“were a little out of the ordinary

Flying to a new life

By MALCOLM BAXTER
‘LAST WEEK another couple of
Lower Mainlanders took up
residence in the Terrace area,
Nothing too unusual in that,
given the tend of recent years.
But these latest newcomers

— two Great Horned Owls,
Ex-residents of the OWL (Or-
phaned Wildlife) Reserve in
Delta, they were brought north by
Tertacites Doug Mumford and
David Alway,-
‘Mumford .and wife Marg have
been supporting the non-profit or-
ganization OWL through dona-
ions for about 10 years, What he
calls being a ‘‘volunteer in
spirit’’. But he got called up for
active service when OWL needed
to ensure these Great Horned
Owls were released far away

. from the Lower Mainland.

It was the past exploits of the

older of the two that made the

distance necessary, explained
Mumford, A taste for the in-
habitants of an exotic duck farm
in his native Langley ended with

‘him being caught in a leg-hold

trap there. He was tumed over to
the OWL reserve who nursed him
back to health and released bim in

Chilliwack.

Tt wasn’t far enough away —
two days later he was back at the

duck farm...and back in the trap.

While going through another
round of recuperation, the old
fella’ was given responsibility for

‘taking. a male youngster born in

captivity under his wing and
teaching him how to hunt.
Mumford explained the pair

‘shared. a cage for about nine

months. A pond. stocked with

Stall: fish and. the provision of
‘live mice and rats provided the
older owl the opportunity to

demonstrate the skills that would
be needed to survive in the wild,
Mumford also pointed ont the

‘cage. set-up was designed to
prepare birds —- OWL takes in all

species of predators such as

eagles and hawks — for the
. Hgours of life on the wing.

Essentially, there is a series of

; small. cagés which, when the con-

necting. doora ‘are removed, be-
come a single 3008. long aviary.’
By. progressively extending the.

a fength.o of the = cage, the ie birds get to my Mumford. ‘pointed. out ‘owls. have

MAKING HIS break (above), the elder of the Great Horned Owls

teleased at Lakelse Lake last week wings his way to a new
home, Below right, the young ‘un strikes the classic owl pose as
he awaits his tum to spread his wings in northwestern skies,

‘develop the fying skills and

physical fitness they need before
release can be considered. ©

Mumford added the doors be-
tween cach segment are offset
so’s to make the owls fly a course
that mimicked the pattern they
would have to follow in-the wild
as they weaved through the trees.

The decision to release was
only. taken once reserve staff
were satisfied that both owls were
ready. Which is where Mumford
and Alway came In.

After a long and uneventful
drive back to Terrace; the owls
were released at the Lakelse Lake
picnic site last Friday, flashing

out of their cages and banking ©

hard right to disappear into the
tall trees.

But although they were released

at that spot, there's no guarantee
that will become their home.

their own territories which they
fiercely defend against invaders.

If that part of the lake has al-
ready been claimed by another
Great Horned and he can success-
fully defend it, the newcomers
will have to move on until they
find a place they can call their
own. Regardless, he was confi-
dent they would make it

It wasn't hard to see that the
release was a special moment for
Mumford.

But he admitted there was a
downside.

“We won't ever know what
happened to them.”’ —

(Readers who wart to learn
more about OWL can pick up a
copy of the society’s pamphlet al

_the Terrace Standard or the Ter-

race Bowling Lanes, dave

pe hi

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, August 23, 1995 - A3

secondary educational institution based in the Nass Valley..
 UNBC and the Nisga’ a House of Learning have set up agreements

to ‘support educational and social development in the Nass, . .

‘Present was UNEC. chancellor Iona Campagnolo. Ss has a

News In Brief
He’s back ....

AFTER. THREE months in the: political wilderness, NDP MLA
Moe Sibola is back in the cabinct as the environment, lands and
parks minister.

Sihota left that post after a law society inquiry found him at fault
in the way he represented a client in the 1980s.

Finance minister Elizabeth Cull had taken on the environment
portfolio when Sihota resigned, ;

Two other cabinet ministers have switched jobs, Ujjal Dosanjh i is
now the attorney-general . while Colin’ Gabelmann . is. NOW. the
government services minister,

Gabelmann, a 19-year veteran of provincial politics, has announc-
ed he won't be running in the next provincial election,

Guidance on guides wanted

ENVIRONMENT MINISTRY officials are coming here Oct. 2 to
listen to local comments on the: provincial government’ s angling
guide policy. '

‘The policy consists of legislation, regulations and fees to conserve
wild stocks and fairly allocate guiding opportunities, There are 300
licensed guides in the province who can ‘hire out to freshwater
fishermen;

The Terrace date is one of seven set throughout the province to
gather opinions ona newly-released angling guide policy discussion
paper. Copies are available through angling organizations and en-
vironment ministry offices. You can call 604-371-6254 and order
one.

The current guiding policy sets the number of angling’ days for
guides on the province’s more renowned streams. More than 23,000
guided angler days were handed out last year and not all were used,

It was for the birds -

PASSENGERS FLYING up north on Canadian Airlines. the eve-
ning of Aug. 17 were delayed for an hour from arriving in Tertace
after their aircraft bit a Dock of small birds. oo

The incident. occurred as the Boeing 737 was. landing i in Prince
Rupert, the first stop of a daily trip which continues to Terrace be-
fore flying south again.

*'The aircraft hit about 50 small birds. It was delayed wihile an ine
spection was carried Gut and that took. ‘about an hour,’? said Cana-
dian Airlines spokesman Lisa Alt ‘There was no jeopardy.” |”

Nass company aids education

NISGA’A ECONOMIC ENTERPRISES, an economic “develop-
ment company owned by the Nisga’a of the Nass Valley; has given
the University of Northern B.C. $125,000,

The money will be used to further educational’ ‘opportunities be-
tweeri the university. and the Nisga’a House of. Learning, a Past

resulting in the provision of several courses in the Nass Valley.
-The money on the part of Nisga’a Economic Enterprises follows:
the mandate of the company to use profits from various operations:

“The money was presented last week by the’ ‘company to ‘several:
UNBC ‘officials including its. new president,’ Charles 780. Algo"

EXTENSION POLICIES

"MAIN EXTENSIONS

- FOR GAS UTILITIES
-B.C. das Utility Ltd.

~ Centra Gas British Columbia Inc. ~
Pacific Norther Gas Ltd.

THE REVIEW

-The Conimission, by Orders Na. G-23-95, G

SYSTEM EXTENSIONS

“FOR ELECTRICAL UTILITIES’

B.C.Hydro and Power Authority

|. West Kootenay Power Ltd,
_ Princeton Fight & Power * Company, Limited

-24- 95, G-25- 95) ‘G-26- 95, 6-28-95 and. G-50-95, advised the °

above-noted utilities that it would be reviewing the current gas main extension and electrical extension policies
ina public forum to determine if a standard provincial policy was appropriate and required. Utility applications —
currently before the Commission were not approved anda timetable for the review was proposed. The

Commission required the utilities to become active participants in the hearing.

’

THE PUBLIC HEARING PROCESS

Utility Submlssions.

The above-noted utilities are required to submit, or re-submit, updated applications covering extension policies
in their service areas. The deadline for submissions i is Monday, September il, 1995.:

Hearings

1) Workshop-Pre-Hearing Conference -
Date: __ Tuesday, September 19 and .
. Wednesday, September 20, 1995"

WD Public Hearing ;
ane ‘Monday, October 30, 1995

ay + RPBLLAT@CALAXY, GOV.BC.CA.

‘$30am.
BCUC Hearing Room
6th Floor - 900 Howe § Strest

Time: 8:30am.
Location: _ -. BCUC Hearing Room
; * 6th Floor 900 Howe Street
-Vancouver, B.C. ‘Vancouver, B.C.
--V6Z 2N3 (V6Z 2 2N3..
The Pre-Hearing Conference will include a brief presentation by. each uti ity on its extension policy proposals
and will address procedural matters which will include scheduling’ and location(s) of the hearings, completeness
of utility applications, identification of principal i issues and other matters that will enable the hearing to
efficiently cover and review all aspeots of the extensions of service. -

Public Inspection of the Documents

Each utility's application, and supporting filings of that sult, are available fori inspection at each local district
office, All documents submitted for review at the generic public hearing will be available for inspection at each
utility's head office and at the office of the Commission at 6th Floor - 900 Howe Street, ‘Vancouver, B.C,

Interventlons/Submissions/Information Requests.

' Those persons interested in taking part in the proceedings showld register with the Commission a as soot as
possible and are urged to attend the Pre-Hearing Conference Workshop. The Commission will prepare, maintain
and issue a list of participants to all parties. Those parties Involved in the process are to issue their information
requess to other participants by Friday, September 29, 1995. Utilities are to respond to such requests by
Monday, October 16, 1995,

Participant Funding

All participants intending to apply for Participant Funding must file a budget by Wednesday, September 27,

1995 consistent with the Commission’s Policy and Rate Sheet as outlined in Order No. G-117-93. A copy of the
Watkthen Rate Sheet will be provided to all participants upomt registration and will also be, available at the ;
Workshop .

Clarification * ; ;
Persons intending to participate in the Pre-Hearing Conference Workshop, orin the public hearing process, who
are uncertain as to the manner in which to proceed, may contact Mr. R.J, Pellatt, Commission Secretary.or Mr...
Jim Fraser, Senior Economist - Strategic Services; by telephone at 660-4700; B.C; Toll Free: 1-800-663-1385; in.”
writing to the above address, or by fax at 660-1102. The Commission can also. be reached oni the ‘Govemment
Electronic Mail System (“GEMS”) at RPBLLAT@BCSC ot or, on n the Internet at

» By Order *

Robert J, Pellatt .
“Commission see