Category: Environment


Nicola Naturalists: June speaker

Filed under: Environment, Social Activism, Sports and Leisure by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
June 16, 2015

The last indoor meeting for the year is on June 17th at the NVIT Lecture Theater, starting at 7PM and will feature bear and other wildlife photography by Ontario native Kyle Blaney.

Kyle Blaney is an avid nature photographer from Belleville, Ontario who has extensively travelled all over North America. He is visiting our area while on a photo/camping trip from Ontario to Vancouver via Northwest Territories. In this presentation, Kyle shares his favourite photos, discusses where they were taken, and talks about his photography techniques. Note: that this meeting is on a Wednesday rather then the regular day of Thursday.

The Nicola Naturalists President is  Alan Burger PhD, U Vic and has presentation meetings by guest speakers during the year and has a number of nature programs including a frog monitoring one and a Christmas bird count. It is an NGO and operates with volunteers. Membership includes a newsletter and insurance for outings. It is under the umbrella of the provincial naturalist society. On this day: June 16th 2010 Bhutan bans tobacco completely.

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Green Energy Project

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June 10, 2015
Green energy project has address. Photo KDG

Green energy project has address.
Photo KDG

After months of pile driving and concrete work the large building of the multiple hundreds of millions of dollars in project, posts its address. The fact that it is in the city limits makes it part of the tax base. Houston street is the truck route used by logging trucks to service 3 sawmills in the city as well.
The green energy project will make electricity from green wood waste.

On this day: June 10th 2003

Spirit rover is launched by Nasa to begin their Mars rover project.

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Water levels summer level

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June 6, 2015

 
A bird looks for food amongst the rocks of the Coldwater/Nicola river that required no sandbagging this year.

On this Day: June 6th 1933

The first drive in theater opens in Camden New Jersey.

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18 jobs

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May 28, 2015

The Diacarbon Energy corporation is running its plant here in Merritt and a source says that there are 18 jobs there. On a visit to the plant this week one of the addition bins were on a feed by an active conveyor. The company is to produce White wood pellets and bio coal.
The company expanded the property with two bins after acquiring it from the failed Highland wood pellets. The construction of the original plant involved government money and promised 50 jobs. The plant ran and packaged some wood pellets but ran into problems with moisture content. The pellets were attempted to be marketed for floor-ground cover in barns and other applications involving livestock.

Specialized in research and development of clean tech renewable energy products, Diacarbon has focused its efforts on perfecting its bio coal product, and now aims to produce this on a mass production scale this coming fall.

The plant was previously owned by Highland Pellet Manufacturing Ltd and came equipped with machinery allowing for the production of wood pellets. Diacarbon sees this as a great opportunity to expand its product line to offer a more established renewable energy product and will begin production of its wood pellets product this summer.

Diacarbon has selected state of the art technology from Europe and USA to be installed on its plant site and has taken great care to ensure its equipment is of high quality, efficient and environmentally friendly. Diacarbon is using local contractors and approximately 12 new employees from the Merritt region to complete the development and installation of equipment at its plant site. Once the plant is fully operational it will require a total of 25 employees to operate the facility and will create job opportunities within Merritt.

http://www.diacarbon.com/diacarbons-manufacturing-plant-start-production-coming-fall/ info@diacarbon.com

Merritt has a history of coal production dating back to the end of the 19th century, it was curtailed in after the second world war, in part due to engineering problems.There is no indication of coal mining at this writing. All coal mines were back filled at their portals with old cars and fill decades ago.
On this Day: May 28th 585
A solar eclipse becomes a cardinal date for dating events in history.

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Hail

Filed under: Barns and Old Buildings, Environment by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
May 26, 2015
Hail mocks the bloom outside the united church in Merritt Photo KDG

Hail surrounds the bloom outside the United Church in Merritt
Photo KDG

On Saturday there was a hail storm here followed by a 4 hour power outage. The hail was soft and smaller then the storm in the 1990s here that caused millions of dollars in damage to roofs and cars.

The storm followed the BC  cattleman’s convention and the power outage disrupted their dinner.

On this Day: May 26th 1897
Dracula, is published by Bram Stoker.

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Electric car

Filed under: Climate, Disabilities, Enterprize, Environment by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
May 21, 2015
New Tesla S Photo KDG

New Tesla S
Photo KDG

Another new Tesla S owner charges his car in Merritt. The Kamloops BC resident that just bought this new EV says charging here works for him as he loops through Kelowna and back home. The model also sports a D Designation meaning 2 axles under power or (four wheel drive ). There is also to seats with belts to secure two “Grand Kids” facing backward behind the rear seats. Suitable for kids nearing 4 feet in height it looks like loading a raised trunk a with children with a view of the road behind.
The car was purchased for about 130 thousand dollars and reflected a discount in the Canadian dollar.
The Tesla Corporation had a half billion dollar cash infusion from the US Government, the owner also recovered a 5 thousand dollar incentive from BC hydro, he charged his car with out cost at the 500 amp charger at Voght and Merritt Ave, here.

On this Day: May 21 1937

The Soviet Station North Pole 1 becomes the first research station on polar drift ice.

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Photos from Vietnam

Filed under: Environment, Fauna, Flora, Sports and Leisure by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
May 12, 2015

A local is giving his photo tour of Vietnam and the flora and fauna that he photographed.

Bob Scafe is a Naturalist Society director and one of our club’s keenest photographers. Bob and his wife Bev recently traveled through Vietnam and Cambodia and will share their experiences with the local people, wildlife and places that they visited. Something tropical and exotic – this will be fascinating.

The Nicola naturalists meet at the local community college NVIT, the west top of Belshaw avenue in Merritt. They say all welcome, membership or donation requested. No food or drink in the lecture theater start time is 7:PM

Spring programs – April-June 2015

On this Day: May 12th 2008

Four hundred emigrants are detained for identity theft and document fraud in Post Ville Iowa.

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lone pole

Filed under: Environment, Government Works, Politics and Politicians by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
May 7, 2015

Poles in place for the 130 KV line from the Merritt Substation to the Highland Valley Photo KDG

Poles in place for the 130 KV line from the Merritt Substation to the Highland Valley
Photo KDG


On Monday we talked to a member of the BC Hydro team at a local coffee shop he pointed out a pole on a trailer going by on highway 5A. The large greenish pole is seen on tuesday as standing in the parking lot area of the Extra Foods complex and is part of a 130 KV line to the highland valley from the upgraded substation. The source says that poles that are green are ceder and are treated with arsenic and copper in solution. Don’t chew on them. A number of the poles were strengthened with galvanized channel iron driven into the ground next them, they are being replaced after decades of service.
On this Day: May 7th 2000
Vladimir Putin becomes the president of the Russian Federation.

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TNRD toxic waste pick up

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May 5, 2015

On Saturday the regional district dealt with materials not allowed in the local landfill, the free pick up of toxic materials was at the parking lot of the Civic Center and included glycol products, paint, batteries and other household toxic s. The event is a yearly one and happens every spring. The local radio station was on hand broadcasting the event life. For results and information on what to do with toxics your home generates contact : The Thompson Nicola Regional District on their face book page: https://www.facebook.com/thompson.nicola.regional.district

The paint products and had produced  a token amount at afternoon, however the local machine shop also takes paint as used motor oil , and Home Hardware will take cell phone batteries at any time.

Editors note: The government is attempting to bring in an adjudication process for bylaw enforcement that may effect your rights.

Press release from TNRD face book page April15

Press release from TNRD face book page April15

Illegal dumping is a concern of the district as well as maintaining reasonable fees for dumping.

On this Day: May 5th 1964

May 5th becomes Europe Day

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New Tesla S

Filed under: Environment, Recreational Vehicles, Sports and Leisure, Technology by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
April 16, 2015

Al from Williams Lake BC bought a new Tesla S and was taking it home on Wednesday, he stopped here in Merritt for a charge with his wife of 55 years. ” I think that I could be the most northerly Tesla owner in BC” he said as he reminisced  about a career as an electrician at the Gibraltar Mine outside Williams lake.  It lead right to an interest in owning an electric car, he said. I worked on diesel electic haul trucks at the mine.

A new tesla S going to a home in Williams Lake BCPhoto KDG

A new Tesla S going to a home in Williams Lake BC Photo KDG

On this Day: April 16th 73
Masada falls to the Romans after a siege.

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Eclectic population

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April 7, 2015
1917 diploma from NVGH , Nurse training Photo KDG

1917 diploma from NVGH , Nurse training
Photo KDG

The calendar has brought to light a number of items from history in the Nicola Valley, 100 year anniversaries of the drill hall, and the center piece of the the town ” the Coldwater Hotel” indicate a great effort by a small population. The approximate 700 people of Merritt at the twentieth century produced a lot of “golden age ” construction on the coin of three coal mines but may have often suffered from a sense of abandonment from time to time with  the draw of events like World War 1 .

An accounting of 2000 men working on the Kettle Valley Rail Way, resulting after construction in a local Doctor  becoming an engineer,brakeman and passenger may be a personality quirk of those that wanted a future here or real abandonment. One of the signatures of the local doctors on the nurses qualification went on to be the local MLA after antics like ” riding a boxcar” down from the Kettle Valley as a mode of transportation.

At this writing a electric co gen plant is under construction on in the area of the ruins of ” Merritt Light and Power” a progressive project of the people of the era at the turn of the twentieth century as well. That activity certainly suffered from abandonment more then once in its completion. According to John Chase, a local official  the present plant is a huge partnership with two other similar projects in BC, (one at Fort Saint John). They are too big to suffer abandonment.

Editors Note: The recent 500 KV lower mainland transmission project and its completion as well as Teck corporations mine expansion projects in the billions give a sense of security . However kudos to those who have found the joy of risk in a reasonable way that have resulted in expression and spiritual joy. For those that found themselves in frontier with or without abandonment or even risked modern travel or invention, the trying of something new, good on you and we hope some of it spills over on us.

On this Day: April 7th 1890

The completion of the Lake Biwa Canal:
hose

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Leaf

Filed under: Enterprize, Environment, Government Works, Technology by Kevin Griffiths — Leave a comment
April 2, 2015
Leaf has direct connection to 500 volt quick charger in Merritt. Photo KDG

Leaf has direct connection to 500 volt quick charger in Merritt.
Photo KDG

The charging station at the arena parking lot off Voght Street in Merritt saw some use on the weekend. A Nissan leaf from Kamloops ued the quick charger for about 20 minutes and produced an 85 percent charge. A further 18 minutes would have produced a full charge however” It may be hard on the battery” was the concern that made the driver continue to the 70 amp charger that Sun country installed at the local truck stop and bus station near the junction of highway 5A to Kamloops. The charge will be slower but we have confidence in the topping up and want to see the charger on the outskirts of town. There six chargers in the City and they are on sites available by smart phone. The 500 volt quick charger ( 20 minutes 85 percent ) was placed by BC Hydro. The charge was without fee on Sunday. On this Day: April 2nd 2011 India wins the world cricket cup.  

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