New Years 2023: Lakes Smith and Bybee

Beaver Lodge.

The paddling meet-up that I belonged to had a tradition of a News Year day paddle. This was a very wet and or icy and always cold affair that non the less got pretty good attendance. The outing had started at the Smith and Bybee lakes natural area but after 5 years was moved over to Lake Vancouver mainly because Smith and Bybee were not all the pleasant in January. 

Well, the club closed down over the summer but a core group of friends got together on the 1st and decided to make another attempt to Lakes Smith and Bybee. These lakes are in a rather distressed and dilapidated part of the city. They are on (or close to) the historic Vanport site. This was a WWII liberty boat assembly town which flooded when the local dikes broke killing many and completely wiping out the town of poor (and mostly black) factory workers. There isn't much left of the town, but the area was never repopulated again. Now it is home to the Racetrack, a huge parking lot for new imported cars, lots of train tracks, and the couple of 'Natural' areas that have been designated. I should probably go back and look at things in the bloom of summer. In the drab grey of winter, things are pretty bleak. Still, it was a fun paddle with friends and there were interesting things to see.

We are pretty safety conscious paddlers. We don't do dangerous paddles and when we go out in semi-dangerous conditions (like cold water) we take precautions that mitigate the risk. For instance, all of the core group have had rescue classes and know how to rescue the person next to us. Most of us have stories of actually doing it. Hell, my partner has rescued me in questionable conditions on at least 2 occasions. Also we have the right gear. In this case, everyone is wearing cold immersion gear. This means we have on paddling drysuits and warm-is under layers. I was wearing light thermal underwear and a light fleece underneath a one piece drysuit. This suit is made of waterproof material (like Gore-Tex) with integrated booties (so dry feet no matter what shoes you wear) and rubber gaskets at the writs (so dry arms even if you flip over). You step into the entire thing through a large waterproof zipper at the chest and then slip into the arms and pull the neck gasket over your head. I prefer something called a 'semi-dry' suit. This has a neoprene gasket at the neck instead of the tight rubber gaskets that others have that provide complete closure. If I flip over and keep my head underwater, some water will leak in my neck. I have been in the ocean (unintentionally) in one of these suits fight the waves beside my capsized boat for half an hour and stayed reasonably warm and dry. Oh, this was another time my partner rescued me. 

Gearing Up.

Oh, we probably have tow ropes and paddle floats and spray skirts and whistles and other safety paraphernalia. This is one of those sports where having a liking for gear is a big plus.

So, off we go over the cold water on a cold (but not freezing) and cloudy day. Smith and Bybee are not huge lakes. They sit off in the middle of a Columbia River island (the same one the airport is on) and are probably dredge holes from filling in surrounding areas. The main train lines run past it on 3 sides. The last time I was here, ten years ago, the water was significantly deeper and cleaner. This year, most Smith lake is choked with a floating plant. This plant is a tiny little thing, like the size of a small button, but is has pretty green circle of leaves. Each button plant is an individual and they float on the surface in such concentrations that they slow down the boat as you glide through. They completely obscure the water and any underwater hazards. They are sort of pretty looking, in masse, but they can't be healthy for the waterway. 

Nutria Swimming

Looking out ahead you can see many ducks and Heron and other waterfowl on the water. You also see things that look like small boats making crossing in all directions. Beaver!! There are Beaver everywhere. Wait a minute. Beaver don't act like this. They don't swim across open water in the middle of the day. They are never so numerous. Shit, these are Nutria. 

Nutria and Beaver look pretty much identical to casual observation. Beaver are bigger. Nutria have white hair on their faces (beaver don't). Beavers have the big pretty trails and chew down trees. Nutria dig burrows in the banks and eat all of the local plants.  They are both huge rodents. 

So why are Beaver good and Nutria Bad?

Nutria are invasive exotics. They were brought in by get rich quick farmers probably being scammed into thinking that the Nutria could be raised for there pelts (like beaver pelts). Evidently that didn't work out and the things got loose and now they are everywhere. They co-habitate with beaver and we saw a family of them living on top of a beaver lodge that we paddled past. But these Nutria were EVERYWHERE. I counted something like 15 of the puppies and at one time I could see 5 of them swimming off in different directions on the lake. 

Now, I know that beavers were out there also, you could tell by all of the recent beaver tree fall and gnawing. But beavers are nocturnal. So if you see those guys swimming around happily during the day, they are probably Nutria. 

We followed the little channel that goes between the lakes, this is where we found 3 beaver lodges sitting with the tops occupied with some Nutria. The banks of the channel were all churned up. They looked like kids had been playing on then, but I suspect this was the result of lots of visits by beaver and nutria during the massive rain we have had the last few weeks. 

There are Nutria in there

Bybee lake was much better (clearer of weed) than Smith. This lake spread out and we could see lots of large birds. There was a pair of white swans on the lake that lifted off and flew away as we approached. There were also many Coots and Ducks and Geese.

Not sure why the water level was so low. I am pretty sure that the last time I was here the water was a good 2 feet higher.  That would have made the boat carry from the car a bit shorter. But it also would have made a lot of the path down to the water submerged. There are some pictures of the higher water (from 2006) on this web page that explains that everything is 'going as planned' in returning the wetlands to a natural state.

Just not sure how I feel about these lakes. I had a good time, it was interesting to see the beaver lodges and the all of the beaver felled trees. It was great to be with my friends and go to a sort of hard to get to location (with great gear). It was nice to see the swans and the many other birds. I am concerned about the rich growth of plants clogging the water and the many Nutria swimming around. I am afraid that they don't bode well for the area as a "Natural" area.