86 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 10, 1998 ANITA DOLMAN TERRACE STANDARD SPORTS = ROB BROWN Rat Tales UR SHIPS have carried a colony of rats to these un- civilized countries and these, having multiplied prodigiously, cause serious damage.”” So said Jose Mariano Mozino, a member of the University of Mexico's graduating class of 1787, and the first North America-bormn biologist to work in Canada. Mozino was twenty-nine when he wrote these words at his desk aboard a Spanish vessel anchored in Nooika Sound. In those days, sailors were aquanauts who travelled forbidding distances, cruising to un- known corners of the planet and encountering uncertainties in much the same way astronauts would two hundred years later. Although the first of the rat-infested Spanish craft to land in British Columbia did so at the north end of Haida Gwaii, close to a small ar- chipelago called Kiisgwaii by the Haida, rats did not scramble down the anchor lines and seitie on those islands until fishing vessels transported them there centuries later. Kiisgwaii is set in the turbulent waters of Dixon Entrance. It consists of Cox, Lucy, and Langara Islands, At 3105 hectares, Langara is the largest of the trio. Spruce, cedar, and hem- lock make up its forest cover. It is large enough to support streams that drain freshwater lakes, then cut through forests and sphagnum bogs on their way to the ocean. Today, Langara shelters high-end sport fish- ing operations that operate out of Henslung Cove on the Island’s southeastern side. Long before the salt water sportfishers arrived to mine the great runs of Pacific salmon that swim by Langara on their way to rivers all over the west coast, the Island hosted a cannery. The ubiqui- tous Norwegian rats immigrated to Langara aboard the fishing boats off-loading there. As you might expect, an island set in the mid- dic of fish riches, like Langara is, hosts large and varied populations of sea birds. Tufted Puffins, Ancient Murrelets, Pigeon Guillemots, Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels, Leach’s Petrels, Pelagic Cormorants, Rhinoceros Auk- lets Cassin’s Auklets, Glaucous-winged gulls and Ancient Murrellets alt colonized the place, providing a rich menu of eggs and young for the rats, Some of these populations had disappeared; others were seriously declining. There was litle hope for the rest until 1988 when the oil barge Nestucca ran aground at Pacific Rim National Park, bleeding tonnes of ail into the sea and killing 50,000 sea birds. When the litigation flowing from the dis- astrous spill was settled, a trust fund for en- vironmental recovery was established. The money from this fund made possible the Langara Island Seabird Habitat Recovery Pro- ject. By the fall of 1993, feasibility studies had been done and reporis had been submitted. The public is wary of pesticide applications, and rightly so. Therefore a public consultation pro- cess was Undertaken, mainly to assure the Mas- set Haida that the risks were minimal and that containment procedures were in place. That done, @ large team of scientists and field workers invaded Langara. By the end of 1995, trails had been cut, the infrastructure was In place and the field personnel had been trained. The poison used for the assault on Langara rais was the offspring of an anticoagulant poison originally developed in the 1940s when a chemical occurring naturally in the mould of swect clover hay was identified as the cause of death in caille. After wiggling through a chunk of high- visibility, ycllow, plastic corrugated tubing, the rats scarfed down a bait containing the insidious poison as well as tallow, sugar, blood, and bone, When he returned to his underground condo his fellows would smell his breath. Rats, scientists have discovered, prefer food they smell on the breath of their buddies to more fa- miliar foods. These rais would naw seek out the baits or the caches of others. Much later the vector of the tantalizing aroma would die of in- temal hemorrhaging, Over the course of a year, fewer and fewer baits were consumed, This was a good omen for the Langara ratters for it meant the rodent popu- lation was succumbing, By May of 1997, Gary Kaiser, Rowley Taylor, Peter Buck, John Elliot, Gregory Howald and Mark Drever, representing ihe Canadian Wildlife Service and Associates and Systems Forestry, and their crews, has suc- cessfully removed rats from the jargest land mass upon which extermination had ever been atiempled, Langara was declared rat free. JASON KRUG will soon be hitting the ice for his new team in Meisbach, Germany. Krug recently signed a one-year contact with TEV Maisbach. GETTING READY: A player returns a ball to the playing field in a Ter- race Women’s Soccer Association game (right). Below, players race for the ball in a fast and furious game Thursday night at Caledonia field, ‘The women’s league is back in a big way this year after it all but dis- Sappeared- in recent years, On his way up Krug heads to Germany By ANITA DOLMAN THERE IS no doubt that Jason Krug continues to be a rising star in hock- ey but he also has his bases covered. The 25-year-old from Terrace will be graduating this week from the Mankato State University in Minnesota, where he has played for the past four years, A defenceman, Krug also recently signed a one year contract wilh TEV Meisbach in Germany. “This will be exciting,’’ says Krug, but he says not speaking the language will pres- enta challenge, He will be leaving for the Bavarian town - in September. Meisbach is about a half hour from Munich aad located at the edge of the Alps. “] hear it’s kind of like Banff,’ says Krug. Krug’s hockey career has allowed him to travel extensively throughout North Amer- ica but this will be bis first time overseas. “T’m going for the experience, to have Drag racers ordered to slow down IT WON’T be a case of pedal all the way to the metal at this year’s drag races on a stretch of Hwy 16 in Thornhill. Worries from the high- ways ministry about liability should something happen because of high speeds has caused organizers to cap the times racers are allowed ta achieve, *“With the six second cap, you'll still see some fairly high speeds — 120 to 122 miles an hour over one- eighth of a mile,’’ said race organizer Troy Tymoschek last week. He calls the time cap more of a challenge to accomplish than simply straight speed and power down the line. And Tymoschuk who last year posted the fastest time at 5.295 seconds admits he'll be one of the first this year to disqualify if he ex- ceeds the time cap. “We've been quite clear about this in our meetings,” said Tymoschuk of the new cap. But despite the six second rule, Tymoschuk said racing fans will get their money’s worth at the Aug, 3 drags. If past races are an in- dicator close to 90 cars from around the northwest will be on hand. ‘It’s like a bad disease. Once you get il, it’s hard to get rid of it,”’ said Tymaos- chuk of drag racing fever. Things have gotten to the point that northwestern racers are talking about a fun and to see if [like it,’’ be says, Krug is engaged and will look at the op- tion of a second year-long contract after returning {o the U.S. next summer to get married. Krug’s star first took off when he was recruited out of a local Bantam team at 14 to play for Notre Dame in Saskatechewan. He stayed with the school for six years before heading into the hockey team and the finance program at Mankato. Although he is enjoying his hockey career, Krug sees himself with a future in finance and he says that means he doesn’t have to worry so much. “Tm glad I have my degree,” he says, “I can go over there, hurt myself or not like it, I have insurance."’ He does indeed, Krug is graduating with honors and has just been named a GTE Academic All- American for the third time. Before he leaves for Germany he will be visiting Terrace late this August to instruct at the annual hockey school. Women kick in a league of their own THE PAST may have been rocky but the future looks bright for women’s soccer ac- tion in Terrace. Alter years of struggling to get people out on the ficlds, female soccer players are showing up in full force to make their league work. The league was started last year — years after women’s soccer had virtually dis- appeared from the city. “As far as having more than one team in Terrace, I don’t know when that last ex- isted, It’s a bit of a revival,’’ says Candace Malthewson. She is the chairperson of the Terrace women’s soccer association, the committee in charge of organizing and promoting the league, She says that before the league started, HURRY UP AND SLOW DOWN: Dray fr people had trouble getting 12 players to- gether to play in competitions against Prince Rupert or Kitimat, Now, wot only is there still a 24-member select team which competes with other towns, but the Terrace league is booming. Last year the league had five teams and this year there are six, “Abilities range from brand new, begin- ner, never touched a saccer ball to 20 years of expcrience,’? says Mattewson. Many of the teams have already found sponsorship from local businesses. The league season started May 12 and will end with an awards night towards the end of August. Games are held at 6:45 p.m. and 8 p.m, on Tuesdays at the Thornhill field and on Thursdays at Caledonia, aus last year blew through the 1/8th last year In times as low as 5.295 seconds. But a highways ministry-imposed speed limit this year means some of the speed demons are going to have to ease off, three-race circuit where to- week of August, p-m. tal points would result in overall trophies. This circuit would take In the local drags, the July 4 Kitimat Hill Climb and raciig in Houston the third Organizers this year want lo get the technical and signing in procedures done as early as possible racing day with prime time sched- wled to begin at around 1 “If people with young families don’t want to be there for the whole day, they can come at 2:30 p.m. or so and they'll be in time for most of the racing,’’ said Tymoschuk, 638-7283 Ne ee ee eee eee se ee ee ee ee ee ee 24