Aug. 4 2010 volume 1 Issue 8

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Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Your source for weekly news and views in the Robson Valley

Cancer centre hub for north

Volume 1 Issue 8

Joseph Nusse jnusse@therockymountaingoat.com

Construction on a new cancer centre in Prince George means some northern patients are one step closer to receiving treatment without tiresome drives.

Premier Gordon Campbell says the service will eliminate the need for northern residents to travel south for treatment.

But residents of the Robson Valley will still have to commute to Prince George for treatment.

Pam Tobin of the Northern Cancer Control Strategy says the new facility will offer more reasonable accommodation for patients and accompanying family who still need to travel the distance.

The Centre for the North will also offer patients and their families more care options such as radiation therapy.

The 5,000-square-metre centre will be the B.C. Cancer Agency’s sixth regional cancer centre. It will also include a computerized-tomography simulator; a chemotherapy treatment unit; a pharmacy; and general outpatient clinics.

The total capital cost of the Northern Cancer Control Strategy is $102.8 million, funded almost entirely by the province.

Construction and operation of the project is contracted as a public-private partnership with a capital cost of $69.9 million.

Shirley Bond, Prince GeorgeValemount MLA, says they have been waiting for this for a very long time.

“For decades we have been asking to find ways to keep cancer patients closer to home, surrounded by their loved ones.”

The B.C. Cancer Agency has contracted Plenary Health to design, build, and maintain the new centre for 30 years.

Key design features include the first green roof in Prince George, as well as extensive use of wood, a decision Minister of Forests and Range, Pat Bell, says reflects one of the primary industries in the North.

Construction-related projects should create around 445 direct construction jobs over the life of the project.

According to provincial health analysts, the annual number of new cancer diagnoses in northern B.C. is projected to reach approximately 1,628 by 2020 – an increase of nearly 26 per cent from 2010.

The Centre for the North will be a key resource for Northern Health’s community cancer clinics located across the region, said Dr. Charles Jago, Northern Health board chair.

The new cancer facility if part of a three-year, $2.6-billion health-sector capital plan by the province.

Photo: Laura Keil Betty Huegle of Edmonton says her dogs Buddy, Peewee and Sweet Pea get very upset if she goes quading without them. The dogs, a Chihuahua-Yorkie cross, were out with Huegle who was quading with Floyd and Travis Hammond on Canoe Mountain Road last weekend just outside of Valemount.

Jasper and Blue River men conquer 24-hour race Laura Keil lkeil@therockymountaingoat.com

A Blue River man and a Jasper man are close to the 24hour world championship for mountain biking in Australia after placing at the 24-Hours of Adrenaline competition in Canmore last week.

Cory Wallace of Jasper placed first and Andy Aufschnaiter of Blue River placed eighth at the race of some 1,500 people.

It was Aufschnaiter’s first time

at the races. The 47-year-old ski instructor from Blue River says the adrenaline was definitely there.

“You’re so charged up,” he says.

“My heart rate was so high.”

He says he entered the race to learn about what his body is capable of doing. The race takes place on a 16.5 km track. Wallace finished 20 laps around the track in the 24 hours. Auf-

schnaiter did 15.

“It’s a tough race,” Aufschnaiter says. “After 16 hours my body broke down.”

He said he started too fast and paid for it later. It was 4 a.m. when his body said it had had enough. He had to rest half an hour, he says. That is the only time he stopped for more than the time it took to eat and drink.

Cont’ A6

More Inside: 24 hours of adrenaline

A colony of harpists in McBride

A2 Wednesday, August 04 2010

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Mud races struggle to keep mud

Laura Keil lkeil@therockymountaingoat.com

The riding was hot last weekend at Valemount first-ever mud bog races - a little too hot, perhaps.

“There’s not enough mud,” said North West Mud Racing Association President Dave Biddlecombe on a very hot Saturday afternoon as he grabbed a hose and began spraying water on the track during intermission.

The dual 200-foot long tracks were a foot deep, but the water just wouldn’t stay in the pit as it should.

This didn’t stop Rod Dobson from having a good ride, however. He zipped his truck, Lethal Injection, down the pit in 3.3 seconds. The dry sand helped him accelerate to 100 km/h by the end of the track, he says.

“It’s lots of fun.”

Dobson, like many competitors, built his vehicle himself and has been working on it roughly eight years.

Steven Harabie built his vehicle too, completely out of salvaged materials.

“I hate waste,” he said as he fine-tuned his machine before the race.

Harabie was run over by a vehicle at

the races in Chiliwack last year, but is back again this year. He says his vehicle is outfitted with many safety precautions and last year was simply a stroke of bad luck.

Some $8,000 was paid out to the winners of the mud bog races last weekend. Several dozen people competed in the race which saw a good turnout, organizers say.

Photos: Laura Keil

North West Mud Racing Association President Dave Biddlecombe hoses down the race track during an intermission Saturday. The hot day and sandy soil meant less than ideal conditions for the mud racing.

Taylor Harabie, 4, and Kiara Harabie, 7, were happy to be part of the mud races with their dad Steven. Rod Dobson says the dry sand helped him to drive faster in his vehicle “Lethal Injection.”

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Wednesday, August 04, 2010

A3

Regional park trail nearly done Local workers snubbed by district Laura Keil lkeil@therockymountaingoat.com

The George Hicks park trail has long offered visitors a chance to picnic next to Swift Creek and watch salmon spawn just west of Highway 16 in Valemount.

This year, a new trail will be completed in the park, offering visitors a chance to take a scenic nature walk not far from the highway.

Local workers were not commissioned this year to work on the trail, however.

Regional district parks spokesperson Petra Wildauer says that two out of three local workers left the project last year, and with that turn-over rate the hiring process is too costly.

“We have limited time to complete a project throughout the construction season,” Wildauer said. “Due to the experience from last year, with the time spent trying to hire local people, the remaining work in the amount of time defined can be completed by staff already employed by the regional district.”

Work on the new $10,000 trail began three years ago, and is set to end this September. The funds came from the Community Tourism program through the Union of British Columbia Municipalities.

Four staff from the district are working on the trail. The path is intended to connect the Valemount Visitor Centre to the park and provide information on the marsh system. Local Village of Valemount staff are taking care of the park maintenance.

The long-term plan for the park is to add interpretive signage, another salmon-viewing area and shelter near Swift Creek.

Photos: Laura Keil

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Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Valemount Village updates New stop signs, zip line meeting, seniors moving day Laura Keil lkeil@therockymountaingoat.com

Stop signs will be installed at the intersection of 5th Avenue and Elm Street. There are currently two stop signs headed north-south on Elm Street, but none on 5th Avenue headed east-west. Village councillors voted unanimously to install the signs at that corner, citing concerns from residents about limited visiblity because of the planters.

On Tuesday Aug. 24th, the Village will help host a reception for former mayor Jeannette Townsend in honour of the B.C. Achievement Award she received this spring. The date

and time are to be announced.

Terracana will be meeting with the province in mid-August to discuss the proposed zip line near Valemount.

Seniors will likely be able to move into their new B.C. Housing homes in Valemount by Dec. 1st.

The grand openings of the seniors housing, water treatment plant and downtown revitalization will be celebrated together.

Next council meeting is Tuesday Aug. 10th at 7 p.m.

Photo: Laura Keil

The Rocky Mountain Goat is distributed free weekly Office: 1070, 5th Avenue, Valemount British Columbia

Laura Keil

Telephone: (250) 566-4606 E-mail: jnusse@therockymountaingoat.com, or lkeil@therockymountaingoat.com Web-site: www.therockymountaingoat.com Mail Address: Box 21, Valemount BC, V0E 2Z0

Co-Owner Editor/Reporter lkeil@therockymountaingoat.com

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The Rocky Mountain Goat is produced and distributed by ‘The Rocky Mountain Goat News’ and is subject to copyright. Reproduction, or distribution of any article, photo, or other content must recieve prior consent from Joseph Nusse (Co-Owner/ Publisher) or Laura Keil (Co-Owner/Editor).

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Wednesday, August 04, 2010

A5

Pulling at the harp strings Harp colony stakes claim in McBride Laura Keil lkeil@therockymountaingoat.com

A dozen harpists sit in a circle, arms reaching across the strings of their instruments. On a cue they begin to play, and their music fills the room with vibration.

It’s the first annual harp colony in McBride, far from the heat and noise of the city where many of the participants are from.

“Everyone is enjoying McBride so much,” says Regina Timmins of Calgary, who co-founded the event. “The Indy 500 is going on in Calgary right now, so all over the city you hear ‘raaaayyyr!’”

A dozen harpists from across western Canada, including some from McBride, joined the colony which ran the last week of July. It’s a week-long retreat where participants can have one-on-one lessons, get their harp fine-tuned by a harp technician, or learn a duet with a new partner.

Roberta Froese, 19, of McBride, was one of the locals who took part in the retreat. She has been playing the harp for four years.

“I like it because it’s different and I like to be different,” she says.

She ordered her harp through a catalogue and built it with the help of her brother.

Last week she sat in the cool rehearsal room at the North Country Lodge for her private lesson with Gianetta Baril, as Baril explained the finger motions of a new song.

Froese has already played at two wed-

Instructor and co-founder Regina Timmins says McBride is a great location for the harp colony. Participants such as Caroline Parker travelled from Calgary for the week-long retreat.

Photos: Laura Keil

dings, including her brother’s this July.

Giving young harpists a chance to expand their skills is part of the idea behind the colony Baril says. As a teacher, she is learning too.

“I’m really enjoying it,” she says. “I’m going from room to room, whereas at home I’ll teach seven hours straight though.”

She says her goal is to pick out how she can help the student within the week they have. It’s different approach to teaching, she says, especially for the students she will only see this week.

“It’s nice to teach some students that aren’t necessarily my own.”

Next summer harpists from around the world will travel to Vancouver for the World Harp Congress. Timmins says they will promote the McBride gathering there with the hope that many more people will come to pluck strings in the Robson Valley.

She says they will hold the McBride colony either right before or right after the Vancouver Congress. They may also extend the colony for 2 weeks.

McBride is the perfect setting for the event, she says.

“In Vancouver, even though there may be more students, for people to come in it’s too expensive.”

She said participants were able to stay in McBride for $900 for the entire week.

Next year there will once again be performances for non-harpists, private lessons, and a chance for beginners to test their playing.

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Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Heavy and obscure is the instrument of change

Laura Keil lkeil@therockymountaingoat.com

Harpers’ colony. No, it isn’t our Prime Minister’s shovel-ready plan to give his family jobs. The harp players are not on the provincial government’s slate either.

But wait. These well-postured musicians are hauling their instruments many miles in search of the perfect spot to nest. And McBride may benefit from their choice.

Last week more than a dozen harpists gathered at a hotel in McBride for a week-long harp retreat. Members of the public were invited to concerts and to try out a harp for themselves. Harpists plucked from a number of options including private lessons and ensemble work – and at affordable rates, organizers say.

Next year will be the big year, as organizers get ready to promote the event at the World Harp Congress in Vancouver. Their marketing pitch is simple: McBride may be out of the way, but it is quiet, affordable, and friendly.

The people of McBride will most certainly benefit from the harpists’ choice.

Photo: Laura Keil The Kimberley accordion championships have grown from humble beginnings into an event that draws up to 5,000 people each year.

Two weeks ago, I drove down to Kimberley, B.C. to meet my Grandma for the international old-time accordion championships. It’s been running for 37 years.

Today the festival sees upward of 3,000 visitors. They fill the streets. They fill the hotels. Their RVs fill the campgrounds and the lawns of obliging locals. My grandparents once camped in someone’s front yard.

But the dubbed “accordion invasion” began much more humbly. An article from the local paper describes the festival’s first year in 1974:

“Accordion contest held – little interest may force re-location.”

The year it began was only two years after Kimberley made it its mandate to become a “little Bavaria.” Over the years, the accordion championship grew in attendance, size and reputation as the only old-time accordion festival in North America. People flocked from all over the globe to eye the bellows of names such as Myron Floren.

Accordions are hated by many, but for those who hold a stubborn love of the instrument, being surrounded by

people who appreciate the music is like a homecoming. Many people come back every year, says organizer Jeany Irvin, and sometimes it’s the only time they see certain friends.

The event is a huge plus for the Kimberley economy. Volunteers come from all over to help.

“I think it’s more important than anyone can imagine,” Irvin says. “It brings a lot of people to town.”

Kimberley, population 7,000, was home to the largest lead-zinc mine in the world until it shut down in 2001.

While the city took a hit, its identity as the “Bavarian City in the Rockies” and events such as the accordion festival ensure its economy remains viable throughout the year.

Irvin says hosting the event in a smaller centre has many advantages.

The friendliness of the town, the uncrowded streets and the excellent campgrounds are all suited to hosting. She says their best advertising is word of mouth.

Unlike when you play the accordion, strumming the harp is unlikely to get you nailed in the head with a pillow by your roommate. But the obscurity of the harp still means you’re unlikely to find too harpists or instructors nearby. The event could grow into something that draws harpists from around the world.

They will come to listen to the melodic strumming reverberating through the Valley.

Adrenaline cycle Cont’ from A1 He says some people slept two or three says unless he finds funds hours. for the flight, he won’t be “You’re abusing your body a lot,” Auf- going to the world chamschnaiter says. “It’s something you have pionships in Australia to train for, for sure.” this October.

He says his diet and He will comexercise regime play a “I started way too fast pete soon in big role in his success and then I had to pay the TransRockat the race. He’s been for it during the night.” ies Challenge, a training seriously for seven-day solo Andy Aufschnaiter, long-distance biking mountain bike eighth place at the for the last six years. race between Teams also competed 24-hour mountain bike Fernie, B.C. competition in the race, alternating and Canmore, their racers throughout Alta. the day. The soloists did Andy Aufschnaiter only the entire 24 hours by themselves. rested for 30 minutes Aufschnaiter says doing a variety of during the 24-hour race. activities such as skiing and swimming Right: his last lap. are a good way to train.

Although he qualified, Aufschnaiter

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Tales of a brave Ulysses

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Local man returns after seven years wandering the other side of the Pacific

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Robson Valley Weather Wednesday

Joseph Nusse jnusse@therockymountaingoat.com

It was not supposed to last boats. more than a year or so, but “Laos was by far my favourite when local high school gradu- country of all the countries I ate Johnathan Anthony left have ever been to, but for all of Canada to visit his sister in the ‘wrong’ reasons” he laughs.

Australia in April of 2003, he “It was very poor and the pohad no idea that he was about litical system was messed up, to embark on a seven year ex- but this created a lot of regional tended working vacation. autonomy. As soon as you left He spent one and a half years the borders, there was almost between Australia and New no government presence.”

Zealand working a variety of “The people deal with their jobs from picking bananas to own situations. Most people operating machinery. He even made everything themselves. It worked as a salesman selling is a land-locked country. There desktop and laptop computers. also seemed to be alot of reThe pivotal moment in An- gional social order there even thony’s life came when in Feb- without any police. You go to ruary of 2005 he was faced with a bridge and it would just be a dilemma. constructed by a family and “I had a French girlfriend in they would sit there and collect New Zealand. I promised her I a fee.” would go travelling with her to He also notes other social atThailand is she wanted to go. I tractions to Laos. was going to come back to Can“The women in Laos were ada at this point, very modest. It “We did catch fish and was so unlike but she decided some giant clams. We Thailand with its to go alone if I tried to get a ray with a sex trade.” would not go spear, but failed.” with her. I knew Anthony also that Thailand ventured into John Anthony on was a dangerous Vietnam for six spending a week on a place, so I deweeks with an deserted island cided to go with English guy he her.” met. They rented And with that, Anthony em- motorcycles, hiked the tallest barked on an Asia odyssey mountain in the country, and which would keep him from ventured into the remote north. returning to Canada for five According to Anthony, there more years. He says that his is still animosity in northern experience was a progression Vietnam towards some westthat went deeper and deeper erners. into the root of many regional “We met this one woman in Asian cultures. the north who spoke really “When I first got to Thailand, I good English. She was from a was pre-occupied with my girl- tribe. We hung out in the hills friend, but then we went to the with her in her village. One day north, to Changmai, and then we went to another village with even further into Laos. At this her husband. It was really weird. point our relationship started They wanted to fight him, I failing. I felt that she was not think because he brought a forrespecting the local culture to eigner in with him. We expethe extent that is was rude.” rienced some tribal animosity Anthony recalls Laos as be- first hand, but in the end it was ing particularly eye opening, all good, though I did get bit by especially once he made it into a dog,” he says and laughs. regions accessible only by river For Anthony, yet another

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Johnathan Anthony has been teaching in Asia several years. He graduated from Valemount Secondary School in 2002.

country was to be explored.

They went into Cambodia and saw Ankor Wat, the famous temple built during the 12th Century as well as ‘The Killing Fields’.

After the Americans pulled out of Vietnam in 1975, the Khmer Rouge, an extreme communist regime, took control of Cambodia. For Anthony learning about the atrocities committed at these sites was an eye opener.

“They warped communism into a hatred for all things urban. They would raid cities and look for ‘urbanites’. People with glasses, for example.”

They would torture and kill at these fields. Two million people died between 1975 and 1979.

Analyzing social differences started becoming more noticeable for Anthony at this point.

Cambodia’s GDP is much higher than Laos, but in Laos nobody begs, he says, as they have a working social structure.

In Cambodia this was noticeably lacking.

“I went to the dump and people lived there. In that same town, there were Hummers in the street. In Laos, everybody was poor together and happier.”

He went back to Thailand and met up with Justin Black, a high school buddy. They ventured

south into Malaysia where they went to Tama Negara National Park, which some say is the oldest jungle in the world.

Anthony could not help but note social differences in Malaysia as well.

“I could see how the age or maturity of a good economy reflected in the people. In Malaysia, a lot of stuff was older, but still worked. In Thailand, everyone drives a new car because they have newer money.

Malaysia is richer, but they have had money longer. In Malaysia they have landline telephones.

In Thailand, they only have cell phones.”

Anthony says that it was at this point in his trip that money constraints started to become a reality as the funds he had saved while working in Australia and New Zealand started to dwindle.

He went back to Thailand and started teaching. But he was not a teacher. So he got a fake diploma.

“It seemed like they really did not care as long as I could teach.”

The transition from carefree traveller to teacher was not easy, however.

“It was simple English, but I had to get used to being a teacher. I was teaching at a high

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school. I did not have training, so I did make a lot of mistakes at first.”

Anthony would spend 10 months teaching in Thailand, along with his high school friend Black.

He says he spent alot of time learning how to speak Thai.

“I also had a Thai girlfriend who helped me learn, so I started hanging out with locals more.”

But adventuring was not over for Anthony despite his newfound professionalism.

‘Anthony’ cont’ A11

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Wednesday, August 04, 2010

More snags for Dunster school Laura Keil lkeil@therockymountaingoat.com

With the beginning of the school year less than a month away, community members in Dunster trying to keep the elementary school open for classes are facing more hurdles.

The school district sent the recentlyformed Dunster Fine Arts School Society an offer to sell the school for over $39,000.

The school society had submitted a request for the school for $10, on the advice of members of the school district in June, says Dunster resident Chris Taylor. The district now wants fair market value for the land, she says.

“It was never more than a nominal amount,” Taylor says of the conversations they had had with the district before the formal sale offer. “That’s where this $10 offer came from. That’s the path we were led down.”

The school district wanted a downpayment of several thousand dollars and the full amount by the end of July.

Taylor says the school society is trying to organize a face-to-face meeting with the district. The school district says they are not discussing their counter-offer with the school society and have not met to review the society’s response.

“There are no discussions. We sent them out counter offer and they sent one back,” says school board vice-chair Lois Boone. “We have not come together to meet to discuss this counter offer.”

The school district has officially closed the school, and students were expected to attend elementary schools in McBride or Valemount, both some 35 minutes away.

Courtesy Local Ride Bike Shop Jean Ann McKirdy of Valemount placed eighth in the biggest national mountain biking race of the year, the Canadian Mountain Bike Championships in Canmore Alberta July 15-18.

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As owners, we live here too!

Peter Amyoony Special to The Goat

Gardening with Pete

Most gardeners know that the quickest way to lose a crop is to forget to water their garden. Many vegetable crops such as tomatoes or celery are up to 95% water. If starved for water, they will produce smaller, less juicy and fewer fruits.

If there is not a film of water surrounding the tiny root hairs the nutrients do not get to the plant. The plant will stop growing and goes from growth mode to crisis mode. The leaves will toughen, blossoms will appear too early, the sugar content of the fruit goes down, the plant bolts and tries to go to seed, some roots die and leaves will fall off. Plants in stress like this are much more attractive to diseases and pests. A gardener’s aim is to have steady growth from seed to harvest. A steady water supply is the key.

Good watering begins long before you reach for the hose. By deep digging in the spring, adding lots of compost and other organic matter and planting in beds so you are not walking on the

root zone all help the soil to stay loose and hold moisture better. Compost can hold six times its own weight in water.

The average plant needs around 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water per week. However, small seedlings may need more in hot weather and closely spaced plants or those that are mulched may need much less. Onions and garlic need no water when they begin to die down. You have to use your judgement and experience to decide when and how much to water.

The general guidelines are: 1.

Don’t let the plant leaves wilt.

This show that their roots have used all the available water and the plant has started to withdraw water from their extremities to survive.

2.

Learn how to feel your soil for moisture content. Pick up a handful of soil and gently squeeze it into a ball.

Open your hand and gently touch the ball of soil with a finger of the other hand. If you can squeeze water out of it or if it comes apart in large lumps, it is too wet. If it falls apart by itself when

you open your hand, it is too dry. If it crumbles evenly into small granules when you touch it, it is pretty well right.

Water needs can vary greatly throughout the lifetime of a plant. At the seed and seedling stage, constant moisture is necessary to insure germination and growth until the roots get deeper into the soil. Then less frequent and deeper watering is better. You can check with your hand to be sure water is going down 4-6 inches (10-15 cm). Then the top few inches can dry out before the next watering. Remember, roots and organisms in the soil need air as well as water.

It is good to remember that clay soils retain water well but take it in more slowly. You will likely have to water less often but for a longer time. Sandy soils absorb water quicker but

lose it more quickly too. It is best to water more often but for shorter periods.

Pete Amyoony is a gardener in the Robson Valley of central B.C. high in the Rocky Mountains near Mount Robson. He has lived, worked and gardened in the Dunster area for almost thirty years.

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Wednesday, August 04, 2010

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Briefs: ADDITIONAL FIREFIGHTING CREWS WELCOMED British Columbia is welcoming additional personnel from Alberta and Ontario to help B.C. fire crews as fire activity continues to increase around the province.

The Alberta and Ontario personnel will be placed mainly to the Cariboo and Kamloops Fire Centres, but placement will also be determined based on fire activity and anticipated need. Importing additional crews will also help ensure all firefighting staff get their required time off in accordance with safe work standards.

Two hundred and thirty experienced firefighters and fire specialists are arriving Sunday, August 1. This includes 10 four-person initial attack crews, five 20-person sustained action unit crews, three highly specialized incident command teams, fire behaviour analysts, incident commanders and division supervisors.

British Columbia has also acquired 14 additional aircraft, including birddog planes and airtankers from the Province’s two airtanker suppliers, and from

Alberta and the Yukon. The Provincial Air Tanker Centre is establishing a temporary facility at the Quesnel Airport to accommodate these additional aircraft.

All deployments are co-ordinated through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, with the Ministry of Forests and Range’s Wildfire Management Branch paying the costs of the deployments. Earlier this year, British Columbia sent crews to four other jurisdictions to help with their firefighting efforts.

Right now, 353 wildfires are burning in the province, 150 of which started over the last three days. Since April 1, crews around the province have responded to 1,100 wildfires, of which 487 have been human-caused, 580 lightning-caused and 33 are still under investigation.

These fires have burned a total of 59,781 hectares.

In BC, two air tanker pilots as well as one civilian have died as a result of wildfires, and suppresion efforts this summer to date.

1,598 HECTARES OF COASTAL DOUGLAS-FIR TO BE PROTECTED Under a new land use order, British Columbia will increase the protection of the Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem on provincial Crown land to almost 40 per cent, “Protecting an additional 1,598 hectares is an important step in our ongoing effort to preserve B.C.’s Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem,” said Minister of Forests and Range Pat Bell. “Most of the ecosystem lies on private and municipal land, so even with the Province’s significant contribution to conservation, only six per cent of the Coastal Douglas-fir Zone is protected. We will continue to work with local governments and private landowners to ensure everyone is doing what they can to be part of the solution.”

The Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem is home to 29 endangered plant communities. Eighty per cent of the global range of Coastal Douglas-fir ecosystem occurs in the southern Strait of Georgia area. Of the 256,800 hectares in British Columbia, only nine per cent, or 23,500 hectares, is provincially owned.

The additional 1,598 hectares will increase the amount of provincial Coastal Douglas-fir Crown land protected from logging and other resource development activities to 9,197 hectares.

The majority of new areas selected for protection are on the east coast of Vancouver Island, between Courtenay and Nanaimo. Provincial Ecologists considered a number of criteria when deciding which parcels to include for protection.

These included land parcel size, adjacency to already protected areas, risk of being disturbed, landscape context and ecological diversity.

In addition, social and economic considerations, as well as existing commitments for First Nations treaty settlements, were also factors in parcel selection. During the public review and comment period that closed in February 2010, more than 1,000 individual submissions were received.

Eleven per cent of Coastal Douglas-Fir ecosystems are owned by other levels of government and 80 per cent is in private ownership.

A10

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

www.therockymountaingoat.com

Plain Talk Horoscopes

Twenty for a Toonie: The Classified Ads Classified ads policy If it is for free, it is free.

Up to 20 words for $2, 30 words for $3, 40 words for $4 etc. If the asking price is over $499, then it is $5 for 20 words, $6 for 30 words etc.

Non-business announcements are welcome at the same rates.

The Rocky Mountain Goat reserves the right to refuse to print any classified submission that is not an advertisement of a private sale, or rental arrangement.

How to submit an ad

To submit your classified ad, e-mail or call the goat, or place your ad in an envelope with payment and drop it in our mailbox, 1070 5th Ave

By Craig Elder, M.A. Economics

Used Building Materials

For Sale

Wanted

Salvaged metal siding for sale. Perfect for any outbuilding or shop. Approximately 550-600 square foot coverage. Will consider any offer! Call Joe 250-566-1444

500 gal. single-wall fuel tank. Asking $200. Call 250566-5069, ask for Jared

Small truck canopy to fit S-10. Length 75” by width 60”. Message 250-566-1588

Heifer and one-year old llama for sale. Cute kitten to give away. Call 250-5660010, ask for Maria.

r you ad e c Pla ified ! ss cla ERE H

House for sale. Three bedrooms. Two bathrooms.

14th Avenue. Asking $175, 000. Call 1-867-332-4778.

Ask for Ryan.

Harwood Flooring. 150 square feet or more. Call 566-0010 before 10:00am and after 7:00pm, ask for Jimmy

Trusses for sale. Approximately 42 foot span. 14 units. Single slant, could be modified with a chalk line and skill saw. Now considering offers! Call Joe 250566-1444 and skill saw. Now considering offers! Call Joe 250-566-1444 Varying lengths of florescent light fixtures for sale.

Will consider any offer! Call Joe 250-566-1444 Garage Sale Multi-family Yard Sale. Riday August 6, 9am-1pm and Saturday August 7 9am1pm. The Stewart’s Farm, 840 Whiskey Fill Rd. 250566-4770.

Garage Sale Lost Black Samsung Telus Cell Phone. Please call 250566-4044.

Mobile Home with full addition, and large garage on a lot, in Valemount recently renovated. comes w/ fridge stove washer dryer.

Currently rented. Asking $110.000.00 O.B.O Call 778 328 7285 leave a message.

For Free For free! Desperately seeking a good home for a small 3-year old blue-healer-rottweiller cross male dog, or if you can also provide tempoSudoku, rary foster parenting as well, please call: 250-566-0173.

www.

Sudoku-Puzzles .net

For Rent

Sudoku 9x9 - Medium (138089477)

House For Rent. 3 bedrooms. 14 th. Wood Heat and propane. $900/month.

Call 1-867-332-4778. Ask for Ryan.

Wanted to rent 3-bedroom house in Valemount. Must allow one clean, polite, nonshedding dog. Please call 566-3071.

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Why pay more for a classified ad than what you are selling is worth?

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Our classified ads are cheap, and EVERYBODY reads a free newspaper.

Call 250-566-1444 to place your ad today!

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Community Announcement

Dunster Family Dance - Saturday, August 7th from 7pm to 10pm- Bring the children, grandpa and the whole family and learn a few new dances or steps. Instruction from 7-8pm and short sessions throughout the evening. Lots of variety dances ( waltz, fox-trot, polka, cha-cha, two-step-schottische, etc). Pot luck snacks at 9pm and then more dancing until 10pm.

Admission - $5 for anyone over 12 - maximum of $10 per family. Dust off your dancing shoes and join in the fun! These family dances will take place on the first Saturday of each month throughout the year. All welcome!!

Aries: You will achieve enlightenment on this date, but not this year.

Taurus: Do not attempt large budget magic tricks this week, it will end poorly.

Gemini: You will be very creative today, sadly your papier mache does not impress your co-workers.

Cancer: Follow your nose this week, it won’t steer you wrong. You might put on a few pounds though.

Leo:The focus is on you this week, don’t embarrass yourself like you did last time.

Virgo: Libras will be extra nice to you this week.

Libra: You best butter up a Virgo if you want them to do that favour for you next week.

Scorpio: Take an extra treat while no one is looking.

Sagittarius: Your life will get a sudden influx of excitement as you are recruited to a top secret black ops commando team.

Capricorn: The stars are out of alignment this week, you best get them in the right places before someone notices.

Aquarius: Love, money and happiness are in the cards for you, but the universe knows you stacked the deck while it was in the washroom.

Kakuro & Futoshiki Puzzles Pieces: People have been walking all over you and you’ve ‘haddock’ up to here with their ways.

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Be the first to sponsor the $2 classified ads!

Solution:

Let The Rocky Mountain Goat assist your business www.sudoku-puzzles.net with targeted marketing ideas.

Exclusive 2.25 inches high by a whole page width at the bottom of the calssified page for $75/week

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www.therockymountaingoat.com

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

A11

Legendary Canadian mountaineer passes away

Spent last years in Tete Jaune and Jasper Laura Keil lkeil@therockymountaingoat.com

He could be as crazy as a cougar swinging off a chandelier some days. But if he stood you toe to toe, looked you square in the eye and shook your hand, his word was his honour.

He rode away an honourable man. He called me “Crazy Horse”... sometimes... I miss him...

Fondly remembered, your friends HorseThief, John and Karen.

An esteemed mountain guide has died, leaving a legacy of strength and courage in his wake.

Willi Pfisterer was 83 when he passed away at the end of July. He was known throughout the world for mountain rescues, which he had often performed twice a day.

The Jasper and Tete-Jaune resident helped map the backcountry around Jasper and the Robson Valley, guiding Pierre Elliot Trudeau and training dozens of safety officers.

“He was very strong,” recalls Alf Burstrom, who worked with Pfisterer for many years. “Mentally and physically.”

Pfisterer grew up in a family of mountain guides near Salzburg, Austria. He climbed his first 3,000-metre peak at age 11 and competed on the national Nordic ski team. He came to Quebec’s Laurentian mountains in 1955 where he taught skiing. His first Canadian climb was a solo ascent of Mount Sir Donald in Rogers Pass.

He began doing mountain rescues for Parks Canada soon afterward.

“There were always close calls,” Burstrom says of Pfisterer’s rescues.

“But he was always able to work it out.”

Pfisterer helped develop the Rogers Pass’ avalanche research program. He trained wardens through rescue school and in 1968 became Parks Canada Alpine Specialist responsible for Jasper, Revelstoke, Glacier, Kluane and Nahanni parks.

Until a recent illness, Pfisterer split his time between a home in Jasper and a home in Tete-Jaune. His funeral was held last week in Jasper.

Mandarine translators in high demand ‘Anthony’ cont’ from A7

He had an Australian friend come visit and they went to Borneo for five weeks, where they spent seven days on a deserted island. They brought only rice.

“We did catch fish and some giant clams. We tried to get a ray with a spear, but failed. We also could have got a turtle, but decided not to.”

For Anthony, a new frontier was becoming visible, but not for adventure, rather for professional opportunities.

“I left Thailand around 2006 to Taiwan. I went to work as a teacher. Their standards were much higher, but the pay was good, almost twenty dollars an hour. I started going to classes to learn how to write Mandarin within nine months of arriving in Taiwan.”

But learning the language was not enough for Anthony. For Anthony, Taiwan was becoming a transition point in his life, and he started thinking about university.

“I had to pass a test to get into college but I was also teaching English full time.

I was very busy, very focussed. I also stopped speaking English altogether at one

point. I stayed away from other foreigners, as I did in Thailand, because all they would talk about was their sex-tourism experiences.”

Anthony has now completed one year working towards a degree in geography at a university in Taipei. Everything is taught in Mandarin. Anthony learned the language both through formal lessons and self-study. He will go back to finish three more years.

“My grades are good, and I am doing well.”

For the summer, Anthony will be spending time in Valemount, as well as working out of 108 Mile House, but he will be Asia-bound by the beginning of September.

He has already started doing some translating for pay. He says other career paths may lie in the immigration industry, for example becoming an immigration officer.

Anthony is already seeing a career as a translator as being rewarding.

“As a good translator with a name I could make a few grand a month living anywhere I want. The demand for Mandarin translators is huge right now.”

The Rocky Mountain Goat is available weekly on Wednesdays. Next issue: Aug. 11 , 2010

A12

www.therockymountaingoat.com

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

The Right Agent... For Today’s Market Spittal Crk, Tete Jaune Cache

$159,000

-Nestled in the Rockies -Cottage & modular -Spectacular views -Private 9.15 acres

1890 Koeneman Rd, McBride

$399,000

-Nice private 2 acre parcel -Within minutes to river -Immaculate 4 bdrm home -Truck shop, gardens, etc

201 Dominion St, McBride

$163,500

-Nice heritage home -On two large lots - Five bdrms, 2 baths - Excellent guest house - Central location

100 Mountanview Rd, McBride

RE/MAX Centre city • 1679 15th Avenue • Prince George BC V2L 3X2 • 1-250-562-3600 Each office is independently owned and operated Data is from sources believed to be reliable but accuracy is not guaranteed.

On the river, McBride

$349,000

3709 Hinkelman Rd, McBride -On the River -30 acre horse farm -Nice log home -Big truck shop

$549,500

$132,500 www.robsonvalleyrealestate.ca

Congratulations Jared and Kathryn

$350,000

-Market garden potential -Prime 19 acre parcel -Sides highway for sales -On community water

250-981-5742 or 250-569-0125 or Toll Free: 1-877-732-5767 • allanmiller@remax.net MCBRIDE, VALEMOUNT, AND AREA

-Valley view home -5 bdrm, 4 baths -Open and spacious -On 13.5 treed acres

Dyke Rd, McBride

-View property -6 bdrms/ 2 baths -17 plus ac with shop -Excellent location

$398,000

4592 Mountainview Rd, McBride

-Riverfront parcel -Over 217 acres -Private & secluded -Treed & cleared -Rare find

AL Miller

THE HARD-WORKING NICE GUY

Heat Wave!

Valley residents sun bathe as temperatures soared well into the 30’s during the past week.

Photo: Laura Keil

May the sun shine on many years of happiness and love.

Below: MUD KIDS! Colin Larson, Makenzie Larson, Brendan Astbury, Jesse Maunu, Jake Buxon, Ken Griffith.

Photo: Laura Keil