The Indian spice rack holds the secret to cooking mastery
LIGHTNING SCORE IN DYING MINUTES TO LEAD SERIES
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Red Deer Advocate TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2015
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RANCHTRACKER HERITAGE RANCH OFFERS THE THRILL OF BEING A FUGITIVE ON THE RUN BY MURRAY CRAWFORD ADVOCATE STAFF Riding tall in his saddle, surveying tth he forest, keeping his ears open for even the faintest sound and his eyes peeled for a glimpse of his prey, Joel M a rtens patrols Heritage Ranch in sse earch of the latest group to try to outru un him, hide from him and outwit him. Taking a cue from the popular TV Show Mantracker, Heritage Ranch offers a similar experience: the thrill of being a fugitive and being chased by Martens. Heritage Ranch has offered the R anchtracker experience for about th hree years. Martens estimates they’ve done the chase 40 to 50 times, and perhaps more. Groups have ranged from small duos, in ncluding local Red Deer RCMP members, to stagette parties and corporate events with as many as 50 people. In one instance, four couples competed to see who could make it the longest o find the last flag. or Describing one Ranchtracker event fo orr a stagette, Martens said balloons we w erre e set et u up p th thro roug ug gho hout ut H Her erit itag ag ge Ra Ranc nch h
and each had a prize inside. “As they were going through, they y could choose to pop the balloon and see e what the prize was or they could take it with them,” said Martens. Popping the balloon would alert Marrtens to a person’s location, but carryin ng a balloon would also prove cumbersome e while trying to hide. Spread out over the some 200 acres of Heritage Ranch are four flags. The huntted have 90 minutes to two hours to find d the flags before Martens finds them. “So there’s a time pressure and d they’re rushing through it, trying to find d the flags,” said Martens. “I give them m about a 15-minute head start and then I leave the ranch on my horse.” He looks the part, too. Sporting a flan nnel shirt and a cowboy hat, Martens pa atrols the ranch looking for signs of the e guests lurking in the forest. “As the time ticks down, I start to narrrow in on them,” said Martens. “It getts pretty intense. “There are some really good chase es at the end usually.”
Please see TRACKER on Page A2
Photo by JEFF STOKOE/Advocate staff
Heritage Ranch operator Joel Martens is on a mission and when he and his horse Hummer team up to track you down, you better be fast. Hummer loves a good chase, says Martens, who is offering his own version of the TV show ‘Mantracker’ at Heritage Ranch.
Red Deer area among the top 10 lightning hot spots BY SUSAN ZIELINSKI ADVOCATE STAFF The Red Deer area ranked fifth among FortisAlberta’s top 10 lightning hot spots in 2014. FortisAlberta owns more than 60 per cent of Alberta’s total electrical distribution network, with more than 120,000 km of mostly overhead power lines. It monitors lightning strikes in its 55 major service areas. The Red Deer service area, which is 2,700 square km and stretches from Red Deer to Innisfail, saw 1.82 strikes per square kilometre and a total of 4,861 lightning strikes in 2014. The Bassano service area had the most strikes at 3.32 per square kilometre and 8,407 total strikes during lightning season, which runs from late spring to September. In 2014, a total of 210,000 lightning strikes were recorded in FortisAlberta’s 55 major service areas, according to data collected by Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development. As a rural electricity distributor, FortisAlberta does not operate in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge or Red Deer. The City of Red Deer provides service to its residents. Blair Debaar, FortisAlberta communications specialist, said surge protectors called lightning arrestors are used by electrical power systems to divert lightning currents in order to bypass equipment like transformers. That reduces power outages and damage to equipment.
WEATHER 30% showers. High 22. Low 11.
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“The power behind a lightning bolt is very high so it can cause damage. These arrestors stop it. Based on what we see, on patterns, we’ll tend to put more lightning arrestors in a hot spot,” Debaar said. More arrestors are installed if a service area regularly lands in FortisAlberta’s top 10 lightning hot spots. The Red Deer area was not in the top 10 in 2013. Information was not available for other years. FortisAlberta also uses storm tracking technology to monitor weather patterns and predict where trouble could occur, in order to prepare with extra resources. Some lightning storm safety tips: ● Take shelter when you can count 30 seconds or less between lightning and thunder. ● Disconnect electronics and electrical appliances, including radios and televisions, before the storm hits. ● Remain indoors if possible and stay away from anything that will conduct electricity such as radiators, sinks and metal pipes. ● Only use battery-operated appliances. ● Cellphones are the safest form of communication. ● If caught outside, stay away from objects that conduct electricity like water, tractors, golf clubs and carts, motorcycles, lawn mowers and bicycles. ● Avoid being the tallest point in an open area. ● Stay away from tall objects like trees, hilltops and poles. szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
Heat, lack of rain inflame wildfire risk BY SUSAN ZIELINSKI ADVOCATE STAFF The risk of wildfires is now rated as high for Rocky Wildfire Management Area. Early last week, the wildfire hazard was down to moderate for the area that stretches east to Rocky Mountain House, west to the national parks, north to Drayton Valley and south to the Sundre area. Kris Heemeryck, wildfire prevention officer out of Rocky Mountain House, said the risk has increased due to increasing temperatures and winds, and little precipitation. “We’ve increased the resources we have in the district in anticipation of some more lightning moving through and new starts. We’ve upped the manpower and equipment we have available,” Heemeryck said on Monday. Two small lightning fires were extinguished over the weekend, one north of Alder Flats and the other northwest of Rocky Mountain House. Another fire in the garbage dump at O’Chiese First Nation is under control and continues to be monitored. He said lightning has been causing the fires lately. “We haven’t had any campfires issues of late. We lifted the fire ban and that still hasn’t brought us any issues. But the potential is still there if people are not careful.” Forty wildfires are burning in Alberta’s Forest Protection Area. More than 1,300 firefighters and 149 helicopters are in position across the province. To report wildfires, call toll-free 310-FIRE (3473). For information on fire bans, call 1-866-FYI-FIRE (394-3473). szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
G7 puts Canada on the spot Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the energy sector will have to transform itself to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Story on PAGE A5
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