I have not yet reached the “Old Codger” stage of life, but I am old enough to see their point when they say, “winters aren’t the same as they used to be”. Hurtling breakneck down steep slopes, snow forts and snow banks taller than dad are held up as evidence against recent winters, especially this year’s sub-par showing. Nothing seems to measure up when viewed through the cloudy lens of time.
If my twelve-year-old self had suffered through a winter like this, I would surely have blocked the unhappy season from my memory. We tend to glorify our old memories and gloss over the recent past when it suits us, so don’t get upset when I ask you to recall the previous two winters and compare them to this dud. They were COLD and SNOWY just like when I was a kid! Maybe Old Man W spent all his cold cash and had to economize this year.
A lot of people are welcoming the break from harsh conditions they’ve suffered though in the past. Just as many are lamenting lost opportunities and cancelled plans. I truly feel bad for you if you have a shiny new snowmobile sitting idle in your yard. We’ve had precious few cold days and nights but snow makers at the ski slopes have worked some white magic and have opened some trails to their patrons.
Ice fishermen have seen most of their fishing holes freeze over but have had to forego the use of their machines and use extreme caution when going forth. Many outdoor enthusiasts just gave up or are hoping for a late season resurgence of winter weather. According to that darn woodchuck though, spring’s coming early if it hasn’t already arrived.
I think about the impact a winter like this has on the local flora and fauna. With the exception of recent and often unwelcome new arrivals, plants and animals of this area have evolved adaptations that allow them to survive, and often thrive, in harsh winter conditions. Most critters great and small are enjoying the mild conditions and will greet spring fat, happy and fruitful. They need a break once in a while so I’m happy for most of them.
The cute and furry ones aren’t the only ones benefitting, I expect that we may have a bumper crop of pests as well. The lack of extended cold may allow pests like ticks and other insects that can cause damage to local plant life and crops to survive, and cause us grief in a few months. There has been some worry that the mild temperature may have caused apples and other fruiting trees to prematurely use the stored resources they will need soon, time will tell.
It’s not as obvious but we have been suffering drought conditions for quite some time now and that will spell trouble this spring and into summer. Unless we get rains of biblical proportions this spring, water levels in local streams and rivers will be very low because there is no snow pack to speak of. This could lead to water shortages and depleted aquifers. At least we won’t have to worry about flooding, right? I grew up on the banks of the Kaydeross Creek and spent a lot of years downstream of Lake Lonely, so I know a little about flooding.
Thankfully, the high water events I experienced were more of a temporary inconvenience than a disaster. The good these seasonal floods do is often overlooked by the inconvenienced. They re-sculpt, recharge and generally rejuvenate the streams they effect by flushing away accumulated silt and depositing it in the surrounding fields and wetlands, washing in nutrients, deepening or digging new channels and piling fallen trees, thus creating new habitat for fish and their prey to use. Without snow packs to provide a source of cold runoff, stream temperatures can rise too high and fatally stress trout that need the cooler water. A normal, plain Jane, run of the mill, unremarkable and completely forgettable winter would have been better in my humble opinion.
It has been pointed out to me though, if I may paraphrase the words of someone you may have heard of, “You can’t always get what you want; you get what you need”. I’m sure the Rolling Stones were talking about something else, but there may be some truth in that refrain.
Let’s look on the bright side. If the current weather pattern continues, we will see an early start to the spring fishing season - that’s something for most anglers to look forward to. We’ve all had a break from many of the usual challenges we face from frozen pipes to high heating bills. Harsh winter weather strengthens the vitality of wildlife by winnowing out the weak and less adaptable, perhaps the mild weather pattern will have the same effect and will promote positive change. One year won’t make that much difference, but if this is the pattern that many are predicting will become the norm, we will all be adapting.
March will be upon us soon and it has a contradictory reputation. Given the milk toast winter thus far, I won’t bet on the lion making much of a statement next month, since the lamb is here early. A late season whopper of a snowstorm won’t hurt my feelings though. We can all agree that the lengthening days tend to brighten ones mood and sense of optimism. Spring with its rain and summer with the resultant lawn work will be upon us soon, so enjoy what’s left of winter, it may surprise us yet and remind us of the old time winters of our youth!
Tim Blodgett, owner of Saratoga Tackle & Archery, can be reached at 518-584-3952. The store has a new location, at 111 Green St, Schuylerville. For further information, visit Saratogatackle.com or find Saratoga Tackle on Facebook.
