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Deuling & Co
Lawyers
Joseph Deuling, LL.B
“Proudly serving Lumby & District”
Miller St. Lumby – 250-547-8827
Wildcraft Forest
earth
Deuling suggested that if there was such little care with regards to preparing the proposal, then is the research within the report dependable?
“What do these companies actually do for Area D?” asked Deuling.
The APC members lead by RDNO Director Rick Fairbairn seemed to agree that there might be cause for concern, or at least more information about the proposal should be made available.
Eagle Pass Heliskiing is currently applying to expand its heliskiing operations throughout the Monashee north of Cherryville and Lumby and the story first surfaced in MVS in October 2011.
The company is based in Revelstoke and is applying to the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands for a License to Occupy on crown land. The application contains an area covering approximately 105,700 hectares and will be used for commercial recreation and heliskiing activity north and south of Revelstoke on the western side of the Monashee Mountains in the Shuswap River and Columbia watersheds.
The application is mainly for Heliskiing purposes and is for additional areas to add to their existing heliskiing operation. The company states that in the future, helipads will be necessary within the applied areas, but it doesn’t plan to cut timber right now for pad clearings.
The company’s application and Management Plan are now public documents and can be downloaded online. The application activity areas include the Vidler, Cranberry, Simard, Mabel, Griffon, Bews, Begbie and Silver Star mountain watersheds.
The application for expanding heliskiing tenure in the Monashee indicates that a great deal of the region is now covered by heliskiing, operated by companies such as Eagle Pass and Canadian Mountain Holidays.
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Planting seeds gaining popularity in Lumby
Bee SAFE workshop standing room only!
March 10, 2012
On Friday March 9th, close to 20 people attended a workshop on acquiring seeds and producing successful seedlings at the Bee SAFE office in Lumby. This workshop given by Jane Emlyn, was the first of many to follow, and will be given again on Friday March 16th, from 3 to 4 PM due to popular demand.
"More and more people want to start growing their own food and realize they can do it without using expensive chemicals" said Emlyn. "I only have a small plot of land myself, right in downtown Lumby, and yet I manage to grow most of the vegetables my family eats for most of the year. We are seeing more and more people wanting to eat organic food and knowing where it comes from".
More Bee SAFE workshops are planned and posted on the website at beesafemonashees.org. Upcoming workshops include "How to encourage wild bees" by Sharon Lawrence and "Permaculture Design and Principles" by Gord Hiebert of EcoDesign. Entrance is by donation. Evening workshops are also in the planning and Bee SAFE encourages everyone to let them know of workshops they would like to see as well as of the times when they are available to take them by phoning 778-473-3029 or emailing info@beesafemonashees.org
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Bee SAFE opens its doors in Lumby
Banning GMO’s hits Vernon Street
February 29, 2011
A store front of a different kind has emerged within the village of Lumby and it’s not selling products; instead it’s sharing education.
Wednesday, February 29th marks the opening day for Bee SAFE which is located at 1961 Vernon Street (Hwy 6) next to Norris Park in downtown Lumby. The ribbon cutting is being performed at 2pm and from this point on - Bee SAFE will be open daily from noon to 5pm.
From its storefront, Bee SAFE is seeking to educate the community about the importance of producing safe local food by offering education and workshops about:
- how to grow food without pesticides
- how to avoid GMO foods
- how to plan menus using local seasonal ingredients
- local skills, products and tools available to be shared, and
- helping people plan their own local food related business.
According to organizers Huguette Allen and Carla Vierke, Bee SAFE is a movement that works to improve health, the environment and local economies by increasing access to local food that is safe for the bees, and for us.
“Our ability to grow safe food is compromised by Genetically Modified crops that cross-pollinate with traditional and organic crops (and even with wild plants of same family) and by the dangerous pesticides used to grow these crops”, says Allen.
There is also a presence of GMO research plots in the local area and Bee SAFE organizers are concerned.
According to Bee SAFE, GM crops are dangerous yet are taking over our rural communities and our food system. It is difficult if not impossible to find local soy, corn and canola crops that are Non-GMO. Canada also grows GMO sugar beets. Most foods on store shelves contain some GMO in the form of sugar, corn syrup, corn, soy or canola.
GMO stands for “Genetically Modified Organisms”. GM plants and crops are banned in Germany, Ireland, Hungary and many other places. Many US and Canadians regions are now declaring themselves GE (genetically engineered) or GMO Free. Canada still refuses to label GM foods.
Farmers are not allowed to save seeds from GM plants so they must buy seeds and pesticides every year or they are at risk of violating legal contracts with the “owners” of the seeds.
According to Vierke, “When corporations rule our food, we lose food security, plant diversity, small family farms, and the choice of what we grow and eat.”
“By growing more local safe food and spending more of our food dollars locally, we can go a long way towards building a creative rural economy that protects water and farmland while creating jobs in a variety of sectors,” she says.
The group invites residents to stop by, pay a visit and pick up a “Bee SAFE” sign to show support for banning GMO’s in an effort to support safe agriculture!
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Ecovillage cohousing workshops this weekend
The Okanagan Ecovillage explains Cohousing
February 23, 2012
The Okanagan Ecovillage planned for Mabel Lake Road is presenting a series of workshops focusing on co-housing.
In 2009, Dr. Gwyllyn Goddard a family practitioner from Chilliwack purchased about 30 acres on Mabel Lake Road just north of the Albers Road junction, a move that represented the beginning of a vision to create an ecovillage that contains co-housing elements and an agriculture effort.
After two years of initial planning and performing site cleanups on the property Goddard has now commissioned a Feasibility Study which will examine the carrying capacity of the land and address the due diligence required and meeting all regulations included community feedback and environmental issues.
“This process we’re going through right now also examines what sort of community the members themselves want to create”, he says.
This current workshop series being held in Kelowna is part of the ecovillage planning process with an aim of introducing potential cohousing buyers and developers to the cohousing development process. The introduction workshop is being held February 24, 2012 from 6pm to 8pm at the Rotary Centre for the Arts in Kelowna (421 Cawston Avenue, across from Prospera Place). The cost is $20 per person.
The second event is called the Getting It Built Workshop, where specific site issues are addressed, budgets and other feasibility issues specific to a co-housing situation and features the following learning activities:
The Cohousing Process - An overview of the development process from initial meetings to moving in. Forming and organizing a group, working together, and issues to address early in the process. Development Scenarios—the group’s role, consultant’s roles, and options for finding and working with a developer.
The Technical Issues - Financing options, ownership structures and financial realities. (What will it cost?). Designing for community – design issues.
Working Together - How does the group organize to make decisions effectively?
Getting along – the dynamics of group interaction and reaching your potential.
What’s Next? - Am I ready for co-housing? What do we do now? Next steps.
Your role; the group’s role; the role of Professionals.
The Getting It Built Workshop is being held over two days on February 25th and 26th, from 9am to 5pm at the Rotary Centre for the Arts Boardroom.
The workshop facilitators are husband and wife team Charles Durrett and Kathy McCamant. In 1987, they founded McCamant & Durrett Archtitects, with offices in Berkeley and Nevada City, California. The firm has consulted on almost 50 cohousing communities in the U.S. as well as working with many other communities internationally. The cohousing development model involves future residents with the design and community building long before construction begins. Their work has received numerous national awards. They now live in the Nevada City Cohousing Community. In 2011, they released Creating Cohousing: Building Sustainable Communities (New Society Press) which covers their 20 years of creating cohousing communities across North America.
To enroll or learn more about the event visit the Okanagan Ecovillage website
Or contact:
Gwyllyn "Gwyll" Goddard, BSc MD CCFP
Cel +1-778-238-2778
Read the My Valley Sun Feature about the Okanagan Ecovillage and Cohousing.
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Cherryville Community Forest Report
February 2, 2012 – Submitted by Hank Cameron
In 2012, the Cherry Ridge Management Committee (CRMC) will continue to improve forest health, develop access, plant trees, survey and work to make the land base in Area E (Cherryville) more fire resistant.
CRMC is a non-profit society that was created in 1997 and is Cherryville’s Community Forest. This article submitted by Hank Cameron represents the organizations community report in advance of its Annual General Meeting which will be held on February 23, 2012 at 7:00pm at the Cherryville Hall.
“We’re urging people to attend and get involved with Cherry Ridge initiatives. CRMC would like to thank all our contractors and members for their excellent work and congenial attitudes”, said Cameron who added that Penny Stuyt will be taking on an enhanced business management and accounting role for CRMC.
2011 CRMC Forestry Report
After a three year process of application, planning and meeting obligations set by government CRMC has resumed salvage logging operations on Cherry and Heckman Ridges. After an invitational tender process contracts were signed with Mazu Logging (Cherry) and Harwood Logging (Heckman). A total of 3294 m3 (74 loads) was harvested in dispersed beetle and windfall patches under CP SS. Lance Harvey with Tony Paul and James Tisdale select cut 1504m3 (34 loads), and Glen and Jerry Mazu salvaged 1790m3 (40 loads) to date on CP SS.
Mazu Logging harvested pine beetle trees on CP 01 uphill from Joe Lesowski’s farm in January 2012. Darrin Mulholland used his feller buncher to select cut this permit. Log transportation was provided by Tony Mulholland, Kelly Peterson, and KIP Trucking (Blair). Sean Ardis and Sebastian Vezina harvested car stakes for sale to Gorman Bros pole yard, from the fuel management/silviculture project area on Cherry Ridge.
An access upgrade contract for the Community Road on Heckman Ridge was tendered to local road builders. Lance Harvey was the successful bidder and he completed this work in August. There were 300 m 3 of wood (7 loads) cut under our right of way timber mark (K3T 0R1) to daylight the road grade. Nigel Hymas installed culverts and loaded Rob Gordon’s gravel truck with shale from Bea Bryan’s pit for this road upgrade. Brian McLeod used his excavator to pile slash, and rip then stockpile shale at Bea’s pit for future road surfacing. Guy and Elmer Kelly have installed culverts on the Fenceline Road on Cherry Ridge.
We have signed access agreements with Ken Witzke and Bea Bryan to haul wood through their properties. We have established two designated scale sites on our landings at Heckman FSR and the Old North Fork landing. We can sell our wood to Cherryville mills from these sites. Rouck Bros, John Salisbury, Whitevalley Log Homes, Dave Arcand and Eugene Foisy have expressed interest in buying our fir and cedar in the future.
Cherry Ridge has set up an advertisement of wood for sale on the new WoodsourceBC website. In the last year CRMC sold wood to Gorman Bros, Interfor, Tolko, Stella Jones, North Enderby Timber, Willems Forest Products, and Allan Dyck. One load of firewood was donated to the Cherryville skating rink by CRMC and Mazu Logging.
Joyce Fleury set up our office downstairs at the Cherryville Hall which has public hours Thursdays from 3-5 PM from September to May. Jamie Sanborn provided his business expertise and experience in forest management. Cathy Macpherson provided GPS mapping and forestry services and has led a project to improve trails at Monashee Park. The Cherryville Water Stewards, a subcommittee of CRMC, will continue to test water quality in local creeks, advocate for better water practices and represent our community at Shuswap River water management events.
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Dramatic Links Found Between Climate Change,
Elk, Plants, and Birds
Jan. 10, 2012
Climate change in the form of reduced snowfall in mountains is causing powerful and cascading shifts in mountainous plant and bird communities through the increased ability of elk to stay at high elevations over winter and consume plants, according to a groundbreaking study in Nature Climate Change.
The U.S. Geological Survey and University of Montana study not only showed that the abundance of deciduous trees and their associated songbirds in mountainous Arizona have declined over the last 22 years as snowpack has declined, but it also experimentally demonstrated that declining snowfall indirectly affects plants and birds by enabling more winter browsing by elk. Increased winter browsing by elk results in trickle-down ecological effects such as lowering the quality of habitat for songbirds.
The authors, USGS Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit scientist Thomas Martin and University of Montana scientist John Maron, mimicked the effects of more snow on limiting the ability of elk to browse on plants by excluding the animals from large, fenced areas. They compared bird and plant communities in these exclusion areas with nearby similar areas where elk had access, and found that, over the six years of the study, multi-decadal declines in plant and songbird populations were reversed in the areas where elk were prohibited from browsing.
"This study illustrates that profound impacts of climate change on ecosystems arise over a time span of but two decades through unexplored feedbacks," explained USGS director Marcia McNutt. "The significance lies in the fact that humans and our economy are at the end of the same chain of cascading consequences."
The study demonstrates a classic ecological cascade, added Martin. For example, he said, from an elk's perspective, less snow means an increased ability to freely browse on woody plants in winter in areas where they would not be inclined to forage in previous times due to high snowpack. Increased overwinter browsing led to a decline in deciduous trees, which reduced the number of birds that chose the habitat and increased predation on nests of those birds that did choose the habitat.
"This study demonstrates that the indirect effects of climate on plant communities may be just as important as the effects of climate-change-induced mismatches between migrating birds and food abundance because plants, including trees, provide the habitat birds need to survive," Martin said.
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by United States Geological Survey.
Journal Reference: Thomas E. Martin, John L. Maron. Climate impacts on bird and plant communities from altered animal–plant interactions. Nature Climate Change, 2012; DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1348
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Biologists Find 'Surprising' Number of
Unknown Viruses in Sewage
Oct. 6, 2011
Though viruses are the most abundant life form on Earth, our knowledge of the viral universe is limited to a tiny fraction of the viruses that likely exist. In a paper published in the online journal mBio, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Barcelona found that raw sewage is home to thousands of novel, undiscovered viruses, some of which could relate to human health.
There are roughly 1.8 million species of organisms on our planet, and each one is host to untold numbers of unique viruses, but only about 3,000 have been identified to date. To explore this diversity and to better characterize the unknown viruses, Professor James Pipas, Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences Roger Hendrix, and Assistant Professor Michael Grabe, all of the Department of Biological Sciences in Pitt's Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, are developing new techniques to look for novel viruses in unique places around the world.
With coauthors David Wang and Guoyan Zhao of Washington University in St. Louis and Rosina Girones of the University of Barcelona, the team searched for the genetic signatures of viruses present in raw sewage from North America, Europe, and Africa.
In the paper, titled "Raw Sewage Harbors Diverse Viral Populations," the researchers report detecting signatures from 234 known viruses that represent 26 different families of viruses. This makes raw sewage home to the most diverse array of viruses yet found.
"What was surprising was that the vast majority of viruses we found were viruses that had not been detected or described before," says Hendrix.
The viruses that were already known included human pathogens like Human papillomavirus and norovirus, which causes diarrhea. Also present were several viruses belonging to those familiar denizens of sewers everywhere: rodents and cockroaches.
Bacteria are also present in sewage, so it was not surprising that the viruses that prey on bacteria dominated the known genetic signatures. Finally, a large number of the known viruses found in raw sewage came from plants, probably owing to the fact that humans eat plants, and plant viruses outnumber other types of viruses in human stool.
This study was also the first attempt to look at all the viruses in the population. Other studies have focused on bacteria, or certain types of viruses. The researchers also developed new computational tools to analyze this data. This approach, called metagenomics, had been done before, but not with raw sewage.
The main application of this new technology, says Hendrix, will be to discover new viruses and to study gene exchange among viruses. "The big question we're interested in is, 'Where do emerging viruses come from?'" he says. The team's hypothesis is that new viruses emerge, in large part, through gene exchange. But before research on gene exchange can begin in earnest, large numbers of viruses must be studied, the researchers say.
"First you have to see the forest before you can pick out a particular tree to work on," says Pipas. "If gene exchange is occurring among viruses, then we want to know where those genes are coming from, and if we only know about a small percentage of the viruses that exist, then we're missing most of the forest."
The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of Pittsburgh.
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Salmon Guy at Salmon Fest
July 21, 2011
The Salmon Guy, David Loewen will speak at The Wild Salmon Music Festival near Lumby July 23rd.
He grew up on on Haida Gwaii – formerly referred to as the Queen Charlotte Islands – off the coast of British Columbia. Salmon have been a pretty steady influence in his life; from early years growing up on the Tlell River to several years of salmon habitat restoration and reclamation, advocacy, and inventory-related work on Haida Gwaii and Vancouver Island.
In 2001, a little tired and frustrated with the status-quo and highly polarized debates surrounding how we relate with salmon - he set out on a 10,000 km bicycle trip – The Wild Salmon Cycle – between Inuvik, NWT and Los Angeles, CA.
Hear some of his witty and very entertaining Wild Salmon stories just after the Wild Salmon dinner Saturday night July 23rd. More info on David at www.SalmonGuy.org
He will be followed by a country rock show featuring the Mabel Lickers Band, a rockabilly show featuring Cadillac Bob, followed by Gallon's Corner and Crossfire
Tickets available for the festival and the dinner at the Lumby and District Chamber of Commerce
More info about the weekend festival at www.WildSalmonFestival.ca
All proceeds to the Middle Shuswap Wild Salmon Society
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Lumby Prison's impact on Wild Salmon
June 30, 2011
Lumby Area Concerned Citizens (LACC) continues to present their arguments against the proposed Lumby prison, only this time the concern is the environment. In a petition letter to the BC Solicitor General, LACC say they do not support Lumby council's bid in building a large prison in Lumby because it, “would severely impact the water quality in Bessette Creek and Shuswap River, both being special habitat for numerous species including wild salmon”.
According to LACC, Bessette Creek is environmentally sensitive with numerous species at risk, including the Coho Interior Fraser Salmon population that still spawns in Bessette Creek. On their web site, Fisheries and Oceans Canada state that numbers of the fish in the Interior Fraser River watershed have decreased rapidly—by more than 60 percent since 1996, indicating that the fish is at risk.
Bessette Creek, which flows directly into the Shuswap River, is already under duress from Lumby's sewage effluent. In 2010, 7,328,000 gallons of sewage effluent were directly discharged into Bessette Creek instead of exfiltrating.
According to LACC, “Since Lumby's sewage effluent is already above exfiltration capacity, projections show that adding 720 prisoners plus staff, a total of 800-1000 more people, to the sewage load, would result in 35,000,000 gallons of sewage effluent directly discharged to Bessette Creek yearly”.
The group outlines a further concern that sewage produced by prisons is high in viruses, drugs, antibiotics, cancer and blood pressure drugs, as well as other pharmaceuticals that mix to create unknown compounds that are not removed by sewage treatment systems. Neither are the common Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs), also called gender benders, that are in numerous cleaning and care products and end up in sewage. These are associated with neuro-developmental disorders such as learning disabilities, autism, cancers, genital changes in males, and reduced fertility. They are responsible for the feminization of male fish and other aquatic animals, endangering the whole aquatic ecosystem.
The group concedes that this effluent will meet MOE's current regulations, and is legal, but it suggests that the risk is presently not addressed by provincial legislation and should be. The letter goes on to outline Lumby;s recognition of the importance of the creek system and the salmon.
“Visitors to the Lumby Salmon Trails are impressed to read that Lumby is transitioning from a “resource extraction economy” to a “resource celebration economy” that protects and enhances salmon habitat. In our opinion, adding extra sewage known to be toxic to an already threatened wild salmon habitat, goes contrary to this statement”.
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Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Plan
Public Workshops
June 6, 2011
On Wednesday, June 22 at 6:30pm at the White Valley Community Centre in Lumby, residents are invited to be a part of planning for the future of the Shuswap River.
The Regional District of North Okanagan is coordinating the development of a Sustainability Plan for the Shuswap River Watershed. The need for this planning process has become increasingly apparent to local residents, interests groups and multiple levels of government. There is concern that the current convergence of uses, values and pressure, could potentially compromise the integrity of the river system.
The process to develop the Shuswap River Watershed Sustainability Plan will have the ultimate goal of creating partnerships with stakeholders whose common objective is to manage the watershed in a sustainable manner.
The planning process will result in:
- the creation of a common long-term vision for the management of the Shuswap River Watershed that all stakeholders and community members agree to and strive to achieve; and
- a comprehensive plan that will guide agencies and the community in decision making with regard to land and water planning within the Shuswap River Watershed.
Community and stakeholder participation is a critical component of the planning process. In December 2010 an initial stakeholders meeting was held to begin creating a vision statement and to identify areas of importance and concern within the watershed. Now two public workshops are being held in June 2011 in order to add to the results of the stakeholder workshop. Area residents are invited to come and provide input into the future of the river system.
Public Workshops
When: Tues June 21, 2011, 6:30PM to 8:30PM
Where: Riverside Community Hall, Ashton Creek
When: Wed June 22, 2011, 6:30PM to 8:30PM
Where: Whitevalley Community Centre, Lumby
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My Valley Sun
blog
index
October 17, 2013
Bullish on the real news in the Monashee
Online Community News for Lumby, Cherryville, Rural Coldstream and Highway 6
We update this website on a regular basis. We are eager to receive your news, events, advertising and letters by email at: mediaservices@uniserve.com
The Area D Area Planning Commission (APC) recently met to discuss and recommend direction on a number of planning issues facing rural residents. The commission nearly rubberstamped a proposed tourism tenure application until “ski junk” emerged as a topic for concern.
Mabel Lake area resident Joe Deuling attended his first APC meeting and while he wasn’t officially appointed as a member yet, he made his views known.
“For years I’ve seen ski junk accumulate in the Park Mountain and Tsuis Mountain areas from cat skiing operations; I complain, but nobody seems to be doing anything about it,” said Deuling.
Ski junk appears when ski markers and other debris are found in remote areas after the snow melts.
The above map represents a detail of the overlapping tourism tenure in the south Monashee’s. You can download this entire pdf map by clicking the link below.
Ski Junk in the Monashee becomes local news
Eagle Pass Heliskiing application questioned by APC
April 16, 2012
Deuling’s concern grew when he read part of the report associated with Eagle Pass Heliskiing application provided by a government department which was full of poor grammar and spelling mistakes.
The Beginning of a Journey
The release of Chinook Salmon fry north of Cherryville were supported by prayers and ceremony led by the Okanagan Nation Alliance and a collective hope that a passage way around the Wilsey Dam will be built by the time these Chinook return in 2-3 years.
Since 1929, passage of Chinook, Coho, and Sockeye salmon upstream on the Shuswap for spawning has been blocked by BC Hydro's Wilsey Dam. It was acknowledged by those present today, that the 40 salmon raised by school children and released by members of the community will never return because they are impeded by the Wilsey Dam. However, that didn't hamper optimism that a passageway around the dam will be built soon, hopefully in time for these frys return as adults for spawning in 2-3 years.
This seeding of the habitat above the Wilsey Dam with Chinook salmon fry is the first step in restoring salmon and trout populations upstream of the dam. Grand Chief Steward Phillip, Chairman of the Okanagan Nation Alliance says, "It is imperative that passage be provided in order to bring back the Chinook."
Along with First Nations people, BC Hydro, and government biologists, directors of the Middle Shuswap Wild Salmon Society (MSWSS) have been attending Wilsey Dam Fish Passage committee meetings to determine how to install a fish passageway. While no significant progress has yet been made, awareness and activities such as today's release bring attention to the growing desire to return salmon to their historical habitat in this region.
The MSWS Society, based in Lumby, was formed in February 2011 to bring awareness about the importance of the passageway and the wild salmon in this local watershed. The Society participates in many local events to raise awareness and also hosts a Wild Salmon Festival each year in July that features information and presentations on wild salmon.
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Bateman’s Get to Know program launched
Allan Brooks Nature Centre hosts its seasonal grand opening
and launches the “Get to Know” contest
May 3, 2012
Allan Brooks Nature Centre invites everyone to come to the top of Mission Hill in Vernon to enjoy a day of nature, art, and music from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Admission is by donation. Throughout the day there will be guided grassland walks, pond critter collecting, bird watching, and nature sketching and painting led by local artists. There will also be an opportunity to use digital video and photo equipment with local photography enthusiasts. Enjoy a hot-dog BBQ from 11:30 AM to 1 PM. The Vernon Public Art Gallery will facilitate En Plein Air (Art in Nature) and “Our Kids Have Talent” musicians will perform starting at 11:15 AM.
The Nature Centre is also hosting the regional launch of the “Get to Know” contest on May 5th at 11 AM. ABNC has partnered with renowned wildlife artist and naturalist Robert Bateman and the Canadian Wildlife Federation as a Regional Sponsor of the “Get to Know” program, the motto of which is "Connect. Create. Celebrate."
The “Get to Know” Contest invites youth to get outside and create original works of art, writing, photography, videography and music inspired by nature. Mr. Bateman is the official endorser of the art category.
The contest theme this year is “Get to know Your Wild Neighbours” and is open to Canadian Youth under 19 years of age. The Allan Brooks Nature Centre launch event will offer young people a unique opportunity to connect with Nature while creating nature-related art, writing, photographs, videos or music compositions to enter into the “Get to Know” Contest. The contest runs until July 16, 2012 and entries can be made through the Allan Brooks Nature Centre website. There are lots of amazing prizes to be won and all contest entrants will receive a free gift. The goal is to be as creative as possible - so have fun and let the natural world inspire you!
We invite people of all ages to come on up to the top of Mission Hill, enjoy 360 degrees of spectacular views, see spring flowers, curious marmots, and a diversity of birds, and “Get to Know” more of our valley’s rich natural history by creating and celebrating Art in Nature!
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May 10, 2012
Middle Shuswap Wild Salmon Society founding Director Randy Rauck, releases a Chinook salmon fry into the middle Shuswap river at Cherryville's Meadows park on Thursday May 10, as part of the Okanagan Nation Alliance's salmon release. The event was held to mark the importance of restoring salmon to this habitat and a further 30 kms beyond the Wilsey Dam.
Btk not gone away from Upper Shuswap - yet
July 7, 2012
On Friday rumors that large containers of Btk pesticides were sitting at a remote location near Greenbush Lake were confirmed when a group of Cherryville residents made the trek, found the containers and took photos.
There are three tanks of Foray 48B at the 57km mark of Sugar Lake Road, right next to the helicopter fuel station and within site of those traveling to the Greenbush Provincial Park camping area.
With the heavy rainfall that has occurred, the road has seriously washed out in different locations, making access difficult for a small vehicle into the Greenbush area and extremely difficult for a large truck. It’s unknown at this point whether the containers which are holding 3000 litres of Btk were delivered by helicopter or truck or how long they have been sitting there.
It’s also unknown when or how they will be transported out of the area since the spray program at the Upper Shuswap has been cancelled.
Residents are concerned, since the containers are plastic, easily punctured or damaged and are without any supervision. They have been placed within close proximity to the river.
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BREAKING NEWS
Btk: Big Spray cancelled by MoF
July 3, 2012
After a compelling argument from rural Lumby resident Michelle Saurette who also pointed the Ministry of Forests to the Big Spray feature at MyValleySun.com the spraying of Btk in the Greenbush and Sugar Lake areas has been cancelled marking a significant victory for those who opposed the treatment.
Lorraine Maclauchlan the Forest Entomologist for the Thompson Okanagan Region of the Ministry of Forests had admitted that she alone could choose to cancel the program and she informed the Cherryville Water Stewards and others, that she decided to cancel the proposed 2012 treatments in the Greenbush and Sugar Lake area, however should the defoliation become severe the Ministry may reconsider this treatment again at some time in future years.
The following email from Maclauchlan has been circulated by the Cherryville Water Stewards.
I have considered your comments and concerns at length and respect the various views that people have on the use of biological insecticides. I had a very good discussion with Michelle Saurette this morning and mentioned to her that the primary goal of the western hemlock looper spray program was to protect the mature hemlock forests as habitat for the local Caribou herds. The treatment of western hemlock looper by the Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is only done to protect wildlife habitat and is not conducted as a measure to protect more economic-focused timber harvesting values.
The product we had planned to use, Foray 48B, is registered for use against this insect, has organic designation (OMRI) and is safe for humans and other animals. B.t.k. only kills Lepidoptera that are in the early larval stage (small). Moths and butterflies that are in the egg, pupa or adult stage will not be adversely affected. In addition, the size of the proposed blocks around Sugar Lake-Greenbush Lake are relatively small compared to the total size of the watershed so those non-target Lepidoptera that are affected will be minimal and will be able to re-invade the treated area within a few years. Susceptibility to B.t.k. is also variable by species. Studies have shown that re-population of niches vacated by the spray are quickly re-filled by populations outside of the spray area if those reservoir populations are healthy. Within two to three years, populations rebound to pre-treatment levels. Furthermore, a four year study of the effects on insectivorous birds associated with the 1999 Victoria gypsy moth spray showed no impacts on bird populations.
The western hemlock looper has an “eruptive” outbreak cycle and has outbreaks about every 10 years. The outbreaks last from 2-4 years with the first two years of the outbreak cycle being the most severe. As an entomologist I monitor various insect populations using pheromone baited traps and population sampling of life stages. The western hemlock looper trap catches in the Greenbush Lake area have increased exponentially in the past couple of years indicating an outbreak is imminent. Egg sampling conducted last fall also show a growing looper population. The objective of this years treatment was to catch the looper population in its building stage (year 1) prior to severe damage and/or tree mortality occurring. The defoliation for 2012 was projected to be in the low to moderate range but we were hoping to prevent a full outbreak from occurring by treating this year. Should the defoliation become severe we may reconsider this treatment again at some time in future years.
Therefore, after consideration of your request to cancel the spray and the fact that t is a very small area, I have decided to cancel the proposed 2012 treatments in the Greenbush and Sugar Lake area. If you have further comments or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me. I have attached some links below for your information.
Thank you.
Lorraine Maclauchlan
Forest Entomologist, Thompson Okanagan Region
For more info:
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Btk: Crowd gathers in Cherryville to oppose Big Spray
June 30, 2012
On Saturday June 30th, close to 100 people weathered downpours in Cherryville to mark their opposition to the Ministry of Forests' plan to spray 20,000 litres of pesticides at the headwaters of the Shuswap and to tell the Province they want “Health Restoration Programs” not further “Degradation Programs”.
“The Upper Shuswap River watershed includes protected areas, the interior rainforest, the Monashee Provincial Park, all of which will be affected by spraying against the Western Hemlock Looper,” said Carla Vierke as she welcomed people from as far as Ashton Creek to Saturday's rally.
“The Ministry of Forest tells us that this spray program has been planned since 2008, showing how pesticides have become an integral part of the Province's arsenal to manage forests for the logging industry. Healthy forests that have plant diversity that provide balanced habitat for a variety of species have no need to spray” continued Vierke.
Aline Piche, who spoke on behalf of the Cherryville Water Stewards whose motto is “Protect the Source” was followed by Don Elzer who published extensively in MyValleySun.com.
He said that he worried about the conflicting information coming out of the Province regarding the caribou. “Who is looking after the impacts of what is happening in the forests? The Ministry of Forests tells us that spraying is necessary to protect critical cedar-hemlock habitat for Caribou while at the same time the provincial government tells us the Caribou herd's low numbers cannot be sustained, so they are allowing them to become extinct. Naturalists argue that numbers are higher than claimed and that abandoning the herd would open the area up to more logging and heli-skiing in what is sensitive Caribou range. What are we to believe?”
Elzer emphasized that this information disconnect could lead to dangerous consequences as government treats some species as collateral damage within a spray program that is less about biodiversity and more about timber extraction.
As the rain started pelting down on everyone, Priscilla Judd sang a song she'd written expressly for the rally linking clearcut mountainsides, to recent mud slides, and pesticides.
As people stood under umbrellas and rain coats, holding up their signs for all to see, Carla Vierke reminded everyone that this rally was only the beginning, that although 100 people could not immediately stop the helicopters, their perseverance would win out as long as they remained determined to take back the forest.
Of further concern to Bee SAFE is the fact that contrary to the claims made by the Ministry, Foray 48B is no inoffensive to other species and is not a solution to restoring forest health.
Huguette Allen told the crowd, “Working with nature is the solution, not against it. The Journal of Pesticide Reform of McGill University says that large applications of Bt (the active ingredient in Foray 48B) can have far reaching ecological impacts, dramatically reducing numbers and variety of moths and butterfly species, further impacting birds and mammals that feed on caterpillars. And Foray 48B affects mammals including humans, causing corrosive damage to eyes, skin, digestive systems, provoking cancers, allergies, asthma. We don't need the surfactants, sulphuric acid, and other contaminants used as inert ingredients in our watershed. Bee SAFE's letter to the Ministry made it clear that we're concerned that spraying is motivated by economic factors instead of ecological factors.”
For more info:
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Big Spray Rally for the Shuswap and Okanagan Watersheds
Growing concern over aerial pesticide spray at Shuswap River source
June 27, 2012
BeeSAFE is organizing a demonstration against aerial spraying in the Monashee with a pesticide called Foray 48B which is a product containing Bt. On Saturday June 30th, at 1:30pm people and groups opposed to the aerial spraying will hold a rally in Cherryville at Frank's Store on Highway 6 to ask the Ministry of Forest to restore forest health instead of further damaging it by spraying pesticides.
The group claims that 20,000 litres of the pesticide will be sprayed in the Upper Shuswap Watershed and it will impact biodiversity within an ecological reserve and a provincial park.
The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations were set to begin an aerial spray program using helicopters that will cover thousands of hectares surrounding Greenbush Lake and the headwaters of the Shuswap River home to the western edge of BC’s Inland Rainforest – however the damp weather has delayed the spray program until good weather returns.
The Ministry is targeting the Western Hemlock Looper. The Looper feeds primarily on Hemlock but it can also feed on a variety of other species. According to some scientists its range and population has expanded vigorously due to climate change.
In a press release BeeSAFE asks for support “from people who care about protecting water, forests, biodiversity and our health.”
According to spokesperson Huguette Allen, spraying Foray 48B (Bt) is not a solution.
“Infestations are the result of out of control logging. The Journal of Pesticide Reform from McGill University states that, large-scale applications of Bt can have far reaching ecological impacts. Bt can reduce dramatically the number and variety of moth and butterfly species, which in turn impacts birds and mammals that feed on caterpillars. In addition, a number of beneficial insects are adversely impacted by Bt.”
Cherryville resident Carla Vierke a director of BeeSAFE lives in the community closest to the spray area and has concerns. She says that spraying Foray 48B is harmful to animals, including humans.
“Foray 48B is irritating to animal skin and eyes and even small quantities can affect people with allergies or asthma. The inert ingredients such as Sulfuric acid, present in Foray 48B, can cause severe deep skin burns and permanent loss of vision.”
The group is offering up a solution to mitigate the Hemlock Looper infestation.
“The solution is for the Ministry of Forest to restore plant diversity so forests can be healthy again and benefit the whole community instead of turning them into a monoculture area that benefits only a few in the logging and pesticide industries. Plant diversity would increase the numbers of predators such as birds, bats and mammals. Spraying substances that will further decimate their numbers is not a solution,” says Allen.
The group has also supplied a letter that outlines their concerns to the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and they are urging more people to send letters requesting that the government halt the spray effort.
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Btk – Another 28,000 hectares added to the Big Spray
Spruce budworm spraying in the Okanagan begins this week
June 19, 2012
The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations have added to their Btk spray program as then now plan to aerially treat up to 28,000 hectares of forest in the Okanagan to reduce populations of western spruce budworm.
The proposed treatment areas are located near Bear Creek, the Ellis-Carmi forest service road, Clark Creek, Inkameep, Madden Creek, Naramata Bench, Okanagan Falls, Naramata Mountain, Shingle Creek, Sheep Creek, West Kelowna and Westwold.
The pest management plan and maps of treatment areas can be viewed at the Thompson Okanagan Region Forest Health Program office at 441 Columbia Street in Kamloops, or online at: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/rsi/ForestHealth/Western_Spruce_Budworm_Spray_2012.htm
The biological agent Foray 48B will be applied by helicopter on or about June 20-26, 2012, weather permitting.
According to the Ministry, Foray 48B is a biological insecticide that is widely used in B.C. and is registered with the Organic Materials Review Institute. The active ingredient in Foray 48B is the naturally occurring bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk). This spray only affects moth and butterfly larvae and can be used safely around humans and other animals. Birds, household pets, fish and beneficial insects (including honey bees) are not affected.
The western spruce budworm is an insect that is native to B.C. and the Pacific Northwest. In its larval stage, it defoliates Douglas-fir, true firs, spruce and larch trees. A budworm outbreak has the potential to seriously harm or kill trees over large areas.
Another 10,000 hectares are being sprayed in the Kootenay-Boundary region including parts of the Granby and Kettle watersheds and another 12,000 hectares in the Monashee including the Sugar Lake and Greenbush Lake areas.
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Province steps up Btk spray beyond the Upper Shuswap
June 1, 2012
The provincial government is stepping up its aerial spraying of Btk in remote watersheds.
The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations announced today that it plans to aerially treat up to 10,000 hectares of forest in the Kootenay-Boundary Region to reduce populations of western spruce budworm. This is in addition to the spraying being done in the Upper Shuswap and Thompson areas.
The proposed treatment locations are near Midway and Beaverdell and represent Kettle River and Granby River watersheds. The pest management plan and maps of treatment areas can be viewed at the Kootenay-Boundary Region Forest Health Program office at 333 Victoria St. (4th floor) in Nelson, or online at: http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/rsi/ForestHealth/Western_Spruce_Budworm_Spray_2012.htm
The biological insecticide Foray 48B will be applied by helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft on or about June 15-22, 2012, weather permitting.
The province claims that Foray 48B is a biological insecticide that is widely used in B.C. and is registered with the Organic Materials Review Institute based in the US. The active ingredient in Foray 48B is the naturally occurring bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk). The province insists that this spray only affects moth and butterfly larvae and can be used safely around humans and other animals. Birds, household pets, fish and beneficial insects (including honey bees) are not affected.
But an organic grower responding to the MVS story Big Spray has words of caution regarding the government's "organic" claim around Foray 48B. Brian (Cormac) MacIsaac from Sorrento told the Shuswap Environmental Action Society that, “Yes, Bt is used by certified organic farmers, but only in very specific formulations, where all the carriers (additional additives) are known and also approved. It is also only approved for use in specific topical applications, not aerial spraying of enormous areas.”
“As with anything used in organic production, runoff, by-catch (to borrow a fisheries word) and the downstream or side effects on non-target species are reviewed and considered in the timing and type of application. This is clearly not the case here, with an unapproved formulation and aerial spraying,” said MacIsaac.
He added that, “As organic producers, we deeply resent the government's hijacking the term "organic", negating the 25 years of work we have done to ensure that our practices are beneficial.”
Unlike the Upper Shuswap spray program which is targeting the western hemlock looper, the province is trying to control western spruce budworm in the Kootenay-Boundary area. The budworm is an insect that is native to B.C. and the Pacific Northwest. In its larval stage, it defoliates Douglas fir, true firs, spruce and larch trees. According to the province, the budworm outbreak has the potential to seriously harm or kill trees over large areas.
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Should there be toxins here?
On Friday, Cherryville residents discovered 3000 litres of Btk sitting idle in a remote area of the Upper Shuswap.
E. coli 0157:H7: Who's to blame?
Can we inspect our way to safety?
A Life on Earth feature from Bee SAFE
October 15, 2012
Once again, Canadians are questioning the safety of our food. Although the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) carries some blame for the effects of the E.coli 0157:H7 outbreak at the XL plant in Alberta, many now realize that food inspection is not able to ensure food safety.
The CFIA “Food Recalls and Allergy Alerts – High Risk” website shows close to 30 recalls and alerts issued every month, ranging from Listeria in mushrooms and popcorn, Salmonella in mangoes, nut butters and energy nuggets, and E. Coli 0157:H7 in beef but also in lettuce. When risks become so numerous and widespread, isn't it obvious that all food produced by Industrial Agriculture is inherently unsafe?
How a benign bacteria mutated?
The E. Coli 0157:H7 bacteria mutated from the essential E. Coli bacteria that lives in our bodies and helps us digest food & produce enzymes. It was first identified in 1982 during an outbreak linked to contaminated hamburger.
Cows are ruminant that evolved eating mostly grass. Until cows started becoming a dumping ground for GMO grain produced by Industrial Agriculture, cows did not carry the E. Coli 0157:H7 bacteria and because their rumen had a neutral Ph environment, any microbes that found their way into our food were killed off by the strong acids in our stomachs.
Michael Pollan, author of “The Omnivore's dilemma” writes: “the rumen of a corn-fed feedlot steer is nearly as acidic as our own, and in this new, man-made environment new acid-resistant strains of E. coli, of which 0157:H7 is one, have evolved. By acidifying the rumen with corn we’ve broken down one of our food chain’s most important barriers to infection.”
Is Industrial Agriculture the Health Hazard?
Production: factory farms crowd chickens, turkeys, cows and pigs into inhumane and unhygienic conditions and feed them grains that are genetically modified to produce poisons and are grown in toxic soils. So far, this has brought us mad cow disease, Listeriosis, E. Coli outbreaks, H5N1 or bird flu, and H1N1or swine flu. Being vegetarian doesn't help since Industrial Agriculture also results in toxic spinach, strawberries, mushrooms and more.
Processing: animals are trucked to central plants that process 4,000 animals/day. Most of these animals come from feedlot where they've been standing in feces while fed GMO grain so most have the E. Coli 0157:H7 bacteria. Even if only one animal's meat gets contaminated by it, all the machines that were used are now contaminated until a thorough systematic cleanup is done which is usually at the end of the day. By then thousands of animals are potentially contaminated and if grinders still carry bacteria, millions of pounds of hamburger can be contaminated before anyone finds out. Wouldn't it make sense to replace one central plant processing 4,000 cows/day by 100 local plants that each process 40 cows/day? It would reduce transport cost, stress on the animals, and contamination risks.
Wastes: raising and processing so many animals in one place creates enormous amounts of toxic wastes (containing microbes like E. coli 0157:H7, high concentrations of pharmaceuticals and antibiotics necessary for animals to survive the industrial lifestyle) that are disposed on fields and pollute aquifers and waterways, hence endanger watersheds and food production.
Costs: The only reason the Industrial System supposedly offers “economies of scale” is because the costs of cleaning up the pollution, the sickness, the cruelty to the animals and the overall harm it causes to communities are not accounted for. They are called “externalities” and are paid for by us. This is the system that government has chosen to subsidize.
Can local food be safer?
When purchasing food from local organic farms we encourage a more humane agriculture and reduce health hazards. Charlotte Ruechel from Vale Farms says: “most processing facilities clean up at the end of the day – if contamination occurs, a small facility may have to recall 10 animals, not 4,000. The facilities' cleaner is one of the most important persons in the whole system, for all farmers depend on their competence.”
The Industrial Food system is bound to fail. This system has already caused the ruin of many small farmers so hopefully it will fail before the skills required to sustainably produce food are lost.
At Bee SAFE we also teach food preservation methods that pre-date freezers, such as canning, dehydrating and lacto-fermenting. These methods allow us to reduce our dependence on the industrial food system year-round.
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Okanagan apple joins bad vibe GMO’s
September 13, 2012
The Okanagan genetically modified apple is starting to make waves in the United States as environmental groups and other critics say “no” to the non-browning apple – and their efforts are not painting a pretty picture of the Okanagan.
If approved, the apple would be the first GM apple anywhere in the world. Genetic material has been inserted into the apple to stop it from browning after being cut. In the US the apple has become a target within a larger issue that is calling into question the means by which GM food is approved – or not.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) gave Monsanto’s new GMO crops fast track to approval despite numerous accounts of organ damage, pesticide-resistant weeds, and unintentionally mutated organisms like resistant insects.
Critics of the process are accusing the US government of manuipulating the process. In a press release the US Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, envisions transforming the USDA “into a high-performing organization that focuses on its customers.”
The statement came under fire in the US media when it was questioned whether the secretary considered “customers” as the US consumer; or the likes of Monsanto, Dow, and Syngenta which are companies that produce GMO products.
The nation-wide protest effort has targeted six crops that were in the application process. The first two crops on this list have been on the old, slower-track approval process, which allows 60 days for the public to comment. The remaining four which includes the Okanagan Apple are new additions but are on the fast track which means on September 11th the USDA closed the doors for input on the applications.
- Dow 2,4-D and Glufosinate Tolerant Soybean
- Syngenta Corn Rootworm Resistant Corn – which is a GM Bt crop. This type of corn produces its own pesticides.
- Okanagan Specialty Fruits Non-Browning Apple
- Monsanto Dicamba Tolerant Soybean
- Dow 2,4-D, Dlyphosate and Glufosinate Tolerant Soybean
- Genective Glyphosate Tolerant Corn
Throughout the Okanagan, GMO critics are concerned that the apple is going to taint the market for Okanagan fruit. Groups are united as they appeal to the local company “Okanagan Specialty Fruits” to stop pursuing a genetically engineered “nonbrowning” apple.
“The company has named itself after the Okanagan but our communities don’t want the GM apple they’re pushing,” said Wendy Wright of the Okanagan Greens Society, “This company is using our valley’s name to promote a GM apple that nobody wants. This is our name and our environment, and we want to protect them both.”
“Okanagan growers were the first to reject this GM apple over 10 years ago - now the name of our beautiful valley is being sullied by association with this GM apple,” said Fred Danenhower, President of the Similkameen Okanagan Organic Treefruit Growers Association.
“Organic and conventional apple growers are very concerned for their future if this GM apple is approve,” he said.
The Okanagan-based groups Bee SAFE, Okanagan Greens Society, the True Food Foundation, and the Similkameen Okanagan Organic Treefruit Growers Association have sent a joint letter asking the company to immediately withdraw its applications for approval in Canada and the U.S., and stop all attempts to introduce the GM apple. The groups have also launched a petition asking the provincial government to take action.
A recent consumer poll found that 69% of Canadians do not want the GM apple.
“We don’t want the Okanagan Valley to be known across the world as the home of the GM apple. Many tourists come here to pick our famous fruit and people across Canada chose BC apples,” said Heidi Osterman of the True Food Foundation.
“We want all Canadians to know that we’ll protect our apples from this genetic experiment,” she said.
The groups say they’re concerned that some consumers mistakenly believe the GM apple is already on the market and that it is therefore already harming the market for BC apples.
“The positive reputation of Okanagan fruit is being misused to promote this GM apple that will look fresh even when it’s not,” said Huguette Allen of Bee SAFE.
“The company needs to stop their GM apple so we can all protect the Okanagan’s reputation for growing pure, healthy fresh fruit. Our fruit industry needs good press, not an international controversy over genetic engineering.”
“We support our local apple producers and all the consumers who reject this GM apple,” said Allen.
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“Local” instead
of “industrial”
Carla from Bee SAFE displays local herbs, fruits and vegetables she dehydrates.
Wolf talk brings solutions
BC needs habitat corridors, where large tracks of forests are
connected so that a healthy predator-prey system can survive.
By Jungyon Drake – December 11, 2012
Most of the 30 people who came to hear Sadie Parr speak in Vernon on December 5th, left with a new understanding about wolves. Far from being freeloaders on the top of the food chain, wolves benefit the ecosystems around them, from the survival of forest and riverbank vegetation to the health of the caribou, deer and other animals on which they prey.
The brutal war against wolves that is waged all over the world and is now proposed in BC, is leading to the extinction of one of the most intelligent and beneficial species that inhabits our forests.
"Yellowstone Park is a prime example of how wolves benefit an ecosystem. In the 1920's when the park got rid of wolves, elk, moose, caribou and other ungulates thrived and behaved very differently than when the wolves were around. They ate everything in sight, including the vegetation along stream banks, causing severe disruption to the ecosystem. The fish and the beavers disappeared, along with numerous birds and other species. The animals left, no longer thrived but got weaker and susceptible to disease. Seventy years later, the park reintroduced wolves. Browsing animals started behaving differently, allowing the vegetation to grow tall enough to reproduce. Now the fish and beavers have returned along with the plants needed to support biodiversity,” said Parr.
The streams have benefited too. The beavers keep the rivers from drying up while, at the same time, healthy vegetation keeps the rivers from flooding, and all this biological interaction helps maintain rich soil that better sequesters carbon — gets it out of the atmosphere and back into the ground. In other words, by helping to maintain a healthy ecosystem, wolves are connected to climate change: without them, these landscapes would be more vulnerable to the effects of those big weather events we will increasingly experience as the planet warms.
Parr stressed that there are only a few places left in Canada with enough genetic diversity to allow wolves to survive if left alone.
“If wolves can't be allowed to live in BC, where will they live?” she added. She also dispelled the thoughts that wolves are killing a lot of cattle, saying that transport, disease, and other occurrences are responsible for most of the deaths and that the best way to protect one's farm animals is to shepherd them as used to be done by farmers. Wolves fear people and will not attack when a human is present.
“Habitat destruction is to blame along with government's misled "management" plan for the low numbers of the caribou. These animals need large tracks of old growth forests, not little islands here and there.”
The provincial management plan includes sterilization that most often leads to rejection, sickness and eventually death, helicopter chasing until complete exhaustion, gunning down wolves year-round, trapping which often results in weeks of extreme suffering, trophy hunting, and even offers bounties for the largest animals. Since wolves live in family groups, killing a large member can leave the pack without the ability to hunt successfully or even survive.
She urged everyone to write the provincial government to ask for an extension to the deadline for commenting and to let them know that the barbaric wolf management plan they propose is not what we want for the wolves, our forests, and for BC. Instead what BC needs habitat corridors, where large tracks of forests are connected so that a healthy predator-prey system can survive.
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BC Wolf Advocate to speak in Vernon
November 28th, 2012
The BC government released a draft management plan for wolves on November 14th that includes wolf kill contests and prizes for biggest kills. The plan has brought a flurry of complaints from Conservation Groups and concerned citizens. "British Columbia needs to stop killing wolves and start protecting one of the last functioning predator-prey ecosystems in the world" according to wolf advocate Sadie Parr, who will speak in Vernon on Wednesday December 5th, on the role that wolves play in BC's ecosystems.
Parr has been invited by Jungyon Drake, a local conservationist. Drake believes that conservation scientist Chris Darimont from the University of Victoria is right when he says that this is giving hunters a bad name: "this is not about putting food on the table, this is about feeding the egos of small men with big guns". Drake explains that the BC government's plan is about the worst thing it could be doing because "taking out big dominant wolves in a pack leaves a bunch of disorganized teenagers who lack the skills to organize successful hunts, so they either starve or prey on livestock."
"The BC government wants to kill wolves for sport, to appease ranchers, and to save the caribou although 10 years of wolf sterilization has done nothing to increase the number of caribou. Many wolf biologists argue that wolves benefits the wider ecosystems, and have advised that the solution to saving caribou is to stop large scale deforestation and protect wild habitat. “The biggest threat to caribou and wolves, is habitat loss and fragmentation. It’s horrific we have to fight our own government to save the environment.” says Parr.
"The BC governments’ draft proposal brings us back to a time of fear-mongering." says Drake. "We invite everyone who believes in preserving BC's ecosystems and protecting wild animals from this bloodshed to attend Sadie Parr's talk so we can better understand how to help stop this madness."
Sadie Parr will speak at Vernon's Trinity Untied Church, 3300 Alexis Park Drive, on Wednesday December 5th, at 1 PM. Entrance is by donation.
For more information call: Jungyon Drake by phone - please leave voice mail at: 250-307-7442 or by email at: regularmat@yahoo.ca
Websites for references:
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Monday+Wolf+kill+poor+strategy+manage+wildlife/7603366/story.html
http://www.rmoutlook.com/article/20120426/RMO0801/304269978/-1/rmo08/wolves-face-dire-future-advocate-says
http://furbearerdefenders.com/blogs/blog/40-08-2012/143-money-wasted-on-killing-wolves-in-big-lakes-municipal-district-ab
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Contest+offers+cash+prizes+wolf+kills+northeastern/7572936/story.html
http://www.desmogblog.com/2012/11/22/wolf-kill-contest-prompts-bc-gaming-investigation-after-flurry-complaints-conservation-groups-concerned-citizens
http://www.raincoast.org/tag/bc-wolf-kill-opposed/
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"British Columbia needs to stop killing wolves and start protecting one of the last functioning predator-prey ecosystems in the world" according to wolf advocate Sadie Parr
