The toad that
divided the town
Residents have taken a stand against Nakusp and Area Community Forest (NACFOR), a local logging company, in its decision to log an area of forest which is part of the habitat for the Western Toad. They have set up an blockade at the bottom of NACFOR’s logging road.
The toads are currently on British Columbia’s Yellow List, and are considered a species of conservation concern.
While the protesters have garnered support within the community, they have also garnered ire.
Some question where the protesters were when logging was taking place near Box Lake, which is also a habitat for the toads.
One thing is for certain in all of this — this is not the last time we’ll be hearing about the Western Toad.
Local boarder
takes first place at provincials
The Nakusp Secondary School students ski and snowboard team went to Fernie for the BC School Sports high school Ski and Snowboard provincials on Feb. 28.
The team was one of 16 schools at the event, and proved they were a team to be reckoned with as snowboarder Colton Petterson went on to take first place in the giant slalom snowboard races.
This was the first time he’s taken first place at a provincial event.
“It was pretty exciting, but at first I didn’t feel like I deserved it,” he said. “My run felt really slow to me.”
This was Petterson’s last competition for the season, but he plans on competing again next year.
Local teen
runs for her dad
Avery Spavor loves to run.
It’s something she’s done for a while, and was hoping to continue doing so when she moved to Vancouver to go to school.
“It’s kind of just a way to be by myself, and focus on something other than school, or all of life’s stuff,” she said. “I like doing it for my body, it makes me feel good.”
While looking for a run, her sister Ali told her about the Vancouver Sun Run, which takes place on April 17.
Spavor’s father, Julius Spavor, is currently undergoing treatment for cancer.
“My dad is impressed that I like to run anyway, so I wanted to do a run just for that,” she said. “But finding out that I could raise money for him because he’s a cancer patient, was awesome.”
Running is one of the many things Spavor and her father have a shared passion for, and something they did together when she lived in Nakusp.
“He told me he’s really proud of what I’m doing, and that it means a lot to him,” she said. “I know he would be running right beside me if he could.”
