A10 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 25, 1996 Howe Creek getting a beauty treatment HOWE CREEK is to get a new look as it winds along the foot of the bench thanks to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The plan is to redirect the ercek where it runs through the greenbelt area set aside by the cily. In doing so, the creek will do a U-turn where it emerges from under the fish hatchery at the foot of Eby St From there, it will meander along the greenbelt trail, through the forest and into some shallow ponds, The creck will then emerge from the ponds be- hind Christie Park and flow through an existing culvert back to where it currently crosses bencath Eby Street. “The pond area won't be too deep,”’ says DFO com- munity advisor Martin Forbes who is overseeing the project. ‘But it will be good cnough for frogs and sticklebacks (little fish).”” Labour is being provided by a group of students originally hired to monitor the commercial fishery at the mouth of the Skeena., With the fishing season aver, they’ve been assigned other duties. The students will work to clear a rough path for the creek this fall. Then, heavy machinery will help dig the ponds and excavate some of the creek beds in February, when the city plans to move a water line thal passes un- der the area. “I think it will look really. sharp and enhance the whole city,’” Forbes says. MARTIN FORBES cuts down a small tee near Howe - Creek. Forbes is a community advisor for the DFO, He and some summer student workers are planning to redirect the creek to make it more scenic. DFO is always looking for volunteers and sponsors to help with the project. And he hopes the support that has been received so far will continue for what he consid- ers to be an important city “Terrace is one of the fastest growing com- munities in B.C.,’’ Forbes says, “‘But sometimes the important things get forgot- tea with development and people don’t realize what PROFESSIONAL DRIVER TRAINING | Starting October 1, 1996 Class O01, Class 03, Airbrakes, Glass Hiypor Bridal Poutias Ladies Fashions & Accessories Fall & Winter Stock Arriving daily. Come in and browse. {Layaway available.) For more information on these and other fall programs contact: 4605 Lazell: Ave. Terrace, B.C. V8G 183 -FOX Professional Driving Centre “1 800- 944-3244 . ae . . "1-604-962-8852 Tel: 635-6966 Fax: 635-4740 Forbes points out that the Jandmark. they have.” Bear hunt ban plan up against the wall — By DAVE TAYLOR CONSERVATIONISTS have started their campaign to force the provincial govern- ment to hold a public referendum to ban bear hunting in the province. Members of the Western Canada Wilder- ness Committee and volunteers have 90 days in which to gather signatures from 10 pet cent of eligible voters in each of the province’s 75 electoral ridings — more than 210,000 names. That’s what's required under the pro- vince’s Initiative and Recall Act, and campaign organizer Anthony Mar says the rules are too strict. “Its a bureaucratic nightmare,” he says, “The system is really stacked against the proponents.” Marr points out that Californian legisla- lion only calls for the signatures of five per cent of voters, and proponents are given 150 days to gather them. “It is very tough in B.C,,’’ he says. ‘We are working against great odds."’ Marr and his supporters are trying to have bear hunting banned to help stave off what Marr says will be a dramatic increase in bear poaching as the Asian market for bear parts grows. Marr also points out that a 1995 Angus Reid poll found that 78 per cent of the gen- cral population opposed the trophy bunting of bears, The WCWC currently has more than 1000 volunteers working to gather signa- (ures, but Marr recognizes that he will need many more. “The real opposition seems not to come from bear-hunting activists, but from the apathy of the anti bear-hunting majority,” he says, However, many groups in the province ' don’t agree with Marz. So far, 69 organiza- tions and 38 individuals have registered as opponents of the initiative, One of those groups is the BC Wildlife Federation. In the federation’s literature, members are asked to oppose the ban and encourage others to do the same. BCWF executive director Doug Walker even went as far as lo call WCWC terrorists in the latest edition of the federation's mag- azine, The Outdoor Edge -- something he tow admits was a mistake. “The BCWF apologizes for any such comparison,” he says, ‘‘We will print that in the next edition of our magazine.’’ Ironically, Walker himself is upset with the way he says the anti bear-hunting campaign compares hunters to poachers. ‘We must differentiate between a highly trained and Ilcenced hunter, and a poacher who obeys no laws,”’ he says. “To think that banning hunting will prevent poaching is complete folly. It’s like saying that in or- der to get rid of drunk drivers we have to take licences away from all the legitimate drivers.”’ Walker says that hunters are, in fact, the best conservationists since they have a direct interest in conserving the resource. He also points out that if the hunters are taken out of the woods, there would be no one to repart poachers. But Marr disagrees with that claim, saying that hikers and campers outnumber hunters in the field, and poachers would be easy to spot since anyone hunting bears would be obviously be poaching. Marr also disagrees with BCWF literature ‘suggesting that the bear ban is just the be- ginning of an attempt by conservationists to ban all hunting, including fishing, in the province. ‘That's total B.S.” he says. “F’ve made it very clear that we are not anti-use. Some of us are fishermen, for godssake.’’ Meanwhile the environment ministry says that the bear Population in the province is not currently in danger. Sean Sharp, head of the ministry’ 5 wild- life division for the Skeena region, says bears are closely monitored for fluctuations in populations, And while he admits that his figures are not exact, Sharp says that poaching takes far fewer bears than does le- gitimate hunting, “If numbers were really high we'd be finding way more carcasses in the woods and losing more radio-collared animals,” he says, According to Sharp, there are some 120,000 black bears in the province and 10,000 grizzlies, The bears are not evenly distribuled, so some areas have relatively high concentrations of animals, while other areas are quite low, Sharp says that the ministry monitors these populations and closes hunting in areas Where the numbers appear to be decreasing. "*We've had some concerns with grizzlies and have closed areas like the Kitlope when the numbers are low,’’ be says. But Marr says that as poaching increases, the ministry and the tiny number of conser- vation officers in the field will nol be able to keep up with the poachers, ‘“B.C. is a poachers’ paradise,” he says, “We are on the Pacific Rim, with easy ac- cess to Asian markets and just about every comer of the province is accessible by log- ging roads,”’ The BCWF will continue to oppose the referendum, and Doug Walker thinks his group will prevail —- so the tradition of bear hunting will continue. But he does add that any initiative of this size has to be taken very seriously, In the meantime, the environment minis- try will continue to regulate bear hunting as it sees fit, “The bottam line is that we won’t let the bear population get anywhere near the brink of extinction,” Sean Sharp says. “It doesn’t matter whether it is a tradition or not. fwd ome ASsey Select Standing Committee on Aboriginal 7 * ; bg fo) Affair : as I - PUBLIC MEETING - al Wednesday, October 2, 1996 starting at 2:00 p.m, a Skeena Room 1 | onen Terrace Inn ! Sry es a 4551 Greig Avenue . . TERRACE | dente he . Treaty Negotiations Process: It’s ia a Our Future and Your Chance to Participate Members of the Committee are: Mr. lan Waddell, MLA (NDP - Vancouver- Fraserview) - Chair © The public is invited to attend an open meeting Mr: Harry Lal HNILA (NDP Yale- ‘Lillooet) - i ; ; en Deputy Chair } of the Select Standing Committee on Aboriginal Af- i Ten Stevenson, MLA (NDP Vancouver- ‘a fairs to present their views on the Nisga’a Agreement- Burrard)’: lm| in-Principle. . [Mr Glenn Robertson, MLA (NOP North Is- : The all-party committee is seeking public com- © [land) | ment on how progress can be made towards treaty NB Goda, MAG (NDP - Bulkley settlements with aboriginal people in a manner bene- ficial to all British Columbians. The Select Standing . Ms; Erda Walsh, MLA (NOP - Kootenay) a : Committee on Aboriginal, Affairs will make recom- -|Ms. Cathy McGregor, MLA (NDP - Kamloops) Mr. Bill Barisof, MLA (BC Lib - Okanagan- mendations to the Legislative Assembly of British Boundary} Columbia. Mr, Murray Coell, MLA (BC Lib - Saanich North and the islands) This is an opportunity to have your views Mr. Mike de jong, MLA (BC Lid - Matsqui) heard and recorded ! Mr. Geoff Plant, MLA (BC Lib - Richmand- Individuals and organizations wishing to ap- [Steveston): = M| pear before the Select Standing Committee on Abo- [Mr Jack Weisgerber, MLA (Re Peace River riginal Affairs should contact the Clerk of Committees .[5°uth) . at the number listed below, indicating the topic of their brief. Intervals of 10 minutes have been set aside for presentations with an “open microphone” near the end of the day’s proceedings for those who have not previously been scheduled to speak, a Written submissions should be.sent to the Clerk For further information about the work of the. Committee, please contact: _|Mr, Craig James - {Clerk of Committees and Clerk Assistant Room 224. Parliament Buildings Victoria; BC VAVAX4 Telephone: (604) 356-6318 (collect) : (Facsimile: (604) 356-8172” of Committees as Soon. as Poss ible. Committee Email: la_clerkcom@galaxy.gav.b¢.ca For a copy of the Committee's initial public consul- tation schedule and terms-of. reference, ‘please contact the Py . “Clerk of Cominittees, i : WAAL beihenc! ’ ui fF . wid 2 non wR oe .2 8 5 8 0 8 _EXCLUSIVE TERRACE HONDA soycered The New Honda CR-V Coming January ‘97 HONDA CRV vs: RAV4 RWD Honda CR ‘ ificati . Front-engina ‘Real Time’, 4-wheel-drive sportulilty vehicle * 5-passenger, 4-door siec! 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