Environmental notes for Spring

 

When you make that first trip to the cottage in a few weeks expect to find the water to be at about the same level that it was last year at that time.  In January the levels went up slightly rather than dropping slightly as is typical for January, even though the precipitation for the month was well below normal.  This was due to snow melt caused by the unusually warm weather.  Precipitation in 2005 was below average for February through December, with the exception of November when it was well above average.  The result was a smaller than average seasonal rise.  The 6 month prediction at this point shows the most likely levels to be about the same as we saw in 2005.

 

The counts from the pheromone traps placed in our area are encouraging.  The hemlock looper count was up a bit from that of 2004, but was still quite low.  In as much as there may be a few pockets of infestation around we should continue to keep watch, especially near the water.  We have plenty of evidence still visible to keep us mindful of how devastating this pest really is.  Fortunately the looper’s cycle of infestation is measured in decades, mainly because the moths are very poor fliers.  The prevailing winds are one of our blessings.

 

The gypsy moth counts have declined sharply over the previous two years and then hit an extremely low count last year.  We should expect this pest to be back in high numbers in a few years, but for now we can enjoy life without them. 

 

 We expect to get an early start this spring on South Channel water monitoring.  The Archipelago will be conducting a 2006 water monitoring workshop as early as possible.  At that time we will assess the 2005 data and set up a new protocol for 2006.  Our data base has accumulated enough information at this point that we can shift our attention more to monitoring.  We hope to be able to present our data in a more user friendly form.

 

The sites that we have been taking water samples from in this program have been the ones that we have found to be “hot spots.”  “Hotspots’ are determined by the sampler’s knowledge of the area and information provided by stakeholders.  If there are additional sites that you think we might look at please let us know about them.  We are especially interested in areas that are regularly used for transient boat mooring.

 

You can contact me for now at stopp@stny.rr.com, beginning in May at stopping@zeuter.com.

 

Better yet, go to www.Southchannel.org where you can leave a message for us on the contact page.  And check the water quality data and the water levels, current and predicted while you are visiting.

 

Stan Topping