Viewpoint
Salmon Arm Observer/Shuswap Market News
www.saobserver.net
Don’t get caught by scam I’ve always figured that I was a pretty smart person, having worked in business for many years. I thought I knew every trick in the book, but I was wrong—I got scammed. Last August, while on the Internet my computer screen suddenly turned red, with a loud siren and a voice saying that it was Microsoft, my computer was compromised and all my programs and data would be destroyed if I didn’t call them immediately. Terrified, I called them. The man identified himself as a Microsoft employee, and demanded $930 U.S. to fix my computer or it would be rendered useless. My technician
wasn’t available, so I paid them with my MasterCard. Later, my technician told me it was a scam – Microsoft would never contact anyone. I immediately called MasterCard, cancelled my card requesting a reversal of the transaction. It took six weeks, but I was lucky, I got my money back, not everyone does. During the last weeks, I’ve received many phone calls from these people, the last, wanting my new credit card number to give me a “refund.” I called the RCMP (1-888-495-8501) to their specially-staffed fraud call centre set up to deal with the huge number of complaints they are receiving. I gave them
the crucial information they needed from my MasterCard confirmation letter. I was told that they have shut down several call centres and arrested the many people working there. However, these criminals have so much money that they are soon able to set up again. I’m so embarrassed being fooled – doctors and lawyers have been too. Never, ever give out any personal or banking information either by telephone or e-mail. Legitimate government and businesses only contact their clients by regular mail. Please take this warning. Mrs. Siv Pettersson, Blind Bay
article riddled with opinion Regarding, “Water protection groups seek improvements to regulations published in the Shuswap Market News, Feb. 2 edition. There so many factual errors and false innuendos included in this article by Tracy Hughes that I find it difficult to believe that a journalist with your credibility would not have done some independent research on SEAS and SWAT’s press release before publishing such an unbalanced article. A Google review of “Hullcar Aquifer” would have shown you: • that the Agriculture Waste Control Regulation review has been moving through its legislative process since the AWCR literature review in 2008, not because of the POLIS review or because of the latest MOE policy intentions paper review. • that all agricultural commodity sectors province wide have
been working very diligently with the Ministry of Environment staff through all aspects of the proposed new regulations to develop comprehensive regulations that are comprehensive, understandable, workable, and enforceable. And
...You have given unjustified credibility to their opinions and done a great disservice to the agriculture sectors of this community.
that they have been doing so without fanfare and self-congratulatory press releases. • that the farms in Hullcar have been found willing and in full compliance of every request placed to them by the Ministry of Environment. • that Steele Spring
water nitrate levels continue to climb even though agriculture has been proven through independent scientific research that crop nutrients are remaining within the crop root zone of the soil. • And that possibly you would not have allowed yourself to use the inflammatory and disrespectful language of SWAT and SEAS’s press release towards agriculture as your own in this article. The farmers I have spoken to have found it very offensive. By publishing the “Chicken Little, sky is falling” rants of Mr. Cooperman and Mr. Nadeau as an article rather than as a “Letter to the editor” where all other submitted opinions are placed you have given unjustified credibility to their opinions and done a great disservice to the agriculture sectors of this community. Lorne Hunter
Friday, February 16, 2018 Page A7
Determining logging rates shuswap passion Jim Cooperman There is an important public consultation underway about our region’s forests that few people know about and even fewer people will participate in and for those that do, it is unlikely their input will make any difference to the decision. At stake is the amount of timber that forest companies will be able to log over the next 10 years in the Okanagan Timber Supply Area (TSA), which includes most of the Shuswap watershed. The data package prepared for the current review focuses on determining the area of forest available for logging, by netting out the hectares needed to support non-timber values such as wildlife, water, biodiversity and visual quality. Stretching from the border to the glacier that feeds the Seymour River, the TSA covers a total of 2.45 million hectares. Portions of the Shuswap that fall outside of the TSA include the Adams River sub-drainage and the upper Salmon River drainage. Once all the non-forested, and private lands are subtracted and the forests that are either inoperable, have poor quality timber, located in parks and protected areas or
have environmental restraints, approximately 800,000 hectares remain in the timber harvesting land base (THLB). Also excluded is the forestland in Tree Farm Licenses, as the cut level for these areas are determined through a different process. Fortunately, the Okanagan Shuswap Land and Resource Management Plan, which was completed in 2001, provides the lines on the map that restrict or prevent logging to protect non-timber values. Specific zones protect habitat for grizzly bears, mountain caribou, bighorn sheep and other wildlife. However, there is a need for monitoring to determine how well the plan is protecting non-timber values and the results should be used to improve the plan, which may show the need for additional logging restrictions. Given the number of landslides just last year in the Shuswap, a major concern for some rural homeowners would be the number of hectares of unstable and potentially unstable land that is deducted from the THLB. The data package shows that only 20 per cent of the potentially unstable land is off
limits to logging, that is why Tolko has the right to proceed with its plans to log on the steep hillsides above Swansea Point at Mara Lake, where there already have been two massive slides. Some of the key information that is missing from the data package includes the amount of mature timber remaining to be logged and the number of years left before the second growth can be harvested. The data package focuses on hectares of land excluded from logging, while the goal is to determine how many cubic-metres of timber can be logged every year. There is no estimate of the amount of timber that is logged per hectare, which varies with the size of the trees. Given that the trend has always been to log the best timber first, what timber remains is likely inferior and yet there is no consideration for this steady decline in the quality and volume of the remaining mature timber. Another key factor in the cut level determination is how well the plantations are growing, as knowledge about the timing for when this second growth will be ready to log and what volume would be expected is required to ensure forestry is sustainable. The ministry uses extrapolation data obtained from sam-
ple plots to estimate future tree growth, which only provides an estimate. Actual inventory data is woefully inadequate, as funding for this work has been insufficient for over a decade. One important issue that is missing in the data package is the impact of climate change, which has the potential to negatively impact the health of the plantations and the remaining mature forests. Increasing summer temperatures along with longer periods of drought increase the chances for more wildfires and more diseases and pest outbreaks. The uncertainties from climate change should be incorporated into the timber supply review. The rationale for maintaining high rates of logging has always been to protect forestry jobs, despite the fact that our region’s economy has been steadily diversifying and the number of jobs in forestry has been steadily decreasing due to a combination of automation and the growing decline in timber volume and quality. Given the number of jobs being created now in adventure tourism and the increase in damage caused by logging on steep slopes, it would be prudent to focus more on non-timber values when making the decision on how many trees will be logged in the future.
Welcome to Moose Mulligans Public Eatery
Come meet the new owners DENNY LOUGHRAN AND JARETT RICHARDSON OF MOOSE MULLIGANS PUBLIC EATERY. Denny and Jarett believes quality is most important. with big and healthy meals and a relaxed setting. We are a hands on local operation. Jarett, Denny and staff would like to welcome all new and returning customer to stop by and see the new menu. Moose mulligan like to support local initiatives. Come check out Moose Mulligans Public Eatery at 1122 Riverside Ave Sicamous B.C. During the summer months sit on the outside patio on the channel. visit their website www.moosemulliganpubliceatery.ca