Dear Supporters:

On this winter's day my thoughts reflect on how lucky I am to live so close to wild spaces. It is 6:30 am and the great horned owls are hooting back and forth. Their calls are music to my ears. I know nesting has begun and I can identify the smaller male by his deeper voice and hear the larger female answer. Two pairs are relatively close by. As daylight creeps in, the owl calls will be replaced by overwintering birds chattering at the feeders outside my office windows.

The wildlife are of endless interest. In the early 1970s we dug three post holes; next morning the holes were filled. We thought the kids were being playful. They adamantly declared they were not. We took the dirt out and next morning the holes were again filled. We removed the dirt. Early the next morning I caught the culprit red-handed. Mr. Hole Filler was a North American badger. Evidence of badger on our wild acreage is occasionally seen, though actual sightings are a matter of being in the right place at the right time, usually as night becomes day. The last sighting was July 6, 2011 at 6:27 am by researcher Sonia Nicholl during a ground nesting bird study. Unfortunately I was not present, but was delighted to know a badger was in the vicinity.

Snakes are ever fascinating; when young and fairly ignorant, I was guilty of killing a rattlesnake or two and I always found it very disturbing. I learned a better way and have successfully relocated several. The sound of that rattle close by stimulates an adrenalin rush, especially when it is just outside the kitchen door. Fortunately, the search for appropriate tools provides time for my adrenaline response to subside and for the snake to feel secure and resume its peaceful demeanour. Once lured into a garbage can, the snake's magnified rattling sounds like I have captured a dozen or so. We release the rattlers some distance above the capture site and hope they will be able to find their den come fall. Encounters with Great Basin gopher snakes (bull snakes), Western yellow-bellied racers, and garter snakes are yearly events. Some years a racer lives in my rock garden and I encounter it frequently. One summer, a piercing call caught my attention. A bull snake was coiled around a pocket gopher, squeezing out its life. The gopher was snapping its teeth together and shrieking, fighting until the last minute. The wild drama initially horrified me, but I quickly realized this was the nature of things. My appearance, however, caused the snake to release the gopher and slither away while the gopher made a hasty retreat.

Now my mind wanders over my visit to Chicken, Alaska, beside Chicken Creek, a tributary of Fortymile River. Here I heard the story of the Fortymile Caribou Herd along with the effects of gold mining on this northern environment - from permafrost destruction to deforestation to the decimation of the Fortymile Creek Caribou Herd. The influx of miners into this pristine First Nation Territory had long-lasting consequences, although the gold rush lasted only a few years. The miners needed to eat and caribou were the main food source. The gold needed releasing from the frozen soil so the permafrost was melted by the injection of steam generated by wood-fueled boilers. Extensive deforestation severely reduced the lichens which the caribou fed on. When trees were too high up the mountain for wood cutters to economically sled them to the boiler the cutting stopped. The miners then found that air temperature water was just as effective at melting permafrost and less costly. The permafrost has never returned, the Fortymile Caribou Herd numbers fluctuate and the forest is slowly regenerating, but the cut line across the mountains clearly stands out. This was a fascinating adventure and left a permanent mark on my 'cause and consequence' consciousness.

These experiences reinforce why I am passionate about the work done by the Osoyoos Desert Society board, staff, volunteers and supporters. The Desert Centre is a vital ecological site, providing protected habitat for a variety of flora and fauna. We never know what wonder we might see. Another opportunity to see and learn about wildlife is available at the Society's Winter/Spring Program Series. This year's programs focus on a variety of species, including badgers, snakes and caribou. Details are included in this newsletter.

With 2017 fully launched, on behalf of the board and staff, I wish you a safe and fulfilling year. May nature be part of your joyful times and may a visit to the Desert Centre be part of your plans.

On behalf of the Osoyoos Desert Society Board
Lee McFadyen
President, Osoyoos Desert Society