il At 7:00 a.m., March 21, twelve grade six and two grade seven students left Cassiar for a four day return trip to Atlin, B.C. Miss Jan Sevin kindly offered her time and energy to travel with us. We arrived in Atlin at 3:00 p.m. and were instantly surrounded by curious faces. A toboggan party was formed and soon friendships were struck up. Later, students ate a hamburger supper prepared by Atlin school staff, then walked over to the Recreation Centre and observed the Can Can and other entertainment. At 8:30 p.m. we returned to the school for dessert (we had forgotten that!) and games of Chess, Twister and Table Tennis. (We took our table up!) Next day, the Atlin Fun Days really got started. In the morning, on Atlin Lake, we observed Snoeshoe races Crosscountry skiing, Dog sled races and One Dog pulls. Brenda Stewart won the cross-country skiing event for girls over twelve and Donald Venzi tried his best against Atlin boys. The afternoon: brought Snowmobile races such as Broomball, Rope and Circle, and Sled. Some of our students participated with Atlin friends. The mail run came in from Carcross, with over a dozen dog teams tak- ing part. Shopping in Handicraft Shops and games at the school filled in quiet moments. Yvonne Inkster flipped over Atlin School's best in Leg Wrestling. The school staff served us Chili for supper. sana on on enn a's in On ono 'o on oso ‘ooo ‘ao 'oe'o pon onan an'onan enon oe ney coy oy oe ors PIs & GAME WEWS Every year in British Columbia numbers of moose,deer and other big game animals are killed by domestic dogs. Under Section 19 of the Wildlife Act provision is made for conservation officers and peace officers to dis- troy any dog found running at large and harrassing big game. Notices are posted and appear in local newspapers giving public notice of this provision. These notices mention a period covering winter months and including spring fawning time. During the winter months deer and moose move onto wintering ranges. These selected areas offer a supply of forage and shelter from deep snow and cold winds. Low levels of crude protein in available trees and shrubs force the animals to draw on body energy reserves built up during summer feeding. Deer and moose are extremely vulnerable at this time of year and spend their time rest- ing as they wait for spring and the new growth of highly nutrituous shrubs, forbs and grasses. Harrassment from any source, whether from people or animals, puts a tremendous strain on big game animals when they cannot afford to expand energy, and at a time when weather conditions make escape difficult. In areas close to towns and small communities domestic dogs (that may be docile enough most of the time) frequently run down and kill deer and moose. GRADE _SIX TRIP: TO ATLIN Page 9 % r] f¢. ie on & é # Ricky Murdoch found Sunday morning rolled around. himself rounding up horses in the early morning hours with his billet. Mr. Dickinson was one of the few who got up in time to take in the Pancake Breakfast at the Rec. Centre. The morning was spent watching different Dog sled, Snoeshoe and Cross-country skiing races. Around noon, the class visited the Museum. Later, Olavo Santos and his partner won the Water Boiling Contest, using only one match and making tea in double quick time. ‘We then had a guided tour around Atlin which was follow- ed by a snowball fight, in which the girls and Mr. Dickinson lost. Brenda was presented with a pair of: white rabbit fur slippers for her cross-country skiing effort, and Olavo came back with a trophy. We ended the day with a stew supper followed by films and bed. On Monday, the group left Atlin and arrived in Teslin for lunch and a game of Broomball on ice with Teslin students which saw no winners. We arrived in Cassiar around 7:30 p.m. a tired but happy crew. Our thanks to the people who supported our fund raising activities and made this trip possible. Mr. Dave Dickinson Of course, domestic dogs running at large can pose a danger not just to wildlife, but to domestic stock and to children. Recently in Saskatchewan a three year old boy was killed by a group of dogs running free in the community. f | The new Domestic Animal Protection Act allows a peace officer or any authorized person to kill a dog fou- nd running in a pack (a pack means 2 or more dogs running at-large). An officer may also kill any dog that is attacking or viciously pursuing a person or a domestic animal. While the notices posted by the Fish & Wildlife Branch are to make dog owners aware of the section in the Wildlife Act applying to big game, there are many other good reasons for controlling domestic dogs running at large.