The Courier
News
News from the Heart of Idaho Camas • Lincoln • Gooding
January 25, 2017
Volume 41 ~ Number 4
Should I Shovel the Snow Off My Roof?
With all of the snow our area has been receiving, a lot of people have been shoveling it off their roofs to prevent damage. The question is, “do they really need to?” There are many factors that go into making that decision: where you live, roofing material, pitch (steepness), and the type of snow. Where you live is important because different places have different ordinances that regulate snow load. If you live in Camas County, the standard snow load requirement is 100 pounds per square foot (psf). If you live on the north side of the Camas Prairie, the snow load is 125 psf, and in West Magic it’s 80 psf. As you go south into Gooding and Lincoln counties, the
snow load can be as low as 30 psf. If your home was built to code, the above numbers are good guideline. If you have an older home or a manufactured home, other issues come into play. A steep roof is inherently stronger than a flat one (less than 3/12 pitch). The surface (metal or shingles) does not add strength, but metal roofs will slide the snow off better. For homes with shingles (can be plastic, asphalt, fiberglass, etc.) the main issue is preventing ice dams. In under-insulated home, snow melts along the eave and then re-freezes to form a ridge of ice. As more snow melts, the water can start to move up under the shingles and leak into your home. continued on page 3 .....
Metal quanset building in Fairfield owned by Camas Grain collapsed under the weight of snow on January 10th. Photo from Char Engelstad
Thirty Antelope Die Trying to Cross Frozen Snake River By Roger Phillips, Public Information Specialist On Sunday, Jan. 15, ice anglers at Lake Walcott (just south of Minidoka) notified Fish and Game staff that about 500 pronghorn had attempted to cross the frozen reservoir. They said about 200 made it across, then a portion of the group spooked and ran onto an extremely slick section of ice, where they were slipping and falling. The remaining antelope in the herd turned back and returned to shore. Fish and Game staff investigated that afternoon and found 47 pronghorn stranded in the middle of the frozen river. Due the remote area and fading light, staffers decided to gather equipment and mount a rescue the following morning. Idaho Fish and Game staff on Jan. 16 euthanized 20 pronghorn antelope that were injured and stranded on the ice while attempting to cross the Snake River at Lake Walcott. Fish and Game staff also rescued six pronghorns, and another 10 were killed and partially consumed by coyotes.
Fish and Game staff and state wildlife veterinarian Mark Drew were on the ice by 9 a.m. and used an airboat to reach the animals. They found 36 pronghorn remaining, but 10 of those had been killed by predators. Crews were able to get six uninjured pronghorns into the airboat and transport and release them back on shore. Drew examined all the stranded animals and determined that the other 20 had suffered significant injuries due to slipping on the ice and dislocating hips and shoulders. Those animals were euthanized, and the meat was salvaged, processed and is being donated to people in need. “At least they’re going to be used. That’s the only silver lining,” Regional Supervisor Toby Boudreau said. The Lake Walcott area is a traditional migration route for wintering pronghorns, but this was an unusual event. “I have never seen anything like it in my 26-year career,” regional wildlife manager Daryl Meints said.