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Re: Whistler Winter Olympics, The Big Flush Brackendale is famous as a world-class birding destination because thousands of American bald eagles congregate here in the winter. The eagles come from Montana as well as Washington, Oregon, Alaska and B.

Re: Whistler Winter Olympics, The Big Flush

Brackendale is famous as a world-class birding destination because thousands of American bald eagles congregate here in the winter. The eagles come from Montana as well as Washington, Oregon, Alaska and B.C. coastal regions to feed on spawned-out salmon. With up to 350,000 chum salmon arriving in November, the Squamish River system is one of the few mid-winter spawning rivers on the west coast. Salmon need clean water.

The Whistler sewage disposal system, which drains into this river system, is barely adequate for the current population. It is surely inadequate for the massive influx of additional people attending the Olympic Games. What specific plans are being made to ensure that those of us downstream (the salmon, the eagles and the people) won’t be experiencing the Big Flush during the 2010 Winter Olympics?

Thor Froslev

Brackendale

Judging from the number of people peering into the water these days at the bottom of Lorimer Road, the Whistler public seems to know there’s something fishy and unique going on this season. Indeed, a quick glance into the River of Golden Dreams reveals that our kokanee salmon appear to be having an exceptionally successful year! Kokanee have recently been spotted in Crabapple Creek as well, between the River of Golden Dreams and the highway.

With such a strong population of spawners currently using Whistler’s streams, we ask that everyone make an extra effort to keep themselves, their dogs, and canoes out of the water.

The spawning kokanee bury their eggs in redds (underwater nests in gravel), where the eggs will incubate until late next spring. These eggs are extremely susceptible to suspended sediment in streams; something that is easily created when dogs or people walk in the water.

The re-appearance of kokanee salmon in Whistler’s streams is monumental, and provides an excellent opportunity to learn about and gain respect for the complex bio-diversity these water systems support.

If the local community is able to limit their impact on this year’s spawning run, we may be taking the first steps to re-establishing a thriving population of kokanee for future generations to see. The fisheries technicians would like to thank all those who have been the eyes and ears of the River of Golden Dreams this past month, and they encourage everyone to continue doing so.

Lisa Helmer and Veronica Sommerville

Fisheries Technicians

Whistler Fisheries Stewardship Group

B.C. Rivers Day, September 30, 2001

Thousands of British Columbians celebrate B.C. Rivers Day on the last Sunday in September each year, making it Canada's largest river appreciation event. The event has grown exponentially over the past 20 years as a result of British Columbians' growing concern for the state of local waterways. With Rivers Day rapidly approaching, it seems like a timely opportunity to describe what's happening in our own backyard.

One side of the story was portrayed by Greig Bethel's July 1 Pique Newsmagazine cover story, "The Trickle-Down Effect - How local creeks are feeding into the global economy." The article painted a rosy picture of Whistler's opportunity to capitalize from the de-regulation of B.C.'s hydro-electric power generation industry: "The same elements that attract millions of skiers to the Whistler area – abundant amounts of precipitation, big mountains and gravity – also play a large role in what could be the valley's next big industry."

These elements of precipitation, big mountains and gravity also represent the reason that British Columbia, and Whistler in particular, has become the hot-bed of whitewater kayaking in North America. This season a steady stream of international paddlers, kayak video production companies and demonstration teams representing all of the major kayak manufacturers rolled into Whistler… and stayed for months at a time, because there was simply no better place to paddle. As a local whitewater business owner, Whistler was the obvious choice of locations to set up shop, with its abundance of paddling opportunities, and reliable flow of water.

One of Whistler's internationally-recognized kayaking classics is Rutherford Creek, scheduled for the development of a hydro-electric project next spring. Rutherford Creek Power Ltd. intends to divert water from the entire 9 kilometre length of this popular kayak run.

More significantly, the Rutherford represents only one of 600 projects being proposed across British Columbia. Billed as "green micro-hydro," the cumulative effects of these small-scale hydro projects will have a devastating effect on our local and provincial recreational paddling resource. To use the skiing analogy once again, it would be like taking almost all of the snow, from all of your favourite ski runs, and depositing it in the parking lot at the base of the mountain. The mountain remains unchanged, the snow returns to the overall system, but the recreational resource is lost.

Representatives of the Whitewater Kayak Association of B.C., Whistler Kayak Club, local kayak schools and whitewater businesses have been involved in a year-long dialogue with RCPL, and the Navigable Waters Branch of the DFO, to ensure that our right to navigation is not significantly altered by the proposed hydro project. To their credit, RCPL has created an opportunity for the involvement of the paddling community throughout the planning process. Unfortunately, RCPL had the kayaking community believing that they were negotiating in good faith, and that RCPL was taking the paddler's concerns into account – their most recent proposal suggests otherwise.

The kayaking community had suggested a modest schedule of flow release windows to permit the continued recreational use of Rutherford Creek on designated weekends and weeknights throughout the summer paddling season. RCPL responded with an offer of reliable flows over what amounts to a mere 0.7 per cent of the year. This represents a serious impediment to the navigation of Rutherford Creek. With precious time ticking away before a government decision is made, the Rutherford Creek Power Corporation has not offered any reasonable mitigation for their plans to remove this valuable paddling resource.

Steve Whittall,

Canadian Paddlequest

Whistler

First off, I echo the sorrow and regret felt over the needless and tragic deaths of thousands of civilians and rescue workers in the recent terrorist attacks on America. My heart goes out to all of them, as well as to their families and friends.

This letter, however, is a response to M.J. Berthoud and his or her misguided attack on G.D. Maxwell.

Let's examine closely the corporate-owned American and Western mass media and their coverage of the "news." We have the "where" – New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, Afghanistan. We have the "when" – Sept. 11, 2001. We have the "what" – hijacked American airline jets crashing into American symbols of power. We have the "who" – (however unsubstantiated their evidence) Bin Laden, the Taliban, Iraq, and any "terrorist or organization harbouring or aiding a terrorist." What's missing? How about the "why?"

The silence is chilling, isn't it?

Why? Well before that, let's look at a few other facts that seem to be missing from recent "objective news."

1) Bin Laden was trained and funded by the American CIA to fight the Soviets in the 1980s. This, of course, was done indirectly to conceal any connections back to the U.S. The American government has learned its lessons after the Iran Contra Affair, where illegal drug and arms money was used to fund rebels in Central America to violently undermine a democratically elected socialist government. Father George Bush was either vice-president or director of the CIA at the time, wasn't he?

2) Saddam Hussein was also supported by the American government in the war against Iran (an American enemy at the time). Saddam's military capabilities, including the dreadful biological weapons, are a result of aid from the United States government. One of the first things George W. Bush did when he became president was a return to bombing his family's favourite nemisis.

A very obvious pattern is developing here.

So, maybe it is just me when I say, giving a blank cheque ($6 billion and counting) to the very agencies that have created the terrorist enemies to fight in the name of "freedom and democracy" might not be the most appealing solution to our ailing and war weary world.

America claims to be a good Christian nation and has more churches than Italy. I watched the esteemed reverend Billy Graham give a heart felt memorial service for the victims with even the tough George W. shedding a trademark tear. They prayed for the service men and women who would "bring justice to the freedom loving world..." Last I checked, one of the 10 commandments of the Holy Bible states unequivocally, "thou shall not kill." This is God's law. "Love thy neighbour." I believe Islam preaches similar principles in another language. The leaders of the world have to start practising what they preach. So why war?

Reality check. Our "freedom loving society" (this includes Canada and the rest of the western world) is based on domination: politically, militarily, culturally, and economically. Just look around your house and trace where each item came from and whose life it has touched. I would bet my meagre pay cheque that there isn't a single person who has not contributed knowingly and unknowingly to the global economy that is designed on unjustly leveraging the Third World, which is home to the majority of the world's population. And anyone who can, well I am humbled by your conscious commitment to responsible living.

Jesus would be proud.

So forgive me when I say this war on terrorism is not a war for "freedom and democracy." It is likely the opposite; preservation of the status quo. Global domination. Fascist control. And now that the state has been given an unprecedented level of power – an energized military budget; full media control, which is basically control of the minds and reality of people; unprecedented new powers for the national security state (which includes wire tapping, Internet tracking, and a free pass to violate every country's sovereignty), say goodbye to privacy and the freedom to speak and control your own mind, unless, of course, it is in line with the "agenda."

This is all well and good if you are born and live on the "right" side of the fence, living the "good life." However, the mass majority will watch their hope for a better life vanish, as well as all their native lands’ precious resources and natural ecosystems.

So, under M.J. Berthoud's view, I, like G.D. Maxwell, would be labelled a "communist." The term I prefer is "humanist," because I value human life over politics and money; natural living over the economy; peace over war; freedom over tyranny; love over hatred; understanding over misunderstanding. Countries don't mean much to me, human values do.

So when I hear stories about heroic people all over the world sending their prayers, and even blood to save other people, I am hopeful. These are the values I hold dear. So, before we go on a violent, world-wide witch-hunt for the perpetrators ask yourself, whose side are you on?

Paul Kamon

Pemberton

I am writing in resonse to the statements made by Prof. Williams of SFU (‘People are going to think twice about their mobility’ Pique, Sept 21 page 7). He's talking out people coming to whistler because it's "safe." Ahem, excuse me but... Safe? Is that why people flock here in the winter, to hurl themselves down mountains and off whatever air they can find?

I know, I know, we all pretend... safety first. We educate ourselves to manage risks, and we manage them pretty well if we're smart. But safe? Really, what is safe? Ask anyone who has ever been robbed, affected by violence, crashed into, buried in an avalanche... Has the world ever been truly safe?

There's nothing new here really. What has changed? Did we say terrorism was OK before and now it's not? There's a war alright but it's nothing new, it just got a big ass kick in the pants. Isn't it time that we, as a civilization, learned to focus on what we want rather than what we dread? If we stop putting such irrational and fearful thoughts out there, maybe the fearful and irrational will stop. Sure there will be the mediafest, they'll blaze the trumpets as fighter jets take off. Rah, rah, rah, whatever. Don't buy it people, don't buy it.

Leanne Lamour

Whistler

Re: G.D. Maxwell’s column of Sept. 14, "The dogs of war taste blood"

Your wise words did not go unnoticed. Neither did those of M.J. Berthoud last week, which I have dismissed as bordering on fanatical.

Thanks for your thoughtful, rational prose.

E. Swan

Whistler