Bad Air

Back from the field today, we find our activities for Fort McMurray area have been suspended due to poor air quality.  There has been an extreme air quality alert now for the northern regions for the past few weeks due to forest fires (particulates are at extremely elevated levels and that is no good for anything).  Also, there is now a fire very close to a road we need to get to a site and if that road went, we wouldn't be able to get back out.  No good there, either. That leaves us with ONE accessible site.  It is the one we have been spending most of our time with, but still....  we have projects that have come to a stand-still.  Roads around Slave Lake remain shut down.

Meanwhile, our new site is replete with boardwalks and we have installed water samplers in the fen and a few in the bog - still ice there, but the ice lens was not that thick.  We can break through without too much effort, but still... a little rough trying to auger through a half a foot of ice.  We have our bear fence up to receive rain collectors and weather station and our fire-fighting hoses are ready to receive the 2000 gallons of water we need to spread about.  We have yet to build a shed out there, but that will be this weekend.   Lots still going on for sure.