FRIDAY FEBRUARY 5, 2016
NO PAPER MONDAY
Taxi
COTR
LANGUAGE L&K EXCHANGE NEW HOURS for Friday & Saturday NIGHTS • 24 Hour Service •
There will be no Daily Bulletin on Monday, February 8 because of BC Family Day. The Bulletin returns Tuesday, February 9
See LOCAL NEWS page 3
250.427.4442
THE BULLETIN
Like Us TownsmanBulletin Follow Us
@kbulletin
1
$ 10 INCLUDES G.S.T.
PROUDLY SERVING KIMBERLEY AND AREA SINCE 1932 | Vol. 84, Issue 25 | www.dailybulletin.ca
More watershed issues brewing C AROLYN GR ANT Bulletin Editor
What is sure to be an interesting discussion on watersheds should be coming up at Council’s regular meeting next week, which will be held Tuesday night instead of the regular Monday because of the BC Family Day holiday. The issue is more proposed logging in the Mark Creek watershed. Manager of Operations and Environment Services Mike Fox has recommended to Council in a report that they send a letter of opposition to BC Timber Sales plans for more cutting in the watershed. Fox is especially concerned about proposed cutblocks and a road directly above the Mark Creek reservoir. Council discussed the report at their Committee of the Whole meeting last week. “The Manager of Operations & Environment Services is in receipt of a letter dated January 25, 2016, from BCTS proposing new cut blocks; however, this letter did not include three cut blocks which were submitted to the Province and which will negatively affect the Mark Creek watershed and water supply to the residents of Kimberley,” the report says. “These three cut blocks which are located above the Mark Creek Reservoir and drain directly into the reservoir were not referred to the Mark Creek Watershed Committee prior to being submitted to the Province. There are an additional two cut blocks located above these three cut blocks bringing the total to five
“...BCTS proposing new cut blocks; however, this letter did not include three cut blocks which were submitted to the Province and which will negatively affect the Mark Creek watershed and water supply to the residents of Kimberley,” cut blocks located directly above the City’s reservoir. This area has always been considered high risk due to the proximity to the reservoir. The water entering the reservoir is not monitored because it enters below the City’s remote monitoring system. “Removing the timber in these locations will create a water quality situation for the City’s water supply particularly during freshet. If this harvesting is carried out there are possible turbidity issues, access issues and water retention issues. This potential for higher turbidity creates hardship for residents, schools, businesses and restaurants and results directly from logging in the watershed. “The proposed road follows a road that currently is in use by people to access the Watershed from the Houle Creek Watershed area. See PAGE 3
Ski racer Kyle Alexander gets some air in the Mens Downhill FIS race at Kimberley Alpine Resort on Tuesday.
MARTIN TICHY PHOTO
Avalanche awareness is critical C AROLYN GR ANT Bulletin Editor
Equipment alone is not enough is the message from Avalanche Canada in the wake of five deaths in a McBride avalanche last weekend. The BC Coroners Service and Avalanche Canada have joined forces to stress the need for preparedness for those heading into the backcountry this winter. First responders, the Coroners Service and Avalanche Canada all note that of the 17
snowmobilers in the Mount Renshaw Alpine Recreation Site, the majority had proper rescue equipment with them, and that the impressive effort made by those on scene to rescue themselves and others undoubtedly prevented the loss of more lives. But it wasn’t enough. The message is that even better than knowing how to respond to an avalanche incident is knowing how to prevent one from occurring.
“Basic skills, such as recognizing avalanche terrain and not exposing multiple people to overhead hazard, make a big difference in reducing the consequences of an event,” said Gilles Valade, Executive Director of Avalanche Canada. You can pick up some basic skills at Avalanche Awareness Day at Kimberley Alpine Resort this Saturday, February 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Kimberley Search and Rescue will be on hand to share their knowl-
edge. As for current local conditions, for the Purcells, the risk is Considerable at Alpine and moderate at Treeline and below. “There have been a few recent close calls in the north of the region near Golden. Very large human-triggered avalanches have been reported over the past few days. Conservative terrain selection remains critical,” according to avalanche.ca