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Whistler's forests are "tinder dry" and the fire hazard extreme. The province is experiencing one of the hottest, driest summers on record. Forest fires in B.C.

Whistler's forests are "tinder dry" and the fire hazard extreme. The province is experiencing one of the hottest, driest summers on record. Forest fires in B.C. are already 10 times bigger than last year with warnings from experts to expect things to get worse.

Wildfires are now an integral part of summer and no community set in the forest is immune from them. Short of clear-cutting a fire break in the forest around Whistler there is no quick fix in sight. So aside from a praying a bit what is the community doing to reduce the risk of wildfire? As far as I can tell, not much.

After the events of last summer the threat of wildfire is no secret, or at least it shouldn’t be. In response to this situation the Forest Service has produced and distributed a handbook called The Home Owner’s FireSmart Manual. The reason it is called the home owner's manual is that it provides the information necessary to assess and reduce fire hazard in clear cut, simple terms that any lay person can understand and apply. Specialized expertise is not required. The manual deals with, among other things, fire risks associated with various types of home construction as well as the risk posed by combustible elements around the home. The manual contains an easily applied Home & Site Hazard Assessment with questions like "Is your home set back from the edge of a slope?" The assessment also asks questions about the type of vegetation surrounding the home.

For example, if the forest is within 10 metres (about 33 feet) of the home and contains conifers, even if mixed with leafy trees, 30 points is assessed. If the home is within 30 metres (about 100 feet) of a forest with conifers then either 10 or 30 points is assessed depending on whether the trees are separated 10 to 20 feet at the crown or continuous. An assessment totalling 30-35 points garners a high fire hazard rating and an assessment of more than 35 points, an extreme fire hazard rating. Most homes in Whistler would easily have a high rating. Many would be extreme. And the hazard for some homes would literally be off the scale.

These high fuel loads open the door to a very real possibility; a fire in a home bridging to the adjacent forest through intermediate conifers and fuel on the ground in the form of dry grass, dead twigs and shed tree needles, that in turn sets off a wildfire.

The community of Pinecrest just a few kilometres south of Whistler has actively been working to reduce what is termed "the interface hazard" for months. And the results of this community effort are impressive. Do they know something Whistler doesn’t know or are we just slow off the mark? We are now entering the most dangerous time of the year for wildfires, the traditionally hot, dry month of August.

The opening heading of the FireSmart Manual is called The Rural Reality. It states "Wildland forest fires are capable of spreading at an astonishing rate. Crowning forest fires often spread at up to 5.5 kilometres per hour, with spotting as far as two kilometres ahead. Wind blown grass fires can spread at speeds of up to 8.5 kilometres per hour."

Based on the preceding under the right (or wrong) conditions a wildfire could involve the entire community in a hour. Being prepared by taking steps to improve the forest interface and reduce the existing fuel load is not an option that should be delayed.

David MacPhail

Whistler

 

Re: Highlights of Tourism Whistler's Board of Directors retreat

Marking the beginning of the business planning process for Tourism Whistler for 2005, Tourism Whistler's Board of Directors recently conducted its annual business planning retreat, the highlights of which are enclosed.

The Board of Directors, which is made up of a cross section of business representatives involved in Whistler, met with the senior management team of Tourism Whistler to discuss current challenges and trends, and develop strategies and priorities to guide the business plans for the organization.

The following are the main topics covered in the business plan session:

• Affirmation of the purpose, vision, core values and strategic objectives.

• Discussion of industry trends and the issues/opportunities facing Whistler and Tourism Whistler.

• Alignment and commitment of the Board and Management to the 2005 Strategic Priorities for Tourism Whistler (listed below).

• Commitment to increase Board/Member engagement and communication.

The main priority of the retreat was to clearly define the 2005 strategic business focus that Tourism Whistler will pursue in these challenging times.

Following many years of double-digit growth in Whistler, the resort has seen declines for the past two winters and the last summer. Whistler's value equation (value = product + service + price) is no longer as competitive as it once was.

Many external factors have impacted Whistler's business: increased competition by other mountain resorts; indirect competition from hot destinations such as sun and cruise; and a decline in participation in skiing and snowboarding. With the added challenges of factors affecting tourism overall, such as the soft U.S. economy, air access issues, and the increased value of the Canadian dollar, Whistler has entered a more challenging and competitive era of its development.

There is therefore a sense of urgency for the entire resort to adapt its product and pricing to ensure it remains competitive and offers excellent value.

With this in mind, the Board identified the marketing and sales strategic priorities for the next 18 months:

• Continue to create and communicate Whistler's value proposition

• Focus on building the brand of Whistler

• Create focused market segmentation strategies (geographic, demographic, group, product and price)

• Create a resort-wide welcome strategy for our guests

• Focus on tourism opportunities associated with 2010

• Leverage in-resort and external partnerships to grow funding and marketing and sales opportunities

The Board of Directors is committed to helping build an aggressive plan, working with Tourism Whistler's senior management team, along with Tourism Whistler's membership.

We have begun, but must continue, to be strategic in our approach, and address head-on the decreased value perceptions and realities of Whistler in order to remain competitive. We believe that the key to Whistler's long-term sustainability will be in working collectively.

We look forward to working with you toward this goal.

Rick Clare

Chairman of the Board

Barrett Fisher

President/Board Director

On behalf of the 2004 Tourism Whistler Board of Directors

 

Why are there so many bears getting into trouble this year? That seems to be the question on everyone's mind.

To me, the answer appears very straightforward. The amount of artificial food available to bears in residential areas, or even within the pedestrian village, is worth it! Bears will overcome their natural tendency to avoid people and non-natural foods if the rewards outweigh the risks.

Recent surveys of bear habitat potential and bear habitat use, by bear biologist Wayne McCrory (for the Bear Hazard Assessment), have brought some new information to light. It was very interesting for me to learn that there is abundant high quality habitat, rich in bear foods, in the hills surrounding Whistler – e.g. in some areas towards the Soo Valley, up the Rainbow Lake Valley and on Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. In all of these areas surveyed, bear use of quality habitats was lower than expected when compared to other bear areas Wayne has intensively surveyed. With so much bear activity in developed areas of Whistler, Wayne was very surprised not to see a lot more bear use in adjacent natural areas or on the productive areas of the ski runs on Whistler and Blackcomb mountains.

We have already lost seven "town" bears and the problems continue with bears still getting into trouble in many of the residential areas. We still have several different bears frequenting the core area of Whistler – a highly congested area that shouldn't be a comfortable place for bears to hang out. Why are Whistler bears deliberately using these areas? Again, it comes back to the same answer – the rewards of getting human foods from a variety of sources outweigh the risk. Little do they know that they'll be killed in the end.

In my observations, even though we have a bear-proof waste management system, improperly stored garbage, birdfeeders as well as landscaped berry-producing shrubs and trees, lawns and natural green spaces are still attracting bears into human-use areas. Without the high availability of unnatural attractants most of these bears should be up on the mountain sides eating the newly ripening berries and lush salad foods like grasses, sedges and horsetail.

Recent e-mails and phone calls have also been very enlightening. After the numerous killings this past week, many people have come forward with information about people feeding bears for entertainment or a photo opportunity. We have even heard stories of drunken youths stoning a mother and her cubs trapped up in a tree, not to mention someone wounding a bear with a high powered rifle last week.

In view of these incidents, the Whistler Bear Society is offering a reward of $250 for any information leading to the successful conviction of persons intentionally feeding, harassing, wounding or shooting bears illegally.

We are asking that all Whistler residents and visitors pitch in and become part of the bear smart solution. We just can't do it without you. Please help us help the bears. All incidents of bear feeding, harassment and illegal shooting should be reported to the Conservation Officer Service at 1-800-663-WILD(9453). You can also call the bear information hotline at 604-905-BEAR(2327). Learn more about bears at www.bearsmart.com.

Sylvia Dolson

Executive Director,

Whistler Bear Society

Canadian Bear Alliance

 

Re: Highway reconstruction

Rafe Mair commented on TV that the gross amount of money to make the Sea to Sky highway "straighter and safer" is an unsensible concept.

If police coverage increased, regularly and with frequent unmarked vehicles, there would be much better control of the speeders.

The penalties for speeding, alcohol and major accident involvement should be much worse, with extensive money fines increased and some significant jail times added.

With the speed and power emphasized in the sale of vehicles, car manufacturers have shown little concern for any problems these can cause. Road signs are generally ignored.

When drivers have definite knowledge of larger liabilities when driving rules are broken there will be better control of our highway. With the current philosophy of widening and straightening being undertaken, this can only add to our concerns.

Doug Bebb

Whistler

 

I've just given my notice and have decided to leave this head banging money hungry town. I came here over ten years ago to ski and play in the most amazing place in the World, and to live and drink with the most inspiring people in the World. Whistler was so good!

I'm sorry to state that our town lost its soul the day Whistler Mountain was handed over to Intrawest. Nobody wanted to believe it, not even Joe, but after five years it's only getting worse. The prices are up and the service is down. Highway 99 continues to kill and at 3 to 1 odds, chances are you'll be stabbed outside a bar on Friday night.

Most of this crap I can take with a grain of salt, but I've seen too much and been pushed over the edge by poor management using the pro-ho way of business. We're all watching but someone needs to say it, the weasels have corruptly taken over everything without being questioned. What's wrong with our community when a non-personality can build a business called WEB and continue to take over every event in town, claim the movement of the world's most developed bike park, play king of the mountain with North America's largest ski school, and now muscle into the sacred snowboard school?

Hey IMG, Cranky Worx was lame. Thanks to the talented athletes for putting up with amy hour and making a show of it. How much money did our community lose? What happened to Joyride, didn't they start it, wasn't that the real deal?

The media has a responsibility and a right and the latest coverage seems biased. I'll keep checking in from my laptop to see if the Pique lives up to its end of the bargain. Why don't we see a profile and an internal audit on Rob McSkimming?

I would like to extend my condolences to the community of Whistler. I hope in my absence, you the real people will keep the train on the tracks. Please do yourselves a favour, ask questions or leave town.

Good luck Whistler.

B. Dover

Formerly of Whistler

 

Pave the trail

I have to agree with Dr. Demarco that the Valley Trails needs to be paved. I understand Shannon Smith’s concerns but you have to realize that there is not much of a difference between a paved trail and gravel one. They both will be used, just one will be used by everyone and one won’t be. If it is that sensitive an area then no trail, gravel or paved, should be built in that location at all.

We are hosting not only the Winter Olympics but the Paralympics as well and I hope that these athletes and spectators come back during the summer months to see how amazing Whistler is. It would be a shame if all those disabled spectators and athletes from the Paralympics and from all over the world were not able to use the Valley Trail system because the trails were not paved. What kind of example would we be setting by excluding them from our community pathways? It would be great if we could even connect the paved Valley Trail at Nicklaus North to White Gold and complete the loop rather than have people double back around or worse, end up taking the highway to get to the trails once again in Spruce Groove and White Gold. Having a paved and then non-paved Valley Trail is like having a road that goes from gravel to paved and then back again, it just does not make any sense.

We are not talking about hiking or mountain biking trails but of a transportation system that is environmentally friendly for everyone.

H. Tollett

Whistler

 

A few weeks ago an event of notable importance took place. For the first time in history a privately owned craft escaped the Earth’s gravitational pull. SpaceShipOne became the first privately funded space shuttle to successfully carry a person above an altitude of 100 kilometres, the internationally recognized boundary of space. Piloted by Mike Melvill, this machine remained in "Outer Space" for approximately three minutes. This was just enough time for a hungry pilot to spill his lunch while trying to grab a quick snack. Once again private industry had propelled itself across an internationally recognized boundary and liberated a few. Although this time freedom was found by a handful of M&M’s that floated throughout the cockpit.

As far as the global space-race is concerned, (and not some silly contest) this achievement leaves private industry coming in dead last. They merely repeated an event that had been previously accomplished by the Soviets, the American government and recently the Chinese. Therefore SpaceShipOne did not only lose the race to Democracy by over 43 years, but also was beaten by Communism, twice.

Bjorn Gimse

Victoria

 

On the one hand, the operations staff of Whistler-Blackcomb just experienced the toughest summer ever in keeping the Horstman Glacier open to ski and snowboard camps, yet on the other hand the Whistler Mountain Ski Club just experienced another unforgettable season of training camps up there. Without the diligent efforts of Mike, Graham, Brooke, Seb, Stu, Cog and their staff as well as the leadership of Bob Dufour this would not have been possible.

The athletes and coaches of the WMSC would like to thank you all again for your support in helping us develop champions.

Nigel Cooper

Program Director

WMSC

 

Well, she did it again! Who? Auntie Rachelle Johnston of Trail Dogs of course, every dog's favourite girl. I didn't think it was possible to do better than last year, but once again she pulled off an amazing canine social shindig, the K9 Wine & Dine at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler hotel. All the proceeds went to the WAG animal shelter, and boy do they need those funds now that our kind mayor and council have approved a brand new shelter for all our homeless friends!

Rachelle and her faithful team of helpers (not least her nice hubbie Ned), ran themselves ragged organizing everything, and the evening was perfect from the very first yap to the final tail-wag goodbye. Rachelle I'm saving one of my extra special, bop-you-in-the-nose kisses, just for you.

I had such a great time I didn't even care about the pink tutu and sequin collar that my humans insisted I wear.

Once again we dogs and our humans have to thank Caroline Heaney and the staff of the Fairmont Chateau Whistler for making us so welcome. Corby and Diane and their helpers from ThreeDog Bakery in Vancouver surpassed themselves with a doggie dinner that I'll remember fondly for a long time. Between you, me and the fire hydrant I swear I saw a few humans sneaking a taste, it was that good, and all contributed by Corby and Diane.

I confess to sneaking 40 winks during the live auction, but I hear Chris Quinlan from Behind the Grind did a fantastic turn as the auctioneer,and thanks to him the auction alone raised $7,470! A million doggie licks go to all the generous people and businesses who contributed some wonderful items for the auction.

The K9 this year was a sold-out event thanks to great advance publicity from Shorty the dog, mentions in the Pique and Whistler Question papers, and a fab poster featuring Logan the cute, if spotty, pin-up dog (Logan, I'm in the book, call me sometime) that was printed free of charge by the incredibly generous folks at Whistler Printing.

Thank you on behalf of all my fellow WAG alumni, and all the homeless and abandoned animals of our community, to the compassionate and generous people who made this event such a success. The final total? Over $12,700 was raised for the new shelter!

See you at next year's K9 Wine & Dine and a final word of advice.... never leave home without your poop bag.

Love from

Sophie the dog