The new salmon walking trail in Horsefly is better than ever thanks to a team effort by many.
From Linda Bartsch who filled out the application to the Horsefly Board of Trade who completed the project, refurbishing of the trail was able to be completed.
Linda accessed the Canadian Red Cross for a grant to fund resurfacing the salmon walk, United Concrete gave us a real bargain on the price of enough crushed gravel to resurface the entire 1.7 kilometers of the salmon walk, Steve Hocquard coordinated the job, Craig Augustine Trucking provided the expertise with his small backhoe to spread, pack, and put a perfect surface on the now wheelchair accessible trail, Kyle Chappel l Sawmill provided the timbers and Frank Wijma planted willows and other trees along the spawning channel to provide shade and wildlife habitat.
What a treat to be able to say with confidence that our trail is truly wheelchair accessible, and for the younger, stronger folk, even manuals will do OK, however, you would be wise to have an able-bodied companion with you.
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There were salmon in the channel, however, I could only glimpse them in a few locations because there are not any real cleared viewing places. This is on the list of things to do before the salmon festival. And when I reached the end of the much improved spawning channel, I found that beavers had been hard at work damming the channel exit into the Horsefly River, and had virtually stopped any more sockeye from entering. I have since learned that DFO has shut the water flow down as they for some unknown reason do not wish the salmon to use the channel this year, and I say if not this year, when?
I am forever indebted to my neighbor Frank Wijma for actually taking a day out of his life to drive into Williams Lake to pick me up, disassemble my electric wheelchair and load it into the back of his Toyota hatchback, then reassemble it for me at the salmon walk parking lot, and then again to take me home and repeat the procedure.
And of course Carla, Frank’s partner was there to meet me along with Judy Hillaby, so we had an expedition together for my tour of the trail. And then Frank and Carla bought me lunch from Nadine’s. People from Horsefly are the best!
With any luck at all, we’ll be ready for the people to come by festival time Sept. 15-16. See you then.
Bruce MacLeod is a freelance writer for the Williams Lake Tribune Advisor.
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