SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME
68
-
ISSUE
NO.
14
•
S U M M E R L A N D,
WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
B.C.
•
T H U R S D AY,
APRIL
9,
2015
•
20
PA G E S
•
$1.15
INCLUDING
GST
WHAT’S INSIDE:
Construction in Mexico
Members of the Summerland Baptist Church’s youth group were in Mexico to build a home for a family.
Page 12
Environmental damages
Illegal trails in Garnett Valley are causing significant destruction to the area.
Page 3
Trail use
A well-travelled trail south of Summerland passes through Penticton Indian Band land.
Page 2
Waterfront history
S u m m e r l a n d ’s Earth Week events include a look at the history of Lowertown and the waterfront.
Page 8
Meadowlark Festival
The Meadowlark Nature Festival marks its 18th year next month.
Page 15
Early blossoms
Steve Brown examines the early cherry blossoms at his orchard on Happy Valley Road. This year, the first blossoms on Summerland fruit trees appeared in late March, weeks earlier than normal.
Blossoms appear early First blossoms were visible in late March John Arendt When Steve Brown, a Summerland orchardist, noticed blossoms on fruit trees in late March, he was surprised by the timing. Normally, the first blossoms in Summerland and the surrounding area
appear on apricot trees in mid-April, according to information from the provincial Ministry of Agriculture. “This is the earliest blossom we’ve ever had,” Brown said. Last year, apricot blossoms began to appear on April 8 and were in full blossom April 15 to 16. Peaches were in the full blossom stage on April 22.
He added that the effects of the early blossom dates are not known. The biggest risks come if the recent warm, mild weather is followed by a cold snap. Such conditions in Ontario resulted in a loss of 70 per cent of the fruit crops in some areas. According to Farmwest.com, a B.C.-based informa-
tion resource site for farmers, the number of growing degree days so far this year is significantly higher than normal. From Jan. 1 to April 6, Summerland had 407.7 growing degree days, more than double the 54-year average of 201.85 degree days. Growing degree days are a weather-based indicator, measuring heat
accumulation. The measurement is used to predict plant and pesticide development rates. The early blossoms do not necessarily mean the fruit harvest will be early this year, Brown said. If the temperatures cool down following the blossoms, the harvest dates would be close to normal. Cooler spring temperatures could have
an effect in other ways, he said. Since bees tend to fly less in cooler weather, pollination could suffer, resulting in smaller than average fruit sizes. Brown has been tracking blossom dates and said while this year is unusual, the blossoms are appearing earlier on average than they did 10 to 15 years ago. See FREEZING Page 3
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