Many hands make quick work – and that was certainly true when a crew of Snootli Creek Hatchery, DFO Stock Assessment and Bear Study staff helped BC Parks clean-up the line cabin site as the first phase of the $18,000 project granted to the Bella Coola Valley Museum Society by the BC/Canada 150 program.
On June 2, Carl Siwallace, Blair Mack, Tristan Hutton, Jason Hall and Sam Mack were up the Tote Rd. releasing sockeye salmon fry into the Atnarko River and, with the concurrence of John Willis, Hatchery Manager, it was arranged they would stop by the line cabin to ‘backhaul’ recyclables and garbage from the site. They were joined by Ron Schooner, Quinton Hans and Kate Field of the Bear Study and, within a few hours, three trucks were loaded with construction waste, metals and other recyclables and black garbage bags for the landfill. Cedar shakes were also removed from the cabin roof during that same afternoon.
From the Museum Society and BC Parks, a huge “Thank-You” to everyone who assisted on that day. Weather (and water levels) permitting, the last of site clean-up will take place at a community event scheduled for June 11. The next task will be to dig under the sill logs, most of which are half buried into the ground, to determine how best to stabilize the building.
Meanwhile, the Museum Society has launched its community fund-raising campaign. Under the BC/Canada 150 grant program, they are required to raise a certain percentage of project costs from the local community. The Museum’s target is $3000. Anyone able to donate to this great community project should make cheques payable to Bella Coola Valley Museum Society and mail them to Box 726, Bella Coola BC V0T 1H0 or contact Lorna Dishkin directly at 250-982-2312. Tax receipts will be issued upon request.