The Salmon Arm city council mentioned recently that they are spending $30,000 on a Turner Creek/McGuire Lake project slated for this spring.
I have been informed that they are digging up Turner Creek at the mouth of the lake to improve oxygenation and temperature stability. This will ensure better survival rates for the stocked trout as they require deep cold lakes to survive. They are called ‘dwellers of the dark and deep.’
McGuire Lake is unsuitable for trout as it is 12 feet at the deepest and thus meaning that the temperature on the top is the same as on the bottom. In the permit it states that the fish are treated in a humane manner, and are not subjected to any unnecessary harm or suffering.
The hospital uses the cold water from the lake to circulate their air conditioning and recycles the hot water back into the lake, essentially creating a ‘hot tub,’ which is not conducive to a healthy and humane environment for trout.
Is this acceptable to the taxpayers of this community to spend $30,000 on this project all for sport – all this as well as compromising the safety of the habitat of painted turtles, which are an endangered species? Who digs up natural springs with excavation equipment? When have you ever heard of this?
This is important habitat to a lot of wildlife in McGuire that deserve a safe habitat. If you disagree that this ‘youth fishing program’ is worth the harming of species at risk for the sake of a sport and the expense, then call Mayor Nancy Cooper and let her know. After all, it’s your money!
Leanne McIvor