Tuesday 9 February 2010

Forest flora and fauna

It occurs to me that these 400 lb. + machines are deadly even when operated normally, let alone driving above speed limits. In the hands of an inexperienced sledder they are weapons. As one comment said, "As far as I can see, snowmobiles are but low flying aircraft these days. I mean come on now, who needs over 1000 c.c.'s of power?"
 
There are a large number going off trail and hitting trees. This should tell us something about the reckless speed. You can see where sledders choose the more difficult route, one going around this tree! The top photo is above the hill, the photo below is below taken from below the hill.

Then, there is this shot (below, left) of someone off-trail, in the woods, in the mud. Not only does the machine leave behind chemical and pollution, they are destroying the natural habitat and waterways. The run-off goes directly into the bog nearby.
You can see how bad the trails are, with melt water on the path. 

The critters are active, with mouse tracks and lots of predators seeking food. The mice and moles of summer have the perfect shelter: tunneling under the snow!

I stuck my snowshoe in the photo to be ale to compare the size!



This is Ollie last year, he caught a mouse.


See the tracks? I daren't identify them. Who knows...fox, wolf, dog? I did identify one track, obviously a boot with some yellow snow right where I was walking. No photo...even dogs go off the tracks to find a tree!
This track was cool, as the animals take advantage of the snowmobile track in the deep snow. Lots of tracks on the cold, frozen lake. The wind was really whipping across. In the woods, it was a delightful walk. The sun beamed down.Snow punctuates the forest floor, amplifying the scene with light and shadows.

6 comments:

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Nice walk you took and commentary on the snowmobiles. I understand that they have ruined Yellowstone Park winters. Noisy, dangerous, and used so much that there is a haze in the air on some days.

Izzy said...

Such wonderful pictures & wonderful attention to such a frustrating topic. I hope you are having an amazing day!

Powell River Books said...

Your snow is melting, but ours never arrived. I always enjoy a few light storms, especially when we are up at the cabin. Seems like everyone else is getting hammered. - Margy

Lucy said...

You can't stop stupid rude folks from being stupid and rude, but your world is still so beautiful and such a fairy land in the winter. Try to ignore the noise and stink? Pretty soon it'll be summer and the jet ski's will take over!

Unknown said...

I'm glad to say that snowmobiles are banned on quite a few forest trails where I like to walk. I've seen quite a few wide trails made specifically for them. I'm sure there will be a few more tragedies this winter.

Noni said...

Very pretty scenes - particularly the frosty mornings. Winter has been somewhat less snowy than other years - at least your scenery is not covered with snow and mud from the roads. Lovely. Thanks much for sharing! I enjoyed a wander through this blog - good way to start the morning.