Lake Life: The Cost of No Rain

This summer is going down as one of our driest. My hope is that by the time this is printed, we have had one or two good showers; we need it. As fall approaches, here are a few of the problems that can occur if we do not see above-normal rains.The bears are searching for food before hibernation — watch out for your bird feeders. Fish kills are being reported due to low-water and warm-water conditions. Crop yields may also be affected. Flowers are drying out, both in our yards and in the fields, causing problems for the birds and bees. Even in my favorite sunflower fields, the flowers are drying up for harvest time. The birds and bugs are forced to search for new food sources. Finally, the landscape is drying out — grasses and trees are having problems. The fire danger is remaining high. We travelled up to Gooseberry Falls a couple of weeks ago. I joked that they should have put up a sign, “Bring your own water.” I have never seen the flow this small. If it keeps up, all those streams that feed Lake Superior will eventually have the effect of dropping the lake level. Yes, even on the big lake. It will take a good snow depth to make up for the dry streams this fall.The fall bird migration may need to look for marshes that still have water. The levels of the lakes and river in Stillwater are dropping. Only the frogs appear to enjoy the weedy, shallow shorelines. Were we due for a drought? Probably! Only time will tell if it is going to be a short-lived drought or a longer-term one. I’m just hoping that we return to normal by next spring so that the birds will return.