What A Bummer

I suppose it's just more evidence that Lake Anna has hit the map for many people living well beyond the Louisa County and Fredericksburg area. I'm not sure how else to explain such huge crowds over the weekend at the Lake Anna State Park beach. So many, in fact that the beach was closed! WVIR in Charlottesvilles described it this way:

"Unexpectedly large crowds forced park rangers to turn people away by the carload. For the second time in two days, they had to ask people to leave. Getting turned away on Memorial Day can make for some seriously unhappy campers."

Talk about an understatement. Given the state's budget picture and the General Assembly's unwillingness to pay for even desperately needed programs like highway construction, I can't help but wonder what, if any relief , would even be considered for something like state park overcrowding.

It's especially disconcerting in the case of Lake Anna State Park since the construction of the cabins and other improvements have been such a terrific addition to Lake Anna. That impact is certainly diminished if the crowds you're trying to draw can't even enter the park once they arrive.

Finally Some Rules for the Road...oops..Water

I've never understood why any knucklehead is allowed to get behind the steering wheel of a boat and hit the water with literally no boating safety or driving courses. It makes no sense. And it only takes one near-miss with a careless boater to realize just how dangerous this lack of safety regulations is for all of us on the water.

Even so, there were plenty of people opposed to even the basic boating safety regs passed by the VA assembly this year. Here's a good summary of the new law from the Roanoke Times.

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries also has a Boat Virginia safety course highlighted on its website.

The good news is eventually Virginia boaters will have to meet some basic safety guidelines and actually learn to drive before hitting the water. The bad news is none of this takes affect any time soon.

Summer's Almost Here!

But it can't come soon enough. There are alot of wonderful lake events coming up to help us all get back on the water and into the summer swing of things. Here are just a few highlights:

The Virginia Renaissance Festival begins this weekend at the Lake Anna Winery and runs until June 17th. 10am-6pm.

On Memorial Day weekend (Saturday May 26) the Lake Anna Coast Guard Auxiliary will hold an Open House from 10 am to 2 pm. This is a great chance to get a tour of the Lake Anna Station and ask any questions you might have about boating safety on the lake. The best thing is they're also offering free boat safety checks so that you can begin the season fully prepared for a safe summer on the water.

Later that day the Lake Anna Beach Marina will provide live music courtesy of the The Key West Band. The fun kicks off at 4pm. Whether by boat or car these events provide a nice opportunity for the community to come together for a picnic and tunes too.

I know there is alot more going on out there and will follow up soon with more events happening this month.

More Nuke News

OK...I refuse to become the blogging version of Paul Revere..."the nukes are coming, the nukes are coming" but this article in the Freelance Star was pretty interesting.

I still don't understand why they're being so coy about construction plans though...

"Dominion has notified the NRC that, if the early site permit is
approved, it will apply for a combined license to construct and operate Unit 3. The company says it has made no decision on whether to actually build a new,third unit, and that will depend upon electricity demand and market forces."

You buy supplies, get approval, apply for a license but you haven't decided to build? Yea, right. Why not say what everybody already knows. All that uneccesary evasiveness does make even a non-cynic say "Hummm..."

The Bear Essentials...

I think I've found the true test of whether you're cut out for lake living or just a pretender. Here it is:

When you wake up one morning to find a bear on your patio do you...?

1. Shake in your boots too freaked out to move

2. Call the kids to look, get on the phone to let your neighbors know and notify your local game warden

3. Whip out your gun and start shooting

Pretty obvious, right? Well, you'd be surprised. Seems we have a new visitor this month to our Lake Anna development (won't tell you which one, you'll understand why in a minute) and he/she's furry, big and black with a passion for trash cans and bird feeders.

The community reacted just as it should. Emails started circulating and the homeowner's association spread the official word from our local game warden about what we need to do to keep ourselves safe and to encourage our visiting black bear to move on.

Here is a link to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries on the Virginia black bear. This really isn't anything new for Lake Anna and Louisa county, we have bears here. Truth is, they've been here a lot longer than we have.

But based on the reaction in our development, you'd think this was some menacing beast just prowling around waiting for the opportunity to eat our children and pets. In fact, one of our residents promised he'd take care of the bloodthirsty "vicious wild animal" himself and he was well-armed enough to do it. What nonsense.

Ultimately, I think the outrage from our community and a repeated recitation of the law forbidding the killing of this bear may have finally sunk in for this vigilante bear hunter. Alerting the game warden probably didn't hurt deliver that message either. But this is a lesson for everyone living and loving the limited wild Lake Anna can still offer. The wildlife (big and small) which we share this space with deserve our respect. A little common sense goes a long way ensuring we can coexist happily.

As one neighbor put it...if you can't live with that then you should stick to the suburbs.

So Much Lake News...So Little Time

OK...I have to make a full confession. I have violated one of the most important rules about blogging, DO IT. Between Spring Break, work and all of this really awful weather limiting our lake time , writing on the blog has been certainly been ignored in recent weeks. So, consider this a massive catch-up alright?

The Central Virginian reported this week on the lake's newest commercial development, Lake Anna Island. I personally was very excited about the original plans to bring another (desperately needed) lakefront restaurant to Lake Anna and the other commercial proposed for the building. But the developers were really run through the zoning/public 'outrage' gauntlet and I give them credit for coming up with this final incarnation. Apparently, the first phase is ready to begin...

"According to B.J. Blount, a partner in the development company BBCR, the necessary permits are in hand and the group is ready to begin leasing the first of 100 permanent covered docks that will be part of the project. Once the first 50 have been purchased, Blount said, construction on the piers will start, a process he hopes will occur within the next couple of months."

The North Anna power plant received it's annual safety review from the NRC. The Freelance Star reported:

"The NRC concluded that North Anna operated safely with all inspection findings in the green category. That means there was very low safety significance, and at levels requiring no additional NRC oversight. As a result, the NRC plans to conduct only routine baseline inspections at the plant for the rest of this year. Safety is an issue at North Anna because Dominion has applied for an NRC permit that could lead to the construction of up to two more reactors at the site."

And we've got to talk about the passage of new boating safety rules by the Virginia Assembly. As a boater, I say bring them on. I'm tired of sharing the water with people who haven't got the faintest idea about the rules of the 'road' or how to share the waves.

But that's a conversation for another day.

It's Tourney Time...Not Just for Hoops Fans

While they may not have brackets and rankings, it's tourney time too for Lake Anna's anglers. The Lake Anna and Potomac River Bass Anglers Tournament is one event underway here at the lake.

I gotta hand it to these guys and gals...I see them out in rain, cold and wind each and every day working our cove and surrounding environs. They've got far more patience than I do!

If you're coming to the lake anytime soon checkout any of our local marinas and you'll find more information about local tourneys and fishing events.