ÜberFly

You can't receive any PMs! Contact me! Peter

I wish I was retired and had the time to build nets!!

Hank Patterson (aka Travis Swartz) will be performing at the sportsman show tomorrow Friday February 10th at 4 PM and 6 PM. http://www.calgaryboatandsportshow.ca/en/features/66 Unfortunately, I have to work. :-(

I'll put in an order for one Murray! With a Ghost net though, please!!

Damn straight!!

Brent, tell me what you think after you have to spend a very cold bivy overnight when a chopper can't get to you b/c of visibility issues or darkness and someone in your group has a broken femur or separated shoulder. Or in your sport of choice an ice tool in their thigh! As the old saying goes: "Expect the best, but plan for the worst"! I'd rather have a lb or 2 extra in my pack, then being caught out ill prepared! o

It's the people that do stupid stuff that cause the people that look for them to risk their lives, unnecessarily!

Don, What can I say... Some people are idiots! P

When I instruct all my AST 1 students each week, I tell them how important is is to know and trust the people you play with (ski, sled, climb). Know that everyone has the proper training (both avalanche and WILDERNESS First Aid) and that everyone carries the proper gear - beyond a shovel, probe and transceiver (i.e., at minimum, a tarp, comprehensive First Aid Kit, comprehensive repair kit, head lamp, fire starting capability, and some means of communication (beyond a cell phone), and of course PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE! If you play in the snow and DO NOT have Avalanche Safety Training - Take a course NOW!! http://www.cbc.ca/radio/popup/audio/listen.html?autoPlay=true&clipIds=&mediaIds=864258627612&contentarea=news&subsection1=regions&subsection2=britishcolumbia&subsection3=daybreaksouth&contenttype=audio (Starts at 2 min) Peter

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-research-shows-fracking-fluids-cause-significant-harm-to-fish-1.3950539 Research has found that liquids released from fracked oil and gas wells can harm fish even at low concentrations. "When we put these frack fluids in, the fluids themselves generate chemicals that have detrimental biological effects," said University of Alberta biologist Greg Goss. It's long been known that chemicals used in fracking which uses fluids under high pressure to fracture rock formations and release oil and gas are environmentally toxic. Goss and his colleagues conducted a study intended to consider how toxic they are by using water that flowed from an actual fracked well. "The real risk comes from the disposal process, where (companies) have to truck it to a new site or pipeline it to a new site," Goss said Tuesday. "If we do have a spill, what are the concerns they have to worry about?" His paper notes that Alberta has experienced more than 2,500 such spills between 2011 and 2014. Fracking criticism spreads, even in Alberta and Texas New U.S. fracking report uncertain on risk to drinking water The researchers exposed rainbow trout to "sub-lethal" levels of such fluids. The levels were intended to simulate exposure fish or other organisms would be subject to from a pipeline leak or a spill near a water body. Even at dilutions as low as 2.5 per cent 2.5 litres of process water to 100 litres of fresh water fish showed significant impact on their livers and gills. Goss calls the effect "oxidative stress." That means chemicals in the water force liver and gill cells to age and die more quickly. "Oxidative stress is associated with damage to membranes," he said. Some chemicals in the water, which have been shown to cause hormone disruptions in other studies, were absorbed by the fish. "There are endocrine-disrupting effects potentially involved in some of the chemicals involved in that," Goss said. "There's the potential that some of the fluids may be similar in the effects that you would see from municipal waste water, where you might see feminization of animals." Alberta researchers say fracking triggered earthquakes near Fox Creek Cracked walls, crumbling brickwork: The legacy of fracking The effects were amplified by the presence of sediment in the water. Goss said that could mean that organisms on lake bottoms or riverbeds could be more at risk than fish. Filtering sediments out might be a way for industry to reduce the toxicity of its process water before it gets transported, he suggested. The study points out that its tests were conducted on water from one specific well operated by Encana (TSX:ECA). The precise composition of fracking fluids varies from company to company and even from well to well and is a closely guarded commercial secret. Goss said fluids used in the tests were common enough for the results to be widely applicable. The next step, he said, is to figure out exactly how the chemicals damage livers and gills, as well as to further examine how they disrupt the endocrine system.

Our bro-in-law's brother owns Thuya Lakes Lodge (http://www.thuyalakes.com) just outside of Kamloops. We were there for my 40th and had a great time. Neil and Dawn provide a great camp (with Dawn cooking some AMAZING meals)! A LOT of fishing opportunities, to and fro, as well!!

For those that are interested... The five-year Parks Canada-Canadian Pacific joint grizzly bear research initiative, which examined the underlying causes of grizzly bear train collisions in Banff and Yoho national parks, is now complete. Parks Canada, Canadian Pacific and the University of Alberta would like to share what we learned and next steps Parks Canada and Canadian Pacific are exploring to help reduce the risk to grizzly bears along the railway. We invite you to join us at one or both of two public events: Open House: Wednesday, January 25, 2017 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Banff Centre Room 303 Kinnear Centre Join University of Alberta researchers, Parks Canada specialists and Canadian Pacific staff to discuss what was learned and how this knowledge will be applied to reduce the risk to grizzly bears along the railway in Banff and Yoho national parks.

Yet they have done relatively nothing to curb the slaughter of the animals on the railway line (in my opinion).

Sawback Lake has naturally reproducing pure strain cutthroats, so they were not stocked. Also, Picklejar Lakes in Kananaskis has naturally reproducing pure strain Cutthroats, as well. There are a few other lakes in the province, also.

Very cool! Amazing footage! Thanks for posting!!

From Rob (PipestoneFlyGuy) who works for Parks... I suspect you are on the mark with predatory populations, there are tons of bears, coyotes and wolves in the area and it is becoming rare to spot undulates and other large prey, makes sense small animals would see an impact - that is my best guess anyway, data support is usually a few years behind but that is an obvious conclusion one can make from casual observation.

Deb and I had a great xc ski up on Pipestone Loop (Lake Louise area) yesterday (December 31st)... One thing we noticed was an EXTREME lack of animal tracks (rabbits, rodents, fox, etc.) compared to skiing within the Kananaskis (Elk Pass) area recently... Come to think of it, I don't think I noticed ANY animal tracks on or around the trail yesterday... Does anyone know why (or want to speculate)? Is it due to the predator/prey ratio or is something else going on in BNP? Curious? Peter

http://www.thecragandcanyon.ca/2016/12/20/highway-construction-in-kootenay-park-leads-to-new-spawning-waters-for-bull-trout New habitat for bull trout to spawn in the Vermilion River in Kootenay National Park has been created by Parks Canada staff partly as a result of work being done on Highway 93 South. The project was part of aquatic ecosystems improvements in the portion of the Vermilion River which runs adjacent to Highway 93S near the Stanley Glacier trailhead. Its really great to have the opportunity to not only improve things for people but to improve things for wildlife at the same time, said Michael den Otter, environmental assessment specialist with Parks Canada, speaking on the project. The highway work, which involved lane widening, road stabilization and improving sight lines, is part of a $49.3 million investment by the federal government to update Kootenay National Parks road infrastructure. Bull trout, listed as a Species At Risk in Alberta but not in B.C., populate the Vermilion River but the stretch which runs beside the highway has poor fish habitat due to a lack of vegetation, no place for the fish to rest and highway debris falling into the water. Therefore, bull trout normally pass through that area of river rather than stopping to spawn. Leading up this, it was already fairly poor fish habitat ... it was a stretch of water that was unproductive for them in terms of spawning, den Otter said. To reinforce the river banks near the highway and ensure the road stays intact, contractors placed large boulders along the river below the high water mark. This impacted the fish habitat but also gave Parks staff the opportunity to create new spawning habitat for the bull trout. When fish are spawning, they need little pools ... to rest in, and then they need clean gravel to spawn in, and for the stretch of river we had there the water is moving very quick and theres not many features in the water so theres not the little nooks and crannies where fish like to stop and spawn and lay their eggs, said den Otter. When we had to impact the side of the stream, we were on the bank of the water, we saw some opportunity to create new spots for fish to have those quiet areas to stop and spawn. Feature diversity within a river system is beneficial for overall aquatic health as other fish species in the river can also utilize them for spawning. The first bull trout to spawn in the newly created habitat were spotted in September. Lesley Peterson, biologist with Trout Unlimited Canada, says she is encouraged by Parks Canadas efforts to improve the outlook for bull trout. Creation and restoration of habitat is pretty important, she said. When you have an opportunity like that to do a little extra to benefit the local fish population, it is a positive. Westslope cutthroat trout, which are a Species At Risk in both B.C. and Alberta, live in lower elevation sections of the Vermilion River and thus are not impacted by the newly created fish habitat. Den Otter says this project shows that ecosystems can be improved at the same time that infrastructure can be upgraded. For a very small part of a project that has a major impact for improving the highway, we can use just some resources to be able to really improve fish habitat along here, and then to see bull trout spawning in the newly created features, for us its really exciting, he said. DKatz@postmedia.com

Jason, Just be aware that If you wear a pack, it might sit too high on your waist and will interfere with wearing the pack (then he spray will not be accessible), if you don't then it might be a good option for sure...

Did you follow-up with the staff member or management at all? Seems that might be that is worth sharing with them for some positive feedback!

I'm pretty sure you would have to declare this animal's fur (at the very least you should anyway)... Not sure what parasites, etc. it might bring into Canada... Probably best to buy your materials locally. Might not be worth saving a couple of $, in my opinion.

You can't get rid of me that quickly! Yeah took me a while to figure out it doesn't like Umlauts but then why does it allow whatever characters that has replaced my beloved Ü?! I'm sure Chris will have fun with this!

Could try Bow River Troutfitters as they sell Fish Pond.