Cross-country skiing on Lac des Roches is excellent and the best it has been this winter.
Last year, the ice was gone mid-April. This year, the ice is still thick and firm.
On a cold day, the ice gets a light dusting of snow. On a warm day, the ice develops a thin layer of crystallized ice.
Both conditions, along with the absence of drifting snow, provide just the right amount of tracking and traction for excellent spring skiing.
Bird watching
Wendy Marshall of Lac des Roches led members of the Bridge Lake Naturalist Club on a chilly but rewarding bird excursion around 100 Mile House on April 18.
At the 100 Mile Marsh, Wendy says the group observed almost every type of duck known to inhabit or migrate through the South Cariboo. The birders went on to survey the Spring Lake Road and were rewarded with the sightings of 36 different species of ducks, song birds, raptors and several sandhill cranes.
Support your local athlete
Piper Loft, one of nine local gymnasts representing Team Canada at the World Gymnaestrada in Switzerland this summer is continuing to raise funds toward her registration costs.
On May 7, Piper will be selling homemade crafts at the Sheridan Lake business outdoor trade show. Residents are encouraged to visit Piper's table and give your support to this multi-talented young girl.
Hazardous debris
Wooden debris, leftover from winter excursions on the ice, litters the lake in several locations.
If it isn’t removed before ice-off, tree rounds and limbs will become hazards to boaters this summer. Ideally, debris should be removed immediately, before it has a chance to freeze in the ice.
It would be helpful if residents, still venturing out on the ice, would move any loose debris to nearby shores, high enough to not be dislodged by the expected high spring water levels.
Roads closed
Temporary logging roads from Highway 24 near Opax have been deactivated.
Residents are disappointed that they are unable to salvage firewood from the Crown land littered with dead trees, but the temporary accesses would have posed a safety hazard with the expected increased summer traffic.
However, there is an abundance of beetle-killed wood available in the surrounding forest for firewood.
Wildlife sighting
The "gophers" are out - enough said.
Garbage disposal
Local residents are claiming poor communication from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) about the closure of the garbage transfer station at Opax.
This dump site, while funded by the TNRD for approximately 30 property owners at the east end of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake, is well-used by nearby residents of the Cariboo Regional District and by the travelling public.
News of the closure, along with changes at the Eagan Lake site, circulated throughout the community all winter, but residents say they have just received official notice of the closure.
TNRD staff members indicated at the March 12 public meeting, (see March 23Free Press) the Birch Lake site was slated for complete closure, but TNRD residents have launched a letter-writing campaign to oppose the closure.
Letter campaign
Neighbouring lake stewards at Bridge Lake are inviting everyone to visit their website www.friendsofbridgelake.org for information on the proposed Crown land disposal near the Bridge Lake ice caves.
