Carlin Lake Association

Cold but clear

 

The new January snow that snowmobilers and skiers are waiting for seems to keep falling south of us.  With no cloud cover last night, our thermometer dropped to almost 20 below zero this morning.

But these cold and clear nights should bring one advantage:   that we will be able to see one of the biggest full moons of 2019.    This full moon is called a blood moon, because it may look slightly red, and a super moon, because it will appear so bright.  

Even more, though, on Sunday night the 20th, if we stay awake long enough, we can observe a total lunar eclipse.   John Bates says the moon won't totally disappear, but will be 10,000 times dimmer than usual, revealing many stars that the full moon usually washes out.  

The eclipse begins about 9:30 pm, reaches total eclipse at 10:41 and lasts for an hour or so.    I probably won't stay awake to see it, so if you do, please let us know what you think.   

 

Well-deserved recognition for Duanne

 

Congratulations to Duanne Swift!  

The article below describes recognition for him for all his work as a citizen science monitor.   The article and photo are from the website of the Snapshot Wisconsin program, which uses data from trail cameras to conduct state-wide monitoring.  

(Please note that the photo is not of Duanne, but was captured on his trail camera!) 

OK, seriously again.   The program describes itself:

The goals of the project are to provide efficient data that helps DNR make decisions about wildlife management and to increase public engagement in natural resources throught hands-on learning.   As Snapshot Wisconsin expands, volunteer-collected data will be used to develop new methods to monitor deer populations and assess the statewide distribution of carnivores.

 

January 2019 Volunteer of the Month

Clam Lake Area Bull Elk

January’s Volunteer of the Month goes to Duanne from Vilas County!   Duanne is a long-time citizen scientist who has participated in a variety of projects including wolf tracking, lake monitoring, Snapshot Wisconsin and more.   As a 50+ year bow hunting veteran, he immediately fell in love with monitoring what was going on in the natural world when he wasn't there.

Duanne has spent more than two years monitoring trail cameras in the Clam Lake elk reintroduction area, though his first experience camera trapping came when his son gifted him a trail camera over 20 years ago.  When asked about his favorite part of participating in Snapshot Wisconsin, Duanne responded, “probably just another excuse to get out in the woods” - we couldn’t agree more!   Here, you’ll see a photo of the first elk that Duanne caught on one of his Snapshot Wisconsin cameras, which is quite an impressive bull!

Thank you, Duanne! Thank you to all our trail camera hosts and Zooniverse volunteers for helping us discover our wildlife together.

We are thankful, Duanne, for all the useful environmental work you do!

 

January weather

 

Last fall, we all heard that forecasters were predicting a warmer and drier winter than usual----and this weekend, that seems to be happening.   

Yesterday, the high temperature was around 40 degrees, with a similar, unseasonable high predicted for today.  The remaining snow is smooshy and the rooflines are dripping, very unusual in early January.

My guru John Bates says in his column this week that on average, the year's coldest days occur between January 6th and January 26th, with an average high temp of 21 degrees.

He writes that the year's coldest low temperatures occur during the same time period, with an avreage low reading of 3 degrees.

I'm sure those temps will be arriving here soon----but hope they do not hold off till March and April!

 

Happy, happy new year!

 

Hostess Pauline counted twenty-three party-ers enjoying the fun and food at our annual New Year's Eve party on Monday night.   The group was a little smaller than it has been other years, and we missed many of you "regulars."

But as usual, the food was delicious and plentiful, and we enjoyed this winter get-together.   Thanks very much to Bob and Pauline for their warm and cheerful hospitality!  

New neighbor Bret Jenkins and son Jace joined us, as did Kayla Chancellor and her fiancee Kyle.   Marty and Aliza had jetted in from Cancun, to arrive just in time for the party.

I think most of you know, but here you see Bob and Pauline, then Jim, Marty, and Danny.        Then, Jeanne, Joyce and Clara; Jim and Barbie; Mike and Chuck.

It was a fun evening, and, we all hope, a great start to a happy, contented, and healthy 2019.