Matthew Steinbach, News Editor news@theotherpress.ca Ashley Whillans, Associate News Editor associate @theotherpress.ca Environmentalist group accuses B.C. government of misleading public | Matthew ‘Steinbach | news editor | fe Tre Valhalla | Wilderness Watch | recently accused the B.C. Government of misleading the public on its recent announcement to protect the caribou. The announcement came in March of 2008; however, the group alleges that the government actually enabled other species to be targeted within the same timeframe by allowing for longer hunting seasons for wolves, black bears, and even cougars. In a recent press release, the organization explains that, “Secretly, the government began trapping wolves at the taxpayer’s expense... this was not uncovered until [a dog] stepped into wolf traps set by the Ministry of Environment as part of the mountain caribou Don’t go out of As we've seen and heard from various news reports in the last few weeks, going out of bounds on the ski resort can be very dangerous. Take the eight snowmobilists from Sparwood who died when venturing into rough terrain otherwise known as “The Backcountry” and were faced with an unstoppable avalanche. Chris Dagenais, the communications co- coordinator from Grouse Mountain, was able to discuss with The Other Press the individual implications of snowboarding, skiing, or snowmobiling out of bounds. “To go out of a controlled area is not only putting your own life at risk, it’s putting the lives of those who have to come after you at risk as well,” says Dagenais. “It is also extremely selfish.” Degenais mentions that not only will you endanger the lives of yourself and of the rescuers, but you might program. The traps crushed two of [the dog’s] legs.” Wilderness Watch is disappointed in the government because they do not believe that removing animals other than the caribou will actually solve the current predicament in the Creston area that wildlife find themselves in. They believe that the hunt against the caribou’s predators will remove the animals that help keep other animal populations in check. This could result in the starvation of many more animals after they have depleted local food sources. Recently, the B.C. government has been implementing more environmental and other controls, such as the carbon taxes, to concede with public pressure. With an upcoming election, many of these issues will more than likely play out in the coming months. bo U n d & By Ashley Whillans, Associate News Editor also face severe fines and penalties if you are caught going out of bounds. Last week, three boarders and one skier were rescued from the backcountry at Grouse Mountain and were given a bill for their rescue as well as a lifetime ban from the resort. According to the Canadian Avalanche Centre’s Website, the avalanche risks are high and the “conditions are inappropriate for backcountry travel without extensive avalanche training and experience.” Don’t travel out of bounds, but if you do, be prepared. Tell others where you are going, dress warmly and be ready to face serious charges if you are caught. For more information, contact Grouse Mountain at education @ grousemountain.com. Seal hunt to be Le often-controversial seal hunt just saw some recent changes to its protocols. No longer can seal hunters begin skinning the animals right away after having killed them; they must now ensure that the animals are dead. According to CBC.ca, the changes were made in light of a recent ban in the European Union in which seal products purchases could have been halted in Europe without the proposed changes to make the hunt more humane. Given the size of the European market, it’s clear that Canada could not refuse their demands without seriously impacting sealers monetarily within Canada as they would have lost access to all markets within the European Union. However, CBC.ca reported that this has done little to appease animal rights activists who have been fighting an uphill battle for the last several years to end what they see as the inhumane clubbing and skinning of seals. Maritimers have often claimed that the hunt is needed to keep other animal populations in check. Before they started the hunt back again in recent years, there were not many predators to prey on the animals. But, there is also a financial benefit to the area since the highly successful cod industry on the East Coast had dried up around the same time the seal hunt was brought back. This left many out of work, especially in Newfoundland. The seal hunt helped to reallocate many of the Maritime province’s citizens in that area into this new industry. However, this also was the beginning of the continual feud between people in the area and animal rights activists.