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Vol. 90 Issue 02 • Wednesday, January 9, 2013 • www.arrowlakesnews.com • 250-265-3823 • $1.25 •
PM40036531
Dog killed in Conibear trap near MacDonald Creek Claire paradis Arrow Lakes News
A dog was killed by a trap set just off the Baerg Forest Service Road near MacDonald Creek between Nakusp and Burton. “It took three of us everything we had to get the trap off,” said Brian Graham, neighbour to the unfortunate Yellow Lab named Nikki and her owners Chris Szabo and Brenda Hoyle. Szabo, Hoyle and Nikki had returned to Baerg FSR for another walk on Boxing Day. It was on their descent that Nikki suddenly ran into the woods, shortly after which the couple heard a terrible sound. Fearing it was a cougar attack and that the dog would be dragged through the woods, the two didn’t rush into the scene. Fortunately, they were able to get cell phone service and call Graham who also enlisted the help of nearby local Charles Maxfield. “They called to help find the dog because I knew the area,” Maxfield told the Arrow Lakes News. As he ventured off the road, cutting through the bush to where the dog had last been heard, he spotted one trap and then another. When he first spotted the dog’s body in the trap, he thought it might have been a cougar. “I felt really sorry for them. They said they’d had the dog for ten years,” said Maxfield. After wrestling with the 330 Conibear
trap for ten minutes, the jaws were released but it was far too late for Nikki. The metal device meant to trap lynx, bobcats, wolverines or cougars had crushed the life from her. Designed to be a humane trap, the Conibear is a kind of body-gripping trap that kills animals quickly by clamping around their neck. The traps are difficult to release; for information about how to release an animal from a Conibear trap, you can visit the site www.terrierman.com/traprelease.htm. Herald Friedenberger, the trapper who runs the line, doesn’t like to see dogs tangled in traps but said people should be more cautious when they’re out in the bush. “I feel bad, I don’t want people’s pets getting hammered,” he told the Arrow Lakes News. Friedenberger had put up yellow tape warning that there was an active trapping line in the area. A yellow ribbon warning of an active trapline dangled from a nearby tree and was hardly visible, said Barb Graham, who returned to the area with her husband Brian after the dog’s death to take pictures. “You wouldn’t have seen it if you hadn’t been looking for it,” she told the Arrow Lakes News. The faded ribbon looked like just another piece of flagging tape along the road. Unless you looked very closely, it was difficult to read the warning printed on the ribbon. Friedenberger has had issues with both ribbons and signs. Once he discovered that the ribbon had been chewed by a cougar.
A hiker stands on Baerg FSR beside the yellow tape that marks a nearby trapline. Photo courtesy of Brian Graham Signs he has put up have been knocked down too, but by humans. Friedenberger believes that signs are knocked down by people opposed to trapping. “They don’t like trapping. I’ve had traps sprung and smashed too,” he told the Arrow Lakes News.
The trapper is going to bring up the idea of getting government signs installed at a meeting of trappers and a MOE biologist coming up this month. Friedenberger is hopeful that governmentendorsed signs will stay up, because tamper-
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Nakusp and area property assessments decrease Claire paradis Arrow Lakes News
Nakusp residential property values were down by 7.84 per cent according to BC Assessment. Claire Paradis/Arrow Lakes News
Nakusp residential property values decreased by 7.84 per cent according to data released from BC Assessment Jan. 2. Commercial properties also declined, but by only by a modest 0.32 per cent. The Village of Nakusp assessment roll decreased from $250 million last year to $234 million this year, a much smaller drop than in nearby Silverton and New Denver. The hamlet of Silverton in the West Kootenay led the province in property assessment decline, hitting the mark of 19.15 per cent. Silverton was followed by its neighbour New Denver at 18.72
per cent. The rural area surrounding the three centres was also assessed at a lower value at $1.0 billion this year, down from $1.1 billion last year. Although most homes have decreased moderately from last year’s assessment, the changes are quite variable depending on a property’s specific location, said Dennis Hickson, Deputy Assessor. The northern areas of the province increased, with the Peace River area leading the way with 10.43 per cent. Prince George and area values also went up to the tune of 5.63 per cent. The total value for real estate in the province was $1.107 trillion, up from last year’s $1.043 trillion. Assessments are in the mail and
making their way to homeowners. If you have an issue or disagreement with your assessment, contact BC Assessment as soon as possible in January, said Hickson. “If a property owner is still concerned about their assessment after speaking to one of our appraisers, they may submit a Notice of Complaint (Appeal) by January 31, for an independent review by a Property Assessment Review Panel,” he added. The Property Assessment Review Panels, independent of BC Assessment, are appointed annually by the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development.
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