By Ian Cobb

e-KNOW

A car fire at the Sandpits area alongside Lake Koocanusa (beside the provincial boat launch) on July 30 has an Elk Valley resident calling on regional authorities to take action.

Fernie resident Chris (Ingy) Inglis sent an email headlined “the stupidity continues” to Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) Electoral Area C Director and board chair Rob Gay August 3 containing images of a burned car and a call for further action.

“There are still huge problems out at Lake Koocanusa. Here is the aftermath of a fire that happened Saturday night around 11:30 p.m. in the Sandpits above the new provincial boat launch. A great job was done by the Baynes Lake Fire Department. Hats off to them. This could have been a lot worse. Trees and grass were burned as the vehicle was lit on fire and destroyed, and now who pays for this and cleans up the mess left behind?” Inglis stated.

“You must act now with swift action before it is too late,” he urged. “The whole side of the lake could have went up in flames, and I brought these problems to your board meetings a number of times in the past two years,” he said, noting he “hardly” noticed any “police, fire wardens and/or Natural Resource Officers out and about unless it was between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. The problems start when the drunks and drug hounds wage up and get off the lake, and party all goddamned night. I told you before there needs to be two shifts – one during the day and one for later.”

Inglis suggests the two shifts run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.

“I do agree with Chris – more has to be done to address the insanity. Long weekends at Koocanusa are generally very busy and with this influx of people some bush parties and boating ‘fun’ can get out of control,” Gay said.

However, steps are being taken to improve the situation, he added.

“The RDEK has done a number of things to help solve the problems. To reduce littering in the bush, we have bought and installed new collection bins at the Newgate turnoff, they are well used and so far no damage or fires. We also committed two years of funding to MFNRO (Ministry of Forests and Natural Resource Land Operations) for two natural resources officers to help share the workload with the RCMP and COs in the central portion of the RDEK,” Gay related.

District of Elkford Mayor and RDEK director Dean McKerracher, who has a cabin near the site, said he believes crazy activity has waned, pointing out the incident in question is being investigated as a domestic matter.

The collection bins are being well used, he added. “Every morning I can hear the creak, creak” of the bins being emptied, he said.

Inglis agreed about there being less garbage left lying around.

“There was very little garbage left behind, that I could see. Everything was pretty clean and the bins were full, that were put out last year,” he said.

However, there are new wrinkles, Inglis continued.

“I was also told these idiots play a new game, where you each put $20 in and sit around the fire, then they throw a propane bottle in the fire. The last person sitting there wins the pot and we have heard some of the ones that exploded; this is what is happening out at Lake Koocanusa!”

The RDEK will continue to keep an eye out and keep working with the Natural Resource Officers, Gay said.

“This is year two of our commitment; year one went very well. These officers have assisted in both public education and enforcement. We have also contributed to and maintain the new boat launch and parking facility adjacent to the bridge. As Chris mentioned the local RDEK fire departments are always quick to act. RDEK residents taxes are paying for garbage pickup, fire services, and Columbia Basin has assisted with the natural resources offices.

“The RDEK will continue to look at ways to fund education, planning, and enforcement. As you may know non B.C. residents can and do camp on B.C. Crown land free of charge. Some use/abuse our resources, run ATVs and trail bikes on and off road causing environmental damage and utilize our garbage facilities and boat launch all free of charge. Some would argue that these tourists add to our local economy. Some do; however, some definitely don’t,” Gay told e-KNOW.

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