jpinkster

Take Ezra's perspective with a grain of salt.

I'm not convinced this would have made a huge difference this year. The snow pack was so minimal and even our runoff was laughable at best. Just a bad year.

I'd be really interested to see the economic figures of the closures impact. What's the contribution to the local economy made from guides, etc? How much is the government having to spend on the closure? Obviously this will translate to longer term payoff, but the short term stuff is still interesting to look at.

I sent the Administrative Inquiry in, but I still haven't seen a response. I'm going to follow up with City Admin later this week and see if they have a response yet.

Big time, the pressure on the Crow-Oldman-Livingstone is going to be stupid. Closing some just hurts others.

The balance lies in the middle. I personally do not believe that a government should live in fear of citizens. Making policy based on fear is a poor model.

This entire email frustrates me. "We are going to put up some cute little signs and hope that people follow the rules on their own". Regulations don't matter if you do not have the ability to enforce them!!!

I sent out some info on the closure from Councillor Keating's FB page earlier. Nenshi is away for all of August, so I highly doubt he has his finger on the pulse. If I see his Chief of Staff in the hallway I'll ask him about this.

Newstalk 770: http://www.newstalk770.com/2015/08/11/72234/?sc_ref=twitter

I'm really excited, but I think it is imperative that the Blue Jays win the division. I don't think you want to go into the play-in game (probably against the Angels). One-offs can go any which way. I like the Blue Jays in a best of 5, but in a single elimination anything can happen.

I have a brilliant money making scheme for all of us here: Let's float the Bow armed with cell phones and cameras. We can call in everyone who is ignoring the closure and cash in huge. Who's in?!

Because I'm terrible, there is also a second post on this in the S Alberta space. Can you either close that one down or amalgamate the two?

AB Outdoorsmen leaked it, looks like it is official now.

I suspect this was a leek that Alberta Outdoorsmen jumped on. They were putting all of this information on Twitter. Awaiting verification.

Alright here we go on the closures: 1) NOTICE: Effective Aug. 11, 2015 the following waters have been closed to all fishing due to high water temperatures until further notice: 2) Belly River and tributaries downstream of Secondary Road 800, Bow River and tributaries from Bearspaw Dam to Bassano Dam, 3) Elbow River and tributaries below Glenmore Reservoir, Gorge Creek and tributaries, Highwood River and tributaries, 4) Sheep River and tributaries, St. Mary River and tributaries below St. Mary Reservoir, Threepoint Creek and tributaries. Maybe more to follow.

I don't think you can look at it through the lens of "I don't own guns, so I don't care." It really is an issue of civil liberties and policy consistency.

Don't drink the Kool-Aid.

That guy has a mean right hook.

This is a really important point to consider. Can anyone give a link that shows the exact law?

Check out this article: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/robin-rowland/navigable-waters-protection-act-media-fail-idle-no-more_b_2356595.html

I think we have a responsibility to not just say "this is a problem". We also need to offer the solutions. I'd love to hear some realistic options of what could be done. Here are a few of my thoughts. Enforcement: We have the legislation that should protect these river systems, but we lack follow through. We need more resources for F&W to police this area. Our COs need more support, and having a few more able bodies would make the world of difference. I also think we need to start making better use of technology. We use aircraft to catch speeders on many highways already, I'm sure we could use a smaller unmanned aircraft to monitor some of these high country areas. Having a drone fly up the river would not require much man power and could easily pick out some of the perpetrators. Legislation: We need a less BS approach to these issues. The Federal grant for Hidden Creek is great, but we need to start IDing how we avoid getting to this position in the first place. The few have ruined things for the many, and unfortunately all of us are going to have to make sacrifices to restore this region. Maybe open camping throughout this area should be restricted to designated Provincial campgrounds only. Maybe we need to restrict access to large areas of the Forestry Trunk Road. Maybe we also need MASSIVE signage that states that operating an ATV through a river is unlawful and punishable by fines up to X amount. I believe that there is a degree of ignorance for many of these folks, not that it excuses their behavior. Citizen Action: We can fill in some of the gaps that the COs can't get to. Photographing abusers of the land and making calls to RAP does make a difference. I've always believed this area suffers because it is so far out of cell range. Even when we witness something, it is nearly impossible to call it in. I wonder if a few cell tours in the area might make it easier for us to call these in. We need to work closely with enforcement officers and make sure we tell them loudly and often where the key problem areas are. What are your ideas?

It'll be important to have a lengthy discussion with the local RCMP as well. If resources are scarce, maybe regular citizens can help bridge the gap.

It just still blows my mind that these areas are monitored more. They leave massive tracks and the areas they do these are clearly accessible. Why aren't the COs watching these areas like a hawk and writing up one after another? You can hear these guys a mile away, it's not like they do this in secret.

I'll be sure to bring my telephoto lens in the future to try and get some clear pictures that may be able to ID these folks. Do you mind if I post these up on the F&W Enforcement FaceBook page and see what they have to say about this? I still find it crazy there aren't more of them up there on the long weekends.

I'm Dutch heritage on both sides of the family, you did fine