The Columbia Valley’s Newspaper Since 1956
From Canal Flats to Spillimacheen
VALLEY ECHO T he
invermerevalleyecho.com
Wednesday, October 31, 2012 Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Vol.57 56Issue Issue 40 Vol. 51
1
$ 05 INCLUDES GST PUBLICATIONS MAIL REGISTRATION NO. 7856
BERNIE RAVEN CHRIS RAVEN 1-866-598-7415 TEAMRAVEN.CA Offices in Panorama, Invermere & Fairmont
Local artist mulls mans' impact on nature Pg. 9
Letters to Santa from local youngsters Pg. 10
MaxWell Realty Invermere
Holiday train transmission Dan Walton/Valley Echo photo Performers Matt Dusk from Calgary and Melanie Doane from Nova Scotia entertained crowds who came to see the CP Holiday Train musicians perform at Forsters Landing in Radium Hot Springs on the evening of Thursday, December 12th. The festive train made its return to the valley after last making a whistle stop here in 2011. More than 100 people came out for the show, which lasted for about half an hour in the sub-zero temperatures. See more photos on page 3.
Lake access debated in Columbia Lake Park upgrade NICOLE TRIGG nicole@invermerevalleyecho.com
A plan to upgrade Columbia Lake Provincial Park is in the works, but a draft proposal by BC Parks prohibiting motorized access to the north end of Columbia Lake is being met with an icy reception by the community of Fairmont Hot Springs. "There have been several letters written by different community groups in Fairmont saying we want to have access
to the lake, and it's supported in our Official Community Plan and the Columbia Lake Management Strategy, and all of our policy documents support access at the north end for the community," said Regional District of East Kootenay Area F director Wendy Booth. "We all deserve access to our lake." The 257-acre provincial park — accessed through Fairmont along Columbia Lake Road heading south — has been neglected over the years due to the uncertainty surrounding the future
VJ (Butch) Bishop Owner/Operator 4846 Holland Creek Ridge Rd. Invermere, BC V0A 1K0
of Lot 48, the 300-acre parcel of land located at the park's south end. Since the Nature Conservancy of Canada purchased Lot 48 in 2012, BC Parks has turned its focus back on the park, which sits between the lot and the community of Fairmont. Earlier this year, BC Parks staff met with Ms. Booth and several Fairmont community leaders to present a draft of proposed upgrades that included improving the safety of two kilometres of Columbia Lake Road from Fairmont into the park,
installing a gate and sign at the park's entrance to deter overnight camping, and decommissioning the access road down to the north end of the lake. "It's a very, very bad road that's deteriorated over the years, and you basically need a four-wheel drive vehicle down there," said Ms. Booth, noting the access road is actually an old creek bed that people drive down to an area allowing for 10 to 12 vehicles. »See A5
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