Suspicious activity on Lac Le Jeune Road

UPDATE: Excellent news! This turned out to be nothing to worry about. It was a neighbour returning from a late night shift and was placing a borrowed item on the deck.

This report is from Kecia Turunen:

Last night at about 1:30 am we were woken up by our dogs frantically barking out the front window. A second later our porch motion detector light turned on. Thinking it was a bear or other animal we went to investigate only to discover someone get into a waiting vehicle at the end of our driveway. RCMP were notified. The car sounded like a manual 4 cylinder with a rattling exhaust.

Keep vigilant everyone.

Found kitty

UPDATE: The kitty is now back at home on Osprey

A sweet little grey tabby cat has been hanging around Marmot Street. She seems frightened, and like she would prefer to be inside.

If you know who this kitty belongs to please call Coleen at (250) 828-0185.

Prep for LLJCA AGM

Chair In Sky by Nicki Varkevisser 

1. Bring a chair

2. Bring a mug if you think of it. We'll have disposable cups, too.

3. Read the minutes from the 2013 AGM, and print out if you want your own copy. The balance statement is a separate document. Printed copies of the 2014 AGM Agenda will be available at the meeting.

4. Bring $10 for membership fees (for new application, or renewals if applicable)

See you Sunday, September 14th at 11:00 a.m. at 5865 Lac Le Jeune Road.

Cougar in the neighbourhood

This afternoon around 4:30 p.m. Dave Falcon was on the trails with his mountain bike and dog, Ukie, at the end of Lac Le Jeune Road near the pond. Dave stopped to clear some branches when Ukie began to bark. At first he assumed there was a calf on the trail, since cattle are often found grazing in that area. However, the dog's bark became frantic, then Dave saw something moving in his direction approximately 20 metres away. It was a large cougar, with ears pinned back.

Dave attempted to call Ukie but there was a flurry of activity and loud noises, then silence. Assuming that Ukie did not win the struggle, and for his own safety, Dave left the area. Back home he was telling the story to his neighbour when who runs down the street? Ukie!

Ukie is at home resting, with no apparent injuries. It's a complete mystery how he survived the encounter.

This isn't Ukie, but is a reasonable facsimile, and probably what she is doing right now!

We're so happy about the END of this story! Meanwhile, keep your pets and kids safe. Dave has contacted the Conservation Officer Service.

Here is an excerpt from the Safety Guide to Cougars from the BC Ministry of Environment website:

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If you meet a cougar:

• Never approach a cougar. Although cougars will normally avoid a confrontation, all cougars are unpredictable. Cougars feeding on a kill may be dangerous.
• Always give a cougar an avenue of escape.
• Stay calm. Talk to the cougar in a confident voice.
• Pick all children up off the ground immediately. Children frighten easily and their rapid movements may provoke an attack.
• Do not run. Try to back away from the cougar slowly. Sudden movement or flight may trigger an instinctive attack.
• Do not turn your back on the cougar. Face the cougar and remain upright.
• Do all you can to enlarge your image. Don't crouch down or try to hide. Pick up sticks or branches and wave them about.

If a cougar behaves aggressively:

• Arm yourself with a large stick, throw rocks, speak loudly and firmly. Convince the cougar that you are a threat not prey.
• If a cougar attacks, fight back! Many people have survived cougar attacks by fighting back with anything, including rocks, sticks, bare fists, and fishing poles.

Cougars are a vital part of our diverse wildlife. Seeing a cougar should be an exciting and rewarding experience, with both you and the cougar coming away unharmed. However, if you do experience a confrontation with a cougar or feel threatened by one, immediately inform the nearest office of the Conservation Officer service.

Injured hawk

Do you know someone with expertise in capturing injured birds? There is an injured hawk at the Meadow Creek Golf Club in Logan Lake. The Wildlife Park in Kamloops will take the bird if someone is able to capture it.

Via Carolyn Chandler

Cougar - Logan Lake

Conservation Officers are advising Logan Lake residents and visitors to keep an eye out for a cougar. The cougar has been spotted near the golf course and campground, and is coming unusually close to people.

"Cougar closeup" by Art G. - originally posted to Flickr as Those Eyes. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Thanks to Carolyn Chandler for the heads up!

~ REMINDER!~

The Lac Le Jeune Conservation Association Annual General Meeting will be held on Sunday, September 14 at 11:00 AM. The location is 5865 Lac Le Jeune Road (at the top of the hill,the first driveway to the right just past Heron Road). This is the same location as last year's meeting. Hope to see all of you there!

Western Gall Rust

Lodgepole pine with multiple galls.

Old stem gall. Note rough surface of bark.

Symptoms resulting from complete girdling.

Infections on stems of young trees often result in hip cankers as the trees grow.

Do any of these images look familiar to you? You may have pine trees invested with Western Gall Rust. Kathy Wyse contacted the Ministry of Forests to ask about this problem, and was advised that this is a common health issue in young pine. Galls on the main stem will girdle the tree and kill it.

What can you do about it?

• Cut off and burn all galls that are on branches. This will reduce the spread on your own trees, but keep in mind that spores travel several kilometres. 
• Cut off the main stem below the gall and burn the tops. The tree will then grow like a bush, but it will live. 

If we all check the trees in our yards and do what is recommended, it could save some of our young trees.

From the Ministry of Forests and Range website:

Distribution: Throughout B.C. Host 

Susceptibility: Highly susceptible species are lodgepole and ponderosa pine. 

Signs & Symptoms: Western gall rust produces round woody swellings on stems and branches. Orange spores are produced on galls in late spring. These spores directly infect other pines through elongating leaders and branch shoots. Suitable climatic conditions that occur every few years result in "wave years" of infection. The fungus is an obligate parasite and remains alive as long as the host branch or stem. However, infections stop releasing spores after about age 10. Most stem infections occur below a height of 3 m. Hip cankers result in distorted growth from partial stem girdling. Infected bark can be fed upon by squirrels.  

Damage: Western gall rust is very common throughout the range of lodgepole pine. Stem galls often lead to mortality either through girdling or through stem breakage. Branch galls do not cause serious harm. The disease is usually more evenly distributed throughout stands than blister rusts, which require an alternate host. 

Can Be Confused With: Small galls can be confused with Comandra infections, particularly when spores are present. Gall rust produces distinct woody swellings while blister rusts do not.

Thank you, Kathy Wyse, for looking into this!

Photos from Forest Practices Branch, Ministry of Forests and Range.

Missing: 3 Black Labs

UPDATE: Good news. The dogs were found by some people out geocaching near Knutsford -- quite a few kilometres from home! They are a little tired but in good shape.

Have you seen black Labrador Retrievers in your neighbourhood or on the trails?

They escaped from Ken and Gina Mcpherson's yard on Osprey Road this morning around 9am and have not yet returned home.

If there have been any sightings please phone Ken - 250-819-2023 or Gina 250-819-0656. These phone numbers are also on the dogs' tags.

Thank you so much for your assistance locating them.

Western Toads

Thanks, Sonia Walczak, for alerting us that the Western Toad migration has begun!

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These little guys migrate across Lac Le Jeune Road, starting around the Michell Ranch for about 1 km south, every mid to late August. The migration takes a few days.

If all residents took the Coquihalla during these few days there would be many less toads being killed on the road as they cross. They are so small right now I’m sure many people don’t even notice them on the road.

Today I saw 2 biologists meeting with the Ministry of Transportation to see if we can build a culvert for the toads to use to cross the road.

Western Toads are on the provincial Yellow List, and are considered a species of conservation concern!
Visit the “frogwatch” website for more information.