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Vol. 19, No. 23, Wednesday, May 1, 2024 www.LamontLeader.com
Elk Island National Park completes controlled burns despite fire bans “It’s unreal, I can’t believe they’re doing that” - Councillor Woitas BY JOHN MATHER When Lamont County upped its fire restrictions to an outright fire ban April 23, and Strathcona County was in a fire restriction, Elk Island National Park was continuing with a series of controlled burns in the Shirley Lake area of the park. On April, 24, park spokesman Charlotte Chambers posted an email stating, “Please be advised that further prescribed fire ignitions are planned to start this morning and continue into the afternoon in the Shirley Lake area. Smoke will likely be visible to surrounding residents for several days. “Safety is always Parks Canada’s top priority when planning prescribed fire. Many safeguards are being put into place to ensure that the fire today remains in the designated areas. “The area being burned today will be reinforced by first burning a guard line around much of the perimeter, and it will also be contained by surrounding lakes and streams.”
By April 25, she posted another we’re going ahead.” She said they were aware of the email stating the prescribed burns had restrictions in both Lamont and been completed for the 2024 season. “Fire personnel will be continuing to Strathcona counties but stated the premonitor the Shirley Lake area over the scribed burn had been planned for coming days to ensure all hot spots are years. “We set out certain environmental extinguished and smoke may continue conditions and our fire crews have to be visible for the coming days. “Fire personnel have estimated that decided we are still within those so we approximately 80 hectares were can go ahead,” she said. Elk Island National Park has its own burned this year, which will go a long fire department. way towards providChambers ing healthier grazing said the fire manareas for wildlife agement officer had such as bison and been in regular conreduce the risk of tact with fire chiefs wildfire,” said the in both Lamont and release. Strathcona County. In an interview That didn’t necesApril 25, Chambers sarily sit well with said, “Our fire manLamont Division 5 agers have assessed Councillor Neil the weather condiWoitas, whose area tions and we’re within the condi- A recent controlled fire at Elk Island encompasses part of National Park south of Lamont. the National Park. tions we set out so
“We put that fire ban on right after dinner and they light a fire at 3 p.m.,” he said. “It’s unreal. I can’t believe they’re doing that.” Strathcona Division 5 Councillor Aaron Nelson said the County fire department was doing a lot more rounds through their county to work to prevent any fires. “We learned a lot from last year,” he said, adding the odds of a fire happening grows larger over the weekends. “We have volunteers involved this year,” he said. “We have farmers who will help move cattle and fences and we’re working to put a process in place now.” Nelson felt the National Park officials should have put a pause on their burns, but added he thought they were doing burns in an area where there was water easily available to help control it. Elk Island Fire managers never responded to the Leaders’ request for a comment.
municipal property, highway, permitted-use area or trail during the fire ban. Failure to comply with the ban can result in a minimum fine of $1,500. The fire ban came about after Lamont County Division 5 Councillor Neil Woitas said during the April 23 council meeting that he’d been getting a lot of complaints from residents in his division worried about the dry conditions in the area north of Bruderheim. “We’re really dry and I’ve got people up north near the Sand Hills starting to panic because we don’t have a fire ban on,” he said. “We have a fire
restriction in effect but Smoky Lake had an ATV catch on fire this weekend.” He said the County had ATV restrictions, but people were still riding them around the Sand Hills area. “We don’t want a repeat of what happened a few years ago,” he added. Regional Fire Chief Bo Moore said with the fire restriction upgraded to a fire ban, it would only result in prohibiting burn barrels and incinerators. “We can’t control the use of off road vehicles in the forestry protection area,” he said. Continued on Page 7
EINP photo.
Lamont issues fire ban across county BY JOHN MATHER Following a couple of weeks of fire restrictions in Lamont County, the municipality including all towns and hamlets within it was put under a total fire ban April 23. Under the fire ban; campfires, fireworks, exploding targets, charcoal barbecues, burn barrels, fires that require a
fire permit and any other type of outside burnings are prohibited until further notice. Propane barbecues and ULC approved fuelled fire pits are permitted. Under this ban, the County has also issued notice that no person shall operate an off-road vehicle on