S P R I N G A H E A D ! Clocks go forward this weekend.
Journal ASHCROFT t CACHE CREEK
The
Volume 121 No 10 PM # 400121123
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Serving Clinton, Spences Bridge, Lytton, Savona, Walhachin and surrounding areas Since 1895
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Hospital Auxiliary donation helps Royal Inland meet goal BARBARA RODEN The Journal
A firefighter with the B.C. Wildfire Service attends a controlled burn.
Photo courtesy of B.C. Forest Service
Controlled burns coming to Lytton area BARBARA RODEN The Journal
The Wildfire Management Branch has announced several controlled burns in the Lytton area, which will take place between March 7 and April 25. There is no exact date for the burns, which will depend on weather and site conditions on a given day. They will only take place if fire behaviour conditions are judged suitable, smoke will dissipate quickly, and there will only be low to moderate fire intensity. The burns are for “fuels management and habitat restoration,” says Max Birkner, Information Officer for the Kamloops Fire Centre. “They’ll burn away dead fuels, such as deadfall, branches, and leaves from last season that would catch fire quickly if things got dry.” The burns will also help reduce insect infestation and preserve elk habitats. “There are a lot of fire-adapted plant species that need a burn cycle to re-establish themselves,” says Birkner.
“What we’re afraid of is a fire starting on its own. By doing pre-emptive burns we create the same natural benefits and implications without having fires getting out of control.” Trained wildfire crews with a minimum of 10 to 15 personnel will be doing the controlled burns in five areas around Lytton. There will be an 11.8 hectare Mill Burn, 2.5km south of Lytton; a 14.3ha burn at Spencer Road, west of the Fraser River; a 2.6ha burn next to Kumsheen Secondary School; a 21.3ha Loring Way burn, 2.8km south of Lytton and east of Hwy. 1; and a 36.9ha Kumsheen Rafting Resort burn, 3.5km northeast of Lytton, adjacent to Hwy. 1 and across from the resort. Smoke will be visible from the Village of Lytton, the Gladwin community, Kumsheen Rafting Resort, Skuppah and Siska First Nations, and Highways 1 and 12. Anyone with questions about the burns can call Birkner at (250) 554-5964. To report a wildfire, call tollfree 1-800-663-5555.
The Ashcroft and District Health Care Auxiliary (ADHCA) played a large part in helping the Royal Inland Hospital meet its goal of raising $100,000 in its second annual “Radiothon” on March 3. The executive of the ADHCA travelled to Kamloops to present the Foundation with a cheque for $20,000, a decision the group made during a budget meeting last year. “We didn’t donate last year, but have donated to RIH previously,” says ADHCA President Irene Trueman. “They’re our hospital now; a lot of people from this area end up there.” The money was raised through the Auxiliary’s Thrift Store at the Ashcroft Village Office building. It’s open Wednesday and Friday from noon to 4:00pm, and Trueman says the Auxiliary appreciates the support it receives, through donations and purchases, as well as the volunteers who work there. “It’s our main fundraiser.” She notes that the ADHCA has given the Ashcroft and District Hospital around $20,000 in the last
year, and has supported many other local, regional, and provincial organizations that residents of the area use. These include a $1,500 donation to Ponderosa Lodge in Kamloops, where many local people use the Pathways to Home program in transitioning from hospital back to their home. Other donations have gone to the Kamloops Hospice Society, the Assisted Living facility (Thompson View Manor) in Ashcroft, the Ashcroft/ Cache Creek Better At Home program, the Terry Fox Foundation, Children’s Hospital, and the Variety Club. Trueman says she’s proud that the ADHCA was able to donate so much to the RIH Foundation this year. “We feel we should support it, because just about everyone uses Royal Inland Hospital.” This year’s Radiothon raised $200,000 in donations from individuals, organizations, and businesses throughout the region. The Robert L. Conconi Foundation had pledged to match any donations up to $100,000, which means some $300,000 will go to help the RIH Foundation purchase equipment and fund programs at the hospital.
New face in local MP’s office BARBARA RODEN The Journal
Residents of the more far-flung communities in the federal riding of Mission–Matsqui–Fraser Canyon now have a new contact person in the office of MP Jati Sidhu. Longtime Lillooet resident Jacquie Rasmussen has been appointed the Northern Constituency Coordinator for the large riding, and will be the contact person in Mr. Sidhu’s office for residents in Lytton, Spences Bridge, Ashcroft, Cache Creek, and Lillooet. “It’s a very large riding, span-
ning over 350 kilometres, and we needed someone with the necessary experience to act as a liaison for constituents to ensure access to federal government services,” says Mr. Sidhu. “We made a commitment during the campaign that we would help everyone in the riding, regardless of location, reach us with any concerns they might have.” Rasmussen has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Victoria, and has worked for more than 20 years in Lillooet See NEW COORDINATOR on p. 5
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