Happy New Year

The Christmas Season provided very interesting lake and weather watching. For the first time in 100 years, both Lakes had fully open water on Christmas Day. There is a very well written article about this unique phenomenon on "In The Windermere" Facebook page (click button below). The Lake finally froze over on December 27th and skating was excellent for the New Year's weekend (see above photo from December 31st). Another very rare event occurred with the Columbia River freezing completely over at the Pete’s Marina/bridge area. The river actually froze over while the Lake was completely open (strange!) In the past 25 years, this is only the second time I have seen this happen.

HISTORY OF LAKE FREEZING

What kinds of boats are on Lake Windermere?  

CVBA completed a comprehensive boat count on August 8th & 9th, 2023. The count was conducted during bad weather when almost no boats were in use. Boats at all marinas and mooring areas were inventoried. Some boats located at individual homes, and many boats stored out of the water were not counted. We counted 904 boats, which is the vast majority of boats that regularly operate on the lake.

Note that over 99% of these boats use 4-stroke engines which are cleaner burning, better for the lake, and quieter. The transition away from 2-stroke motors started in the late 1990’s. Prior to that, up to 50% of boats on the Lake used 2-stroke outboards. Anti-boating groups are quick to criticize wake boats for many things, including noise and pollution. The fact is that modern boats of all types are quieter and have less emissions than older boats. There are still some outboard engines being used, but now 90% of those outboards are the cleaner burning 4-stroke versions. At CVBA we strive to present real life data to promote honest dialogue about the benefits and impacts of recreational boating. The following chart presents the data about what boats existed on Lake Windermere in August 2023.

Wake - V Drive	44.5%	402
Stern Drive - Inboard/Outboard	30.1%	272
Personal Watercraft - Seadoo	8.5%	77
Pontoon	6.3%	56
Ski - mid engine	5.7%	52
Outboard Runabout	3.5%	32
Sailboat	1.4%	13
Total	100%	904

In July, we reported on a request by ?akisqnuk First Nation for a lake development moratorium until an indigenous led lake stewardship plan is completed. Although no public announcement has been made, the latest information we have is that permits for lake related activities are now being delayed or denied. Terra Vista has spearheaded an initiative to research the issue and gather other community associations for a coordinated response. This moratorium has negative implications for all lakefront communities and property owners. The ability to complete regular operating activities will likely be impacted. Examples are: marina dredging, dock replacements, renewals of existing foreshore licences, boat launch repairs, retaining wall and shoreline stabilization work. More information on this issue will be coming soon. We all need to work together on this, and other lake issues. Every lake access community has the same operating and regulatory challenges. Please start the conversation in your community and raise awareness so we can pool time, money, and expertise to take action toward a positive outcome.