This January has been noteworthy for the series of floods and continuing high water that kept the Island closed most of the Month. The unseasonably warm weather has already turned swollen buds into leaf on some of the bushes on the Island, and even the bluebells are starting to poke up as we march into February. You will note that this month's Notes are a collaborative effort, again taken largely from the Caretaker's daily journal. Tryon Wells has obtained for us a final and appropriate web page address, and you should not miss the pictures of the 11 foot flood he has made available on:

Fri 2 Jan
We have named the red bellied woodpecker who is such a frequent visitor to the Dr. Geis feeder: Elliot. Just seemed right on impulse. He is a big bird... bigger even than the two doves... and a blaze of color with his red head. He continues to take the seed out of the feeder and then fly to the corner of the clubhouse where he stores it in the indentation where the wood slats meet the corner.

Sat 3 Jan
Please note that the water temperature is now 34 degrees, making canoeing a more serious adventure, and that snowmelt in the upriver basin will raise the water level to 4 feet by Monday. I have sent several recent canoeists to Ruppert's Island to see if the beaver depredation has been as serious there as here. They report virtually no signs of activity or of trees nibbled upon. And in fact, I have seen very little signs recently on Sycamore... as though they have moved to another neighborhood to continue their census of tasty treats. I am no longer able to so successfully sneak up upon the beaver at night. Previously I would walk the Island at night and we would sort of regard each other without acknowledgement from their side. After their 26 tree nibble spree I got into the habit of stalking them and shining the light on them to chase them off. I now realize my mistake. To me it was play... sneaking up on them at night... like the cats chasing each other. But the cats eat out of a can, and in the very real world of the beaver there is no such type of play: anyone who stalks must be a predator. So probably they are out there just as much... nibbling just as much... but I am not allowed to see them... and am much poorer for the lack of that experience.

Mon 5 Jan
What a beautiful yesterday ! And no secret as there were 43 people logged in at the ferry. That's right... 43 people on a January weekend !! Massive casualties on the newly sprouting grass. More incredible still... Ann Kip went swimming yesterday... twice! Upon hearing this I checked the water temperature on the web: 36 degrees !! The water is rising because of the warm spell and the snow melt. It is only forecast to go to 4.5 feet today but bears watching.

Tue 6 Jan
Paul Stanton recently brought a new canoe to the Island, and took his older Old Town out downriver by going over Little Falls. He has done this many times and is therefore qualified as an authority, and his experience and advice should be put on the record. He writes:

After a wonderful paddle almost up to Minnie's island along the Maryland channel we swept accross to the Virginia side for a high flow high speed return to the island. After we put the new Screamer on its proper rack we took the Tripper together to scout out the dam.When we got there it looked ok. While this is not reccommended, if you do go over the dam: Stay to the Maryland side, do not go over in high water, put the weight in the middle of the boat, kneel, stay about 20 feet from the Maryland side, locate the chute well in advance of the edge, approach with speed, keep the paddles in the water. The back of the boat will drag on its way down, brace yourself. My boat has a kevlar strip that glides easily down. After the short drop, bail, set up to enter the channed on the left. The take out is a mud bank about 150 yards down on the left.

Thu 8 Jan
Lots of people are watching the Island! First warning came from Betty Burchell who called to say the water level was likely to rise. Two other calls arrived on the answering machine while we (John Matthews, David Winer and Tryon Wells) were pulling out the canoes from the lowest rack. The Weather Service predicts a small flood between 8-9 feet over the next three days. Pulling the lowest canoes is just a precaution in case the water goes higher. Kate, our relief caretaker for the week, states that she and her friend will stay on the island through the flood period and will make sure the ferry stays in the water as the water level lowers. Doc will be back on the 16th.

Sat 10 Jan
The mini-flood is raging! The water level reading this morning was 10.5 feet. Kate (Doc's replacement for this week) reports that the canoes from the lowest rack that were on dry lawn yesterday are floating now and that the water is into the canoe shed. She says there is still 2.5 feet between the water and the canoes on the second rack. The crest is expected to be tonight sometime and be about 11-12 feet. Readings upriver at Paw Paw are already down to 16 feet (from 22 feet yesterday) so water levels should recede quickly back to 8 feet by Monday and 6 feet by Tuesday. Of course, the club is closed until water levels reach a safe 5.5 foot level. Doc is expected back on Thursday.

Fri 16 Jan
It's great to be back! Do I know how to time a vacation or what!! We had no inkling of the drama that unfolded while we were basking in the Cancun sun until we tied up the ferry in the dark and saw the silhouette of the canoes on the lawn as we came up the wooden walk. Because Tryon did such a great job of keeping up the Caretaker's log I was able to read all about it and even see the pictures before we went to bed. Now I have talked to everyone and learned what a heroine Kate was as a substitute Caretaker. I have also walked the Island to survey changes and damage and can only note again how amazing this new grass is. The beaver paths are still green all the way to the end of the Island, despite being covered with several feet of water and, in some places, considerable sediment. There was considerable erosion up Island, excepting where the grass was established... and in fact one can see even on the main lawn where there was erosion on bare spots where the grass was not established.

Thu 29 Jan
The water level was at 8 ft this morning, and the line on the Little Falls graph was still rising, so the Caretaker's Wife was canoed over for work... packed to spend tonight elsewhere. If you are reading this I encourage you to click to the Home Page icon for weather and river conditions where Tryon has installed a new link. Previously the last link was for the graph at Little Falls, but now I can access all the on-line river gauges up river and see their graphs, including Paw Paw, Hancock, and Millville. For instance, it is less important what the water level is at Little Falls than whether the line on the graph is going up or down... and most importantly, how steeply. Additionally, if we have some warm and beautifully sunny winter days here, it may pass notice that this means there is a massive snow melt in the Shenandoah Valley, but I can be forewarned by checking the station at Millville and get some idea of how much and when. This also means I can track the crest of the flood as the up river graph lines start to flatten out, and make intelligent decisions on whether or when to get the canoes out, or to evacuate. It is totally irrelevant how much it is raining in Washington DC but crucial to know what is happening upstream, and NOAA is to be commended for making so many sources of information available on line in real time. Why is this important? Last night at 2000 hrs when I accessed the National Weather Service River Stage Statement, it gave the river level at Little Falls at 2133 hrs as being 6.02 feet. I could look out the window to see that was in error, but anyone who had not such a window would have been misled unless they could electronically access the gauge at Little Falls and learn that the actual level at 1800 hrs was 7.30... and rising sharply! Those of us who live in flood plains need accurate information, and this means having the backup of multiple sources.

-- Doc Taliaferro, Sycamore Island Caretaker