Invermere Valley Echo, August 28, 2013

Page 1

The Columbia Valley’s Newspaper Since 1956

From Canal Flats to Spillimacheen

VALLEY ECHO T he

Wednesday, October 2012 Wednesday, August31, 28, 2013

invermerevalleyecho.com

Vol.57 56Issue Issue 40 Vol. 35

1

$ 05 INCLUDES GST PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NO. 7856

BERNIE RAVEN CHRIS RAVEN 1-866-598-7415 TEAMRAVEN.CA Offices in Panorama, Invermere & Fairmont

Skaters compete in Ride for Crisqo Pg A13

George Leach to rock the Lakeshore Pg A10

A bigger bridge over troubled waters

MaxWell Realty Invermere

Numa Creek fire quenched after quadrupling STEVE HUBRECHT steve@invermerevalleyecho.com

GREG AMOS / ECHO PHOTO A new 190-foot (58-metre) steel truss bridge at the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort is sure to keep RV campers connected with the main resort, no matter what surges come rushing down the creek. The bridge was secured into its footings on Thursday, August 22nd.

New foot bridge to enhance resort GREG AMOS editor@invermerevalleyecho.com

A new foot bridge at the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort should ensure there's a flood-proof means of access between the resort's main grounds and its recreational vehicle (RV) park. The 190-foot (58-metre) steel truss bridge was set in place with the help

of two giant Mammoet crane trucks on Thursday, August 22nd, and is expected to be ready for foot traffic by Friday (August 30th) or Saturday. After assembling the three pieces into a single span, about a dozen workers secured the bridge into its footings at 11 a.m. With an inside width of 10 feet (three metres) and a weight of just under 100,000 pounds (45,360 kilograms), the bridge is wide and sturdy enough

VJ (Butch) Bishop Owner/Operator 4846 Holland Creek Ridge Rd. Invermere, BC V0A 1K0

to drive golf carts and even vehicles across, though under normal circumstances it will be for walkers only. "In case an ambulance has to go across, the bridge can take it," commented Fairmont Hot Springs Resort chief financial officer Pascal van Dijk. "It was a small creek before, and now it's a wide canyon covered by a single-span bridge.” CONTINUED ON PAGE A14

Strong winds last week helped the Numa Creek wildfire in Kootenay National Park jump in size from 100 hectares to 400 hectares, briefly giving off a large column of smoke. The fire has been burning for almost a month after likely beginning with a lightning strike, but as of early last week had been holding steady in size and was not producing much visible smoke. On Thursday, August 22nd the fire increased almost fourfold and produce quite a visible column of smoke, which was blown east to Banff, Canmore and Calgary. The sudden jump prompted Parks Canada fire management specialists to conduct flyovers and put ground fire crews in action. A strong five-millimeter dose of rain on the night of Saturday, August 24th combined with generally cooler temperatures during the weekend quickly curtailed the smoke, which at the last update before press time included some smaller puffs from a few fire spots as well as some smoke haze. Although ground crews had initially been on the scene when the fire started, they were pulled off because the steep slopes and difficult terrain in the area made it potentially unsafe for them. Parks Canada was also opting to manage the fire by not directly suppressing it, since fire plays an important ecological roles in mountain parks and is particularly beneficial to recovery of white bark pine, an endangered tree species found in the Numa Creek drainage. CONTINUED ON PAGE A3

• Excavators • Mini-Excavators • Bobcats • Dump Trucks • Water Trucks • Compaction Equipment • Snow Plow • Sanding Equipment • Crane Truck • Mobile Pressure Washing & Steam Cleaning • Underground Services • Site Prep & Demolition • Road Building • Land Clearing • Controlled Burning • Rock Walls • Rip Rap • Top Soil • Sand & Gravel CONTRACT OR HOURLY MACHINE RENTALS AVAILABLE


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.