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MERRITT HERALD FREE
TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2013 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
Wood stove program eyes a return By Emily Wessel THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
As tick season arrives, people and their dogs are threatened by the tiny menace. Two Merritt hikers have already reported finding five ticks on them. Phillip Woolgar/Herald
Tick season strikes early One couple reported 5 ticks on them in the span of a week By Phillip Woolgar THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
March is here, and with warmer weather comes a greater danger of being latched onto by a tick. At least five of the tiny menaces that are about the size of a sesame seed have boarded a Merritt couple who are now warning residents. Merrittonian Gail Mitchell frequently hikes the Monck Park area with her husband and dog. “We weren’t expecting them, because we thought, ‘Oh, you know, in a month or two we will look out for ticks,’” she said, noting the couple had
‘Merritt is really common for deer lice and it is prevalent in the long grass.’ —ANGEL’S ANIMAL RESCUE SOCIETY PRESIDENT JUDANNA DOWN-CAROS
only picked up a couple ticks in previous years. “But we have found five already, in one week.” The couple hikes nearly every day, and had frequented the Monck Park area when the ticks latched on. She said the ticks embedded themselves onto the couple’s heads, but two
M E R R I T T
dogs she was walking were unaffected. The pooches have a light white coat that isn’t prone to attracting ticks, she said. Angel’s Animal Rescue Society President Judanna Dawn-Caros said people need to watch out for their dogs. “After they go for walks, check the dogs thoroughly, so give them a good rubbing all over,” she said. “If there is any lumps and bumps that they are feeling, really be concerned that there could be a tick there and research on how to remove the ticks properly.”
See ‘Ticks common’ Page 4
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who did switch out are just tickled pink with their stoves.’ —FORMER WOOD STOVE PROGRAM CO-ORDINATOR TIM LARSEN
“If you do a rough calculation, that’s about four metric tonnes of particulate gone,” Larsen said, referring to the smallest particles of smoke, which can get into lungs and cause respiratory problems. “The people who did switch out are just tickled pink with their stoves,” Larsen said. “They burn less wood and it’s green — it’s good biofuel, and we have lots of it.” Wood stove programs are still active in other parts of the province. The provincial government contributes $250, while the TNRD, City of Merritt, and First Nations contributed the remaining $500. “We offered the highest incentive in the province,” Larsen said. “Council and the Air Quailty Committee were determined to make it attractive.”
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The Nicola Valley Wood Stove Exchange program could return next winter if people express enough interest to the City of Merritt, former program co-ordinator Tim Larsen said. “There were fewer stoves being changed out, so the decision was to take a break from it,” Larsen said. “Public interest would determine whether it would come back.” Larsen said there is still a need in the Nicola Valley for people to replace their old wood stoves with new units. “If you see smoke coming out of a chimney, it’s a problem,” Larsen said. “There are a lot of people who, for various reasons, didn’t take advantage of the program.” The program, which offers a $750 reimbursement to people switching out old wood stoves for newer, greener models, took a hiatus this winter for lack of expressed interest. Larsen said the program saw over 70 wood-burning stoves in the Nicola Valley switched out over the four years the program ran.
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