Summer is here and so are the mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are more than a nuisance; some carry West Nile virus, a disease that is spread from infected birds to humans through mosquito bites.  Any activity that prevents mosquitoes from biting or breeding can help to reduce the risk of becoming infected with West Nile virus. West [...]

By David F. Rooney The controversial Westside Gravel Pit’s tenure is kaput and the North Columbia Environmental Society is urging City Council to oppose its renewal. What Council will do is almost anyone’s guess, but councillors did — despite broad opposition to the pit — approve the pit when it began operations in 2010. “The [...]

By Sue Davies Revelstoke Bear Aware Coordinator For several years now Revelstoke has had a garbage bylaw restricting the times that garbage can be left at the curb. However, we now have a new bylaw, which also obliges residents to store garbage containers in a place that is not accessible to wildlife when the container [...]

By David F. Rooney Jason Roe, proponent of an adventure-tourism project near Greeley Creek, says his project does not pose a threat to the security or quality of Revelstoke’s drinking water, despite some concerns expressed by the City. “Those concerns have been expressed before,” Roe said of a letter Mayor Dave Raven sent to Front [...]

The North Columbia Environmental Society is reviving the popular Junior Naturalists Program this summer. The NCES said in a statement that it has hired contractor Matt Kieller to deliver the program over the summer. Matt has an Honours degree in Geography and has extensive experience running outdoor programs for youth and children, including instructing the [...]

Monday is the start of BC Invasive Species Week and residents are urged  to learn how to identify invasive species that may be in their own backyards or hiding in the bilges of their boats. Invasive species are easy to report with the Report-A-Weed App, available for iPhone and Android smartphones at www.reportaweedbc.ca. The Invasive [...]

By David F. Rooney After five years of searching for a new home, the Revelstoke Rod & Gun Club is set to receive a 30-year Licence of Occupation Tenure for a new rifle range adjacent to the Frisby Forest Service Road. Club President Gary Krestinsky said the club expects to receive its certificate of tenure [...]

Responding to recent requests by their partner communities and the Provincial Conservation Officer Service, the British Columbia Conservation Foundation (BCCF) is expanding its highly successful Bear Aware program to include education about other animals that come into conflict with humans in urban settings. The new program, which will run under the title of WildSafeBC, seeks [...]

By David F. Rooney There weren’t thousands of protestors in downtown Revelstoke on Saturday — barely 100, in fact. And while now one at Monsanto’s Canadian headquarters in Winnipeg paid any attention to our little demo but they could probably not ignore the fact that there were protests in 436 other cities world-wide. The protests [...]

By Hanna Thomson Who would have thought that part of my school work this year would include sorting through thousands of photos of mountain goats? I am a grade 12 student at the RSS and am currently taking a Work Experience course. It involves going into a workplace and completing 90 hours of volunteer work. [...]

By David F. Rooney Over the past several months a new organization — the Columbia Shuswap Invasive Species Society (CSISS) — has been created within our regional district to help communities come to grips with the increasing number of alien species making inroads in our gardens, meadows and forests. That nascent non-profit now has a coordinator [...]