TUESDAY MAY 12, 2015
SHOVELS OUT
RIVER’S CROSSING PROCEEDS
See LOCAL NEWS page 3
BICYCLE SEASON
TIME TO THINK SAFETY
See LOCAL NEWS page 3
THE BULLETIN PROUDLY SERVING KIMBERLEY AND AREA SINCE 1932 | Vol. 83, Issue 91 | www.dailybulletin.ca
Fire season is underway
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Four wildfires reported over the weekend; all human-caused C AROLYN GR ANT Bulletin Editor
The weather has been warm and relatively dry and many East Kootenay residents are packing up the RV’s and beginning the camping season early. And one of the busiest camping weekends of the year comes this weekend with the May long weekend. That means one and all should be thinking about campfire safety. Jordan Turner, information officer with the Southeast Fire Centre says that things are busier than at this time last year, likely because of the earlier snow melt. “We are seeing more fires currently,” he said. “So far, there have been 25 — all human caused. Last year was busy and had 12 at this period in the season. It’s due to the early snow melt, there’s lots of dead, dry grass which can catch quickly and cause fires to spread.”
EK snow pack at 46 per cent of normal C AROLYN GR ANT Bulletin Editor
The BC River Forecast Centre has released the latest snow pillow data and record lows have been recorded in many areas of the province, including the East Kootenay. As of May 1, the East Kootenay snow basin index for high elevation (1100 to 2000 m) was 46 per cent of normal. The West Kootenay is at 57 per cent, and Boundary 58 per cent. Extremely low indices have been recorded at Skagit, 14 per cent; Vancouver Island, 14 per cent; and the Lower Fraser, 24 per cent. Field observations around the province indicate that snow packs at valley bottom to mid-elevation (e.g. 800 to 1100m) have mostly melted and recent accumulations at these elevations in the north have also melted. However, according to the Southeast Fire Centre, it’s not really the snow pack that drives what a potential fire season may be like, but the amount of spring rain that falls. See SNOW, page 4
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Three Selkirk students will head to Beijing, China this summer. Congratulations to Megan Strachan, Maggie Gilbert and Emily Newel and who have been selected to join students from around B.C. this July at a summer leadership camp in Beijing, China. We look forward to hearing about their adventure.
Take a walk with your doc Take a stroll with Kimberley family physicians this Thursday at the Civic Centre TRE VOR CR AWLEY Cranbrook Daily Townsman
Patients across the region will get a chance to hang out with a family physician and get some exercise as part of an initiative to mark Move for Health Day. Walk with your Doc is an event highlighting the World Health Organization’s Move for Health Day and events will be happening in Cranbrook, Kimberley and across the East Kootenay region on Thursday, May 14th from noon-1 p.m. Kimberley doctors will be walking at the Civic Centre, while Western Financial Place will host physicians in Cran-
brook. Dr. Ilona Hale from Kimberley notes that any kind of regular exercise, even if it’s something as simple as going for a walk, is one part of a healthy lifestyle. “Exercise definitely helps prevent a lot of diseases like heart attacks and strokes, but also things like Alzheimer’s and even some cancers,” Hale said. “Even when you’re diagnosed with something like diabetes and high blood pressure, arthritis, chronic pain—it can actually reverse those things and make them go away. “Mental health problems as well, depression, anxiety, insomnia, low energy, all those things are improved with exercise as well. “If there was such a thing as a magic pill, this would be it.” It doesn’t have to be high-intensity exertion to get the health benefits from
walking, she added. “You don’t need to train for a marathon to be healthy, a lot of those health benefits come from parking your car at the far end of the parking lot and walking, or walking to work,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be complicated.” The event is being organized by the EK Division of Family Practice, with other walks occuring across the regoin. Events will be taking place at: •Cranbrook - Western Financial Place •Kimberley - Civic Centre Arena •Creston - Creston & District Community Centre •Fernie - Annex Park •Sparwood - Sparwood Recreation & Leisure Centre •Golden - Spirit Square •Invermere - Mt. Nelson Athletic Park For more information, visit walkwithyourdoc.ca.