• The late Rob Nash’s legacy was recognized and celebrated during the grand opening of the new South Canoe trails shelter named in his honour. After guided hikes and bike rides earlier in the day, a public ceremony took place at the timber structure to mark the opening of the Rob Nash Memorial Shelter on Saturday, May 27. Nash, 48, was killed in May 2019 when he was struck by a vehicle while offering assistance at the scene of a motor-vehicle incident.
• Silver Creek firefighters and residents were credited with preventing the spread of a wildfire west of Glenemma. The wildfire was discovered just after 1 a.m.,Wednesday, May 31. Though it ignited outside the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD), Silver Creek firefighters were called to fight the blaze until the BC Wildfire Service could get personnel on scene. “Crews arrived at approximately 1:15 a.m.,” said the CSRD in a media release. “It is believed the fire was human-caused, in this case, likely being started by a downed hydro line which ignited a barn.”
• The Mandalay B recently resurfaced from Shuswap Lake once more and for the last time. On May 10, local marine diving and recovery companies recovered the vintage vessel from McKay Bay in the North Shuswap. The work was done under federal provisions of the Wrecked, Abandoned and Hazardous Vessels Act through a collaboration involving the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD), Transport Canada and other government agencies. Photographed often when it was moored in the bay, the iconic 50-foot diesel-powered wooden vessel was constructed in 1923 by the Hoffar Motor Boat Company. In January 2022, the boat sustained damage in a cold snap and sank, according to former owner Paul White.
• BC Wildfire called and the Columbia Shuswap Regional District responded. CSRD was asked to provide fire trucks and crews to help fight wildfires currently ravaging northern B.C. In May, a Type 2 Engine from Shuswap Fire Department and a Type 5 Engine from Scotch Fire Department were deployed to Fort St. John for two weeks.
• In the Salmon River delta near Salmon Arm, a story of loss may become a story of hope. The wapato (ckwalkwalus in Secwepemctsin) is a root crop grown in wetlands that was one of the Secwépemc staples. Louis Thomas, Secwépemc knowledge keeper, teamed up with Kim Fulton, enthusiastic environmental educator and retired teacher and principal, who is best known to some as Dr. Fish. Their goal: to bring back the wapato. Fulton said for all those involved, growing and planting the tubers was a “really neat way to bring our cultures together and develop further understanding of each other.”
• Fireworks will not be lighting up the sky this summer in the Shuswap. The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) has decided not to issue any permits for fireworks. The CSRD points to the “extreme concern over the fire risk and the provincial fire ban currently in place,” adding the policy will apply to all fireworks permit applications across the region until B.C.’s fireworks ban is removed.
