\COMMUNITY B1 "= $1.00 PLUS 7¢ GST Candie chorus. Ahate killing and its _ aftermath form basis. for cutting edge theatre’ People first Native lawyer. remembered for caring about his community \NEWS :A10 Hockey girl ij Teen ready to compete ‘inher first national aboriginal championship _\SPORTS B4 . ., ($1.10 plus 8 GST _ outside of the Terrace area) . By DUSTIN V QUEZADA - AN. “OOLICHAN fisher _ from ; Kitsumkalum. who. | _has'| been. -harvesting the fish A ~on, the- Skeena River for 25 - years” says he can count the _ fumber:: of:.fish_ caught this _ Season on two hands... There’s been ‘none at all - said Don . ». Roberts, : “adding. ‘he hasn’ t seen one: accompanying sea - lion and very few birds that « = Six: oolichans,” normally" feed on the nutri- ent-rich fish... “Adding to the harvesting - “woes is that none of the six fish is female in what Rob- -erts called a brood year. _ “Maybe in. two to three me years, “we might be in trou- ble,” added Roberts. _ 7 North of here, the picture, - ago. is less ‘bleak on “the: ‘Nass. "River but ‘harvest numbers are also way below, normal there. - ‘The season's: . beginning was" hampered © ‘for ‘three.’ weeks due to ice: ‘and snow in the river.and with the har- vesting season «expected to.. end this: week, ‘the director - of fisheries and wildlife with » the Nisga’a Lisims Govern- . ment ‘was forecasting. grim numbers “just two weeks Harry Nyce: said 14 tons | had been caught, when 160- "200 tons is the norm..And _ those. fish that have been- -harvested have been smaller _ than normal. . “It’s very much a disap-_ - pointment but we’re leaning _ to: this § being. ‘the © exception. rather: than ‘the rule,” ‘said Harry .Nyce. “It’s nature’s . _way of controlling stocks.” -: The low oolichan returns this year are not without a “precedent, says’ a resource’ ~. manager with the Depart- | ‘of Fisheries . and. ment " Oceans (DFO), noting there -has been.a declining trend _on the coast. | : “There “was a sudden .drop in 1994 and in 2000 the -Skeena’ saw virtually no re-" ‘turns (of oolichan),” " Steven Groves said. -.The.. federal department 7 _ doesn’t actively manage the . - abycatch or a harvesting im- Groves said the DFO. oolichan fishery. looks for a trend before it might act. , _ .sHe added a likely scenar-., ‘io would see the elimination - p) Sy ' “Nationis to limit the food, so- |. _ - be any data suggesting other: & _ fisheries ‘ate affecting the .. , one of ocean. survival - but of. the recreational harvest and: negotiation . with. First cial and ceremonial catch of § -:.. oolichan. a As for. the cause of. this |’ year’: s decline, all three men | are.at a loss to explain what is happening.” ~ “There doesn’ t appear to 4 oolichan,” Groves said, add- ing the shrimp trawl fishery. has a minor impact. _ - ~ “Two rivers (Skeena and | Nass) with similar decline - points to a larger cause than pact,” ” Groves added. OOLICHAN: harvesters: on the” Nass: River. have seen’ ‘more: 2 of the fish than” their Skeena, River counterparts in a bleak 2006." rar DUSTIN QUEZADA PHOTO — “The more likely cause is Groves said it’s still difficult. . to © get a good reading 0 on that, : “So locals adding it’s too” late | once the” for the salmon fishery andi in “fish are in the river and: can” - the Nass Valley they’ll just oo be more Teadily counted. make due. with’ what they ill have t wait “ said mies “We'll just treasure [the cone oolichan}:: more and. we ». " won "t give | it out as a Teadily,” _ we ENVIRONMENTAL . consultants’ are “expected to begin rilling ‘at-Giannino-Pretto’s Shell gas:station in’an effort-to ithe site. - to give officials a better idea of the extent of the contamina- - S contamination on the site. = sponsibility on Pretto’s site. ‘Shell and Pretto decide which’ steps t to take moving forward. *. he’s now telented.. “site. inspection ‘to. determine the extent’ and severity . of: the : pressed. concer. ‘that this procedure may be drawn out and- “pin. down: the extent of the environmental contamination on - ‘Pretto and. his’ representatives: met ‘with’ Shell officials - .. two, weeks ago in Terrace discussing the company’s offer to » pay for a more in depth environmental assessment than ones - @.,conducted in 2001. The more detailed assessment is hoped - . tion and hopefully help determine who i is responsible for the - . », While Shell has maintained it wit take ‘responsibility for : Shell-caused contamination: it has never: accepted: that, re- Shell official Denita Davis: ‘says the assessment. will help ‘ Pretto had been reluctant: to accept Shell’s offer to pay for" ~ » a environmental consultant for. fears it might be, biased, but “ “He has agreed | to let S Shell Canada’ carry ‘out a ta detailed ; ~ contamination,” said his ‘wife Sheila Pretto’ “Giannino ‘ ex- | Postal pranks — LYNN KARLASH of Canada Post is asking people who-use drop boxes to mail letters to do so as close to the posted « collection times _ as possible. The boxes on Emerson St. were damaged last week. Unknown people tipped over the boxes and were able to access mail | |. containing sensitive personal documents which were later found strewn around George Little Memorial Park. Kariash says vandalism — |. such as this happens on occasion, but in the interest of security, customers are asked to take note of collection times on boxes and: ~ try to mail their letters just beforehand, to eliminate letters sitting overnight. ee work, SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN PHOTO | By SARAH A. "ZIMMERMAN re Q AN Australian-born pilot who suffered horrific burns in a crash.-near Kalum Lake last summer. says he wants to return to Terrace once he is well enough. Phil O’Driscoll, 33, was working for Quantum Helicopters on Aug. 2, 2005 when what appears to be a mechanical malfunction occurred as he touched down at a mineral exploration site in a remote area just north of Kalum Lake. _ The helicopter touched down briefly, then lifted off again before plummeting back to the ground and ' bursting into flames, say witnesses and investiga- tors. O'Driscoll miraculously escaped the fiery. wreck but suffered third degree bums to 40 per cent of his 7 body and still has a. 2 long journey of recuperation _ ahead. Jt took more than two hours for paramedics to arrive on scene and transport O’Driscoll to Mills Memorial Hospital where he was later airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital. . He spent three months in a coma, followed by a month in the burn unit in Vancouver before doctors arranged to have him medevaced, accompanied bya team of medical professionals, from B.C. to Austra- lia. There, he was admitted to a modern burn reha- ilitation centre late last fall. Laté last week, O’Driscoll was released from hospital for two weeks as he awaits another round of operations to repair the badly burned. skin on his « neck and arms. “Tt’s been a slow road,” said OQ’ Driscoll from his . hospital room atthe Hamstead Rehabilitation, Cen-. tre in Adelaide.’ _ “They say it was 40 per cent’ third degree bums + mainly from my feet to my hips is bummed and from my nipples-up.’ The fire burned his facial features away and the skin around his neck was burned so badly his head is _in a permanent “looking down” position. Next week, he’ll undergo one of many surgeries ~ this one to. work on the skin around his neck so he can have some better mobility.’ . He’s had to learn how to do even. the simplest things all over again — to wash himself, to hold items in his hands and even how to talk again after spend- ing months with a tracheotomy. in place. . He’s also had to learn to walk again, though he spends a lot of time in a wheelchair. His radial nerves were destroyed in the: fire, which ” means he can’t hold his hands up on his own; special splints enable him to keep his hands in an upright Position, he says. ‘It’s the helicopter pilot’ s first ti time speaking about the accident and-his recuperation since it happened last summer. The Transportation Safety Board. continues to look for the cause of the accident but so far has no . answers. The investigation is s greatly hampered because 90 » per-cent of the helicopter was destroyed in the post- crash fire, leaving little physical evidence to work with, says investigator Alec Moffat He is now working with MD. Helicopters, the ' manufacturer of the downed Hughes 500, trying to pinpoint any commonalities between, this and past ‘. crashes. . “Every now and then,- we get an. accident where we just don’t have: much to go-on, and that’s un-" fortunate for the pilot because we'd obviously want some closure for him and the. operator,” } Moffat, said-.. ¢ last week, adding operator error. has essentially been, Oo ruled out as a potential cause. O’Driscoll directs any anger he harbours solely. toward the helicopter. “It wasn’t my fault the helicopter broke,” he said, . growing more emotional as he spoke about the crash. “T loved my job, [loved Terrace,” - “T look in the mirror now and I see someone else. How dare that machine hurt me. how dare it hurt ? ‘through operations, 7 prolong. furthernegotiations but was assured’ by the: Shell » ‘fepresentative | thatthe work would be, completed by, the end. ‘of April 2006.”. > > 2 Shell officials: ‘are’ reluctant to discuss the deal reached 7 ‘with Pretto citing « client confidentiality but did confirm the - -work would take place at its expense, = ee es nD (3 Shell will pay for the environmental assessment. tand oD we will pay for.a mutually agreeable. company. to do. this. : ”* says: spokesperson Denita Davis: Preto has been unable to secure financing to purchase’ , fuel in bulk from. Shell since the contamination was: discov- ered on his Kalum St. site in 2001.” ; __ Since then he’s exhausted his savings in an effort to keep _ the business afloat, but since last fall he’s not been able to. . purchase the fuel to resell and his tanks have been oy. Injured helicopter pilot wants to return to Terrace “me,” he said. “ was ‘doing t my job how 4 dare it put” - me in this position, how dare it take my life?” ° O'Driscoll had been working: for Terrace-based_ * Quantum Helicopters for a year .when the accident — happened. Prior to that, he had been a pilot for Lake-. _ Ise Air for two years. :. . a “T’m not blaming anyone, Tim just angry ‘the 1 ma- chine broke on me,” he said.- “T can’t blame people, _ it would make me a wreck inside, I’m stuck.in this burnt body and I don’t now how. to explain that.” O'Driscoll and his partner, Kate Martin, had just’ _ learned they were expecting. a baby when the acci- - dent happened last summer. *.. . ' Hannah’ Morgan O’Driscoll: was: doin. Jan: 29, 2006 and the. pilot says she gives him the strength -. to endure the incredible pain he continues to suffer dressing changes and seemingly: endless skin‘ grafts “She gives me a lot of passion: and drive to keep focussed and keep going,” he says. Hannah, his family and his sense of humour get him through the awful pain of recuperation. “There is sO. much pain: ‘involved with my reha- if * you don’t. have : a sense 2 of bumour you will never survive,” he said. oo . : Gant'd Pano A9- * apes ces