No misrepresentati In their Feb, 15 letter to the Castlegar News, not hei 9, slgsificant input into plate asd Operations in wat Mr. McDonald and Mr. Tozer state in their letter that wan dniay gsanind tod Uriing si So 4 ie ata pe priority in consumptive use watersheds. is’ not the specific wording found in the Springer Creek pl Algo, Minister of Forests Jack Kempf advised the ina Jan, 12, 1987 letter that water is “a priority use,” not the priority. We would like to see clear wording th the document designating water as the number one priority, along with clear standards to ensure water protection, The Alliance believes that the Springer Creek plan does Pee ee me naer en Uo See enrey Peers eee. 'y wording th ug! leaves Open to example of wording wich perma the mnie odo what they coe te use of in The plan states: “The Forest Service does not intend to use pesticides in the Spring Creek IWMP area.” This statement does not make a clear commitment to not apply poisons in watershed areas. Creek cutting permit either until an agreement on the The plan also states that ground skidding can take place planning process for the entire Slocan Valley is reached or on slopes up to 50 ) per cent. The ministries’ own document, all parties agree that the Dayton Creek Plan is sufficient to for W of Crown Lands provide for used as Ci Water lies,” states: of to these memoranda have attempted to develop both an logs over the ground, except when frozen should be avoided aceeptable plan for Dayton Creek and an overall plan for the where the ground slopes are in excess of 15 per cent ...” The entire Slocan Valley. Alliance was willing to accept ground skidding on slopes up In the Dayton Creek case, the Ministry of Environment to 20. par cont natin oxpeption te, the, Oxy Maer: Orenk pian. stated in a Jan. 8, 1987 letter: “... the sequence of events We are unaware of any extensive hydrology or soi) regarding the development of a cutting permit for Dayton studies, completed in the Dayton Creek area. We have Creek followed by developments of the Springer Creek y re] Pp for, other Plan was out of phase.” inthe Slocan Valley. Field portions of one major study were This statement confirms that events in Dayton Creek took performed in up to two feet of snow. This same study place in this order: prescribed logging methods for areas that were never examined in the field. The ministries are responsible for planning watersheds and state that they feel confident that their process is sufficient to provide protection for water. If the ministry has all of the responsibility for planning, then it is their legal obligation to provide no-fault contingency and liability. Neither Mr. McDonald nor Mr, ‘Toder has been present at any negotiations held between the Alliance and the ministries since the beginning of the current process in April, 1985, This letter will clarify a number of points. In the spring of 1986 the ministries of forests and environment and the Alliance entered into negotiations towards a planning process that would be used in all Slocan Valley watersheds, Through the negotiating process the ministries and the Alliance signed two of ” agreement. A key portion of these memoranda states: “No Pact gnineiliedhery coe fusejmardlrs get af sates ds coger vanes until the Husion of negotiations toerard th the development of an Integrated Watershed Management Process. This does not apply to the Dayton Creek Road permit, but shall apply to a,Dayton 1. a road permit was issued with minimal notice and roads were constructed for the purpose of logging. 2. a cutting permit was ready to be issued for logging in Dayton Creek. 3. the Village of Slocan and Slocan Ridge Watershed Committee asked the Alliance to act on their behalf to ensure that their water was protected. 4. the Alliance review revealed that damage to water. could occur if the cutting permit was granted. 5. the ministries pr da Creek d Watershed Management | Plan, of which Dayton Creek isa part. This level of planning should: have reteded the preparation of a cutting permit. Ina letter to the Alliance dated Jan. 19, 1987, Mr. Tozer and Mr. McDonald state: “. .. the overview planning process is concluded, and we will be implementing and fine tuning this process. We believe that the developed process and Springer Creek d Watershed Mi Plan are sufficient to provide for watershed protection. Therefore, the memorandum of agreement of July 12, 1985 and Sept. 5, 1985 have no further status as far as our ministries are concerned.” According to this letter, the have i toward watershed for both the Springer Creek area and This procedure placed timber extraction as the ee one priority in Dayton Creek. Water was not an important use until the Village of Slocan and the Slocgn Ridge Water Users C it d the of the Alliance. The Alliance has continued to act with the Village of Slocan and other local water users to ensure that the plan for Dayton Creek will protect water. the entire valley. The intent of this letter is not to enter inta negotiations with the ministries through the media. We hope that the ministries of forests, and lands, and environment and parks will decide to honor the memoranda of agreement of July 12 and Sept. 5, 1985 and will resume constructive negotiations The Springer Creek plan indicates that a technical with the Alliance. review committee Will assess and review resource activities only once a year. In the Dayton Creek/Springer Creek area, no review has been ished to review the proposed development although the ministry is ready to issue the cutting permit. Hence, this committee will ‘Wayne Peppard, Chairperson Slocan Valley Watershed Alliance and South Slocan Commission of Management and 12 other signatures MOROSO, MARKIN & BLAIN CERTIFIED GENERAL ACCOUNTANTS 241 Columbia Ave. Castlegar Ph. 365-7287 Brian L. Brown CERTIFIED GENERAL ACCOUNTANT 270 Columbia Ave. Cans “Oh, nol Right over the old ladies home!”’ Carpet Cleaning Ph. 365-2151 SOLIGO, KOIDE & JOHN CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS 615 Columbia Ave. CLEAN-SCENE ENTERPRISES ROTARY-JET STEAM EXTRACTION (TRUCK POWERED) , © UPHOLSTERY CLEANING WATER & FIRE DAMAGE CLEAN-UP SPECIALISTS 365-6969 Draperies CREATINE DRADERIE/ THE STORE THAT HAS IT ALL UN DRAPERY! Gwen Kissock In-home drapery estimates — rge, No obligation. Optometrist LT. (rim) ALLER Se. optometrist 15 Columbia, Cast 365. 2220 or 366 Baker St., Nelson 352-5152 No.2 ce or 9:30-5:30 Tues. to Sot. Bus. 365-3515 Res. 365-6880 1434 Columbia Ave., Castlegar Castlegar Phone 365-7745 Henry John, B.Sc. C.A. Resident Partner Appliances SOMETHING’S HAPPENING HERE! 1st Annual r4 ‘DIAPER OLYMPICS”’ February 26-27 Enter Your Olympian in Waneta Plaza’s 1st Annual ‘Diaper Olympics” INDOOR TRACK EVENTS 6 meter DIAPER DERBY February 26 5:30 p.m. © A crawling race for olympians up to 12 months =e court) © Ist/2nd/ 3rd place prizes will be awarded 12 meter TODDLERS FOOT RACE February 26 6:45 p.m. © A foot race in 3 age categories: 12-18 months; 18-24 months, 24-30 months © Ist place prizes awarded in each category TRIKE-A-THON February 27 5:30 p.m. © A tricycle race for 3-year-olds only on a pre-set course © Ist place prize awarded in this category Elimination heats will be run in the above events if necessary CO-ORDINATION EVENTS CHEERIE “0” TOSS February 26 6:15 p.m. © A hand-eye co-ordination event — how many cheerios will end up in the cup? © Up to 12 months only © 1st/2nd/3rd place prizes will be awarded Pudding MUCK-A-MUCK Contest February 27 6:15 p.m. (and we're sure it will be) © An event for the independent eater in 3 age categories: Up to 12 months; 12-18 months, 18-24 months © Ist prize to be awarded in each category ANS Goodie Bags and participant ribbons for all entries e=— TWO GRAND PRIZE DRAWS All registered olympians entries will be placed in our draw barrel to win one of the following © A Get-Away Weekend for Two to Fairmont Hot Springs comimens or com © A ‘100 Gift Certificate from Waneta Plaza Sponsored in part by the following businesses: CKQR Radio © SuperValu * Woolco Peoples Jewellers © Trail Daily Tanes © Toys & Wheels © Mother Goose Diaper Olympics Registration Form: Olympian’s Name: pie a Parent Name: Events: _ Drop reatatration into barrel located in weene -- J Call 365-3388 All Brand Names Serviced All Parts Stocked Rebuilt Timers Used Appliances and Consignments * Coin-Operated Machines * Industrial Loundry WE ALSO SERVICE: + KENMORE » INGLIS © HOTPOINT * ETC CASTLEGAR PLUMBING & HEATING LTD. 1008 Columbia Avenue 345-3388 Appliance Rentals TIRED OF LAUNDROMATS? nie $4Q95 wosher for es low as .. 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Directory edvertising Ph. 365-5210 The Plumbing & Heating Centre American Standard Valley Fibrebath Jocuzzi * Crane Duro Pumps & Softeners PVC Pipe Fittings Septic Tanks Electrical Supplies 365-7702 2317 - 6th Ave. 365-8223 ALL TYPES OF COMMERCIAL PRINTING * Letterheads * Envelopes © Brochures ® Raffle Tickets Restaurants THE COLANDER SPAGHETTI SE Specializing in Italian Cuisine “A Trail Tradition” Dinner 5 to 9 every dey. Lunch 11:30 to 2 week days. For Reservations Phone 364-1816 1475 Cedar Avenue Trail, B.C. Septic Service COLEMAN COUNTRY BOY SERVICE Sump & Septic Tank Pumping PHONE 365-5013 3400 - 4th Avenue Castlegar Old Time Fiddlers part of heritage I'd like at this ‘time to write a little about a very special facet of our culture and our heritage — fiddlers, old time fiddling and the social scene. One of the finest passages in the language on this subject is to be found in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens; who wrote about fictional people with the sharpest eye to things in the real world. It is the description of the Fezziwig Ball as seen by Scrooge on his visit with the Ghost of Christmas Past. Under the jovial and enthusiastic direction of Mr. Fezziwig, the h is prep: for the Ch ball. Dickens sets the stage: “In came the fiddler with a music book under his arm and went up to the loft desk and made an orchestra of it, and tuned like fifty stomachaches. In came Mr. Fezziwig, one vast, substantial smile. In came . . . “he lists all the other guests, the young, the old, the shy, the bold, common folk all. “And away they all went, twenty couples together . . . “(with the fiddler outdoing himself in the first of the old fashioned dances.) Then after and ever-increasing but joyous confusion, “Old Fezziwig clapped his hands to stop the dance, cried out, ‘Well done!’, and the fiddler plunged his hot face into a pot of porter, especially provided for the purpose. But scorning rest upon his reappearance, he instantly began again, though there were no dancers yet, as if the other fiddler had been carried home, exhausted, on a shutter; and he were a brand-new man resolved to beat him out of sight, or perish. “There were more dances, and there were forfeits, and more dances, and there was cake . . .” One can take this scene and transfer it a million times over to widely separated times, cultures and occasions — at country dances ‘ fairs and dances ih thé old schoolhous and it retains the common thread of the joyous occasion and love of a familiar music and dance. There are two characters in this passage — old Fezziwig who gives leadership and continuity, and the , annonymous fiddler who gives it form, energy and time of occassion. This, or something very like, was a part of the @ultural scene in Britain 150 years ago. A like spirit and a like music is alivé and well ig our own community today, blurred a little by the noise and complexity of modern life, but very much alive, thanks to a dedicated group of old time fiddlers and music lovers. Last week, in fulfilment of a long-standing promise, I called on Ron and Mary Gemmell, and Edith Berg to close HERITAGE DISPLAY . . . Darlene McDowell (left) spins wool while Elaine Miros knits during Heritage a serious gap in my knowledge of an important facet of our cultural heritage and the work of Kootenay No. 9, British Columbia Old Time Fiddlers Association. Edith, who had come well supplied with notes started-us off: “We had our first meeting in Fred Bonnet's home in 1961 — six years ago. There were about a dozen of us, all sharing a common interest — a love of old time music and a determination to preserve and encourage this vital aspect of our heritage. “It was the first secretary-treasurer — we divided the job later — and Curly Ratcliffe was president. We have over 50 now — and and believe me those non- playing members are the backbone of the club, we couldn't operate without them.” Traditional fiddle music, it seems, has common roots in the folk cultures of England, Ireland and Scotland, and was brought to North America by the early settlers. Its roots have a kind of universality, a common basis, but they have changed as people have. moved across the country and encountered different conditions as well as other cultures, such as the French and Scandanavian. “All of these songs were in the oral tradition, that is they were passed down from generation to generation but rarely written down over periods of hundreds of years,” Edith said. Thus, with increased literacy and the pressure of great quantities of newer written music, the old songs were in danger of being lost. Nonetheless, Edith said, “many of us on hearing a strange fiddler starting to play can tell you from where he or she comes, pinpoint it, particularly if that fiddler is from Eastern Canada. This is true also of the States though in some states such as Texas they have e ping or developed a double bow, progressive ride it has je 80 complex as to he almost fable. Our “*"contest judges work on the purer single icing “Canadian style, in which the traditional forms are maintained.” With all the distractions today, people have got out of the habit of playing and listening so that the main objective of the Old Time Fiddlers Association — there 17 branches in B.C. alone — is to preserve the music and widen the audience for this style of music. Prince George is the parent group and Kootenay Number 9 B.C. Old Time Fiddlers is the ninth branch. All are governed by the rules of the parent association operating under the Societies Act. “Ron and Mary Gemmell have been playing for a long time, but there is many an old time fiddler, who after years of activity, has brought his fiddle out from under my Week open house at the CP Rail station. Station is open again Saturday. Cashews Photo by Ron Norman serrate GOOD TIMES . . . Old Time Fiddlers had toes tapping dnd feet stomping during session Thursday afternoon at the CP Rail station. Costews Photo the bed, dusted it off and is now contributing tremendously to our repertoire and having a lot of fun as well,” Edith continued. “Red Garneau of Trail, for example — he was a top player in the Andy Desjardais Radio Show in Winnipeg in the "50s. He was so good that he could stand in for Andy when necessary and few would know the difference. Then he came to B.C. and didn’t play a note for 50 years. Now he’s hard at it again and a great asset as a player, teacher and judge. “We are looking for members — players, learners and supporters — anyone who has a common interest in and love of this musie and a desire to see this special art form of our heritage preserved for the future. Nor does the matter rest here. The Old Time Fiddlers regard themselves as a service club, laying __particular stress on service to seniors and shyt-ins — “it is their special kind of mu: Therefore, they have played at senior citizens’ homes in Castlegar, Trail, Swan Valley, Beaver Valley, Creston, the Slocan and, in fact, all throughout the Kootenay area — usually at the musicians’ expense. While some of the costs are met by anonymous donations and pot-luck suppers, the greatest reward, they say is a kiss on the hand or to see an elderly foot tapping in time to the music. One of the most touching incidents, Edith recalled, was when we played for an elderly, immobile patient suffering from multiple sclerosis. She had been propped up in bed with pillows so that she might be able to see the players. She was totally helpless. After the musicians had been playing for a while the tears started to trickle down her wrinkled face while one wasted finger moved in time to the music. “Her nurses were amazed and we would have gone through al blizzard on our hands and knees for that kind of response.” In order to hone skills, heighten public awareness and to enjoy the company of music enthusiasts, the British Columbia Old Time Fiddlers Association holds an annual fiddling contest. It is attended by fiddlers of all ages from within and without the province as well as from the United States. Castlegar, being in a central location has hosted three contests. At the last, for example, they had Bob Montgomery of Oyama, the Western Canadian champion and an 84-year-old fiddler from Oregon. The Kootenay Number 9 club is always well represented. For example, one year three members — Tony Smandych of Creston and Jagk-REgnier and the late Red Garneau, both of Trail, won 27 trophies between them. “Red's wife who is still an active member of the club has donated all of his trophies to the provincial association and established, as well a Red Garneau Trophy for seniors, to be awarded at the provincial competitions. “Where and for whom else, besides the seniors and at competitions,” I wanted to know, “do the Fiddlers perform?” “Three times at the Las Vegas Nights, at the request of the Chamber of Commerce,” I was told, for the students in the lobby at Selkirk College at noon concerts, (continued next week) ROCK CREEK TO FIGHT FOR MORATORIUM wherever they will be used, creating the danger of a spill. “There is no technology for doing that safely.” Poole isn’t totally opposed to uranium mining but he says presently there are no guarantees of safety and health protection because methods to achieve those qualities don't exist. “What all this comes down to is a question of ROCK CREEK (CP) — Located a stone's throw from the Canada-U.S. border, Rock Creek, population 500 — give or take a few — is one of those dot-on-the-map places everyone makes jokes about: if you blink, you'll miss it. ‘The main drag features a gas station, a general store, a souvenir shop and a motel. Small as it is, Rock Creek has enough elbow room. The old guard of long-time ranchers and farmers live alongside relative newcomers: former hippes who have put away the love beads and have settled down to face middle age. The Kettle River, which springs to life 320 kilometres to the north, winds its way through the town. It runs below the four-hectare farm of Ted Poole, 72, a long-time Rock Creek resident. The river is the town’s lifeblood, which is one of the reasons Poole became a leader in Rock Creek's effort to fight uranium mining seven years ago. The battle resulted in the provincial government's imposition of a seven-year moratorium on mining but now the government says it will let the moratorium expire next month and Pool faces the same fight again. Poole unfolds a map to show why Rock Creek residents will take up the fight again over an area almost 100 kilometres away. Uranium claims are designated in red on the map, and they cover the southeastern corner of the B.C. Interior like a rash. The object of his concern is a pie-shaped slice of property about 60 kilometres east of Penticton. It’s called the Blizzard property, a 17,000-hectare piece of Crown land containing B.C.’s biggest uranium deposits. RENEW EXPLORATION Blizzard is owned mainly by Toronto-based compan ies who recently announced renewed exploration after the government signalled its intention to drop the mining ban. The water which nourishes the Kettle Valley flows down from the Blizzard property. Poole says it will carry the danger right to his door. “Anything that happens up there inevitably drains down here,” Poole says. Among his worries: contamination from radon gas, released when uranium is disturbed in its natural state. U ium is radioactive, and mining it means building a tailings pond which can contaminate groundwater. Further, concentrates have to be transported to ble levels,” he says. “Acceptable levels have to include the concept of an increase in cancer for everybody. “My point of view is there is no acceptable level for radi ive matter. Absolutely no level. Period.” The government has argued lifting the ban will allow mining of minerals found associated with uranium but Poole says it is impossible without stirring up the whole pot. ‘It's called the Blizzard property, a 17,000 hectare piece of Crown land containing B.C.'s biggest uranium deposits’ The Committee for a Clean Kettle Valley seven years ago, which opposed the exploration activities of the major leaseholder, Norcen Energy Resources Ltd. of Toronto, in 1978, has been reactivated. It has begun holding public meetings and organizing protests, and has joined other groups working throughout B.C. to have the moratorium extended. When the committee was first established in the 1970s it was hard to coment an alliance between lished residents and gr: hing hippies, says Poole. “There were people who agreed with us who wouldn't be seen dead with us,” he says But eventually the crusade took hold and turned into a steamroller which pushed through the moratorium. While he admits uranium mining might bolster some sagging businesses in the community, Poole doubts the antipathy toward uranium mining has changed. It has probably grown in the wake of greater public awareness and disasters like Chernoby| While he still considers himself part of the fight, Poole says he is letting younger people take over. The goal is to achieve within the next month the same steamroller effect which triggered the current moratorium but this time, says Poole, the victory should be permanent.