B6 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, September 4, 1996 DAVE TAYLOR _ROB BROWN Apocalypse now inlay and I took a drive to the lower Lakelse River last week. We knew the river would be thickening with the first infusion of pink salmon. Two years ago Ed Chapplow and [ found some fat cutthroat trout among that year’s run of humpbacks. It was the kind of fine fishing you need to sample again and again, the kind that becomes a ritual, Last year, the long debilitating illness he stub- bomly fought until it killed him this summer, kept Ed away from the harvest trout of the Lakelse . By the time I freed myself from some commitments that seemed pressing then, but don’t seem so urgent now, the river had turned from humpy soup to humpy stew. Even with a floating line ] couldn’t avoid impaling pinks, I caught one small trout. I’d missed the narrow window of opportunity. I told Finlay of the good days Ed and I had had two Avgusts past as we bounced along Lakelse Main. The landscape in Skeeia is always changing. Finlay noticed some new cutblocks on the far side of the river, When we reached the Lakelse we saw the old Bridge that Ed bad helped build had been replaced by a higher, narrower struc- ture, But by far the most striking change to the landscape was a monolithic clearcut on a mountain almost direcily south of us: an ugly swath shaped like a gargantuan ski run. We understood why when we heard the per- cussive wing beats of a large helicopter, The machine hovered over the slope then, when the lines had been secured lifted a tree high Into the air whereupon it flew down to the landing where, presumably, the tree could be limbed and loaded on an awaiting truck. It was an im- pressive performance, There were no roads girdling the slope, a good thing given that road building wreaks all kinds of havoc on surrounding ecosystems, but as far as I can see that’s where the advantages of this logging show ended, Whenever someone criticizes logging prac- tices these days, the government and its divi- sions are quick to point out that everything will be fine since we now have a new forest code. Since the vaunted code has been proclaimed amid glorious fanfare I’ve been looking hard for evidence of change and find little. If this helicopter show of West Fraser’s is according to code, the code is not adequate. A clear cut is a clear cut is a clear cut, The only difference between the clear cut cleared by chopper and the large gaping clear cuts of the past is that this one stands on its head. A huge chunk of forest floor has been exposed, and, in this case, it’s likely more damage has been done to the environment since the soil exposed by the cutting is on a longer length of steep slope than its predecessors. Topsoil is of fundamental im- portance to new growth. Fall rains and spring tunoffs will wipe out an awful lot of topsoil ex- posed by the belichopper. What has, in effect, been created by this log- ging is a massive artificial slide chute. Slide chutes are like waterfalls insofar as they are conduits for cold air. Even if the site is replanted as soon after the logging as possible, how will the seedlings fare in the cold winds that will flow down the chute in winter? I’ve always associated helicopter logging with some sort selectivity. The Lakelse is a strikingly beautiful watershed — though not as beautiful now that it is surrounded by a crazy quilt knit together after six decades of logging anarchy. Here was a place where trees could have been removed in a manner that would have left the viewscape and the structural integrity of the steep slope intact, I anticipate this was not done because in the short term the profit to West Fraser-would have been less. Its also possible that the whole escapade would have been economically unfeasible if logged selectively from the air. If that is the case, than an alternate, less extensive method should have been tried, Failing this, the trees should have been left standing. Our surroundings affect our mood and our outlook. Aesthetic values are important to our well being aud affect how others perceive us. No company should be allowed to wreck the visual qualities of the landscape aa West Fraser has done with their helicopter show. The forest is gone, leaving a gaping polygon that can be seen for miles around. Too much wood taken too quickly and too roughly. Things: may super- ficially appear different but they were never so much the same as they are right now. ERRACE STANDARD SPORT Hockey school scores big THE ANNUAL Terrace Hockey School Skated through town last week, giving youths a chance to hone their skills and have a little more self confidence going into the upcoming minor hockey season. This was the ninth summer for the hockey school, Every year it brings the experience | of home-grown players like Wade Flaherty and Jeff Sharples io help youths become better hockey players, And this year was no exception as young hockey hopefuls from all over the north- west flocked to the arena to benefit from some professional tutoring, For Flaherty and Sharples, it is a chance to give something back to the community where they grew up, And it sure seems like their efforts aze paying off. “We're getting kids who have been in the program for four and five years,’’ Sharples says. ‘It’s great to watch them mature as hockey players.” This year, the school had more than 250 youths enrolled — more than 300 including the night league. That’s the highest tamout yet **The first year, we were just trying to fill the two-week void,’ says Sharples, '‘But now it's tremendous. It’s gone way beyond what we ever thought it would be,”’ Sharples says that it’s really important for youths here to get so: = extta ice-lime — something he says is! “ing in Terrace. HIGH FLYIN Mike Haugland takes to the skies in his ATV. “We're at a real disadvantage here be- cause there's only one sheet of ice,’ he says. ‘In order to give the kids a chance we need to expand. I know it’s tough for the city and there are no casy answers but we need a second sheet to level the playing field a bit.” Sharples points out that youths on the lower mainland are getting as much as twice the ice-time as youths in Terrace. And considering the quality of players coming out of our city, Sharples thinks we are just scratching the surface of Terrace’s hockey potential. “We've got kids who are playing in the B,C. Super Series,’ he points out. ‘That shows how much talent there is up bere, These kids aren’t getting the ice-time, but they’re still some of the best players in the province,” Flaherty couldn’t agree more. He too la- ments the Jack of a second sheet, pointing out that he doesn’t know what he would have donc if he had been turned away from minor hockey because of a lack of space. ‘What are those kids going to do?’’ he says, “It’s a long winter.’” Flaherty now heads back to San Jose, where he recently signed a one-year con- tract to slay on with the Sharks. Sharples, meanwhile, goes back to Salt Lake City, last year’s Turner Cup champions. THE TERRACE Speedway was turned into a 150 foot mud bog Sunday, August 25, as dozens of eaper drivers turned up to test their skill and machinery against thick, slimy muck. The weather was perfect, enticing thousands of spec- tators to witness the batile. And they weren’t disappointed, Everything from unmodified Chevy S10’s, to super- modified Fords and Jeeps all took turns plowing through the ooze. Most of them didn’t get far, though, and the mud proved tough to beat, Horsepower, torque and massive tires helped some, but none of the trucks made it all the way through the mud. Meanwhile, the snowmobiles skipped right over the muck, again proving that there’s really not much these noisy machines can’t do. Several of the ATV’s alsa managed to plow through the slop, In the stack 32 inch-and-under tire category, it was Bili Bad taking first, with Darcy McKeown and Juan Balatti placing second and third. Moving up to the 33 inch-and-over category, it was Al Earl taking first, with John Bodaar and Steve Burket plac- ing second and third. And in the modified class, Wilf Rondeau took first, with Brandy Thomas second and Jason Jubinville third, Rondeau's 87 foot mud crawl in his modified Chevy was the best truck performance of the day. The dune buggies had a hard time in the muck, but win- ner Steve Devost did well, as did Steve Therrien and Amie Raey, to place second and third. The ATV’s plowed through, with Mike Haugland placing first, Rick Sharples second and Jake Polson third, Snow machines had no problems, and Ivan Laschenko took first, Leon Lefebure second and Don Anderson third. The tuff truck competition was a riot, as competitors wound their way through a kidney-crunching course, bat- ting tight tums, logs, jumps and water hazards, In the short wheelbase category, Darcy McKeown was first, with ‘Giver? second and Bill Bad third. The long catcgory saw Wilf Rondeau take first, with Jules LaFrance second and Dan Thicket third. Jim Cail won the two- wheel-drive category. Meanwhile Amie Reay blazed through the course in the dune buggy division, with Richard Devost placing second. And in the ATV category, it was Mike Haugland taking first, with Blake Bedford second and Jake Polson third. Overall, the event was a big success for the speedway. “Tt went over really well,’?. says Cheryl Grace, spokesperson for the ‘track. ‘'We had a much bigger turnout than we thaught,"’ Since none of the trucks actually got through, Grace says that’s something the track will change for the future. “The mud was a little too thick,’’ she says, ‘“We'll work on it so next year at least some of them will make it,”’ The folks at the speedway are now busy preparing for this Sunday’s Demolition event. IN THE SOUP, Everyone had a tough time in the pit, te ” WADE FILAHERTY