Al4- The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 28, 2000

New campsite opens for
groups at Lakelse Lake

By JENNIFER LANG
A CAMPSITE designed for
large groups at Lakelse
Lake Provincial Park offi-
cially opencd for business
last weekend,

Reservations for the
new group campsite at La-
kelse Lake picnic site are
now rolling in, B.C. Parks
supervisor... Jamie--Hahn
said. And once word gets
out, he expects the new
site will be a hot commad-
ity this summer.

Located several -hun-
dred metres south of. the
Lakelse day-use picnic
site, the proup site has four
double campsites and a
field area for tenting, It
can accommodate up to

From front

100 people at one time.
Because it’s designed
for proup use, the new
campsite should reduce
the number of noise com-
plaints lodged each season
at Furlong Bay, Hahn said.
In the past, conflict be-
tween. quiet and noisy
campers was inevitable.

Corporate bookings at Fur- ....

tong Bay often meant one
party reserved 20 separate
sites. at the 160-site’ family
campground. —

“Groups want to stay up
as a group,” he said. “It
tends to be disruptive to
everyone else.”

Now, that's all going to
change. The new campsite
is private, tucked away

from the picnic site and

away from Furlong Bay.

“If adulls want to have
a beer and walk around
the site, they’re allowed to
do that,” Hahn:said.

- He -reminds - campers
that the site operator.-and
park rangers will still pa-
Irol the group campsite.

“Rangers - can--search = ~
_ and seize,” he said, stress-
ing, “We try to be more.

proactive than booking: in
kids and thrawing them out
at one-in the moming.”
The group campsite is
the first of its kind to open
in the northwest, although
another one is in the works
in the Smithers region.
Thirteen local Envynir-

Plan weighs job hit
against grizzly goal

Timber loss ‘way beyond
our expectations’ — industry

Environment ministry bio-
logists, however, put for-
ward a number of new op-
tions last week that could
lessen the effect on timber
supply and forest industry
jobs. ;

That has raised hopes
that the job impact will be
reduced, George said.

The table still faces
other unresolved issues,
including an enhanced
timber zone and one more
proposed protected area in
the upper Copper River
drainage.

The plan calls for mea-
sures to create sustainable
levels of timber harvest
and grizzly bear habitat.

Table members are
currently moving towards a
plan'that would aim for a
stable grizzly bear popula-
tion of around 1,000 bears
in the Kalum forest dis-
trict. That’s up from cur-
rent population estimates
of 500-900 bears.

That grizzly population
goal triggers forest man-
agement requirements that
industry reps have found
hard to swallow.

“We're not as a compa-
ny going to put something
to the public that we don’t
think is a potentially
viable option for us,” said
Justin Kumagai, planning
forester for Skeena Cellu-
lose.

“Our company definite-
ly needs way mote cer-
tainty and knowledge.”

He and West Fraser’s
Damian Keating stressed
they need to take the pro-
posals back for intensive
analysis with their collea-
gues.

They were also. leery of
potential increased opera-
ting costs of planning log-
ging differently to accom-

meodate prizzlies.

George also ‘suggested
the 1,000 bear goal may
be too optimistic if timber
harvest levels are also to

be sustainable.

The responses drew
frustration from bear biolo-
gist Tony Hamilton, who
has tabled numerous new
ideas to ease the timber
supply hit while attempt-
ing to protect bears.

“Is it down to anything
with an economic cost im-
plication for grizzly bear
habitat is not acceptable?”
he asked.

“I’m hoping there could
be consensus,” Hamilton
added. “I don't know what
else to recommend, biolo-
gically.”

Kumagai said Skeena
Cellulose has a number in
mind of the total decrease
of its timber supply it’s
willing to accept as a re-
sult of the LMRP plan.

lf the table wanis a,

heavy emphasis on grizzl

‘bear habitat, he suggested,

it may have to revisit other
areas of the plan to reduce
limber impacts elsewhere.

“What's that number?”
demanded table .member
Renee Mikaloff.

“T don't know — my
basses don’t tell me,” Ku-
magai said.

He did say the projec-
ted timber supply impacts
are “way beyond our ex-
pectations.”

One way timber im-
pacts may be lessened is a
plan to use clearcuts to
boost prime berry-produ-
cing grizzly habitat.

“There’s tremendous
feeding opportunities in
clearcuts for the first 15
years,” Hamilton said.

Old growth forests are
also good habitat.

The problem is middle-
aged stands are bad for
bears.

The strategy would call
for planned logging to cre-

ate young forests — through

pure

is aromatherapy for hair.

environmentally
responsible
peak performing
products that
make you look
and feel your
absolute best

*Shampoos
*Conditioners
*Styling Products
“Sprays

* Finishing Products

®puremind.aromacandles
*in an array of scents, 100% pure, 100% natural

HAIR GALLERY

4711D Keith Ave

635-3729

(

Watch for

“Sour famous

litre salel

7m

clearcuts — in such a way

that middle-aged stands

don’t exceed certain limits
in key grizzly areas.

George noted the shift
in grizzly-management
-strategics to ease forestry

effects have left. table
members with little idea
what effect the proposals
now on the table will have
on jobs.

“The bottom line is we
have to have the numbers
on job losses,” he said.

“The public is going to ask

that question and they bet-
ter be ready with an
answer.”

Some participanis noted
it may not be possible to
know all. impacts of the
plan up front.

“T think there has to be

_8, Jeap of faith at some
y° Eyaint thal this’ is ‘What’ yoo

really want to do,” said

table member Cheryl
Brown.

The group did reach
agreement on whal’s

called critical patch habi-
tat for grizzlies.

That ensures small
swampy areas that produce
swamp cabbage critical for
early spring grizzly feed-
ing are protected in ade-
quate numbers.

It’s now expected the
recommended plan, if con-
cluded in August, will go
to public review in late
summer or fall.

anmental Youth Team
members worked on the
$187,000-campsite at La-
kelse Lake.

To encourage group
campfires, the - covered
picnic area’ contains a
‘Wood stove,-and a second,
outdoor picnic sile is
equipped .with a small,
communal--fire’:pit over-
looking: the lake. -

“When not booked by
large groups, ‘the new
campsile. may be. used as

an overflow campsite for ~

Furlong Bay.

The site has an interest-
ing history. A devastating
slide 37. ‘years ago de-
stroyed the original camp-
site just a week prior to

NEW PICNIC shelter is one of the improvements part of the just-opened group
campsite at Lakelse Lake, says campsite project manager Sandy Crawford,

opening, B.C. Parks
campsite project manager
Sandy Crawford said.

That slide occurred
when ~substirface. marine
clays ‘liquefied, moving
earth nearly 3,000 metres
from the -nearby hillside
across’ Highway. 37 and
into Lakelse Lake.

Crawford said evidence

of the slide can still be

seen in the distinctive

bogs in the area,
Engineering tests done

before work began on the °

new. ‘campsite . last . year

‘have. determined: the. pre-

sent-day site is stable, he
added, -.;

Crawford tried to use
existing features in the

cumpsite’s design. Part of
the looped access road fol-
lows the path of an origi-
nal roadway.

‘Reservations are made
by calling. 798-2466,
Groups must réserve al
least cight sites for a total
of $140 per. night. Youth
groups pay $50°a night.

oo

"All Display And Classified Display
Advertising Copy and word classifieds
for the JULY 5" Terrace Standard is

THURSDAY, JUNE 29
at 4:00 p.m.

OFFICE CLOSED JULY 3, 2000

TANDARD. meet their press deadlines

Due to the Canada Day
Holiday on July 1, 2000 The

will have early deadlines to

OFFICE HOURS:
TUESDAY - FRIDAY 8:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M.

PHONE 638-7283

FAX 638-8432

owes TERRACE pes

STANDARD

3210 CLINTON STREET, TERRACE, B.C. V8G 5R2

:

4

alten

Uyiaa ala