Friday, January 23, 2009

Guyles Lake

"Wilderness is a resource which can shrink but not grow. Invasions can be arrested or modified in a manner to keep an area usable for recreation, or for science, or for wildlife, but the creation of new wilderness in the full sense of the word is impossible. " Aldo Leopold

Far Guy took me out the other day, I was pinging off the walls and it was a warm day( above zero!! ). We went for a short drive. We found this "lake home" ..beavers are opportunist's. They build where there is water and wood, they don't think about lake shore taxes when they build..they just know that winter is coming and they need a home. In this case he has his own private lake, Guyles Lake. No one lives on it because it is surrounded by a swampy reedy area. Swampy edges must be natures way of saving some lakes for wildlife.

I wouldn't exactly call this small little swamp locked lake a wilderness, but in it's own way it is. No humans live on it, there are no docks and no boats. It is desirable only to the wildlife. There are no houses with gardens and lawns to fertilize and run off into the lake. No one can possibly throw trash that far to make it a garbage dump, although its swampy edges do suffer from that fate. Over the years this lake has shrunk, and it's swampy areas have increased. When I was a child this lake had a swampy buffer but only a small one. In years that we had lots of rain, the water did reach the edge of the road. Am I the sole witness to this change over fifty years? Am I the only one who still appreciates a swamp locked lake, perfect for wildlife? :)


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the pictures of your swampy lake!

Anonymous said...

Very peaceful and serene - glad you felt like getting out for a short drive.

flydragon said...

Nope you're not the only one. Love the pics.
Hope you're feeling almost like your old self again!!

Lattice said...

Thoughts from a beaver's point of view... I like it! I'm not quite old enough to witness change over a period of fifty years, and don't seem to stop moving long enough to do so, either (when we closed on our house we had to list every place we'd lived in the past ten years, and our banker dubbed me a gypsy...). But I appreciate wildlife/wetlands ecosystems, big and small (esp in winter when I don't have to share them with bugs!). Nice post--thanks for sharing.

Pamela said...

I've been somewhat angry about a small wetland nearby being cleared and filled in for a new car dealership. Just puts me in a mood.

I like your lake!

You ever notice how "wild" takes over as soon as you leave something unattended?

Jeanne Estridge said...

It's beautiful! You'll have to do a 4-seasons presentation for us over the next year....

Coffee with Cathy said...

Thanks so much for sharing this snowy adventure. It's just gray and dreary here in Alabama today, so I loved getting some winter.

Anonymous said...

looks almost like i'm lookning out me own window :)
serene.. just til i hit the highway and see if i can make it over to butte to ride ...
gp in montana