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
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