Inside
◆ Never to late P. 5 ◆ Taekwon Do P 8
◆ Sharing the stage P. 2, 3 ◆ Letters P. 4
Publications Mail Contract #: 40007759
WEDNESDAY, January 21, 2015
PHONE: 996-8482 www.caledoniacourier.com
VOL. 37 NO. 47 $1.30 inc. GST
Police Report
Virgil Hummingbird Thomas of Fort St. James was arrested in Delta after failing to make a court appearance in Fort St. John. He was arrested for two outstanding warrants, one for manslaughter and the other for failing to appear in court, which spanned across B.C. Alberta and Yukon. The North District Major Crime Unit and Fort St. James RCMP requested the public’s assistance in locating the 31-yearold until he was picked up last week.
Nechako Valley Festival of Performing Arts
FISH: 49 Sturgeon have been live released since the boat kit program pilot phase in 2011. Submitted by Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative
Boat kit program saves sturgeon REBECCA WATSON Omineca Express
Endangered white sturgeon are being saved from gill nets thanks to a boat kit program. The Emergency Sturgeon Live Release Boat Kit program is offered to all First Nation fishers that may incidentally encounter a Nechako white sturgeon during their fishing operations. The kit is small enough to remain in the boat at all times and contains all the necessary tools for a successful live release. “The reality of the situation is First
Nations fish with gill nets. There is no fishing for sturgeon at all but these fish are still accidentally being boycott. With the population so low, even a few released back is still a huge percentage of the population being saved,” Lana Ciarniello, recovery co-ordinator for NWSRI. The Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative (NWSRI) and the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) would like to thank the First Nation fisher families that participated in the live release of Nechako White sturgeon during 2014. Participating Firsts Nation communities include Saik’uz, Nak’azdli, Tl’azt’en,
in the Nechako Watershed. “Forty-nine sturgeon live released over four years may seem like an insignificant number, but with so few sturgeon left, every fish counts,” Ms. Ciarniello said. If you are a First Nation Fisher in the Nechako or Upper Fraser watershed and are interested in participating in the program contact the Nechako White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative at info@nechakowhitesturgeon.org. For more information on the program or any NWSRI activities visit www.nechakowhitestrugeon.org.
Un-missing overdue snowmobilers REBECCA WATSON
The deadline for applications to the Nechako Valley Festival of Performing Arts was Jan. 15, 2015. Late applications will be accepted on the website until Jan.31, 2015 subject to a late processing fee. www. musicfestivalweb. com/nechako.
Takla, Nadleh Whut’en, Stellat’en and Lheidli T’enneh. The Emergency Live Release Boat Kit program has seen the return of 49 sturgeon released back to the Nechako since it’s pilot phase in 2011. In 2014, 12 sturgeon were live released by First Nation fishers. The first reported sturgeon by-catch of the year was six feet in length and live released at the end of July near Stoner Creek south of Prince George. Large sturgeon especially are important to maintaining the breeding stock of the endangered fish. About 600 mature Nechako white sturgeon remain
Caledonia Courier
Byron Riopel and Troy Stringer (owner of Giver A Yank Towing in Vanderhoof) were feared missing Friday after not returning Thursday night from Powder King Mountain Resort in Pine Pass. They failed to check in with their wives after spending the day snowmobiling during a high-risk time for avalanches. Out on the trails the two men were faced with a decision to go left or right and mistakenly choose left. They dropped into a chute where there was no going back up. They kept their eye on the sun to find direction but it was snowing and nightfall came all to quickly, said Mr.
Stringer. “This is when the sad reality set in..we are staying the night,” Mr. Stringer said in an online post. The two found a large dead tree about 24 feet by 20 feet long. “I jokingly gave it a shove and ‘crack’. We looked at each other and gave it another shove and ‘boom’ firewood,” Mr. Stringer said. It took them about three hours to build camp around the tree’s stump and by the time they were done they were both soaked. They crawled into the den they made for warmth but since the wind was strong it pushed smoke down making it hard for them to breath. “But we were warm,” Mr. Stringer said. “Sometime during the night the
wind and snow let up so thanks again for all the prayers,” The two woke early and left camp at about 8:30 am. They tried heading to the trail out but no one had been down it yet. “It was impossible, and believe me we tried,” Mr. Stringer said. At about 1pm the two figured they would start building their camp early this time and that’s when they heard the whoop whoop of the helicopters coming to rescue them. “Let me tell you, I really felt the love….I just about cried,” Mr. Stringer said. The two were not severally harmed in the process and have since been reunited with their families.