(he lerrace Standard, Wednesday. March 12, 1997 - BS

TERRACE STANDARD |

SPORTS .

DAVE TAYLOR 638-7283.

SKEENA ANGLER.
ROB BROWN

Steelhead visions

t didn’t seem all that long ago, Dut

it has been more than a stone’s

throw in time since we met in

North Vancouver, a short walk
from the Second Narrows Bridge. I sat at the
front table in the Banquet Room of the Coach-
man Jun next to a bright, earnest young fellow
who introduced hinself as Bob Hooton. He said
he was a biologist from somewhere on Van-
couver Island; be told me exactly where, but I
forgot, my mind being occupied with the speech
I was about to deliver: a short talk penned by
Dr. John Counts that recounted the exploits of
the Northwest Chapter of the Steelhead Society
of B.C.

Though accurate — and an appropriate form
for the forum in which it was to be given —
John’s prose struck me as too prosaic. 1’d spent
most of the plane Wip ediling aud embellishing.
Now, minutes away from my maiden voyage in
public speaking, I wondered if, perhaps, Id
added one flourish too many.

In those days the Steelhead Society was grow-
ing slowly. Cal Woods, super secretary, an-
chored the group. Eugene Rogers bad just as-
sumed the dulies of treasurer. Eric Carlisle saw
that the Sociely’s message got out through the
newsletter. Art Lingren made sure the member-
ship was paid up in full with a precision no
computer has been able to match since his
retirement. Butch Braidwood was the affable
spokesmen, the ‘presidential face of the Society
“(o’the public via the press and at meetings.
Meimhers like Lee Straight aud Peter Broomball
‘ spoke and wrote aboul steelhead and salmon
aud the environment with eloquence and vision.

As I listened to the proceedings I realized thal
this group had paid a lot of dues. They knew a
lot. I knew a litde. The federal government's
Salmonid Enhancement Program was new then,
A highly acclaimed iuitialive that promised
public involvement with fish and much enhan-
cemeut of salmon, SEP had gotten rave reviews
everywhere, but here, in the parent body of the
Steelhead Society, men were urging caution.
Enhancement, artificial and otherwise, is double
edged they warmed, pointing to the disastrous
turn large scale fish production was taking in
the western United States.

In a time when large scale, heavy metal tech-
nological intervention was the order of the day,
a time when river channels and fish production
were taking concrete form, the spokesmen of
the Steelhead Society were arguing the case of
soft, small scale enhancement, where it was
necessary, and championing genetic integrity
and biologic diversity. That was not ail, When
my shaky report was done, I heard talk of selec-
tive harvesting methods, Men spoke of ways of
phasing oul industrial fishing in a humane way.

The dialogue was not restricted to limiting
everybody else. There was much talk of how
sportsmen should limit themselves for the bet-
lerment of conservation. Angling quality was
central to the debate.

Last week, more than 20 years afler attending
my first, I altended the 1997 AGM of the Steet-
head Sociely. The advocacy of the society bas
paid off. Sclective fisheries are now a fact: the
Sto:Lo of the Fraser are turiing to selective
fishing. The Steelliead Society is in partnership
with them, The Khatsie band is selectively fish-
ing for chum with the support of the Stwelhead
Society. The Steelhead Society has encouraged,
aided and abetted selective fisheries on the
Skeena and the Nass.

The Society has gotten involved in enhance:
ment in a big way by setting up the Watershed
Restoration Corporation to ‘lake advantage of
the funds made available’ through Forest
Renewal B.C. Thanks to the energy of Society
director Dan Burns, the Corporation with a
board that includes: former: fisheries minister,
aud ambassador of the environment, John
Fraser, and a full time working staff of
biologists, has tumed inlo a model of stream
restoration under the FRBC with projects on the
Squamish, Salmou, Pitt, Ashlu, Phillips, Har-
rison, Coquihalla Rivers as well as Shovelnose,
Border, and Silyerhope Creeks. All of the
projects involve creative instream enhancement
‘Jike the rehabilitation of dewatered side chan-
nels and the reconstruction of damaged sloughs,
all consistent with the Society’s Article 3 which
deals with the pramotlon’ conservation and
habitat restoration ;

Thirty years ago a small group of dedicated
atiglers deelded the needs of steelhead and the
environment uceded more than-a- fishing club.
They formed a society. They went to work,
Their investthent is paying dividends, What an
exciting development it is!

Chasing the Olympic dream

JASON HALDANE Is a Cal graduate who is now
living in France, playing professional volleyball and
enjoying life on the Mediterranean Sea. He says he
misses home and can’t wait to start training for the
Olympics with the Canadian National team.

Skeena wrestlers finish sixth

SKEENA JUNIOR's wres-
ting girls pulled off several
firsis two wecks ago al the
Provincial Championships
in Vancouver.

Just being there was a first
for the girls who took the
Zone Championships last
month. But even though
they were facing a ncw level
of competition, the girls
rallied to finish sixth over-
all.

Two of the girls even
made medal standings. Pam
Haugland and Stephanie
Laplante both finished sec-
ond in their weight divi-
sions. And Haugland is can-
sidering atiending the Cadet
National © Championships
this April in New Bruns-
wick.

The Nationals alternate
between castern and western
Canada every year, so coach
Dave O’Brien says his
wrestlers will bave a better
chance to get to them next
season.

Next year promises to be
even more successful,” he
says, '‘Many of the girls are
keen to do off-season train-
ing and attend wrestling
camps.’”

O'Brien says some of the
highlights of the tournament
included Grace
Wittkowski’s battle royal
against the top seeded
wrestler in her weight class.
Wittkowski came from be-
hind and shrugged off a
shoulder injury to take the
Will,

Local hero Haldane hyped
to play in Sidney Games

SMALL TOWN LIFE has led to big-time
success for a focal volleyball player.

He grew up in Terrace and graduated
from Caledonia in 1989. Now, 25-year-old
Jason Haldane lives in Montpellier France,
playing professional volleyball and prepar-
ing to return to (he Canadian National team
fora shot at the 2000 Olympics.

Haldane is currently playing with the
Montpellier University Club (MUC) in the

French Pro A division, which consists of 14 .

teams, There are just five games left in the
regular season and MUC is in third place.

| “With play-offs just around the corner,
the pressure is on to get some good
results,’” Haldane says.

So far, the club has been very impressed
with Haldaue’s results. He recently picked
up a two-year contract.

The only other foreigner on the team is

- Dan Landry, who played on the US team at
- the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.

: “Being the only two English-speakers on
the team, we have become good friends,”
Haldane says. ‘‘I must say, my French has
a long way to go to become functional.”

The volleyball season in France ends at

he end of April, so Haldane says be hopes
-- to get back to Terrace for a few weeks in

May. Then it’s eff to Winnipeg where he
will start training with the Canadian Na-
tional team.

Gelting the National team to the summer
games in Sydney, Australia is Haldane’s
big goal, and he says they have a pretty
good chance, ,

“I feel our team will be quite strong,’ be
says. ‘‘All of the core players are currently
playing professional volleyball in Europe.
With that expericuce we should be up to the
challenge of playing the best teams in the
world.”

Although his life along the Mediterranean
Sea sounds  picture-postcard’ perfect,
Haldane says he misses his home town,

* miss Terrace very much,”’ he says.
‘It’s hard to-go so long and not sec my |
friends and family.”

And Haldane credits bis family with
much of his success so far.

**Being an amateur athlete on the Nation-
al Team is a full-time commitment that
hasu’t allowed time for a ‘real job’,’? he
says. ‘‘The support of my family and
family-in-law has golten me as far as ] bave
in volleyball.”’

Haldane has a new family himself. He
and wife Pam have a one-year-old son
nancd Keel, and they are hoping to move
‘back home after the Olympics,

For Haldane, Terrace is where his heart

‘ is, and he says local athletes should never

be discouraged about coming from a small-
er cenlre.

‘| know sometimes being from a stall
town, it feels like you will never be able to
campete with the kids from the bigger
schools down soulh,’’ he says. ‘Bul we
have a lot of talented athletes in Terrace
and they shouldn't feel intimidated by the
competition,

PAM HAUGLAND and Stephanie Laplante get physical in an exhibition bout at Uplands School last week. The
two girls were both silver medal winners at the Provincial Finals in Vancouver two weeks ago.

Tracy Ridler and Candle
Russell also had tough, ex-
ciling bouts. And O’Brien
says the two inexperienced
grade eights on the team,
Whitney Bruneau and
Mindy Alton cach won a
imatch and certainly did not
look-out of place at the
high-calibre event,

Although O'Brien is al-
ready exciled about next
season, he says the girls will
really be a powerhouse in
two years,

The problem next year is
that the team will be split
between = Skeena and
Caledonia,’’ he says. ‘‘Our
strength will be in two

Journal focusses

FISHING ALONG our
mighty Skeena River is al-
ready famous world-over,
but now images of its waters
will grace the coffee tables
of fishers across the con-
tinent.

The Skeena has recently -

joined the ranks of several
other famous North. Amer-
ican rivers to be showcased
in the popular magazine,
Steclhead River Journal.

The journal is published
four times each year out of
Portland, Oregon, Each is-
sue focuscs on a particular
river and is usually written
by a local author, The result
is a softcover, coffee table-
type magazine.

The Skeena edition was
penned by Terrace’s own
Rob Brown, who’s certainly
no stranger to fishing in
these paris.

“We have some
pretty notable
fishermen around here
who deserve better
recognition,’? .

-Rob Brown-

The 48-year-old © is

originally from Vancouver,
He came up to the northwest
to teach elementary school
in Hazelton and ended up.
staying a little longer. than

expected,

“T fell in love with the
fishing here,”’ says Brown,
who has now been here for
more than 20 years, "I’m
planning to enjoy the great
outdoors while they last.”

Although Brown’s cdition
of the jountal is replete with
photos of the beautiful local
scenery, it actually contains
more text than most of the
magazines it the series.

“I could have written a
book five times as big,”
Brown says. “But [I was
limiled by the formal,’

Rather. than simply con-
centrating on where to fish,

_ Brown ‘Writes about techni:
the: river's history...

que,

years. Then we'll be chal-
lenging for top spat.”’
O’Brien says he’s nol
being over-confident, point-
ing out that the competition
this year was really close.
Only a few points separated
the top four schools and had
Skeena managed one mare
finalist, they would have

been in the top five.

The two strongest schools
this year were Alberni Dis-
trict and Phoenix, both from
Port Alberni on Vancouver
Island. O’Brien says that
those schools will continue

‘to be tough in the years to

came but our Terrace squad
is up to the challenge.

on Skeena

types of fish and flies, and
weaves it all together with
tales aboul the characters
who fish local waters.
“They’re all in there in
one way or another,’ he
says, ‘‘We have some prelly

“There's no shortage
of things to write about
when it comes to fish-
ing,’’ -Rob Brown-

notable fishermen around
here who deserve
recognition.’’

Another) person who

Brown feels deserves recag-

better’

nition is his friend, photog-
rapher Myron Kozak, who
passed away just before the
journal went to print. Kozak
supplied many of the pic-
tures to the Skeena edition
— which Brown has dedi-
cated to him.

And Brown says he’s not
through telling others about
the mighty Skeena, .,

“Tf the journals keep sell-
ing well I’d like ta do one
on the Kispiox,’’ he says.
‘There's no shortage of
things to write about when it
comes to fishing.””

‘The Sieclhead River Jour-
nal is available at local ai-
gling suppliers and book-
stores.” os -