Shrooms are up but may be down BY ANITA DOLMAN MUSHROOM HUNTING hopefuls are already coming fo town with the first round of mushrooms, , Pickers have already set Up camp at the popular Cranberry Junction ‘'Zoo” and mushroom depots are _ Popping up all over town. But, although it appears the mushrooms are out there for the taking, the market inay not be very supportive. Local depot operators say the suffering Asian market may mean low prices. Most depots in the region were offering $12 a pound or less for top-grade pine mushrooms as of the weekend. “Tl don’t think we're gonna sce big prices this year," says Renec Whitford of Jackie’s Depot, She says the vast majority of B.C. mushrooms are usually sold to Japan, which is in a financial crisis right now, Tory Charlion, of T.C.’s Shroom Shack says that iast year’s poor mushroom crop might also keep some pick- ers away. prices “There was just no mushrooms last year,’’ he says, ‘That could scare a lot of the transicat pickers off.'’ But Whitford says she’s already seen a lot of regu- lass from) =s the = BEC, mushroom-picking circuit come to town from as far away as Powell River and Alberta. “We're gelting in about eight to ten baskets a day,” she says, “Tt definitely looks like a good star to ihe season,’’ she adds. Baskets usually contain aboul 15 pounds = of mushrooms, Whitford says the mushrooms coming in right now, mainly pine and lob- ster, contain a fair amount of worms but that that is normal for this time of the season, Both Whilford and Charlton have some advice for wannabe mushroom pickers: pack a compass. “Every year there’s some- one who gels lost,’ says Whitford, The season is expected to last until the end of October. SHROOMS IN BLOOM: 1.C.’s Tory Charlton, owner of shows off a batch of the Shroom Shack to come in, Nisga’ a could opt out of treaty a By JEFF NAGEL IT’S CONSIDERED unlikely — but. possible — that some Nisga'a -people could choose not to sign up for the treaty and thereby keep their present lax exempt status. ~ The income tax exemption — . which doesn’t apply automatically to ali natives, but only those who live or work on reserve — is to be phased out over 12 years under the treaty. Sales tax exemptions are goue after eight years. Senior federal treaty negotiator “Tim Barkwell said any Nisga’a who choose not to enrol would be forgo- ing all the benefits that come with ‘the treaty. . “There’s a strong incentive for virtually everyone to be enrolled for the treaty,’ Barkwell said. ‘‘I would think the benefits would greatly outweigh the costs.’’ Bul he conceded that possibility could grow the farther Nisga‘a people are away from the Nass val- ley, where treaty benefits will be concentrated. And since a majority of the 5,000-plus Nisga’a do live outside the Nass — most of them in Ter- race, Prince Rupert and Vancouver — it could be an issue. Barkwell noted that health and social services can be provided to Nisga’a who live off reserve, And, he added, it will be up to Nisga’a leaders to decide whether the $190 million federal transfer will be reserved entirely for eco- nomic development projects or whether loans or transfers to indi- vidual Nisga’a will take place. “If you’re a citizen you have ac- cess to that, if you’re not you don’t,’” he said. Barkwell also noted that any Nisga’a who don’t enrot won’t have a vote in the upcoming referendum on the treaty, Barkwell added fewer natives are tax-exempt than non-natives think, and the amount of money forgone by government is relatively smali. The eligibility and enrolment pro- cess is entirely overseen by the Nisga’a. An cight ‘member panel consist- ing of two people from each band is in charge of determining who is a Nisga’a for the purposes of the treaty. While the feds aren’t playing a direct role in that process, Barkwell Said it's in the interests of the Nisga’a to ensure everyone gets signed up. That's because there’s an in- demnity clause in the treaty in which the Nisga’a guarantee no other growp of aboriginal people will ever come forward calling themselves Nisga’a and demanding aboriginal rights or settlements. If it does happen, the clause says the Nisga’a will be + responsible for ally Costs. “There’s a strong onus for them to go out and identify people them- selves,'’ Barkwell said. The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 26, 1998 - A3 latest button mushrooms News In Brief DFO to lift red zone SALMON ANGLERS get ready. Red zone restrictions which limit salmon fishing on the Skcena river will be lifted midnight Sept. 5, accord- ing to Department of Fisheries and Oceans official El- mer Fast. He says the ban is being lifted because most salmon runs are done though there may be some late sockcye coming upstream. Caho must still be released and barb- less hooks remain banned until December. Fast says anglers should remember in season restric- tions can change quickly if management officials be- lieve there is reason to do so, Bear watch UP TO four bears are scen in Terrace per week say ‘local conservation officers, Most of the sightings are on Old Lakelse Lake Road in Thornhill! where residents saw a female and three cubs, says Dale Ryan. Waish Ave. west residents saw bears too — but cajls are too infrequent to warrant a bear trap yet, he says. Peak bear season usually hits Terrace mid-fall but Ryan says they’re being spotted earlier this year. “It could be the heat rotting berries, or less fish in the river or the electric dumps,” he said referring to Ter- race's new electric landfill fence. Bears are attracted to fallen fruit and accessible gar- bage which should be picked up or kept inside. And if the smell of rotting garbage is overcoming, Ryan recommends freezing meat scraps in small bags until garbage day. Delays rile district SPARKED by two ambulance delays in less than a “month this summer, regional district officials want to find a way to monitor emergency calls, Currently, emergency situations are dispatched through a centralized service in Kamloops — handling all communities nerth and east of Hope. The first delay happened at the Kitimat Airpark, where Arlene Moloney died of a cardiac arrest June 7. Dispatchers directed an ambulance to the Kitimat- Terrace Airport instead, causing a 20-minute delay. A coroner’s enquiry is ongoing but ambulance officials are cailing the delay a miscommunication, The fatality was followed by an incident July 3 when an unfamiliar ambulance was given wrong directions ta Ilda and Petro Tsares’ Olson Street home in Terrace’s horseshoe where their five-week old baby was choking. In this case, officials admit the delay was the result of a map-reading error. The district is asking the B.C. Ambulance Service to allow locals to listen to emergency calls, They will alsa ask that dispatchers get better training and improved maps when dealing with unfamiliar cities. Lotto win nets $85,000 A LOTTO 6/49 quick pick bought on the Riverboat Days weekend made 46-year-old Terrace resident Janice Robinson $85,260 richer, | The self-employed holistic therapist matched five numbers, plus, the bonus number, Spending plans in- clude home renovations. Act now, and get up to $400 in Cat Gash™ when you buy a 1999 Arctic Cat® before September 30, 1998. P urchase a new 1998 Arctic Cat before September 30, 1998 you can get up to $800 in Cat Cash™, Quantities are limited.