Thank-you for doing some much needed repairs to the deck and outhouse at Gilly's Hut.
Monday, September 30, 2024
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Lack of doctors to close Oliver emergency department for most of Monday - Oliver/Osoyoos News
Lack of doctors to close Oliver emergency department for most of Monday - Oliver/Osoyoos News: In a news release, Interior Health said the hospital's emergency services will be unavailable from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30.
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Empty your house, and haul the contents to the Baldy Transfer Station
Please hold on to your garbage if you can. The birds were already into it last night.
This what I saw at 6:00 last night........maybe I should have gone back with a game camera........
The following images were sent to me this morning. I have images of a vehicle that drove up from below, saw someone at the transfer station, and carried on up. Turned around and came back to enter the upper transfer station loop, and when they proceeded, they saw a local truck there, and took off down the hill. I have an image of a vehicle, and when I get the higher res version, I should be able to read the plate. Will send on to RDKB.
Friday, September 27, 2024
Oliver emergency department to close temporarily this weekend - Oliver/Osoyoos News
Oliver emergency department to close temporarily this weekend - Oliver/Osoyoos News: Oliver and area residents will need to travel for emergency services this weekend.
Reports of Christian Valley tornado unconvincing says expert - BC News
Reports of Christian Valley tornado unconvincing says expert - BC News: Reports that it was a tornado that wreaked havoc in Christian Valley, an area southeast of Kelowna, are in doubt.
Rest in Peace, Vivienne Calder
Our thoughts are with Malcolm, Lyn and family - on the passing of Mal's Mom. Mal's maternal grandfather, Eric Foweather built the cabin on Blue Jay that now belongs to Mal and Lyn.
Video and Photos, Courtesy of Rob, The Pink Palace B&B
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Makes sense to me that the common property areas get brushed and cleaned out for a better fire break, and access for Fortis and fire fighters.
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| Susanne |
Thursday, September 26, 2024
Tornado reported in Christian Valley as storm packs 'devastating' punch - Kelowna News
Tornado reported in Christian Valley as storm packs 'devastating' punch - Kelowna News: A thunderstorm late Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, toppled or damaged what one resident estimates to be a thousand trees in Beaverdell.
Yahoo - Power restored at 8:30pm
A welcome site this afternoon - three trucks from Penticton were here for most of the afternoon. Then we got word that our restoration time was changed to 6:00pm tomorrow night. Delightful surprise at 8:30 tonight.
Crew that was here carried on toward Hwy 3 to their next assignment.
A few residents were surprised at how low the helicopter flew this morning to assess the damage.
The most talkative fellow loves coming up here - skis Apex and comes here on the reciprocal deal.
We learned that if you extend the bucket truck to full height, there is cell service - probably roaming.
International crews tackle fire south of Grand Forks in U.S.; expecting wind may pick up - Penticton News
International crews tackle fire south of Grand Forks in U.S.; expecting wind may pick up - Penticton News: Many properties remain on evacuation alert in the Grand Forks area Thursday due to a wildfire just across the U.S. border, though conditions overnight were favourable to decreasing fire behaviour.
Osoyoos cleaning up after trees, roofs ravaged by storm - Penticton News
Osoyoos cleaning up after trees, roofs ravaged by storm - Penticton News: The Town of Osoyoos and surrounding areas are in cleanup mode after a fast and furious storm whipped through the region Wednesday afternoon.
Lots of people in the village...........
Lots of people in the village, including out of town owners. With the exception of one or two Starlink customers with alternate power source, those on the mountain do not have access to the content I just posted.
Grateful?
Happy that Bentley was safe with a human in Rock Creek when the storms hit.
Lucky to have keys and passwords to a house in Oliver for freezer space, and internet access.
Pleased that I had my saws professionally sharpened at Gerards.
Photos etc - Freezers
I wasn't wearing appropriate footwear when I went to photograph where the fire was. Too much alder at the top and bottom of the power line.
I talked to an electrician this morning - there is potential for damage from the partial power, fluctuating power time.
If the power comes on at a reasonable time, I will check cabins that I have keys for tonight, or tomorrow.
BMR will lose food as Food Safe says no more than 12 hours without power.
Power still out for more than 1,500 FortisBC customers in South Okanagan - Oliver/Osoyoos News
Power still out for more than 1,500 FortisBC customers in South Okanagan - Oliver/Osoyoos News: Power is still out for roughly 1,500 FortisBC customers in the South Okanagan Thursday morning.
Community Safety
911 Some of us in the village have working land lines. Suggest we look at asking land line people to have their location on a map/list so that people can make emergency calls in situations like this.
Lines Down - perhaps a sharing of procedures and safe distances from live lines. To my knowledge, those fighting the fire did so after the line was dead, but there was an instance in the winter where a member of the community was standing too close to a line, in an attempt to stop people from getting too close.
Cell Service during Matt's time, there was a Telus technician who was thinking about installing a back up generator for our cell tower. The cell service went down fairly quickly yesterday.
Telus Services in General Doesn't matter what back ups are done up here, our cell tower, our phone lines, and Telus internet are all fed by the line coming up from the Canyon Bridge. A big tree could take that line out.
Fire Co-ordination People responded including Randal with a water truck - we have trained firefighters in the village, I talked to one of them this morning, that person was not made aware of the fire.
McKinney Road - Community
AIM has done an awesome job of debris clean up on the road. Many thanks to all the volunteers who helped open the road to single lane slalom.
The only good thing I can say about the road adventure, is that we got it open for Parker to get home in time to take his daughter to dance class.
Thank you to all who stopped - well actually we had no choice but to stop.
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| This one I tackled with my pruning chainsaw, and some help from a young couple. |
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| We knew we needed a bigger saw when we came upon the larch. Thanks to the guys from Sunrise Restoration for you chainsaw and truck work on this one. |
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| This guy was amazing backing up a truck and trailer, while pulling a tree section, and avoiding his second truck parked behind. |
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| I thought an early bird may get the larch this morning, but it is still there. |
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| Harvey has a new decoration on his parking shed. Thanks to Harvey, Isabelle, and another vehicle working their way up, and Parker and the Sunrise guys on the biggest tree. On my way back up, there were more trees down, a couple for me to cut, and help from Greg pulling some smaller chunks of trees off the road. AIM told me they had a "ton of calls" about the trees down, and there was a crew coming up. I didn't see the crew, or what equipment they brought up, but this morning the debris fields are removed from the road surface, and the road is two lanes. |
Power still out, a couple of nasty storms yesterday.....
There were several lightning strikes in the village. A tree near the "Crowsnest" was hit, fell on the power lines and caught fire. Some people in the upper village experienced brown out and fluctuating power for around 20 minutes.
I have not read the Facebook feeds, The latest Fortis recording says estimated repair 8:00pm tonight.
I chose to go to Oliver this morning to take my frozen food down, and to get connected.
I went to the Fortis offices. They were "hammered" yesterday, they have a helicopter flying all the current outage areas, and they have crews coming from "all over".
I talked about the 20 minutes of unstable power - Fortis can not shut down the village remotely, so they shut down the whole feeder line.
The Fortis guy said they might have been able to send someone up right away if they knew there was a tree on fire on the line................
Then comes the next issue - while Susanne, Randal and others were putting out the fire, I was down the road in a group cutting trees to open up McKinney Road.
Top end of snapped line.
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Intense Storm
Power out in Osoyoos and Baldy. Crews on the way. McKinney Road covered in debris, many trees down, road open to single lane slalom thanks to volunteers. Crews on the way
Okanagan Forest Task Force
This organization has removed 1.1 million pounds of metal and garbage from the back country since inception in 2016. Most of their work has been in the Kelowna area, but they did a massive clean-up in the Okanagan Falls area.
Founder Kane Blake is inundated with requests - recently they coordinated with BC Parks to load and haul stuff from a heli access location.
I was contacted last night by one of Kane's team, wanting more info on the squatters camp, and to see if it is the same one already reported to them. It is now on their map. They have the contacts with the various agencies. Some local residents are in contact with OKFT with the hope of forming a South Okanagan Chapter of OFTF.
Please consider downloading the OFTF app. When you find trash in the bush, you can enter info on your phone, and it will update to the OFTF website when you are back in cell service.
If you clean up a site in the bush, please pin it on the site, and report that it has been cleaned up.
I will keep you posted as the investigation proceeds.
Big White has just donated $2000 to the organization for keeping the back country clean.
It would be helpful if you contact me about any activity you see around the site between 22 and 23 km McKinney Road. Vehicle photos would be a bonus. Depending on who comes to assess the site, it may or may not be helpful if the squatters have gone.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Health Canada approves Pfizer's updated COVID-19 vaccine, manufacturer says - Canada News
Health Canada approves Pfizer's updated COVID-19 vaccine, manufacturer says - Canada News: Pfizer Canada says Health Canada has approved its updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against one of the most recently circulating variants of the virus.
I know a few people who contracted COVID this summer. Three new vaccines have been approved - protecting against recent variants.
‘A generous vintage’: 2022 wines now coming to market are fantastic - Penticton News
‘A generous vintage’: 2022 wines now coming to market are fantastic - Penticton News: In all the angst over the Okanagan Valley’s troubled 2023 and ’24 vintages, we’ve almost missed the good news of just how remarkable a year 2022 turned out to be.
Interesting article on Blue Mountain wines. In the early '80's, the government was paying growers to pull out vines that produced lower quality wines. Lower quality wines could be trucked up from the USA cheaper than they could be produced here.
Ian Mavety was ahead of the curve, and was already planting the varietals of the future. Ian and Jane had a vision. Lots of research and education behind the Blue Mountain Team. I don't know if Jane still does it, but her expertise was valued on wine judging panels.
Blue Mountain has continued to be a leader in the industry, and now Matt and Christie run the day to day operations. I have fond memories of the second generation in ski lessons, and racing on the Baldy team with Coach Sieglinde.
It was hard to get enough ski instructors in those days. Jane Mavety, Leslie Potter and Joan Dumoret were Baldy friends who stepped up and got their instructor certification to help out. It was natural for them to not only convey their love of skiing, but as owners, they conveyed their love of skiing Baldy.
Fun to see the second and third generations on the hill. Ian and Matt do more back country.
I was one of the lucky ones who sampled the numbered bottles - research batches before they started the commercial winery.
Penticton man caught behind wheel of stolen vehicles two days in row gets house arrest - Penticton News
Penticton man caught behind wheel of stolen vehicles two days in row gets house arrest - Penticton News: Ronald Stewart was found in stolen trucks two days in a row, the first time with a unloaded pistol.
This was July 2023 - many of us encountered the vehicles in the ditch, people there, people asleep in vehicles and in the ditch.........I don't have any photos, as I went through with RCMP on scene. If I remember correctly, when I went by, one person was in custody, and the officer who waived me through was watching the passed out individual in the ditch.
This is not related to our challenging time this summer.
Sunday, September 22, 2024
South Okanagan General Hospital to close emergency department Sunday - Oliver/Osoyoos News
South Okanagan General Hospital to close emergency department Sunday - Oliver/Osoyoos News: South Okanagan General Hospital will have a temporary closure to their emergency department Sunday.
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
New research shows FireSmart principles worked to save homes during 2023 West Kelowna wildfire - West Kelowna News
New research shows FireSmart principles worked to save homes during 2023 West Kelowna wildfire - West Kelowna News: “That house was destined to burn down — and the reason why was because they had a straw mat at the front door.\
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Leo is fine .... whew.
A little anxiety in my neighbourhood today with the coyote activity. Leo insisted on staying outside this morning, but his "street smarts" kept him safe today.
Changes to Home Partners Program
If you have already had an assessment, you will receive an e-mail regarding transferring your information to the new program, administered in BC.
Update on Sunday am intruders
Thank you to those who have provided information so far. It appears that the perpetrators were on BMR property for awhile. Cameras reviewed indicated that they did not enter the village.
Prescribed burn ready to go this week near Rock Creek in Boundary area - BC News
Prescribed burn ready to go this week near Rock Creek in Boundary area - BC News: The BC Wildfire Service says conditions are favourable to go ahead with a large ecosystem restoration burn near the junction of Highway 33 and Highway 3.
Coyotes this morning
Heads up - three coyotes on Porcupine this morning. They followed two residents and a dog for a bit. There was a loud scream, and concern that it may have been a domestic pet.
Bad creatures of the night...........
Sunday around 3:00am. There was confirmed incident on BMR property.
China Creek Internet was down at that time - several of the camera owners will not be able to retrieve footage remotely. I hope I can retrieve footage from an sd card and a hard drive. Images reviewed so far are on BMR property. If you have images from your surveillance cameras, it could be helpful to determine if the person(s) also entered the village.
Please contact Brandan if you heard or saw anything in the wee hours of Sunday, or have images.
Sunday, September 15, 2024
CCIS Outage
China Creek internet is back up. I have done resets before for them on McKinney, and I guess that is why they tried to call me yesterday - they ended up sending someone over from Princeton.
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Boundary History
My neighbour Janine is a member of a pioneer Rock Creek family. She is carrying on the family tradition of setting up and running the Boundary History displays at the Fair. Stop by and have a look.
Bentley will not be there - dogs are prohibited on the Fair Grounds.
BMR at the Fair - Pass Deal
Trevor is at the Rock Creek Fall Fair . If you missed the early bird pass pricing, it returns for this weekend only - only on passes purchased at the BMR Booth at the Rock Creek Fall Fair.
Friday, September 13, 2024
Have you checked out Sessions Outdoor Sports in Osoyoos ?
https://www.sessionsoutdoorsports.ca/
The team at Sessions are working hard at being a strong local business for all things outdoor sports.
This summer they have established bike part sources in Rock Creek and Oliver. They have expanded the satellite locations where you can rent an e-bike. They even set up a ride with your MLA.
It has been a very long time since there has been a retail outlet for ski equipment in Osoyoos, and they also offer ski and board tuning. Check out their website. You may find all of your outdoor sports needs in one local place.
Best Buy Express
The "Source" in Oliver has been replaced by "Best Buy Express." I didn't go in, but there is a lawn sign indicating it is open.
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Amazing Night Sky
It is great to have friends who are out taking photos while I am asleep. Thanks Chris.
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Ecosystem restoration burn near Rock Creek could begin Thursday - BC News
Ecosystem restoration burn near Rock Creek could begin Thursday - BC News: The BC Wildfire service says an ecosystem restoration burn could begin Thursday about 3 kilometres northwest of Rock Creek.
How to Contact AIM
Contacting AIM Roads
Need to report a road condition or incident? You can reach us in three ways:
Call: Our toll-free number is available 24/7 at 1-866-222-4204.
Email: Send your report to aimcommunications.ca@acciona.com
Service Request Form: Complete a form on our website: https://aim-roads.ca/service-request/.
To ensure we can accurately address your report, please provide the following details:
Service Area: Provide the nearest city to the incident.
Your Name and Phone Number: This allows us to contact you if further information is needed.
Specific Location: Include the highway/road name and nearest cross streets (e.g., Highway 97B Northbound Lane, 34 Ave SE, across from Salmon Arm Golf Club) or a specific address (e.g., 123 Tappen Rd).
Details of the Incident or Issue: Examples include:
Garbage bag and debris on the shoulder of the road
Stop sign hit and laying on the ground
Deceased animal on the road
Boulder in the northbound lane
Note: If any required information is missing, we may not be able to process your report. Please be respectful and avoid inappropriate language or demeaning comments, as we strive to serve you as best we can. 
Monday, September 9, 2024
Smoke Source Closer to Home - courtesy of Watch Duty
New fire reported by WildCAD at 11:52 AM Mon Sep 9th (PDT).
Acres: 20.0
Bonaparte is the larger mountain we see from the top of Eagle - looking southeast.
It's all on the website - how to go about applying for the FireSmart rebate
RDKB Ignites FireSmart Savings with New Rebate Program
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) has
announced the launch of its Residential FireSmart Rebate Program, providing an
incredible opportunity for residents to enhance the wildfire resiliency of
their homes and communities. This initiative is the latest addition to the
RDKB's ongoing efforts to promote FireSmart practices, reinforcing the
district's commitment to wildfire mitigation.
Homeowners who have taken advantage of a FREE FireSmart Home
Assessment by an RDKB Wildfire Mitigation Specialist—and those planning to do
so in the future—are now eligible to apply for rebates ranging from $500 to
$5,000. This rebate is designed as a 50% cost-share, meaning that for every
dollar spent on eligible FireSmart activities, homeowners can receive 50 cents
back, up to the program's maximum.
"This is another great step forward for the RDKB's
FireSmart program," said Carlene Pires, RDKB's Emergency Program/FireSmart
Coordinator. "We're proud to support residents who are proactively taking
measures to protect their homes and communities. This rebate program recognizes
and rewards their efforts, helping to offset the costs of important mitigation
work."
Key Details of the FireSmart Rebate Program:
Rebate Amounts: Homeowners can apply for rebates between
$500 and $5,000, with the rebate amount calculated as 50% of the total cost of
eligible mitigation work. For instance, $1,000 of completed work qualifies for
a $500 rebate, while $10,000 or more in work is needed for the full $5,000
rebate.
Eligible Work: To qualify for the rebate, residents must
complete the mitigation actions specified in the FireSmart assessment report
provided by an RDKB Wildfire Mitigation Specialist. Only work done within 30
meters of the home is eligible.
Application Process: Residents must document their work
using the Rebate Application Form, tracking both personal labour (valued at
$32.00/hour) and any hired contractors or materials. Completed applications,
including photos and receipts, should be submitted to firesmart@rdkb.com.
Timeline: Applications are open from August 15th to October
31st, 2024. For those who cannot complete their work within this period, the
rebate program will reopen with an earlier intake in Spring 2025, ensuring that
future application windows allow ample time for participation.
The FireSmart Rebate Program is available to residents in
RDKB’s Electoral Areas A, B, C, D, and E, as well as the municipalities of
Fruitvale, Montrose, Trail, Warfield, Grand Forks, and Greenwood. Please note
that residents of Midway and Rossland should refer to their own local programs,
as their rebate structures differ from RDKB's.
The RDKB encourages all eligible homeowners to take
advantage of this opportunity to reduce wildfire risks on their properties. As
funding is limited and rebates are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis,
early application is recommended.
For more information, including the detailed rebate guide
and application form, please visit https://emergency.rdkb.com/Be-Prepared/FireSmart
or contact the FireSmart team at firesmart@rdkb.com
or 250-368-0259.
|
|
Vivienne Hurley |
Communications Specialist |
Access the forms on RDKB, follow the links here, or e-mail unbaldy@gmail.com , and I will e-mail the documents to you.
https://emergency.rdkb.com/Be-Prepared/FireSmart
Rebate Application:
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:7e17f5e1-dc9f-4341-ab65-3a64fbed3800
Rebate Work Plan
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:53ab14fa-6bcd-4ff5-9d25-bf34c703d0c5
Application Guide
https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:US:8904d3ab-2aa0-428c-b9de-23ea81f1a5f7
Sunday, September 8, 2024
Snooze, you lose
https://www.westboundary.com/rdkb-ignites-firesmart-savings-with-new-rebate-program/
The assessment is free. Get one, and you may qualify for rebates on some firesmart work.
Sockeye
Sockeye fishing has started on the north end of Osoyoos Lake.
Third generation of family lives on this Osoyoos property, with a "public" beach access adjacent to it. My understanding as a kid was that the narrow lane was intended for fire department access. In recent times, boaters have brushed it, and launch there to avoid line ups at public boat launches.
6:00am this morning, the area streets were lined with trucks and boat trailers. I owned a house in this neighbourhood 20 years ago. Hardly two way streets when the boaters are there. (Full disclosure - I too had a boat in the neighbourhood, but did not use that lane to launch.)
In 2021, I was sitting on the patio there on a bluebird sunny day. I left for Oliver, and by the time I got groceries and was filling with gas, the fire trucks were heading south, and when I got to 17km I could see the massive plume of smoke - the start of our nightmare - Nk'Mip wildfire.
Saturday, September 7, 2024
The Bush Thing - between Km 22 and 23, off McKinney Road
I have received photos taken last year, and information about this year - multiple structures, needles, smashed computers, animal bones etc etc. This was reported to RAPP last year. I will be contacting Okanagan Forest Task Force for advice on how to proceed.
I will be getting new photos when it is safe to do so (no hunting, safety in numbers.)
This could involve RCMP, Conservation, OIB and or Forestry re possible tree removal to haul the stuff. Engaging the sportsman association, and other back country groups, and some Baldy folks for the clean up ahead of next year's fire season.
Photographer's name not posted for safety reasons.
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