Hammerheads of Doom...

[Shamus]

Good day eh?  

     I am managing a 400 acre woodlot up here in the Gulf Islands of BC. Trying to be as careful as possible with logging, road building, etc. Everything I do is under a microscope here, the locals are very concerned with preserving the integrity of the island, rightfully so. Our property has a large lake on it, which supplies drinking water to about 800 people, and is stocked with cutthroat trout. We own the lake.
     The municipality contracts out the drinking water management to a local, who has been in and out of trouble for dicey performance regarding water quality and conservation. I showed up for work yesterday, was driving up to my little portable mill site, when I saw this...
 ??? :-[ :'( >:(






This rips straight through the island's largest 'intact' wetland, with no attempt made to seek higher ground. Reason? To get more water into a creek. The result was muddy sludge being pumped from a little shovelled out pit across the dam's spillway directly into a creek teeming with cutthroat fingerlings just upstream of the island's hatchery! He was not ordered to do this by say, Fisheries, the municipal gov't., etc. It was a judgement call. Even worse, there is a good road out to the lake (which he was aware of), where the pump could have been set up to pump clean water, if it was even necessary. I would have been glad to help. He made no effort to get in touch with us, just went ahead and 'clown shoesed' the entire operation. Un believable.  :(

    His contract is up for review on monday. What was he thinking? Was he on a bender? If we the landowners had done it we would be up the sludge-choked-fish-floating-belly-up creek with no paddle, no mercy.

[Tom]

Without knowing the whole story, who owns all the land , what the wetlands and fisheries laws are in BC and what the BC law says of imminent domain etc.  I'd say that, come Monday, his contract might not be renewed if enough of the proper people show up in front of the proper legislator. :-/

You sound angry enough to do something about it.  Make sure you stay legal.

[Shamus]

Don't worry Tom, I'm no hothead. I was more stunned than angry. You hear about stuff like this, but until it happens to you it is more of a rural legend. And yes, it will grow back in a year or two. It just goes against all we are trying to achieve, and won't help our certification bid all that much.