Cisco Sonar

Inflow and Littoral Zones
By Bryce Nielson, The Character

Bear Lake is once again showing all of us, that despite all of the water experts and stacks of data, she will defy predictions and do what she wants.  After watching this pattern intensively for over 40 years, I can safely say that nothing is ever the same and with climate change, each year is more bizarre. 

This year, it was all drought and dire predictions of no water.  You have to remember that in Utah, water estimates are made from snowpack.  You see that we rely on reservoir storage filled by snowmelt.  Most other areas in the country use water from the ground, rivers and lakes while most irrigation water falls from the sky. So when they predicted low lake levels using that approach, they were correct.  The thing that is always left out, in my opinion, is spring rains, natural flow in the Bear River and irrigation demands using storage water.  So in the spring of 2015, heavy spring precipitation added 5+ inches of rainwater to the lake surface, increased the natural flow in the river which was diverted into the lake and reduced irrigation demand to nothing.  The result was another 1.5 feet of additional water into the lake.

I use this as an example as to why people should not get focused on believing Bear Lake is static.  Recently, folks have assumed that the beaches were permanent.  Ideas were put forward to drain areas with ditches, remove vegetation and make sandy beaches everywhere which I have expressed my thoughts on that.  How could our elected officials justify the $10,000’s already spent on planning and $10,000’s more to do work below the high water line just to have in erased by one unpredictable spring?  The money expended on littoral zone vegetation manipulation has also been wasted.   

Phragmities is being replaced by hardstem bulrush which is predictable.  Uncalculated tons of sand have moved to different places.

If we chose to live by this unmatched, beautiful, body of water, then let’s follow her rules and not fight a losing battle trying to change the lake into something it isn’t. 

p.s.   I hate to see the Muddled Male leave the Valley.  It was unclear whether he was just being moved away from bad influences.`  He once made the statement that he wished he was tough an outdoorsy like Cisco.  I assure you there is no comparison to Bob’s strength putting up with Ann all these years.  (joke.. we know the true story)