However, the last couple of days is an exception. Quite a number of people have had problems. Not only that, but there seems to be at least 6 bears. There is a mother with two cubs, another mother with one cub, and a lone cub or yearling. That’s way too many bears for comfort and a trap has been set to deal with the problem.

One person said their apple tree was destroyed, which is quit usual when there are bears around. Another person with an outdoor fridge said that a bear had polished off the leftover chicken wings and helped itself to a couple of cans of beer. The beer cans had apparently been opened in an unconventional manner so the event might have been amusing to watch.

It is however best to not stay around when the bears come visiting. Their attitude toward people varies and their behaviour is unpredictable. If you see a bear in your garden, stay inside. If it doesn’t leave soon, or comes back again, you should probably report it. In case of an emergency, or you are just concerned, please call the Conservation Officer Service at 1-800-663-9453.

The bears we see in Coalmont are black bears which vary in colour from black, through brown, to very light. They can weigh from 60 to over 250kg. For more information on these wonderful, but sometimes dangerous, animals see the BC Parks bear safety web page. §

Note: The 150kg bear in the picture was photographed while it was munching apples in a tree on Front Street.

Previously there was a development permit for over 60 parcels, but that has since been withdrawn and it would appear that plans have changed. According to the RDOS office, we can expect a guide camp lodge to go up but what else we will see is still a mystery.

As usual we have local rumours. One person said that they were putting in a 70 unit RV park, but no one seems to really have any facts. One thing is certain, it is no small development. There is a foundation poured for what could be a nicely sited little lodge. The eyebrow raiser is that there is more to it than that.

What might be a little worrisome is the rows of RV pads with water and sewer hookup. How many of those can we expect? One would also note that an RV park requires rezoning, and according to the RDOS office there has not been any application for that.

Regardless of zoning or development permits, many locals probably think of an RV park as a dubious development for Coalmont. Even just a few dozen more weekenders pursuing off-road motor sports could be uncomfortable for us since the general feeling seems to be that we have already reached our limit.

However, at this point in time we still don’t know what is really coming on Blakeburn Road. It is entirely possible that it will have little impact, or even a very positive one. We’ll just have to wait and see. §

In Her Words is a collection of selected works of Susan Louisa Allison (née Moir), Mother of the Similkameen. Her poetry and stories (some of which were written under the pen name of Stratton Moir) recount Indian legends told to her in the 1800’s when she ventured into the British Columbia interior with her new husband, John Fall Allison. Many of Susan Allison’s works have disappeared over time. With the assistance of members of her family and the Princeton Museum, this collection of lost writings has been carefully preserved. Included are: “In-Cow-Mas-Ket” and “Quin-Is-Coe”. This book has been prepared in celebration of Princeton, B.C.’s 150th birthday and the proceeds will benefit the Princeton and District Museum and Archives.

ISBN 978-0-9866769-0-1
Copyright Princeton and District Museum and Archives (Standard Copyright License)
Edition First Edition
Publisher Diane Sterne
Published July 24, 2010
Language English
Pages 90

Binding Perfect-bound Paperback
Interior Ink Black & white
Weight 0.73 lbs.
Dimensions (inches) 8.5 wide × 11.0 tall

In Her Words is now available at the Princeton Chamber of Commerce and The Princeton Museum for $20. If you wish, you can get it online, but of course we can get it right here at the Mozey-On-Inn. §

People are dropping by to see Rochester and the feeling around town is that this is indeed a charming animal. Everybody loves him. The question is, whatever possessed Rolly to get a goat?

Rolly lived up on the mountain for 30 years, but that all changed after he got buried in an avalanche and wasn’t discovered until the next day. He suffered serious head injury and his already ailing heart seemed to be on it’s last. With the aid of “friends in high places” he has been given another short lease on life.

Now living in town where people can keep an eye on him and he has access to a phone he still struggles every day. “I have to keep moving … keep busy so I don’t clog up.” That’s why he got the goat. “I go for walks with him and he follows me around. He’s good company. He sticks around the house pretty good, and as soon as I disappear he’ll go and find me.”

Life can be depressing when your health is not good and you don’t have long to live but, Rolly says: “this goat has sparked my life up. Hopefully I’ll stay alive longer with the goat. It keeps me active. He forces me to get exercise. More than a dog, and he’s actually better in some ways because his poop doesn’t stink, doesn’t attract flies, and is good for your garden.”

Rolly has always loved critters and he takes his new responsibility seriously. When he lived in the woods Rolly would study the animals. “I’d pick an animal and follow it for a day, now I can’t do that, but Rochester provides the same experience. He points out things to me. And you should see him move around. He’s like a little dancer.”

The benefits of an animal companion to people with heart problems is well documented in the medical literature, but anyone who has seen Chester dance about and follow Rolly around will know that being in the presence of such a lively creature can only do your heart good. §

The weekend traffic through Coalmont was also quieter. There was no gridlock at the stop sign and the line up never went past Front Street. That’s not to say that there wasn’t a steady stream of cars, off road vehicles, and campers coming through town, there was, but compared to last year and the year before, it was somewhat diluted.

The quads and dirt bikes make another story though. It is, of course, hard to measure, but there was a lot of noise and dust kicked up around here. The KVR trail was busy and there was a fair amount of racing through town. Most of that seems to be kids having fun in the country. There is probably not much chance for racing around on loud motorized vehicles in their own neighbourhood.

One of the reasons for a quieter Tulameen Days was the increased police presence, and the prohibition of camping on the river. That social segment has been a cause of much trouble in the past. A problem for us is that those people then started coming here to look for a place to party. It was particularly rowdy the last two years but this weekend the worst offenders seemed to stay away and the Granite Creek Camp-ground was more civilized.

Still, the camp-ground was filled to the brim and there was lots of partying. According to one regular resident at the camp site, kids motor sports dominated the environment during the day and made the place very unpleasant for those that prefer a more traditional camping experience. Of course there was the usual alcohol fuelled rowdiness but this year was also better on that account.

Ernie Rice and Sam Clark worked the whole weekend to keep the camp ground under control. Although it was a lot of hard work, Sam said she was quite satisfied with the situation this year and reports that there was only one major incident. On Friday evening the police had to be called and a particularly rambunctious fellow taken away. Perhaps the most significant change this year was that the partyers gathered up all the garbage in one place, and for that she says, “thanks!”

Complaints about excessive speed, and not stopping at the stop sign are common. These are really police matters and there is not much we can do, but they are issues nevertheless. Catching the name on the truck and calling the appropriate company has worked in the past and is probably the easiest, most effective, and cheapest solution.

The amount of dust kicked up by big trucks is another issue, but that seems to be out of our control. For a while it was coal trucks every half hour. That will vary from year to year depending on whether the mine is operational or not. Being managed by a single company who will wish to be on good terms with the community, there is at least some possibility of resolution.

Seasonally, we have logging trucks. These are more of a problem because of the number of companies involved. They also seem to have a small proportion of drivers who will race through town. One notable thing about the logging trucks is the use of engine brakes. It appears they particularly like to use them when deadheading - despite the easy grade. In all fairness though, I should say that I have noticed other trucks using engine brakes as well - notably a couple of local ones. What is interesting is that the coal truck drivers, who carry some pretty heavy loads, claim they have no need for them.

Several people have been asking for improvements and in particular suggested that a “no jake brake” sign could be put on the highway. One Coalmontian took it upon herself to make a difference in our community regarding these problems. Diane Sterne tells me that “Since nothing had been happening with either that or the rock overhanging the road, I contacted Shirley Bond, Minister of Transportation. I sent her photos of the rock and asked for it to come down . . . and the need for engine brake signs. She wrote back to say the rock was going to be taken down (which it has) and the signs would go up.”

So, thanks to Diane Sterne, Coalmont has finally gotten signs which urge truckers to please mind that this is a residential area and to avoid the use of engine brakes. There are signs at both ends of town and they also say “excessive noise prohibited”. Although heeding them is probably not a strict legal requirement, hopefully the signs will make some drivers think twice about making a lot of noise. At least now they know our wishes. §

Weekends are getting busier and noisier. One person counted over one hundred quads and dirt bikes racing by his place in one day. I’m sure many of those were repeats though. Indeed, people going back and forth, kicking up dust, is one of our perenial problems here. I guess we’ll just have to live with it.

I’ve never liked adding more rules to control our society. The more people sort things out by themselves the better, and to my mind, the more civilized. However I do notice more and more complaints about noise. We don’t have a noise bylaw in Area-H, but judging by the number of times it gets mentioned, my feeling is that there is support for one. I guess the up side is that even though rules like that don’t always get enforced, there are usually also a few people who take them seriously.

There will always be a few rowdies around. I think we have to live with a bit of that. Many people like to party and celebrate once in a while. We also have to realize that the huge number of off road vehicles that we see is the reason that most people come, and why some residents moved here. However, there are times when things get over the top and the rest of the community gets involuntarily volunteered to participate in a way they didn’t want. I notice that the ambulance comes by a couple of times every long weekend. That’s when fun gets to be not so fun.

I also notice the police have been to town a few times recently. I don’t know the details of the issues involved but maybe it’s better that I don’t stick my nose is some of that business anyway. I’m probably not the only person who thinks that way, but I’m probably also not the only one that wishes the police were here when we really need them. My thought is, you can’t win that one, but that there is not any more crime here than elsewhere. It is mostly during the weekends that there is trouble. There is always a problem with drinkers and yahoos on long weekends.

Most visitors are quiet and respectful. There is usually a nice crowd over at the Granite campsite. Some have been coming for years. We also see campers in odd places sprinkled around on crown land. Of course, there is no knowing what they get up to, and we can only assume that they are respectful of the area.

To me the only real solution is to be the best person you can, and encourage others to do the same. Only then can we actually move forward as people, and as community. §

A call to the local volunteer fire chief, Jody Woodford, did not give us the answers we wanted to hear. Apparently Forestry is calling it a “controlled burn” by Compliance Energy Corporation at their mine site, and that they have a permit - despite the fire ban.

However, according to several eyewitness reports, there was no one on the site yesterday when they went to look, and it appeared to be a slash burn. The word from our Area-H representative, Brad Hope, is that the office is well aware of it and that it is an old fire which flares up during hot weather. Whether this is just what they think, or this is what Compliance told them is not known at this point.

Woodford is personally very concerned about the way the Forestry Service is viewing the situation. She is under the impression that they do not want to hear about the fire unless it is clearly out of control. Hopefully this is not how they normally view large unattended fires near population centres, but if it is then we could be in greater danger from fire here in Coalmont than was previously thought.

Another witness who visited the site this morning, said that it looked like a slash burn and that there were also some trees on fire. They did not see anyone there keeping an eye on it. With no apparent monitoring of the situation, what are we to do here? Certainly the seemingly conflicting information from eyewitnesses and different authorities does not bode well.

Something looks wrong with the way we are managing fires in this area and it needs to be looked into. We need to feel safe and know that there is a system in place to monitor and hopefully control large fires - not just let trees burn close to our town because it is only an “old” fire.

It is hard to tell what the truth really is, but this is a story which needs follow up. Who is responsible? Who is monitoring? Who cares? The first two questions have no answer yet, and the last one is obvious - we do. §

Just for the fun of it, let me fill you in on a bit of BC history. First, our name hasn’t always been British Columbia. We actually started out as New Caledonia.

New Caledonia was the name given to a district of the Hudson’s Bay Company that comprised the territory which was largely the same as our province. It was part of the British claim to North America, but not a British colony.

New Caledonia continued to be administered by the HBC with the govenour of Vancouver Island, James Douglas, as the chief executive. There were only about 100 people in the area, but when the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush started at Yale, there suddenly came an influx of over twenty thousand people, mostly American. This compelled Douglas to exert British sovereignty by placing a gunboat at the mouth of the Fraser River in order to obtain licence fees from prospectors. The British colonial office was thus prompted to pass legislation designating New Caledonia as a crown colony on August 2, 1858 - and that’s when we got our new, and current, name. However, it wasn’t until 20 July 1871 that British Columbia became a Province of the Dominion of Canada.

The history of our flag, or flags, is also interesting. It wasn’t until 20 July 1960 that we got the “wavy white and blue with rising sun” that we have now. In fact there were several flags. Part of the history of our crest, upon which our flag is based, is quite amusing.

When British Columbia became a province of Canada, its first proposal for a coat-of-arms and flag was a half-sun in the top half and a Union Jack in the bottom half. When the design was sent to the heralds in the United Kingdom for approval, they became appalled when they realized that the design could be interpreted as “the sun setting on the British Empire.” The design was quickly reversed so the sun was on the bottom like we see today. There are still a few examples of the original faux pas around. A stained glass window in the Provincial Parliament Buildings is one.

When we became a province in 1871 the flag one would have seen on any vessels operated by the Province of British Columbia would have been the Blue Ensign with the badge of the Dominion of Canada. The problem in those days was that we didn’t yet have and official flag. Therefore the earlier flags always looked a bit contrived. The flag at the beginning of this article is the 1870 colonial flag. The one below, is the one we got in 1960.

So, a lot of water has gone under the bridge, and here we are with a new name, a new flag, and a couple of days off work. Life is good. Enjoy your holiday!

Dominion day, or Canada Day as they call it now, has come and gone. The magic tree looked good, as usual. It was all decked out with Maple Leaf Flags to commemorate the occasion. Our little park is actually looking pretty good and is a nice place for tourists to stop.

A small indie company was filming a movie at the English ranch last week. “A Land that Forgets” is a “simple love story of a boy and a canoe in a town that is fading away.” From their web site: “Glass Curtain Pictures is a grass roots independent production company from Vancouver, British Columbia. Striving to produce works that respect the intelligence of the audience and challenge ourselves as filmmakers, we work together to co-produce and self-finance our own works.” Check out their website.

The development of 64 cabins across the river at 1500 Blakeburn road, has come to a halt. I believer these were supposed to be 1 hectare lots with water provided. From what I hear they had difficulty finding potable water up there and needed to get it from down here. I wonder just how much water 64 units would suck up. Anyway, I guess it’s a moot point now because I see that the development permit has been withdrawn.

There were some other Coalmont real estate sightings this year. Nic’s Cabins were seen for sale on Craig’s List for a very large sum of money. There’s other real estate for sale around here for large sums of money. That may be why they are for sale. A Langley RE/MAX office by the name of Treeland Realty is listing the Hotel for $675,000. Since the company mysteriously keeps a very low profile on the net, I’ll give a link to Vanislebounty’s local food Blog which does a much better job and is where I found the information. With all the talk about real estate around here, it’s interesting to note that our population is almost exactly the same as it was in 1940 when the mine closed. Zero growth in 70 years. That’s pretty impressive, and to many people one of the best things about this place. §