The first lake effect snow this year was early, wet and heavy. It was not surprising when the generator roared to life around midnight, reminding us its fresh battery was a good purchase. By mid-day the power was restored, the site of outage again in the 90-year old easement through the Woodland Conservancy neighbor of the Bluecircle. Within days this round of snowfall had melted away and it was time to investigate.

The cottonwood felled by the show was at the eastern edge of the Conservancy. On a closer look it had sustained old central trunk damage and the collapse was probably predictable. This easement area was last visited by power company tree crews more than 5 years ago and is a recognized “trouble spot”.

This mass of broken branches fell into a former trail in the Conservancy, but in the absence of trail maintenance these paths are now overgrown. The deer who pass regularly through this area will not be impeded and a new Bluecircle trail along the boundary is now open.