Category: -Photography


Tailing ponds

 

The February 20th speaker at the Nicola Naturalists is Richard Doucette. Richard is a official of Tech/ Highland Valley Copper and his presentation is “reclamation of a Tailing pond”

The Nicola naturalists have their presentations in the Lecture Theater at the local Community college NVIT on Belshaw avenue Merritt. They are member and invitee driven but they post ” everyone welcome membership or donation requested.”

Their website is  Http://www.nicolanaturalists.ca/  they are a member of the BC naturalists.

Today in History: February 13th 1931

New Delhi becomes the capital of India

Regular gas at $1.20.9

500 volt 120 amp quick charger

500 volt 120 amp quick charger

Most of the main gas stations here in Merritt are selling regular Gasoline at $ 1.20.9 cents a liter. This happened about a week ago .However the best gas price can also be made if you take part in the loyalty programs. Extra Food offers 7 cents a liter in  their trademarked super buck program.

The DC 500 volt quick charger is turned on Voght street this week. A Source says you need an adapter to your particular EV. Tesla has a proprietary one at about 25 dollars.

Gasoline in Kamloops is at $1.14.9 , and a low in Courtney at Coast co is $1.12.9 a liter.

Today in history: January 30th 1964

The Ranger program Ranger 6 is launched.

The me in Dementia

British Columbia has about 4 and a half million people and as of August last year fully one million of them were are on Canadian Pension plan. With an  overall death rate on par with the  Arab Emirates and less than half the national rate. BC enjoys over 20 percent of the population in some kind of retirement, capacity and memory can become a real issue especially when life engagement wains.

Succesful people have developed social skills over a life time that include an out going   sence of  giving to the community in a productive way and receiving back.

Diminishment seriously undermines  people’s ability to keep up  and sometimes makes engagement a struggle.

The Alzheimer’s Society of British Columbia is hosting a workshop  The me in Dementia at the Coast Canadian Inn Kamloops, March 28th 2014. ( 9 am to 4PM).Ph: 1 855-742-4803. Twenty dollars admission includes lunch.

Catch Phase: Increasing understanding along the Dementia Journey

Editors note:  We would like to acknowledge the efforts of  Gregory and  Colby Griffiths who as preteens have raised  monies in the  5 digit range for research into the disease by bottle drives. They also had the courage to lend their young voice to the in an interview last year on CFJC news in Kamloops.

Today in history: January 23 2002

A Reporter Daniel Pearl is kidnapped in Pakistan and later murdered.

The time to be heard at the public process for the Kinder Morgan  twinning project application is fast approaching. opening on Wednesday the 14th and ending on February 12th you must apply to the National Energy board to make a submission.

Here is the contact info according to Trans Mountain Pipeline; Kinder Morgans subsidiary and active agent in this application.

Grass seeding at a construction site in Merritt Photo KDG

Grass seeding at a construction site in Merritt
File: Photo KDG

Trans Mountain notes an error in the email notification that was sent to you this afternoon on behalf of the National Energy Board.

The correct email address for the National Energy Board’s Process Advisor, Reny Chakkalakal is transmountainpipeline.hearing@neb-one.gc.ca.


The National Energy Board (NEB) has issued an Application to Participate Notification about the hearing process for the Trans Mountain Expansion Project.

Those who wish to take part in the NEB hearing must apply to participate. The application to take part is on the NEB’s website at:

www.neb-one.gc.ca select Major Applications and Projects, then Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC – Trans Mountain Expansion.

Applications to participate in the NEB Hearing are due on or before noon on 12 February 2014.

If you need more information, the NEB has appointed Ms. Reny Chakkalakal as Process Advisor to give assistance.

Ms. Reny Chakkalakal Process Advisor, NEB E-mail: transmountainpipeline.hearing@neb-one.gc.ca  Telephone (toll free): 1-800-899-1265

The notice is also posted on the Trans Mountain website. You can read the full notice here.
Sincerely, The Trans Mountain Expansion Project Team

Today in history: January 17th 1946, 2007

The UN security council holds its first meeting.

The doomsday clock goes to 5 minutes to midnight in response to North Korean nuclear testing.

Mary Sandy is the presenter at the January 16th meeting of the Nicola  Naturalists. The First Nations people have a unique world view on the environment. Mary’s work has a focus on wildlife and ecosystems. She is an anthropologist with the Esh-km-am Cultural Resources Service. The service is based in the Nicola Valley and is used for gathering information on ecosystem.

The presentation begins a 7PM at the NVIT lecture theater. Free parking no food or drinks in the theater,admission by membership or donation requested all welcome.

Today in history: January 15th 1759

The British Museum opens.

Mary Sandy’s presentation was conditioned by a brief outlining of the first nations world view on environment and ecology. In a nut shell she defined western culture as seeing resources as  something to be possessed. She asserted that First Nations ideal is ” who do we share this with.” She contented that their view was holistic.

Sandy said her drive comes, believe it or not from Walt Disney’s methods of film making . She thinks that robust knowledge comes from tradition  and legends are based in some substance. Her father, she explains was born in 1903 and her grand mother  in 1886, her great grand mother whom she knew was born in 1861. They also were connected to two  living generations giving a legend of tradition that was even longer. Some legends based in stories: ie Coyote stole his long tail from rabbit.

Her discourse then went to the archeology of the local area and its climate and vegetation changes over 4 periods going back to pre glacier, 10.000 years bp ( before present.).

Mary is a member of the Coldwater Indian Band in Merritt BC Canada.

Ice Fishing Derby

100_7399 ice

The local Fish and Game club is having a derby on Mamette lake in the Highland valley.     The derby on January 12th is and is a “take part at your own risk event” and subject to “safe ice conditions.”

Entry fees are 15 dollars a person or 30 dollars a family. Prizes include a hidden weight prize . We hope that is for fish taken  and does not have something to do with ice conditions.

There is a prize for coarse fish,  coarse fish is something that the club doesn’t like and there are fines for transporting them between lakes. Mamette lake has trout and fresh water cod.

Ice conditions have not supported derbys in general in recent years.

Update: Sources say that one hundred and fifty people enjoyed the Derby on Sunday. Trout were landed as well as ling cod (which can’t be kept” . A estimated  ice level of at the lake ( 50° 25′ 0″ North, 120° 49′ 0″ West)  was over 40 centmete

There were gift bags for all young people who attended and the event operated at a break even level. A source says elections for the executive are coming up next month

The Nicola Valley Fish and Game Club holds its annual fishing derby at Mamit Lake on Sunday, starting at 8 a.m.

It has been running for 13 years and is one of the biggest ice-fishing derbies in the province.

Anglers of all ages are invited to bring their fresh-water fishing licence and fishing tackle to the event and participate for $15 per person or $30 for a family.

The derby runs until 2 p.m. and will award prizes for best fish, hidden weight and more.

Kamloops residents can access the lake via the Logan Lake turnoff. Derby organizers say the fishing site is about 10 kilometres south of Logan Lake and will be visible from the road, starting at about 7 a.m. (Source Kamloops Daily news)

Today in history: January 9th 1941

The first flight of the Arvo Lancaster

Power lines can kill

Model plane stuck in power line

Model plane stuck in power line Photo KDG

There was a model plane stuck in the power lines this week behind the local arena. When we showed this picture to the City works Foreman Dan, he said he would call Chris  from the hydro the plane was gone before the crews were able to find it and all concerned agreed that to try to recover something like this could be fatal especially with a stick reach we hope that it fell over time and no one attempted to get it down with any method. (including throwing rocks.)

Today in history: January 2nd 2004

Stardust flys past comet wild 2 collects samples that will be returned to earth.

Happy new year!

Beautiful harvest moon.

We hope that you have the joy of life although 2014 and  your success will be measured by contentment.

Happy new year and many happy returns!

Today in history: December 31st 2009

A blue moon and lunar eclipse occurs. (Wikipedia)

Editors note: A blue moon is a second moon in a Julian calendar or Gregorian calendar month. ( 1 January in the Julian calendar is 14 January in the Gregorian)

English: This is a logo for Teck Cominco.

English: This is a logo for Teck Cominco. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Teck, Highland Valley Mine operation near Logan Lake in BC has been under going an expansion. The mill building was the center of the upgrade as well as three domes that put some operations inside at the huge mine. A source says that the mill will be commissioned in February 2014.

Iron workers at  the project told us that they are in the process of removing the huge amount of scaffolding around the 80 foot tall mill structure.

Today in history: December 20th 1916

Micheal Chartrand , Canadian union leader born. (d 2010)

Twinning of the pipeline from Edmonton

The city of Merritt has the line that Kinder Morgan operates through its subsidiary Trans Mountain Pipeline running by here to Burnaby. If fact it goes right by the airstrip, Saunders Field. The pumping station at Kingsvale required an employee to be here at one time. There is no local contact now however there is pride in the general sence to have had them and for the 60 years they have operated without major problems in the valley  bringing energy to the lower mainland.

The  news letter they posted recently out lines their application and its vastness we hope that people are not deterred by its complexity and will look at it because now is the time they will have voice. To have that voice they need points to communicate concerns that are valid, we hope that people other then press , lawyers or professionals will be able to take the non jargon documents and voice there concerns: Below is their announcement.

The company proposes to build  a pipeline in segments that complete a twinning (or “looping”) of the pipeline in Alberta and BC with about987 km of new buried pipeline.New and modified facilities, including pump stations and tanks.Three new berths at the Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby, BC, each capable of handling Aframax class vessels.

This morning, Trans Mountain Pipelines filed a Facilities Application with the National Energy Board (NEB) for the proposed Trans Mountain Expansion Project. This application filing follows over a year and a half of engagement with pipeline and marinecommunities, a detailed environmental and socio-economic assessment, route assessments, and other various marine and terrestrial risk analyses and studies. This filing is a significant milestone in the development of this project and another step in the on-going engagement we will be having within your community.

When printed, the Application is over 15,000 pages and up to two metres high when stacked end on end. Please visit our Application website at http://application.transmountain.com.

The NEB will hold its own public engagement process, including a hearing on the Application before it makes a decision on the proposed Project. The hearing will allow people or groups who have been granted permission to participate by the NEB a chance to raise issues, present evidence, test evidence, and provide their input. Information on how to participate in this process can be found here: http://www.neb-one.gc.ca/clf-nsi/rthnb/pblcprtcptn/pblchrng/pblchrng-eng.html

We invite you to visit our website to see how we have addressed community interests along the pipeline and marine corridors. Over the coming months we will be approaching stakeholders to consult on specific elements within the application. We will also be returning to communities where we have visited before in our previous engagements to discuss the application and proposals contained within.

From the Trans Mountain Expansion Project, we wish you the best this holiday season and look forward to continuing our dialogue with you and your community in 2014.

Sincerely,
The Trans Mountain Expansion Project Team

Editors note: we respect all views that are brought in good faith. To carry out that we suggest that you look at the informationin in the application.   In our view we support the application as  we think our local environment would benefit by the effect of a twin pipeline with new pumping stations and technology being so close to the existing line by increasing scrutiny and attention, we think that the use of double hulled ships will be safer then reliance on forgien flags in international waters supplying the demand of  the oil market.

Today in history: December 18th 218

Second Punic war Hannibal defeats the Romans at the battle of Trebia

A hundred years of volunteering

Pursue the Passion Book

Pursue the Passion Book (Photo credit: pursuethepassion)

A hundred years  of volunteering in the Nicola valley! The Local health care auxiliary has a hundred years of volunteering in the area of Merritt. The society operated the local thrift shop nad has links to most non profit charitable groups in the city. It is calling for volunteers in recognition of its hundred years of service and the good work it has done.

Merritt has a hospital and a large government extended care facility as well as two significant private assisted living facilities. The local community college, NVIT has a care aid certificate program.

Editors note: The group is ideological driven and volunteering may be a step up to a career in Health care. The 100 years of service represents more then half the time  of European contact in the Nicola Valley.

They can be contacted at facebook.com/nvhca of nvhcaux@hotmail.com

Today in history: December 17th 1969

Project blue book the United States closes its books on the study of UFO’s

Respectfully yours

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela (Photo credit: Festival Karsh Ottawa)

With respect to the family, friends , colleagues of Nelson Mandela we offer our condolences to the one who according to US President and guardian of democratic freedom Barack Obama ” has joined the ages”.

A quiet spirit and a pragmatic soul has left us to our own ends we hope that the world will build on his legacy as it is far from perfect and a lesson in starting and allowing others to have a part in liberty. KDG

Today in history: December 10th 1906

Teddy Roosevelt wins the Nobel peace prize, becoming the first American to accomplish it.