DAVE TAYLOR -SKEENA ANGLER ROB BROWN Quality angling ne person can de pretty much any- thing he or she wants. When the population reaches two it becomes necessary to make rules. As popu- ’ Jations grow with geometric inevilabilily, gov- eming bodies evolve and altempt to fend off anarchy through the creation and administration of increasingly complex laws, Understanding and dealing with the needs of a population and responding to them within a legal frame be- comes a formidable task, Even in a relatively under-populated country like ours, governments stumble and fumble trying to fulfill their mandale. Some — as in the case of the Mulroney Governments of recent, sad recollection — renounce honest representa- tive governance and opt for the spoils of oligar- chy. In this clinate of growing governmental insensitivily it is refreshing to see a branch of government deal expeditiously with a complex problem wrapped up in population dynamics. A number of years ago anglers on the Dean River expressed some discomfort over the declining quality of the angling experience on that river. Dr. David Narver, then head of the Fish and Wildlife Section of the Ministry of En- vironment, was sensitive ta the issue of angling aesthetics and perceptive enough to see thal the problem was not confined to the Dean. Narver charged his staff with the task of determining what quality angling was, and putting together a plan to maintain it, Miniswy Staff discovered that for most anglers some degree of solitude, wilderness, and a reasonable chance to catch a wild fish were essential to a quality experience for discerning anglers. Crowding on the Dean was compromis- ing the experience there. The fastest growing segment of anglers were non-residents. After their study of the Dean River, and a long period of cousullation with anglers, he Ministry came up wilh the Guide Management Policy which limited streamlined non-resident use through the implementation of a river classification system and a regime of fees, aud bookings for the Dean. Realizing thal the proliferation of largely un- regulated gvides also posed a threat ta top- quality angling, the Ministry restricted the num- ber of fishing guides and dealt them a generous number of days based on declared historic use. The implementation of the Guide Manage- ment Policy caused a lot of unrest in the busi- ness community as well as from guides and fishermen who felt that the paltry fees —- $20 a day for class ouc rivers, and half that for class two for non-residents — would frighten away a sizable chunk of the tourist trade. This didn’t happen. The pressure on our classic class one and two rivers has continued to grow. It was time to revisit this revolutionary legis- lation. To this end the Ministry spent 18 months reviewing the regulations for the 42 classified rivers in this province. Last winter Ministry staff from Smithers held meetings in Smithers, Hazelton and Terrace to gather input regarding the Babine, Kispiox aud Bulkley Rivers. Now, only a few months later, the MOELP has come up draft models of revised regulatory regimes, or angling use plans, for those rivers, Underpinning the first river classification legislation was the notion that requirements of resident anglers take precedent over those of non-residents. Local anglers will be pleased to note that the new plans maintain that principle, On the Babine River, for example, the Ministry proposes a 6 kilometre nou-guiding zone below Nilkitwa Lake. Non-residents will bave to be guided — which, for the most part is the case now. Moreover, the Ministry proposes increas- ing the road access to upper Babine so resident anglers may more casily avail themselves of the fishing opportunities there. The camping non-resident anglers who domi- nated the key areas on the lower Kispiox for the last few years will be timited by a reservation system similar to that in force upon the Dean River. On the Bulkley River the Ministry draft also argues for a limit on camping non-resident anglers. The Ministry draft AUPs also suggest river ‘guardians should be Installed to monitor all three rivers. This is a cost-efficient measure “ guaranteed (o enhance enforcement and ensure the collection of accurate dala. If you are a resi- dent angler in Skeena, aid don’t already have a copy of the governmnent’s latest proposal, I urge you to get one from the Ministry of Environ- ment at your local Acctss Centre, read it and submit your response before March 31; This is au important document. ; Hearing impairment - TERRACE STANDARD. can't slow Paula down By DAVID TAYLOR THERE’S NO familiar ping when the puck rings off the crossbar and no thundering crunch when bodies slam against the boards. In fact, Paula Wesley doesn’t hear any of the sounds most people associa- te with ovr national past time. She’s deaf. The 20-year-old hockey player is well into her third season wilh the Terrace women’s team the Kermodei Classics. But she doesn’t see anything un- usual about her involvement in the sport. “Sure it’s a challenge,” she says using sign language interpreled by her friend, Adam Tarsey. ‘‘Every- 13, Back then, she played goalie and was voted as the team’s most valuable player, Two years later, she began playing as a forward aad found she just coulda’ get enough of the game. That’s when she decided to try ice hockey. “] wanted more,’ she says. ‘And playing on ice is rsore fua. I find my excite- ment just keeps growing and growug the more | play.” Now Wesley plays right wing and she’s hooked. She hasn’t scored in a game yel this year, but she says she's not about to give up. “T?ve had a lot of near misses,’’ she says. ‘*‘My coach always tells me to keep al it and it will happen, He’s really supportive and “Everyone would huddle up between periods to hear the coach’s instruction and I wouldn’t know what they were talking about.”’ -Paula Wesley- thing’s a challenge. Just as- king a question can be very hard. Bul growing up, that was normal for me and I’m used to it, I] can’t change how I am.” While Wesley wasn’t born deaf, she lost her hearing before her first birthday and has no memory of the hear- ing world, She says under standing that world is part of the challenge of living without sound. ‘7 live in two worlds,” she says, ‘I’m in the deaf world, but I live in a hearing world tao. I have to adapt.”” Wesley started out playing floor hackey when she was THE KERMODEI Classics huddle up between periods for some instruction from coach Rick Smoley. fun to be around.” Rick Smoley is the team’s coach. He says working with a deaf person was chal- lenging for bim at first, but it has turned out well. ‘Paula must have a sixth sense,” he says, “‘She learns really fast and picks up on things easily. She’s deiermitied to be a beller player.”’ Wesley agrees that her first year with (he team was tough. Communicating, was the biggest challenge. “Everyone would huddle up between periods to hear the coach’s instruction and ] wouldn't know whal they The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, March 5, 1997 - BS PAULA WESLEY prepares to hit the ice in an exhibition game against Terrace Minor Hockey’s Pee Wees. | 638-7283 Wesley is in her third season with of women’s hockey. were talking about,’ she says, ‘But things have real- fy smoothed out since then.”’ Wesley and Smoley use a chalkboard to help commu- nicate. And her friend Tar- sey comes to many of the practices to help interpret, “When Adam’s there I can understand everything,”’ she says. “It helps me play belter atthe games.’’ Wesley says the other players on ler team are ‘great fun to play with and - they have gotlen used to her lack of hearing. “It was hard for them al first,’' she says, ‘'They were like; what should we da? She’s deaf. How can we talk to ber? But now they seem to have forgotten about it It’s nol perfect, but we un- derstand cach other. We gesture, tell jokes and have a great time,”’ The team is having a good year. They’ve won two out of every (three games -lhey’ve played this season and show no sigus of slow- ing down. But Wesley says it doesn’t maller how may games they win, She just loves to play. “TL like to play with dif- ‘ferent people of varying abilities,” she says. ‘“‘It makes you a better player and it’s more fon. 1 love mecting new people and checking oul new lowns,’’ That’s why Wesley was crushed when women’s hockey was canceled from the line up of the Northern BC Winter Games. She says the whole team had been really looking forward to it. “That sucked,’’ she says. “It would have been so great to meet and play with all those people fram dif- ferent towns, [ might have even met other deaf people.”’ The women’s hockey sea- son ends in April with a huge tournament in Banff, which draws teams from all over B.C., Alberta and Washington State, Wesley’s says she’s look- ing forward to the toumta- rent, In the meantine she’s busy playing hockey, and taking computer science and administration courses at the college. “T want to have a career involving computers,” she says, ‘‘But ] like ta work with my hands too. I paint murals. Maybe there’s a sumuner business in that.” Wesley also watches plenty of NHL games, She says she tears from study- ing the plays and styles of different players. “‘Iv’s amazing how skilled they are,’ she says. ‘‘I don’t think I could ever play like that, but maybe there will be a deaf player in the NHL one day.’” Wesley says she doesn’t plan on being that player herself, But she does plan to continue playing hockey as inuch as she can. "JT don’t necessarily want to be a superstar,”’ she says. *T just want lo play.”” Swimmers strike gold at games Downs scores seven of 10 Terrace medals LOCAL SWIMMERS far and away tcok home the lion’s share of Terrace’s medal crop al the BC Winter Games in Campbell River two weekends ago. Thirty six Terrace athictes fravelled soulh for the Games but only three. of them finished in the top three. Together, they shared 10 medals. Four gold, three silver and three bronze medals were awarded to the Terrace com- petitors. Top local inedalist was Scth Downs, who was per- sonally. responsible for seven of the Terrace len, All four of our golds went to Downs, who was first li the 50m breast siroke, the 200m individual medley, the 100m freestyle and the 200 breast stroke. To further add lo his col- lection, Downs scored silver in the 400 freestyle and bronze in both the 200 freestyle and the 450m relay. Julie Vanderlee also fared very well. She picked up sil- ver in both the 100m bul- terfly and the 200m frcest- lye events, Swim coach Mike Carlyle says he was impressed wilh the medal tally. “Tt wasn’t a great meet for best times,” be says. ‘But the medal were awesome. The kids were really excited about them." The only other Terrace competitor to lake a medal was Gracie Dediluke in al- pine skiing, Dediluke bagged a bronze in the slalom eveut. KAYA DOWNS gives her all in a relay event ae, atthe BC Winter Games.