Bear blitz

landifil\PAGE A AS

Conservation officers were out i
force last week at the Terrace

Welcome addition:

The | local lanes have scored a
| striking success with its new. Foe
Scoring system\SPORTS BB

AFT ERMATH. The landscape around Mink Creek was transformed into a wasteland when a

1994 earhflow sent more than a million cubic metres of material hurtling into the Lakelse
River tributary. A study by regional experts says’ sub-soil conditions mean similar disasters

_ could occur elsewhere in this area and offer some suggestions for minimizing the danger.

Local natural disaster _
gets a national airing ©

XPERTS FROM across Canada are
going to be hearing about the Mink

. af §Schwab and Marten - Geertsema,
Forest Service - gcomorphologists based © in

Smithers, will be presenting a ‘paper on the local .
natural ‘disaster’ to the Canadian Geotechnical

Conference.

The carthflow occurred sometime between mid-—

December 1993 and early January, 1994 on a
tributary of the Lakelse River,

By the time it was over, 1.4 million cu.m. of

material had shifted over an area of 23ha,, drop-
ping the height of the land by as much as 20m in

places and filling in one kilometre of the Mink .

Creek channel,

- In thelr analysis of the incident, Schvvab ‘and ,

Gcertsema suggest all that hap-

Creck earthflow this month, Jim:

in an acrial ‘photograph, ‘Forest ‘cover makes it”

hard to pick them out,’’ Schwab: ‘said, because the

_ escarpmients are ‘usually just one-tenth the height
_ of the surrounding trees and therefore invisible. |

And in the case of thé earlier Mink Creek fail-
ures, even though the scars had been Spotted by

someone walking the area ‘as. part ‘of napping. it. |-
out for ‘logging, the mapper had ‘not’ recognized :

them for what they were. -

Although logging had taken place nearby, the 5
creek itself is being tagged as the culprit-in this :
event. And ‘it’s already setting up a repeat, ‘‘As it
cuts down (through the mud and silts) it sets up.
the conditions for another, failure,”” Schwab ex- .
plained. “It could be in a few years or it could be , -

over a long period,’’ he added,

But. the knowledge the area is “prone to such :
_. flows {s useful in ensuring hiuv-

pened in a matter of minutes.
Schwab explained earthHows

move at: “tremendous speed, For example; in the Mink
like the flow of a river,”’ _ down — thr ough the s Creek area the unstable sub- .
And it did not occur on the mud and silts, it Is ._ Soils are covered "by up ‘to 2
steep terrain usually associated ‘setting up the. metres of . ‘relatively | stable.
with carih no pels on this ' conditions for. Se eens te ent
The report points out the y toad building rainage.
Mink Creck area is character- another failure. channels which could’ erode’: f

ized by “‘flat to rolling, sub-

As Mink Creek cuts

set them off.

dued terrain.” , ,
Essentially, what happened w was silty-clay sub-
solls on the creck banks liquefied, setting off a
chain reaction. [t's a fot more complicated than
that, of course, and Schwab and: Geertsema will
be explalning it all to their conference colleagues,
Of particular interest to local residents are the
conclusions drawn ‘on the implications of the
earthflow for the future, Schwab points out a

study of the Mink Creek area revealed there had

been slope. failures before, many years, ago. But -

the clues left by previous flows: have-to be seen

and, wheit seen, recognized,
“The evidence will alimiost, certainty

deeper, carry out any. kind, of
‘Significant excavation: and you

| create danger; said Schwab.

Putting heavy loads on unstable solls — build:
ings, for example — would do the same,
But to take the precautionary. measures, “You

have to be. aware the ‘materials - exist ‘there,”!
Schwab pointed out. For ihat ‘reason, he and an

Geertsema have recommended: a comprehensive
mapping program. “

. And where could theie: unstable. ‘soils bé'found
around ‘here? In siumerous locations. .in ‘what’, 8:
called the Kitimat:Kitsumkaluia | Trénch, he said,
‘adding - eng | in the Kitimat Valley h

man activity does noting to.”

‘acts a8 a regional referral centre

50 ‘per. “cent of “day” surgery 1
"patients, and: 70° percent: of
psychiatric patients, treated ‘here:

By MALCOLM BAXTER
CLEAN UP your yard or face the
consequences,

That’s the choice facing: Thorn-
hill residents whose properties are
littered with derelict vehicles,

However, Kitimat-Stikine
regional district i is offering people

- a helping hand with that clean-up.

By-law enforcement officer
Don Oldham -explained it will
waive the usual $35 vehicle dis-
posal fee for any Thornhill resi-
dent who brings hulks to the land-
fill up to Saturday, Sept: 16.

And for those who have no
means of getting the derelicts io
the dump, the district will do it

have to do is: phone the distrlet

name added to the list... -
They will also have. to atrange
for all fluids to be drained from

pointed out. ©

Admitting to surprise at the exe
tent of the derelict vehicle prob-
lem, Oldham said he has a. list of

one on the property. ‘One has 14°
and they’ve been on the property
a number of years,” he added,

received a letter from Oldham ex-
plaining the campaign and. how

* they can take advantage of it.

Some People, have been quick

AN EXTRA | nine heies for ‘the

golf course may be ‘sacrificed for

the city’s second sheet of ice,
Both projects will be applying:

for a B.C, 21 grant from the pro-
vince. But city councillors have:*-:

recommended the City of Terrace

not support the, Skeena. Valley.
Golf and Country Club's: grant —

application, because it ‘could
threaten the -city’s grant request
for the new arena,

for the golf club. they’ re sure not
going: to give us another iulf mil-

Crisis forces gamk ble

. By JEFF NAGEL.
THE HOSPITAL board is scram-
bling to dea! with a budget deficit -

' that has unexpectedly ballooned

to $290,000 so far this year,
“"That’s way: more. than anyone
expected, despite Mills Memorial

_ Hospitat entering. the year with a

$117,000 deficit, says administra-
tor Michael Leisinger. -

So far the board ‘has held two
emergency sunimer meetings to
address the situation, and it haa
revoked its. agreement. to share -
Leisinger - half-time with the |
Regional Health Board.

He said the Mills: Memorial
Hospital board has decided to ask
the: health ministry for a peer

_ review of its. operations, .

Leisinger ‘sald they -hope to

‘1 finally ‘persuade, the. ministry. to .
‘look beyond statistics that show.

Terrace, is’ over-serviced ‘dnd ‘ace «
cept that Mills Memorial Hospital

and deserves more money. -
. He points to: his‘ own stats ‘thai

_ for them free-of charge. All they.

offices at 635-7251 and get, their

the vehicles before collection, he .

All those property. owners have:

campaign in Taunched.

Don Oldham

to take’ ‘advantage of the disirict’s.

offer. 'As of late last week, he said
16. Property owners: had already *
phoned in requesting vehicles be :
taken away:

It also points out ‘the regional : ombili
“12 addiesses whtetr eave at east dlstrict had wentltied enforce Gace
ment of the -Unsightly Premises. : .

by-law “as” “one of his: main
piloritics, And that's: just what
he'll be’ doing : in cases where.
people j ignore the campaign. °
Oldham: pointed : out the by: “av

gave the district the power to. is- ©

,. if that vi : the jen

sue a 1 clean-up. order and,

od: of. time,’? councillor ‘David ;
Hull said: at Friday’s - economic
development: commitice meeting.‘
"We're just not’ going: to. get |
. two grants in the same year.” ©
Councillor. © Rich. : ‘McDaniel :
agreed, noting the city now jas”
“money invested in the ‘second.

sheet project, and’a letter of sup:
- port tothe golf course could j jeep:
“If we get a half million dollars

‘aidize that.
Both he and Hull called the golt
course expansion, a good Project, .

\

Michael Leisinger

shire to reduce costs and improve a

utilization. We're now,: at the

spolnt where we're putting: ser- a

vices at risk.” ”
Although the peer review could |
wit Mills Memorial “its miich--

_ sought’ regional: ‘hospital sts,

itsalgo a gamble.:
. There's, a- very real. ris
‘Victoria ‘could: dite Be It:

“tion for the: Second ‘sheet of | ‘ice.
within the same three-month peri- .

75¢ PLUS |

was ignored, do. the.-work itself -

and bill the property owner. If the :
bill remain unpaid by Dec. 31 of : ;
the year the work was caried out,
the cost would then, be added 0.
to the following year’s tax bill.

Continued failure’ to pay “would: * :

result ‘in the, property being

7 judged as in arrears on its taxes’: |
and result'in a tax-sale of the’ Be
property. ‘However, he" empha--'°

sized. that. was ae
 scenario’?, a
While . derelict vehicles | ore: a’

‘worst: ease .

major target. of the campaign,

Oldtiam said people ‘could: also

take advantage of the free pick-up ©
) to get rid of items such as build- -*.
_ ing materials, scrap metal’ ‘andcold’

appliances’ - like. ‘fridgés.. and

" freezers. However, in’ the last two |

” cases, they. would ‘first have to are
range: for all fluids to be drained. :

_ from the: appliance.:-.: HO
Although he. admits to. running
: into isolated cases of resistance.to. °

: the campaign, .. Oldham |’ said,

“Most | residents want, to. ae |

wants to liye" hi
dump. "

~ and “the” "ence pre
. organizing: and veartyin,
» Mection. That ‘includes? dor
- of. equipment 1 needed

‘the project,’?-
Ruth Hallock, “But there 8 really
mo ‘chalce,"” : nate ;
Economic ‘developmasat Officer
“Ken: ‘Veldman: said the. golf club
_ probably: ‘wouldn’t “get its grant -
» without city support. ye :
Both | grant applications must be '
“Cont'd on page. Al

e

three years. :
Closing beds is the most effec-
‘tive way to reduce patient costs;
But reduced numbers : of: beds: .:.
limits the amount. of. Surgery.
specialists and surgeons can: per- a
form, |-- a
That in tuin, ‘Himiits the: amount
of money ‘they .cdn make: “and.
ultimately «can Prompt, them: to...
leavé town,

ee ‘would be Risser “
-and might: leave,. followed: :by
anaesthetists and oth

in:

age) 1 Brice Caruthers -F pas Oy
othérs ‘to think: we're ‘Opposed to's el
added ‘councillor’ ; ae