It's a funny time of year ... the between time where winter ends and spring begins ... where the Groundhog is the ultimate authority on whether the weather will be nasty or nice. Observers of nature will know that the onset of spring has been heralded since mid-January by our animal friends. Many will be cheering to hear that warm weather is well on its way, but the sparse snowpack and the meagre spring melt don't bode well for plentiful water throughout the growing season.
Our "Young Voice For The Oldman", blogger Kelsey Armstrong, wrote in to tell us about her winter ... and plans for spring.
Hello everybody,
The 2016 ski season started out way better than last year and the skiing at Castle Mountain was grea. We also had enough snow in the Lethbridge coulees to go cross country skiing several weeks ago.
The 2016 snow season started off well, but like 2015, there isn't much snowpack left.
With the snowmelt, all the debris from the previous year comes to light. Everything from doggie-do (or better said: "doggie-don't"), to leaves, to animal carcasses, to garbage, becomes exposed. The melting water pushes it all into our waterways where any contaminants simply flow downstream.
Whether you attend to the gutter and stormdrain in your street, or the ditches on your land, spring time is clean-up time for everyone. The counties and municipalities cannot cope with everything that's left - and actually, it's up to us all to ensure clean, clear water. It all flows downstream.
I've been busy building Storm Drain Survival Kits, which are free. You can volunteer to adopt a storm drain and receive one of my kits at http://www.lethbridge.ca/living-here/water-wastewater/Pages/Adopt-a-Storm-Drain.aspx
Happy tidying!
Kelsey
