SUMMERLAND REVIEW THE VOICE OF OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1908
VOLUME
67
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ISSUE
NO.
43
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S U M M E R L A N D,
WWW.SUMMERLANDREVIEW.COM
B.C.
• T H U R S D AY,
OC TOBER
23,
2014
WHAT’S INSIDE:
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20
PA G E S
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$1.15
The MAUD Run, held on the weekend, paid tribute to a longtime Summerland resident.
Page 10
Sign vandalized
A business sign was defaced with racist and sexist slurs.
Page 3
Candidates respond
Summerland’s candidates for mayor and councillor discuss the issues facing the community.
Pages 14 to 16
Renovation work
The kitchen at the Summerland Legion was officially reopened on Friday.
Pages 11
Golf awards
The Summerland Ladies Golf Club presented trophies to its top golfers.
Page 17
YOUR SMILE Life was much easier when apples and blackberries were just fruits.
Foundation work
John Arendt Summerland Review
Calvin Leloup, left, and James Donald of Greyback Construction work on the foundation of the new library building on Main Street. The completion date for the building is set for June.
GST
Illegal trails removed by John Arendt
Weekend run
INCLUDING
Illegal trails in the Garnett Valley area have been deactivated. Volunteers from the Summerland Sportsmen’s Association, along with workers from the Conservation Officer Service and the South OkanaganSimilkameen Conservation Program posted the signs and deactivated the trails last week. The work was funded in part by the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation Public Conservation Assistance Fund. Bryn White, manager of the conservation program, said the trails had become a problem in recent years as an increasing number of offroad vehicles were using them. She said motorized vehicles will cause disturbance to wildlife and have already degraded habitat in the area. “Hopefully we will see some recovery there,” she said. “The South Okanagan is a pretty sensitive place.” The area includes
grasslands, dry forests and wetlands. The area also provides winter and early spring habitat for wildlife. The Garnett Valley area is a corridor for wildlife off Highway 97, she said. Earlier efforts at habitat restoration have resulted in improvements to the area, White said. “The success of the Ritchie Lake fencing project and the recovery of that wetland has inspired us all,” she said. New regulations for the Garnett Valley area designate open, legal routes and closed illegal routes. Seasonally open routes may be accessed from May 1 to Dec. 31. Those who use illegal trails can face a $575 ticket if habitat destruction is observed, White said. If the destruction is significant, penalties can include fines of up to $1 million, imprisonment for up to three years or both. Those who observe illegal trail use may call 1-877-952-7277 or *7277 on a cell phone.
Garbage audits conducted Initiative introduced to reduce number of bear encounters by John Arendt WildSafeBC is conducting garbage audits in Summerland in an effort to reduce the attractants for bears and other dangerous wildlife. The audits will continue through October and November. Zoe Kirk, WildSafeBC
community coordinator for the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen, said the results so far are disappointing as many Summerlanders continue to put out their garbage the night before collection takes place. “We humans have accidentally provided a feast for bears at this time of year,”Kirk said. “When we place garbage out to the curb early, filled with a bounty of pungent harvest type leftovers, bears
gain access to our fast food refuse packets and are likely to return again and again.” The garbage audits are being conducted by a retired conservation officer who is taking pictures of the garbage and recording the addresses where it has been set out early. Bears have been a problem in populated parts of the community. Around a year ago, bears were observed on a property a couple of blocks from the
downtown core. Bears have also been observed near the lakeshore. Kirk said a garbage bylaw, penalizing those who set out their garbage before their collection day, would help to reduce the number of bear incidents in Summerland. Naramata adopted a garbage bylaw several years ago and the number of bear incidents in that community dropped significantly, Kirk said. In
Summerland, the number of bears reported in the community has not shown any significant change. In addition to changing their garbage habits, Summerlanders can reduce the number of bear incidents by taking other measures. These include harvesting fruit and nuts as soon as possible and keeping bird feeders and suet cages in storage until December.