Since 1932, ice-out dates have been recorded by several cottagers at Lake Matinenda at the boat landing. Ice-out describes the time during ice break up when it is possible to travel by boat from Butterfield Narrows to the Landing at the southern end of the lake. Using this 82 year record, we asked the question: “Over time, Is there a warming trend and does the ice-out date occur earlier in the spring?” Although ice-out dates are highly variable from year to year, the answer is a qualified ‘maybe yes’.
We thank the cottagers who had the forethought to collect the data: Ray Sholberg, Bob Henderson, and other unknown persons. Statistical analyses by Sam Bledsoe.