoyed for ice skating early last winter.
- Snow conditions. In mid December, we finally received some snow. Depending on exposure to the wind, the regular snow depth will range from a few inches to well over the knees. Of course, some drifts are much deeper than that. Boultbee Road snow berms are at least 2 feet deep. Sledders and snowboarders have been exploring the nearby hills and have been quite satisfied by the amount of snow they have found. Visitors planning on sledding, skiing, snowshoeing and tobogganing should have great fun this holiday season. Hockey players and skaters have considerable work ahead of them.
Community Interest …
- Organized snowmobiling. The Bridge Lake Bushwackers Snowmobile Club was dissolved and the clubhouse/warming shack sold and taken out of the area. Several residents have spent a few hours cleaning up the old Cow Camp at km 17 of Wavey Lake Road and preparing it for use as a warming hut this season. There is a rumor that the Interlakes Snowmobile Club may be interested in taking over the stewardship of Cow Camp to provide a quality warming hut in the future. In the meantime, users are asked to do their best to keep the camp clean (including removal of any trapped pack rats) so that the facility can be enjoyed by all this season.
- Stay informed. To keep up to date on community news, read the bi weekly community newspaper column, posted on our website or include your e-mail address on Area L Director, Bruce Rattray’s distribution list, via his website www.brucerattray.ca.
- That’s all for now… Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and enjoy your winter holiday from …
- Your 2012/2013 Executive Members: Barry Reid, Lois Motz, Bill Jollymore, Lorraine Jollymore, Al Wallewein, Marie Wallewein, Dave Woods, Bev Woods, Sharron Woloshyn, Gord Marshall, Wendy Marshall, Ralph Watson, Heidi Ruegg, Harold Edwards, Penny Edwards.