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Not everyone happy, but at least we can plan now

This letter was addressed to the board of school trustees of School District 48. A copy was forwarded to Pique for publication.

This letter was addressed to the board of school trustees of School District 48. A copy was forwarded to Pique for publication.

I would like to commend all of you on what could only be described as a board meeting filled with an enormous amount of heartfelt, passionate and very lengthy debate on the issue of school closures and moving the March break in 2010. I hope I speak for the seven or so people who attended the meeting that it was clear that this decision by the board was not made without a tremendous amount of discussion, consideration and ultimately some compromising and a whole lot of procedural co-ordination.

It was certainly unfortunate that more people were not at the meeting last night as I believe it would have been made extremely clear that the board has heard what parents have to say and that you are trying to balance the needs of the parents with the needs of the children at what can only be described as a very unusual time.

Although I am not personally in favour of closing the schools for an extended period of time during the Olympics I do believe the school board has established a good and equitable solution that will at least allow parents and teachers to begin planning for the winter session in 2010. I fully agree that the mandate of the board is not to provide childcare but if some consideration could be given to offering up some of the school space (perhaps one elementary school in each community) to be utilized during the Olympics for "Olympic Spring Break" programs it would go a long way to assisting other organizations to develop and manage programs that would ensure children of working parents have a place to participate in activities that would occur during a normal spring break.

Although I have nothing to base this theory on I feel that despite the fact that part of the reasoning to move the spring break to February from March in 2010 and extending the school closure (particularly in Whistler) is to consider the educational needs of the students in order to ensure they will not miss school time because they may or may not be pulled out/opt out during the Olympics you may discover, in the end, that many families choose to hunker down through the Olympics to work/host/volunteer, with a plan to take a week to 10 days at the end of March, April and into May for family time and to recuperate. I would think this would have a greater impact on attendance than the Olympics.

Finally, closing the schools with the expectation that funding will miraculously appear from VANOC or other local or provincial government sources is at best speculation as it is my understanding the role of VANOC is to stage the Games and nothing more; all funds are committed and the budget pretty much set in stone.

That said, it is good to know the board heard the concerns of the parents, debated them thoroughly, made some decisions and can now focus on other business, such as the education of our children. The bottom line is the eyes of the world are on us and it is time to focus our efforts on showcasing the incredible talent of the young people in our communities, whether it be in the realm of academia, sport or the arts.

It would be most helpful if the school board were to send correspondence to encourage local government and businesses to ensure that any programs normally run during a March spring break will be made available during the Feb. 22 -26 break as it would go a long way to assisting families to manage this unique change in schedules. I also call upon Whistler-Blackcomb, the RMOW, Squamish, SLRD and Pemberton Parks and Recreation Departments to develop an Olympic Spring Break program that would include cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, skiing and snowboarding lessons and an Olympic involvement/education component that is unique, interesting and fun so that the local kids, from Kindergarten to Grade 12, will want to participate and can learn from their experiences. This would show that the communities throughout the corridor are working together as one and help to manage the concerns of working parents. Start planning now because two years goes by quickly.

Again, thank you to the school board and administration on all your hard work, you will not have made everyone happy, but at least now we can all start planning and get on with the next two years.

Sheena Fraser

Pemberton

 

 

As the valley grows…

In regards to our sleepy little town and surrounding areas... let’s wake up!   We all need fire protection!

Figure out what’s fair for all the residents of Pemberton and the surrounding areas and tell us how much we need to pay. We will pay! My home and my family are worth it. The delay and potential elimination of fire service is ridiculous.

Also, I feel the need to put to paper (since Mayor Sturdy hasn’t heard any complaints for a while) the importance of a recycling facility without any time restrictions. It is definitely less convenient having a recycling schedule, as the stockpile in our garage will prove. I live in Area C and do not find it easier to recycle now with the new facility. Can we not separate the depot into two areas and have the recycling separate from the garbage, thus allowing the recycling side to remain open 24/7?

One last point. Did anyone NOT at the Halloween fireworks hear the residual noise that travels through our valley? I can’t even begin to imagine the noise from jets entering our sound zone if the airport expansion goes ahead. There must be a better way to grow and for our community to prosper than with echoing jet screams. I mean streams. We will definitely be awake then!

Victoria Downes

Mount Currie

 

 

Aversive conditioning works

I read the article about Charlie Russell last week with interest. As someone who has lived with bears in both Canada and Russia and is redefining how some people view bears, I respect his experience.

But I’m surprised he believes that aversive conditioning increases potential aggression in bears, given his view on how non-aggressive bears actually are. His statement is not supported by research (not just Whistler’s Bear Aversion Research Team). I’ll tell you why. Bears in Whistler encounter humans often. We can classify these encounters as positive (the bear gains food), negative (the bear experiences fear or pain), or neutral.

Positive encounters make bears food-conditioned and motivate them to go to extreme lengths to get human food, sometimes causing property damage.

Neutral encounters make bears less wary of humans (habituated). Eventually, habituated bears often get a food reward simply because they are no longer afraid to follow their noses to the stinky garbage on a deck or behind a screen door.

Aversive conditioning is virtually the only way to give habituated bears a negative experience around humans and increase their wariness. Take away the negative, and bears’ experiences with people are either positive or neutral, and the result is almost always escalating conflict and a dead bear.

The biggest difference between Mr. Russell’s work and the work being done in Whistler is the people part of the equation. Tens of thousands of people live and play here in bear country. In Kamchatka, Mr. Russell was one of only a few visitors, and he certainly didn’t leave his garbage out.

Mr. Russell is absolutely correct when he mentions the importance of attractant management. I think everybody knows this by now but it is worth repeating. Without bear-proof garbage systems in place, bears will continue to access this food source. Aversive conditioning does not teach bears to avoid garbage. This is why we recommend good attractant management (which Whistler is working on), and have three education programs in Whistler: the Get Bear Smart Society, Michael Allen’s Whistler Black Bear Project and the Bear Aware program.

I worked with grizzly and black bears in Montana and Alberta for more than five years, and briefly with Asiatic black bears in Japan, doing aversive conditioning before I started working in Whistler in 2005. Not once did a bear respond to aversive conditioning aggressively, not even female grizzlies with cubs. In fact, the only aggressive behaviour I have ever seen from bears is from food-conditioned, habituated bears that haven’t had any aversive conditioning.

If we don’t do any aversive conditioning, we actually teach bears that it’s OK to do anything they want until we can’t tolerate their behaviour anymore. Then we kill them without giving them any chance to learn. If we want non-lethal management as an option here, the first priorities are bear-proofing garbage and recycling, and education.

Aversive conditioning is the final step, and it is done carefully, with a mind to teaching the bear something and always leaving it escape routes. Cornered bears can understandably be defensive. Don’t take my word for it though — research it for yourself.

There are government reports from bear managers and contractors like the Wind River Bear Institute that pioneered aversive conditioning techniques that will tell you the same thing. Aversive conditioning (done properly by leaving bears escape options), does not cause aggression in bears; it reduces it.

Lori Homstol

Whistler

 

 

Hut meant to be enjoyed naturally

This letter was addressed to Andy Oetter, Adventure Tourism Manager with the provincial government. A copy was forwarded to Pique for publication.

It has come to our attention that Coast Range Heliskiing has applied for tenure for its proposed operation in the Duffey Lake area. Included in that space is the Marriott basin, site of the Alpine Club of Canada's "Wendy Thompson Hut". The hut was constructed a few years ago by Wendy's friends and family as a memorial to her following her death in 1995 while on an official mercy flight to Masset as a paramedic with the British Columbia Ambulance Service. The hut is quite heavily used by backcountry hikers and skiers.

The hut was never regarded as part of any commercial venture but was made as shelter for those enjoying the surroundings without powered assistance. Part of that enjoyment is the possibility of encountering wildlife.

As Wendy's parents, we strenuously oppose the tenure application in its entirety.

Shirley and Michael Thompson

Whistler

 

 

New in town?

This letter goes out to "Sick of Stereotyping" (Pique letters Nov. 15).

Daniel, that lady that verbally abused your countryman was probably just as new to town as you are, and she felt this was her way of being recognized as someone that has been here a long time — ’cause anyone that has been here for a long period of time knows that it's "you guys" that fill a lot of seasonal job positions, and Whistler truly could not run without you guys.

Paul Rowe

Whistler

 

 

Zero Ceiling sums up

On behalf of the board of directors and the youth in our programs, I wish to express my sincere gratitude and thanks to all those individuals, local businesses, and of course volunteers who helped ensure that the recent Zero Ceiling Charity Rummage Sale, held on Saturday, Nov. 17, was a resounding success. Despite the buzz and excitement of opening day on Whistler, hundreds of community members from throughout the Sea to Sky made it to the event to check out the great deals and support a long-standing local Whistler Charity, the Zero Ceiling Society.

An amazing level of support came in the form of donations from local businesses such as the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, Le Chamois Hotel, Club Intrawest, Legends Hotel, and Whistler-Blackcomb. An enormous thank you goes out to the crew at All Time Moving for transporting our hoard of goods and Tourism Whistler for providing the space for the event. Also, an annual supporter of this event vital to its success deserves a huge thank you, the Re-Use-It Centre and Whistler Community Services Society.

We simply couldn’t have had the success we did without the amazing support we receive from the local community. From the donations we received to the individuals that attend the event, this is truly a community event. Whether they were newcomers to town in search of the bare essentials like bedding and clothing or long-time corridor residents looking for a bargain on snowboard gear and household items, the event had something for everyone.

Thank you to everyone involved in this year’s Zero Ceiling Charity Rummage Sale for supporting a local charitable organization benefiting inner-city and at-risk youth. We couldn’t do it without you!

Marc Zurbuchen

Program Manager, Zero Ceiling