Changing face of the Gatineau River

Now that our beautiful heritage river, the Gatineau has been "saved", we should wake up to the changing face of this river. When I moved here in 1989, the river log boom was still in full swing and those CIP tugboats ruled these waters. I journeyed out in my little canoe at my own peril, more than once I ventured out too long into one of the ponds across the way, and came out ambushed by an armada of logs that quietly surrounded me by the thousands. Less than two years later it was all over. Seems one of the last acts of those sneaky tupboaters who always glared at me when I tried to venture out in my canoe, was to come under my deck and take away the 40 or 50 logs that I had beachcombed from the river over the previous two years. Fast forward 20 years and I have nticed another significant change from the authority that now owns and rules much of this stretch of the Gatineau, Hydro Quebec. They have not informed anyone over the years of sudden and frequent water level fluctuations. This of course has caused probems for the ever expanding number of river sideish people who have built docks along the river. Another thing I have noticed in my 20 year observation of this river is how consistent the freeze up and melt break up times has been up until the last 5 years. Over the last five years the river break up has been much less dramatic than it used to be. I think this more gently breakup is likely a result of climate change displaying itself in our backyard, but also in part, due to new sensor stations that HQ has installed over the recent years and improvements to the upper and lower dams. This summer I have never noticed the water levels so high (about 6 inches higher than last year)but mostly, I have never seen the water levels so consistent. Again, the people who are monitoring the river flows seem to be getting much better at keeping water levels nice and high so boaters can have their fun. Never have I seen such a great hot summer and it was a record year for pleasurecrafters. I still cringe when I see little children being towed along in a rubber inner tube behind a speedboat going flat out for that extra squeel of wonderland zeal. I hate to tell people this, but there's still countless thousands of sunken logs at the bottom of the Gatineau that occasionally resurface. Not to mention the growing drift of yard junk and junk I see floating by. I must say that it's disheartening to see this river becoming ever polluted with Tim Horton cups and to see people cutting trees and putting in big docks along their properties to afford maximum river exposure. Don't get me wrong, I have a reasonably big dock myself (careful how you write that eh?) and I often swim naked just to piss off the Ex-Senator who lives across the way. But really, many of these people, have erected big ass fences so they alone can enjoy their river view. Why should riverfront property owners respect the municipal laws to not cut down river edge trees and vegetation when Hydro Quebec can get away with sending in the big buzz saw every year around this time, to cut away most of the crucial vegetation holding the bank (and road) from eroding into the river? Of course they do it to take proactive steps to stop tree obstructions to their power lines. One is for the individual good and the other is for the greater good right? My thinking is that Hydro Quebec should set an example to the public about good stewardship as the land around us becomes more populated. I think the time has come for bringing in more responsible regulations and guidelines for managing our impact on the Gatineau River. Wakefield is a river village and what happens on and around the water is as important to our future happiness with living here as is the new highway, StyroRail and Giant Tiger/Tim Horton or the dreaded condofication of Wakefield! It's true, the price of swimming naked and freely in the Gatineau is eternal vigilance!