dryfly

Looks like Winston is more likely dreaming about the big one ... and that cute little Schnauzer next door. Cute pictures.

I don't mean to be a smart ass, but why bother when you can paint on a clear coat with Sally's hard as nails? Maybe I am just lazy. True enough.

Badger.. thanks for that clarification. Good stuff. Key points: 1) A person can't get a tax receipt for a trip donated 2) A donor can get a receipt for goods donated 3) If you pay fair market value for goods or services then you can't get a receipt. If you pay an inflated price you may be eligible for a tax receipt for the difference between fair value and amount paid. This one is tricky. Dave .. Allan is working on that and will comment.

I wish to clarify something that some may find confusing about tax receipts. 1) If someone donated something tangible with an established value (say a rod) the donor was eligible for a receipt for the value of the donations. I understand that donating a trip is more difficult and you should check with TUC. Maybe Al knows about regs regarding donated trips and tax receipts. I received numerous receipts when I submitted invoices to TUC. Receipts were issued promptly. 2) A person who buys something even if they pay a high dollar cannot get a tax receipt. So if you bought a picture for $200, you made a great donation but since you rec'd something for the money then no receipt is issued. I suspect this is not understood well. Maybe not. If you get something it is not a donation for tax purposes ... at least for an individual. Companies have some ability to write off expenses. As noted, I took it upon myself to issue invoices to TUC for my donations. Here is what was sent to TUC. Receipts were promptly issued. Date: April 7, 2008 To: Trout Unlimited Canada For the purpose of issuing a tax receipt, this is an invoice for the value of the four framed photographs donated to Stream Watch for the 2008 program. Description Four (4) framed 11 by 14-inch photographic prints of a sharptail grouse and Burmis tree including printing costs, framing and artistic value. Total $XXX.00 Sincerely, Clive Schaupmeyer

"Wonder what the mortality rate is since they started that caper?? " Yeah .. let's stick to snowmobiling, eh? That one guys was zooming downslope against a rock face and if he'd veered about 2 meters right he'd have done a face plant into the rocks at (what?) 100 kph+. SPLAT!

Brings whole new meaning to the term, "We're here for a good time ... not a long time." Unreal!

CLM Career Limiting Move

C.L.M.

Jeffro, The Whaleback is not in the Porkies. The SRD maps would indicate the beetle is indeed in the general area. However, based on pictures of red belt patterning on the internet (reliable sources) you are probably correct. I took pictures of what we were told is pine beetle damage at Whitetail Lake (BC) last Sept and can post if you wish. More patchy than the red belt. All very interesting stuff. Cheers! Clive

Yeah Taco, it is not pretty. "gonna be a hell of a fire one day." There was a fire at the south end in about 2006 (thought I had a picture of it...will look more) and it was put out. So is it fair to say, "Too bad the Whaleback fire was suppressed. If we'd not put that fire out there'd be no old pines for the beetles to eat." This eco balance stuff is tricky and sometimes we meddle too much. Then when something goes to hell the eco weenies are all over blaming someone ... and it's never them. Always some other bastard.

"GW is not the lone cause of the recent population boom. " Our winters have been warmer--at least fewer severe cold spells. (And I am bloody fine with that.) However, in S-SW Alberta the mean annual temperatures (Env Canada data) have actually declined ever so slightly in the past twenty years. Certainly not statistically significant, but then again there is no actual increase either. The two main reasons for the outbreak are milder winters and the predominance of older pines (>80 yr) because of fire suppression. From here: http://www.srd.gov.ab.ca/forests/health/pe...rts/mpbfaq.aspx Why are the mountain pine beetle infestations becoming more extensive? Modern fire suppression has resulted in large areas of pine forests with over-mature trees, which are more susceptible to beetle attack. Next summer will be most interesting.

Well it seems the "experts" can't agree...lots of contradiction. http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/mountain_pine...cts.htm#factors Beetles and Cold Weather * Cold weather kills the mountain pine beetle. Mountain pine beetle eggs, pupae and young larvae are the most susceptible to freezing temperatures. * In the winter, temperatures must consistently be below -35 Celsius or -40 Celsius for several straight days to kill off large portions of mountain pine beetle populations. * In the early fall or late spring, sustained temperatures of -25 Celsius can freeze mountain pine beetle populations to death. * A sudden cold snap is more lethal in the fall, before the mountain pine beetles are able to build up their natural anti-freeze (glycerol) levels. * Cold weather is also more effective before it snows. A deep layer of snow on the ground can help insulate mountain pine beetles in the lower part of the tree against outside temperatures. * Wind chill affects mountain pine beetles, but is usually not sustained long enough to significantly increase winter mortality.

" then it takes at least 2 solid weeks of -40C to kill them." I doubt if it has ever been that cold for that long in BC or AB since the last ice age. I think that is not what the entomologists say. This is probably the coldest January in living memory...a few of us old farts were around that year. Nowhere close to those specs. We need an entomologist here. Cheers! Clive

One might assume there is at least some (if not significant) mortality. Will be interesting to see how it plays out the rest of the winter and into summer. Not sure what this means "ambient air temperature should be -40C or below for 12 to 24 hours in order to effectively kill the beetle." If he meant 100 percent mort then the LD50 process is probably in effect. i.e. the beetles will be killed across a range of temperatures depending on maturity etc etc. and 100 percent killed at the specified temps X time. One wonders what the unusually warm temps did to the beetles in November. Maybe they didn't get their nickers on in time for the cold snap in December. Dec 21 hourly temps for the Crowsnest .. second column. It was pretty chilly. Probably nowhere near enough but probably smacked the weaker larvae. Shall see. 00:00 -31.2 00:00 -32.6 02:00 -33.4 03:00 -35.1 04:00 -35.6 05:00 -36.1 06:00 -36.5 07:00 -37.4 08:00 -37.4 09:00 -37.2 10:00 -32.6 11:00 -25.4 12:00 -22.6

It is called rectal myopia.

Wes. You started the thread so you da boss. Why not select what you think are the best TEN and then do a poll. It's all for fun and there many real fine pictures we all appreciated. No matter who wins (and who gets cut) it was fun. Cheers! Clive

Nothing to do with fishing ... just goofy! I sposed it's a hijack. Thus is life. :Hi jack:

Last three... SWEET!!! Thanks. Days are getting longer now.

Three oldies .. at least two have been posted before.... My wife on the Crow many years ago....not staged ... fish wriggled...she "oops" ... at the exact moment I took the pix. Also not staged or Photoshopped. Just the way it was. This is John my late fishing partner in about 1992 or so. Bow River. UFO on the Crow. Think I can sell the rights to this image to the actual guy in the waders? You know, "Pay me money or I shall reveal" And it is NOT adc.

:clap: :clap: :clap:

Good one. Have to be '08? Clive

Highlight of our year! Missed ol' Jake the last trip but the fall roundup was done and he no longer had to keep an eye on the herd. Fine art prints available. (Joke!) Okay Wes...the thread is great. I am being a smartass here ... probably my best year ever for half-decent wildlife pictures, but no top-drawer fishing pix this year. Cheers! Clive

About ten years ago I fished the Crow with a guy from MB in late March in a snow storm at about -5°C. He said one of the funniest things I've ever heard. "You know back home we fish in conditions like this all of the time. Except we are standing on ice and wearing full-body snowmobile suits." I nearly died laffing. The fishing was very good.

Well I would not have used the adjective "brave" Can think of numerous other words to describe abnormal behavior--but the board nanny keeps censoring them like this !#$%#!%$. :$*%&: Yeah .. anyone go?

Thanks for that..and to everyone here... Cheers! Clive (All pix taken in 2008...a good year for pictures. Card lost some detail in downsizing for the web.)