May 19, 2009

Spring has definitely arrived in Bighorn Country, albeit later than usual. For a few weeks, we had alternating snow and sun almost every other day, which has held back spring growth somewhat. In the meantime, night temperatures remain above freezing most of the time and all the snow in the valley has gone (or so we thought…). We had hardly any spring rain so far however, and it appears that the ground is turning from frozen to dry very quickly, which will likely slow vegetation growth for the year, unless we get some good rains in the next few weeks.

Good late winter snowfall did make for some great snow-shoeing at higher elevations in the Parks in April; our favourite spring snow-shoe trip is up to Parker Ridge near the Columbia Icefields.

In the last few days we experienced our typical late May snowfall and, as often, this happened on the May long weekend!
It started off fairly decent with cloud and some sun on Saturday and Sunday and then it snowed for over 24 hours until we had a good 15cm on the ground.
With temperatures around freezing, the snow was heavy and wet but once the sun came out in the afternoon, disappeared in no time.

Today was a day for the birds in the true sense of the word. In the ten years we have operated Aurum Lodge, we have never seen as many birds around the place as in the last two days, and as you can see, my activity for the day was spent putting my camera equipment to good use...
Even though we had taken the feeders down a few weeks ago (so as not to attract the bears), all of a sudden we were reminded of Alfred Hitchcock’s movie when birds where simply everywhere. It appears that with the snowfall, they were drawn to the warmth and shelter of the buildings and decided this was as good a place as any to wait out the storm, huddling under the cars, deck, picnic tables, spruce trees and on window sills. We estimate that there must have been over 250 individual birds around the property, starting with a few male rufous hummingbirds, which returned on May 14th. There were dozens and dozens of White-crowned Sparrows, Juncos and Grey-capped Rosy Finches. We saw from the windows of the lodge: Yellow-crowned Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Thrushes, Brewers and Red-winged Blackbirds, Cowbirds, a Ruffed Grouse, some Ravens and - what made our day - some really colourful species such as a Yellow-rumped Warbler and Wilson’s Warblers. The prize clearly goes to the two Western Tanagers though, as showy a bird as you can expect to see in this part of the world. It is only the third time we have seen these strikingly beautiful birds since we moved to Alberta.

Most of our migrating birds have already returned by now, including the mountain bluebirds, robins, bald eagles, killdeer and osprey. Our seasonal winter residents like the good sized pine grosbeaks have left, but we still see a lot of other migrating species on their way north.

The bluebirds have still not discovered our bird houses we put up for them many years back, however, for the past two winters a Flying Squirrel decided to overwinter in one of them. These elusive squirrels don't actually fly but are excellent gliders, allowing them to move between trees that are 10 meters apart or more without having to return to the ground. Apparently not uncommon, they are nocturnal and therefore rarely seen.

 

As for our flora, we are already into our second

group of wildflowers (Prairie Crocus and Yellow Draba have been blooming for a few weeks) with Spring Violets and Dandelion within the last week (flowering dandelion means bears and all our guests actually saw grizzly bears this weekend in Banff Park, which is great news considering the dwindling number of grizzly bears surviving in this province).

The grass is turning green and shrubs are budding so within a week we expect more wildflowers such as Bladderpod, Rock Jasmine and our favourite Calypso Orchids, which grow in the pine forest around the lodge.

Last week we made two interesting observations around the lodge, starting with a young moose, an animal species, which is not very common around here as the area is too dry. Moose mostly migrate from the foothills in winter into Banff Park in summer, so chances of seeing one around around the lodge are best in spring and fall. The same day, a Northern Flicker was hammering on our metal fascia all morning, using it like a percussion instrument. Likely it was trying to attract a mate or discourage a competitor, as we could hear answering calls out of the woods much of the time. Eventually it took off, so we assume it achieved it’s goal (and we’ll need to have a closer inspection for potential damage to the metal cladding…).

Abraham Lake ice disappeared about a week ago and the lake level is really low right now but will start to rise again within a few days, as it gets warmer. Migrating waterfowl are frequenting both Whitegoat Lakes nearby and Little Indian Cove below the lodge.

Interestingly, our Bighorn Sheep

at Windy Point have also returned. Other years, they spent the entire winter season in the valley, but this year we rarely ever saw them.

We look forward to a great summer season and hope to welcome you at Aurum Lodge this year.

 

 

March 15, 2009

  

And here I thought I could get some important work done this weekend!? Until two individuals cornered me (in as many days) about the lack of updates in this column.

I gather a change of priorities is acceptable under the circumstances. More importantly, it is always nice to know that there are some people who actually look at our website… 

Needless to say, as far as we are concerned, we would love to share with all our guests and friends on a daily basis, what is going on in God’s country here, even though the news isn’t always positive, and we cannot go out there every day to gather more photographic evidence that we live in one of the most beautiful places imaginable.

 

Come and experience it for yourself.

As you can see, we do offer a comfortable hideaway, a roof over your head and an ambiance that will help you forget the heat of your workday stress… guaranteed to work, if you stay for three days or longer!

 

But then, this column is meant to keep you up do date, so here’s what happened or is happening around Aurum Lodge and the valley. Winter started off with a real cold spell back in December, which lasted into early January and brought a little more snow than we normally get. Conditions were great for ice-climbing,

snowshoeing and winter hiking. From mid January onwards, temperatures fluctuated wildly between –35C and +10C and the snow cover has slowly but gradually disappeared. Due to the extended cold spells, Abraham Lake ice this winter was extremely thick (probably 50 – 60 cm in places) and the ice formations along the shore were different, but as amazing as always, because of the warm fall we had.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you do plan to visit us in winter, be prepared for any temperatures, weather, snow conditions and, of course, all kinds of activities. Irrespective of the weather, you will always find a great deal of variety and lots of unexpected surprises out there in nature and this is likely why some of our guests come back year after year. Tranquility and superb scenery are virtually a given.

At this point, whereas spring appears 

to be in the air on some days, we do expect some more snow and one or two more cold spells, before we can say goodbye to winter. Traditionally, no matter how pleasant and warm it is in March or April, our last big snowfall often seems to happen in mid May, around the time the humming birds and bears return to the area.

 

Wildlife sightings this winter have been lower than other years, partially because of the weather, but also due to excessive hunting and trapping in the area. Overhunting of ungulates (elk, mule deer and Bighorn rams), legal but unethical and for some species unrestricted trapping or hunting of carnivores (wolves, cougars, lynx, marten, etc.), disturbance by mechanised recreation (helicopters, ATV’s and snowmobiles) and continuing habitat destruction by the resource industry (oil & gas and logging) are taking thier toll on one of the last wilderness regions in the Eastern Slopes.

The current and proposed land use policies of the Alberta Government do give rise to serious concerns for all who can see and feel the damage done to our environment in the name of progress. While the disastrous tar sands development in Northern Alberta has recently been singled out because of the inordinate amount of pollution, water waste, and habitat destruction involved, the problem is everywhere in this province, where a not so progressive conservative government is wreaking havoc with our environment, our economy, our society and the future of this province. 

As an eco-tourism operator, this puts us in an uncomfortable situation all the time. Unfortunately, "traditional" anything goes tourism development is often part of the problem and frequently leads to the very destruction of the natural, cultural or historic values, which attract visitors in the first place; on the other hand, tourism could be developed into a truly sustainable and economically very important industry, able to use the land base without destroying it completely. As a small business, we do not have the resources to influence the government or stop the adverse development. We can merely walk the talk, lead by example within the confines of our own venture and small property lease and appeal to our guests to tread lightly when they are out in nature, so as not to make things worse.

We always find it encouraging therefore, how many of our guests are interested in what we do and willing to implement changes in their own home or office as a result.

Also on a positive note, we find that green building practices are on the rise and there are more and more projects, which strive to reduce environmental impact and resource waste. What we implemented ten years ago when we built Aurum Lodge, is finally becoming "fashionable" and, hopefully, will maintain its momentum during these recessionary times. Unfortunately, there is a tremendous amount of green washing going on as well, requiring consumers to do their own research in distinguishing the evergreens from the greenbacks…  

 

 

We are convinced that environmentally responsible developers, business operators and individuals will always be better off and less affected by economic downturns like the one we are currently experiencing. With lower operating costs and an approach based on “making a living” rather than “making big profits”, we are well positioned to weather the storm. We are proud of our quality product and continue to offer fair pricing, and we now find that guests are booking longer stays, which has always been one of our objectives.
Our minimum stay policy is based on our conviction, that visitors taking the time to stay in a particular area longer, will not only enjoy a more relaxing vacation, but also reduce their environmental impact; especially, if they mitigate the combined effects of mode of transportation, choice of recreational activities and accommodation selection.

One of the lesser publicised downsides of the current recession is the fact that charitable organisations and conservation groups are finding it difficult to raise funds and maintain their good work. Obviously, when people are loosing their jobs, they will need to review their contributions. Less acceptably, our governments are doing the same and not only reducing funding for social causes but actually throwing more responsibilities onto the shoulder of these organisations.

Aurum Lodge is committed to maintain 

its contributions to environmental groups and local charities, as they need our support more than ever. We sincerely encourage those of our guests who can afford to do so, to do the same. As an eco-tourism provider, our focus in this respect has always been on environmental causes.

 

As for our facility, we have not changed much lately. Towards the end of last year we did replace our battery

bank with a larger system, which will further reduce our fossil fuel consumption.

An aging battery bank necessitated the change, as well as an expanded photovoltaic system, which doubled in capacity over the past few years. As a result, we ended up producing excess power more frequently, which could not be used or stored.

February saw another two successful photography field trips (most images in this section were taken during those events). Because these field trips are so popular every year, we will be adding two additional courses this year, albeit with a very different focus. In June we are hosting a ladies only photography weekend with Edmonton photographer Leslie Degner. This is on a beginner to intermediate level for all those ladies wishing to improve their photography skills under the guidance of an experienced instructor. It is interesting that in our traditional field trips we often find the ladies to be more creative than the guys, but generally less into techie stuff and expensive equipment. This weekend will focus on taking great pictures, with relatively basic equipment, for the fun of taking photographs.

For late fall, Darwin Wiggett is designing a more demanding workshop, which will be a combination of about 50% instruction / digital image processing indoors with short photography outings and assignments to apply new techniques and capture images for subsequent processing at the lodge. This event is geared towards experienced individuals who are good photographers but wish to learn more about processing their own images to make them stand out. Stay tuned for this one or drop us a line if you wish to be informed once the details are worked out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 18, 2008

After a long and relatively mild fall, winter hit with a vengeance the second week of December and we have been experiencing extremely cold temperatures (-20C to –35C) in the past two weeks, as well as an unusual amount of wonderful snow around the lodge. The blanket of snow certainly makes for a spectacular setting and our guests are enjoying their time outdoors, despite the cold. When the thermometer dropped into the extreme lower range, it took Abraham Lake a mere two days to freeze over completely, which is very unusual. Because of the snowfall right afterwards, the ice is quite unstable though, so visitors to the area are recommended to stay clear of the lake right now.

Once again, we are looking back at some very successful photography field trips in September, October and November, guided by local photographer Darwin Wiggett. Darwin has just been announced as the winner of the Travel Photographer of the Year Award 2008 (www.tpoty.com), and we are honoured to be working with such an accomplished photographer and outdoor enthusiast. Every year, we have participants returning to join his tours, which are excellent value, with very small groups and emphasis on picture taking in this magnificent area.

Even for those guests who are not into photography, Bighorn Country has lots to offer and now is the time to get away from it all and enjoy the peace and tranquillity of a mountain wilderness, where you can hike, snow-shoe or X-country ski without meeting any other person all day. For the more adventurous, why not try out ice-climbing once? The area is a favourite for ice-climbers, with many easy to challenging icefalls and experienced guides are available to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for our visitors.

The crew at Aurum Lodge wish our past and future guests a wonderful and relaxing holiday season and a happy, healthy and rewarding New Year. 
Whereas 2009 will bring many additional challenges compared to previous years, let us remember that nothing can grow, improve or increase without limitations. The past few years have seen an unsustainable economic growth, which simply cannot continue forever. It is important that, as human beings, we accept the fact that there are always ups and downs, good times followed by tough times, the same way every winter will eventually give way to another summer. In the long run, we have to find a pace which is slower, more gradual and in tune with our environment. If we can learn to live with nature and conserve our non-renewable resources, rather than trying to exploit and conquer nature, we will all be better off, as will our children and grandchildren.