Editor:
A few weeks ago, when it was raining here, we were told by the Regional District that all the rain was falling as snow in the Chapman Creek watershed and because of that, the Chapman levels had not changed. Now they tell us the levels in the Creek have risen due to snow melt (but not risen enough to pull us out of Stage 4).
I lived in 100 Mile House, B.C., for a number of years and in the winter, we would wake up to glorious snowfalls, all the trees laden with snow – a winter wonderland. As the day progressed, the sun came out and the snow would fall down to the ground like rain. By the end of the day, there would be a well at the base of the tree where the grass came through and the snow had melted and soaked into the ground.
I believe what happened in the Chapman watershed was: the snow that fell off the trees and melted with the sun soaked into the ground and recharged the system (somewhat), however the snow in the clearcuts could not melt since the sun’s rays were being reflected back from the snow and it remains firmly frozen.
The snowmelt from the trees is another reason why we must stop all this logging on the Sunshine Coast. I think we can safely conclude that we need our trees for many reasons and they must remain standing to do their good environmental work such as collecting and storing water, cooling in summer, cleaning the air, acting as windbreaks and moderating temperature in winter, stabilizing the ground, and recharging depleted water systems when the snow falls.
Charlene Penner, Roberts Creek
