Around the Press

In the early afternoon of Aug. 3, the Watch Lake/North Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department (WLNGLVFD) was called out to attend a lightning strike which caused a small brush fire.

People riding horseback, on the snowmobile trail, came across the fire and called 9-1-1.

WLNGLVFD members were dispatched to the Little Horse Lodge where they met one of the individuals who discovered the fire and guided the two fire-rescue vehicles to the scene. After 20 minutes on the snowmobile trail, the firefighters, with a full load of water, finally reached the scene. In a manner of 3.5 hours of fighting the small blaze, it was extinguished.

The two fire-rescue vehicles have proven themselves to be very effective vehicles, especially off the main roads. This was the second fire that these vehicles attended this year.

Halls vandalized

On several occasions, both the Shorty Horn and the Sonny Johnson memorial halls were the targets of vandalism by vehicles and motorcycles tearing up the newly groomed parking lot.

This has left large gouges in the area that had to be refilled by volunteer workers. If you witness any type of vandalism, please contact your local RCMP.

Less than two dozen people attended the Deka Lake & District Ratepayers’ Association (DLDRA) annual general meeting Aug, 17.

It was disappointing for the directors who spend the whole year providing little extras, or large ones, such as the bulletin boards, for residents.

The executive remains the same: president Hank Hackett (250-593-4490); vice-president Pat Pasanen; secretary Penny Millway; treasurer Lorna Wiebe; and directors Marvel McCune, Joyce McKay, Al Martin and Wolf Zink.

These good people total eight, while DLDRA’s constitution calls for 12.

Martin, a summer resident, says that it isn’t an onerous job. Anyone willing to help make decisions and preferably able to attend one meeting a month is asked to contact Hackett.

There were no guest speakers, but Hackett gave the president’s report, and Millway reported on developments at accesses.

Zink reported on fish restocking. He noted there was a very good rapport with the fisheries biologist at Williams Lake, and a thank-you note had been sent.

It was noted that DLDRA spent two mornings removing dead trees and debris and mowing the grass at one access, and it was expected those who use it would maintain it. They did not.

DLDRA would like to see a few residents get together to “adopt” their access and keep it tidy.

The last draft of the Green Lake and Area Official Community Plan (OCP) presented for discussion at the Seventy Mile Access Center, Aug. 11 opened a sore point for First Nations.

While the meeting was intended as the final public opportunity to discuss the OCP before it begins moving through the approval process, Rob Louie, Shuswap Nation Tribal Council (SNTC) aboriginal rights and title director, voiced concerns that may result in more changes.

The electoral border for the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) and the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) runs right down the middle of Green Lake, so TNRD Area E Director Sally Watson was at the meeting and addressed these aboriginal concerns.

“The [SNTC] sent a representative to this meeting and they expressed to us that they could not approve this OCP because they were not included in the original planning stages or consulted effectively.”

Although First Nations were invited to the OCP meetings to discuss their needs regarding hereditary rights, celebration sites and other issues, Watson says Louie indicated they haven’t been included in the planning to the extent they expect.

She responded by inviting the SNTC to join the advisory board and be consulted for the remaining planning, she says, adding Louie was satisfied with that.

It will slow down the pace slightly, she says, so the OCP won’t be ready to be submitted to the two regional districts in October as they had hoped.

Area L Director Bruce Rattray also attended the public meeting in 70 Mile, and says that a statement read by Louie expressed concerns about the Shuswap Nation being referred to as stakeholders and it triggered a significant amount of discussion at the meeting.

“[First Nations] are concerned about that characterization because they feel it undermines their aboriginal title to land. They think they are more than a stakeholder, in fact they characterize themselves as titleholders.”

While that issue goes back to the Shuswap Nation’s historical claims to traditional territory in and around the Green Lake, they raised no specific issues with the OCP, Rattray says, and their refusal to support it is based on concerns with the local government act and the provincial government’s planning process.

Area residents who made up the balance of the approximately 20 people at the meeting reiterated strong concerns they have voiced previously about Green Lake and its watershed, especially with the aspect of the plan that refers to economic development and tourism, he adds, but had no new requests for changes.

“The [residents’] overriding concern at this meeting and all of the other meetings was about preserving the natural quality of the lake and the surrounding country.”

The Green Lake and Area OCP advisory committee consists of local residents who have been involved throughout the process, he explains, and has come up with further recommendations from a meeting held earlier the same day, although he does not yet know the details.

The OCP is a good, solid document consistent with what residents have indicated they want for the area, Rattray says, adding he anticipates using it to guide his recommendations to the CRD board for planning and development issues in the area.

A recent rash of vandalism and general mischief that happened in early July prompted a special meeting at Lone Butte Community Hall on Aug. 10.

Lone Butte Horse Lake Community Association (LBHLCA) president Tracey Lervick introduced Rural Crime Watch (RCW) member Jon McCormick to some two dozen people who attended.

McCormick talked about the history of RCW and noted it has been in this area for eight years. He explained the advances RCW has made with computers and the Internet.

“Now, there are 650 people on the RCW computer phone fan-out system, and those people usually pass the message on to their neighbours, so potentially it could reach into the thousands.”

The phone-messaging system uses a computer that has members’ phone numbers, and when a crime occurs, the investigating member records a message explaining the situation.

The computer then calls everyone on the list and provides the information.

McCormick introduced 100 Mile RCMP Const. Chris Manseau who has the file on the Lone Butte vandalism.

“This type of vandalism and mischief usually comes in ebbs and flows, Manseau explained.

“They may do something one night, and then try something the next night, and then when they just about get caught or the novelty wears off, it comes to a stop.”

The RCMP regularly patrol the outlying areas, he added, and not always in a patrol car.

If someone has been reported on doing suspicious things, Manseau said the RCMP keeps an eye on him, and if he is out and about at 2 or 3 a.m., he will be questioned.

“Criminals are inherently lazy; they won’t walk five miles to commit a crime. Usually the vandalism is done by people who live in the area.”

Manseau noted it makes a big difference in small towns if the police can get the one or two bad apples off the street.

Noting there were a “ton of break-ins” in 2005, he said once the RCMP took the “fence” [person who buys stolen goods] off the streets the crimes dropped dramatically.

“We rely heavily on the small communities to call in to the office or Crime Stoppers if they see something happening or have information on past incidents.

“If you are afraid, use the Crime Stoppers number (1-800-222-TIPS (8477). You don’t have to leave your name; I don’t even know that you sent the information in.”

Manseau and McCormick both talked about youths and restorative justice. If the offenders are apologetic about their actions and/or wish to make restoration, then the case may go to “circle justice,” which involves the RCMP, the victim, the offender and a facilitator.

McCormick had brochures and signs available. He said posting the large yellow RCW signs on a resident’s property is a deterrent for thieves to target his or her home.

“You people are our eyes and ears of the community. If you see something say something,” they both said at different times during the meeting.

Because of the vandalism that happened in early July, RCMP and Rural Crime Watch (RCW) representatives gave a presentation at the Lone Butte Comm-unity Hall on Aug. 10.

Jon McCormick of RCW spoke in front of the 20 people who attended and gave the history of RCW as well as what the citizens could do to protect themselves and their property from being targeted for a crime.

RCMP Const. Chris Manseau talked about the vandalism, and what people should do to report mischief makers as well as suspicious characters. Manseau said RCMP members patrol Lone Butte as much as they can, but they rely on the residents to be the eyes and ears of the community.

It was an informative meeting. Citizens on Patrol (COP) members were in the audience as were Cariboo Regional District Area L Director Bruce Rattray and 100 Mile Councillor Dave Mingo.

Surveyor Nigel Hemingway advises an information meeting will be held at Interlakes Hall at 7 p.m., Sept. 1.

Attendees will be informed about a potential development by Bree Contracting Ltd., regarding five-acre lots fronting on Highway 24 and Webb Lake. While full details are not yet available, it is anticipated there will be approximately 21 lots.

The purpose of this meeting is to answer any questions residents may have before the development proposal goes forward to the Cariboo Regional District for subsequent public hearing regarding rezoning.

A fire at a home on the 7400 block of Watch Lake could have been a lot worse than it was.

Fire chief Mike Collinge said it was contained to the attic, and it must have been smoldering for quite a while, as the trusses, insulation and plywood were charred.

“It’s a miracle the fire didn’t go through the roof and just take over. A lot of our guys were there and we had mutual aid from Watch Lake/Green Lake department. They were very helpful.”

To the editor:

On Aug. 15, my wife and I were out for a drive when we got one of those terrifying phone calls — your attic is on fire. Thankfully, a passerby saw the smoke and called 9-1-1. They came to our door and saw our dog, Maggie, in distress, broke our basement window and rescued her.

Our brother-in-law took our dog to his place until we got there; unfortunately no one knows who the [Good Samaritans] were.

We would like to thank them and return the lead that they used to hold Maggie. Please call or stop by.

We also would like to thank the fire departments that came to our rescue and stopped what could have been a much worse scenario, and our friends and neighbours who have offered their help.

Clancy and Lorraine Madden

Lone Butte

My husband and I were driving down Horse Lake Road on Aug. 7, following behind a company pickup truck that had a load of stuff in the back.

This truck went to our transfer station.

After having dinner at a local diner, we went back to the transfer station and the same truck was there unloading mattresses, old broken down dressers, etc.

When are people going to stop using the transfer stations as a garbage dump? There are facilities available at Watch Lake and 100 Mile House to look after household items like that.

The 2010 wildfire season won't be over for weeks, but it has already charred more than 300,000 hectares of B.C. forest, an area larger than Metro Vancouver.

That's more forest burned than any year since 1998, including the 2003 season that saw 33,000 people evacuated in the Okanagan and Thompson regions and 238 homes damaged or destroyed. Some of the fires currently burning are twice as large as the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park fire, and parts of the B.C. Interior have been so obscured by smoke that the size and number of fires can only be estimated.

The smoke from B.C. fires has spread eastward as far as Manitoba, another indication of the swath of destruction that has swept across mainly remote areas of the province this summer.

Despite the pall of smoke that has hung over much of the province this summer, human carelessness continues. Two new human-caused fires were identified on the weekend, bringing the total fires for this season to more than 1,500.

While most of the major fires have been in the Cariboo and Northwest regions, a fire was discovered on the weekend in the Stave Lake region of the Fraser Valley. Several fires continued to burn on Vancouver Island, with crews in action near Port Alice and Port Renfrew as well as Bella Coola and Powell River on the adjacent coast.

Highway 20 between the Cariboo and Bella Coola was reopened to traffic Monday.

Fire hazard conditions remained high or extreme across much of the province, with northern B.C. experiencing severe drought and some of the lowest river levels ever recorded.

Cooler conditions and a few sprinkles of rain on the weekend eased the severity of fires and allowed forest fire crews and aircraft to make progress containing them.

Several fire evacuation orders in the Cariboo region were downgraded to alerts Monday, allowing residents of several small communities and aboriginal reserves to go home. Most remain on alert status, with medications and other essentials packed so they can leave quickly if conditions deteriorate.

Last week there were concerns that more than 10,000 people in and around Williams Lake might need to be evacuated, as high east winds grounded firefighting aircraft and threatened to push forest fires across the Fraser River. All evacuation alerts for the east side of the river near Williams Lake and McLeese Lake were lifted Monday.