Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake Society members hosted a discussion on lake stewardship concerns on Feb. 25.
Lac des Roches is one of the few lakes in British Columbia that straddles two regional boundaries. While the lake is technically in the “Kamloops” region, the surrounding land is split between the Cariboo and Thompson-Nicola regional districts.
The surrounding forested watershed, supporting active logging, is in two different forest regions – Kamloops and 100 Mile House.
This meeting of so many jurisdictions in this southeast corner of the Cariboo leads to many challenges and has uncovered both contradictions and omissions of certain regulations and practices within the community, particularly with regards to land use.
Some provincial regulations around lakeshore development apply only to southern portions of the province and regional districts determine their own development guidelines. Forest sensitivity designations follow arbitrary regional boundaries as opposed to the actual topography.
Delegates included Bob Grace, Kamloops Ministry of Environment from Kamloops, Chris Nowotny, Williams Lake Forests, Land and Natural Resource Operations, Cariboo Regional District (CRD) Area L Director Bruce Rattray, and Friends of Bridge Lake member Chris Lance.
Through discussion with all those attending, the society members decided the best method to initiate an improvement to local land planning. While there were several suggestions for dealing with specific concerns and initiatives through both provincial and regional channels, the group anticipates addressing many of the general inadequacies in the planned revisions to the Official Community Plan in 2014 by the CRD.
Farewell wishes
On March 4, the Boultbee walkers took time out from their daily excursion for coffee and goodies to honour their friend and neighbour Barb St. Hilaire on her upcoming career move.
Barb will be lengthening her commute substantially as she leaves her 100 Mile House sales job at Central GM to work at a much larger and more distant car dealership in Edmonton, Alta. It may be a while before husband, Don, and her pets Molly and Sammy join her there but she has the companionship of her children and grandchild to look forward to.
Congratulations and best of luck to our good friend Barb who begins her new job in mid-March.
Prowling critters
Unlike most winters, there has been very little evidence of wild canine activity; however, that seems to have changed in late February.
Packs of coyotes have been regularly travelling and hunting through the neighbourhood and along the lake’s shore under the cover of darkness. Tracks in the snow and dozens of uncovered mouse nests are the unmistakable evidence that these hunters are on the prowl.
Several long-term residents advise caution when letting out domestic pets when coyote activity is this high as they share many stories of little pets falling prey to hungry and determined coyotes.
Animal prints
Signs of deer movement are relatively rare but moose signs and sightings are on the rise around the residences in the neighbourhood.
Two moose have been spotted by both sledders and an avid snowshoer, as they pruned the trees and bushes at the east end of Boultbee Road.
Fast sleds
Life doesn’t get much better than tobogganing with my four-year-old granddaughter on a beautiful winter day.
Imagine my surprise when the new molded plastic sleigh took off like a rocket on the top of our snow covered slope. If it hadn’t been for her grandpa’s quick response, our little Audrey would have soared over the snow bank and down toward the lakeshore, dotted with hundreds of unforgiving trees. They sure don’t make toboggans the way they used to – heavy and slow.