Gold River Buzz

As many of you may have heard already, there has been a cougar in the Dogwood Drive area.  This cougar is not scared of humans and has been reported watching people, perhaps stalking.

At just after 9:00pm last night, a resident was walking his dog at the top of Dogwood, and this cougar appeared 15 feet behind him.  His dog lunged towards the cougar, coming out of her collar in the process.  Tragically, the cougar then picked up the dog and ran back across the street and into the bush.

Conservation is aware of this situation, and as of late last night, the RCMP were attempting to locate the cat as well.  The Buzz is not yet aware as of this morning whether the cat has been found or not.

Please be extremely cautious!  Do not let your children walk back and forth to school on their own – even during the daylight.  Bring your pets inside and keep them inside.  It would be wise to avoid walking in the area as well due to the fearless nature of this particular cat.

Tips to remember:

If you meet a cougar:

• Never approach a cougar. Although cougars will normally avoid a confrontation, all cougars are unpredictable. Cougars feeding on a kill may be dangerous.
• Always give a cougar an avenue of escape.
• Stay calm. Talk to the cougar in a confident voice.
• Pick all children up off the ground immediately. Children frighten easily and their rapid movements may provoke an attack.
• Do not run. Try to back away from the cougar slowly. Sudden movement or flight may trigger an instinctive attack.
• Do not turn your back on the cougar. Face the cougar and remain upright.
• Do all you can to enlarge your image. Don’t crouch down or try to hide. Pick up sticks or branches and wave them about.

If a cougar behaves aggressively:

• Arm yourself with a large stick, throw rocks, speak loudly and firmly. Convince the cougar that you are a threat not prey.
• If a cougar attacks, fight back! Many people have survived cougar attacks by fighting back with anything, including rocks, sticks, bare fists, and fishing poles.

Note: I will be away for most of today, so will be unable to update this situation in a timely manner.  Please comment on this post and keep the community updated if you know of any change in the situation.

Hello everyone,

BC Hydro recently completed a site tour of the Heber River Diversion Decommissioning Project and just completed a project video that shows the construction time lapse, construction video and interviews.

BC Hydro held a site tour for the Mowachaht Muchalaht First Nation (MMFN), government agencies and stakeholders.  Lunch was then hosted at the MMFN’s House of Unity as a final acknowledgement of the project and a thanks to all involved.

Jamie Boulding, Strathcona Park Lodge:

“It was very enjoyable day in seeing the completion of the removal and rehabilitation of the Heber River diversion facilities. This started 12 years ago for me in a water use planning process with BC Hydro and others in the community, and it’s nice to see something talked about for years actually finished. Seeing how proud the construction crews were of their chance to reverse the site and make it back to a natural river was special. Remembering my father telling me how disappointed he was in seeing his favourite steelhead fishing river being partially diverted, it was a special day to see it a wild river again. I look forward to paddling the white water of the wild Heber River in the future.”

Luisa Richardson, Independent Environmental Educator:

“The excitement that the BC Hydro and the Heber River construction crew felt as they described the decommissioning process at a BC Hydro community liaison committee meeting this fall was palpable. The speakers showed such pride and joy in the project due to the teamwork between BC Hydro, the contractor crews, the Mowachaht Muchalaht First Nation and Nature, that when an invitation to join the entire crew on a field trip to the site was issued, I felt compelled to go. It was moving to witness the large group of so many players united as they watched the results of their work: a water course now flowing through a newly constructed naturalized channel like nature originally intended.”

BC Hydro hired Campbell River-based Tremain Media Inc. to film the construction time lapse, construction video and interviews. We are both very pleased with the final product that provides an historical record of the facility and the decommissioning work. From historical pictures to excavators moving at warp speed, there is something for everyone and a must see.

BC Hydro removed the Heber River Diversion due to its poor condition and as a result of the Campbell River Water Use Plan (WUP) consensus. The WUP consultative committee, made up of First Nations, government agencies, stakeholders and BC Hydro, came to a consensus agreement to remove the facility.

The dam was a 120 metre long, 10 metre high rock fill timber crib dam that had no water storage. When there was sufficient water in the Heber River, it could be diverted through a 3.6 kilometre, 1.83 metre diameter woodstave pipeline. The diverted water into the Campbell River system would be generated at BC Hydro’s Strathcona, Ladore and John Hart generating stations. Water has not been diverted since 2006. The facility was 54 years old when removed in 2012.

The removal of the Heber facility had the following significant environmental and social benefits:

• water is no longer diverted from the natural course of the Heber River;
• upstream fish passage at the dam was restored and has opened up fish habitat;
• more water in the Heber River for downstream steelhead;
• about 1.0 km of the pipeline and the pipeline outlet works, a non-conforming use within the Strathcona Provincial Park, was removed;
• contaminated soils and timbers, from historical treatments, were removed and treated off-site, with the site remediated to wildland standards;
• wildlife migration will be improved the removal of the pipeline; and
• BC Hydro’s overall footprint in the area is now smaller.

Regards,