Make No Assumptions

Day 26: There were so many other ways they could have phrased this cautionary sign, although I doubt a professional "No berry-picking allowed" wouldn't have deterred many people from taking what they wanted. That said, "Do not assume that the berries are organic" made me laugh out loud. I suppose this means that you have the liberty to make herbicide-laden jams and jellies if you so desire (and I will refrain from drawing the obvious parallel to masks and vaccinations). The phrasing allows you the latitude to choose for yourself, and was certainly worded to avoid any suggestion of a mandate, regulation or restriction. This photo will go in my collection of funny signs, but it will be a long time before anyone tops the sign on a sign which read, "Do not post signs on this sign."

Quite A Let-Down

Day 66: If the weather forecast holds, in a few days, I won't be able to get to this location to take a follow-up shot. Water management practices are a complex subject which goes much farther than letting water out of a reservoir such as Alder Lake in order to accommodate snow melt or heavy rains. Tacoma Power is bound by numerous regulations which stipulate that a certain minimum volume must pass through the spillway and that the water must be within a specific temperature range in order to accommodate salmon habitat downstream. This may mean drawing cooler water through the lower gates of the spillway during times of higher surface temperatures. If the power company fails to meet those criteria, they can be fined. To the average observer, though, Alder Lake "dries up" during the early months of winter, revealing sections of the old road and rail line which passed beside the town of Alder's schoolhouse where it sat on a high point of land. Fragments of the foundation still exist on Schoolhouse Island, and visitors to Sunny Beach Point will need to wade to reach it during the high-water summer months, but for now, Schoolhouse Island is high and dry, surrounded by the mud and unattractive stumps which form the bed of Alder Lake.

How Low Can It Go?

Day 364: This bridge is a remnant of the old highway which used to pass through the town of Alder prior to the early 1940s. Like most of the towns in this neck of the woods, Alder was little more than a whistle-stop, although it did host the proverbial "one-room schoolhouse" on a little knob of land at the edge of town. Unfortunately for the residents, Tacoma Power saw potential in the nearby Nisqually River and decided to build a hydroelectric dam. The population of Alder relocated, and the little town was drowned as the Nisqually backed up behind the dam to become what is now known as Alder Lake.

In the 25+ years I have lived in the immediate area, I have seen the tips of these bridge timbers only a few times. I have never seen their bases, not until this autumn (for scale, note the family at the left end of the bridge). The lake is lower than it has even been in my memory, evidence of last year's low snow-pack and this summer's dry weather. Tacoma Power must maintain a certain requirement of cubic feet per second flow through the dam, and must also ensure that the water temperature does not exceed that necessary to maintain salmon habitat downstream. Failure to comply carries a hefty fine. The power company is caught between a rock and a hard place. They also depend on recreation dollars from the various campsites they maintain on the shore of the lake.

I never thought I'd hear Washington described as droughty, not here where lichens grow in abundance and moss curtains the forests, but we are already in a bad way which is only destined to become worse unless the rains come at flood-producing rates. Alder Lake? It's almost a desert out there. Can you spot the bridge in this photo?

Alder Lake Fire At 8 Weeks

Day 340: The Alder Lake Fire began with a lightning strike on July 26th at approximately 5 PM. The time is known because lightning activity was recorded by a weather satellite in the exact location where the first smoke was observed and reported on August 11th. On Sunday, just two days from today, it will have been burning for eight weeks and, as you can see by comparing these photos with the panorama I posted on September 6th, there hasn't been much change in the last two weeks. In fact, no updates have been posted to InciWeb since September 9th. In this case, no news is not good news. Due to the fire's current inaccessibility, it may simply smoulder all winter, waiting to burst back into flame when the forest dries out again.

Fire aside, I learned why the reservoir has been low all summer when it's normally filled for recreational use. Tacoma Power is required to discharge through the spillway a specified volume of water (measured in cubic feet per second) to ensure enough flow for salmon habitat in the lower Nisqually River. If they fail to do so, they must pay substantial fines. If we don't get some rain soon, the lake may drop to a record low.