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Author Topic: Squatter campers  (Read 2592 times)

RVT

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Squatter campers
« on: May 25, 2005, 11:06:52 PM »

I've held my spleen in check pretty well since I joined this site, but now I'm really P.O.'d.  Having participated in the most recent Chilliwack River cleanup, with the Pinhead, I've come to realize just how much crap people leave along the river banks.  What I'd like to know is if there is any way to stop the squatter campers along the river.  Case in point, the just passed long weekend.  I towed my trailer up to  Chilliwack Lake on Wednesday to get a good site. The girlfriend and her kids went up on Thursday, and I went up on Friday after work. I couldn't believe the "tarp cities" that had sprung up along almost every accessible inch of the Vedder-Chilliwack River. Now for the P.O. part. As I came along the road just below Tamihi, and just above the R.C.M.P. roadblock I saw 2 young pups unloading a tote box out of the back of their truck. As I passed, one of the little pukes launched his empty beer bottle into the bush. 2 of them and 1 of me meant stopping wasn't a good idea.  When we came home on Monday, I was amazed at the amount of garbage, empty bottles and still burning campfires I saw. Isn't there some way to stop this squatter camping?  And what do we have to do to convince these idiots that beer in cans is still beer? I realize cans don't make as cool a noise when they hit rocks, but  they  are a lot easier to clean up.  If there was a solution to this problem, we could all spend more time enjoying the area, and less time worrying about whether one our kids was going to need stitches after a stroll along the river.
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Rodney

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Re: Squatter campers
« Reply #1 on: May 25, 2005, 11:50:09 PM »

I think you've just added ten new items onto Chris' to-do list. He'll be on these tomorrow I'm sure. :)

Trout Slayer

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Re: Squatter campers
« Reply #2 on: May 25, 2005, 11:58:16 PM »

It's grad time again. My grad's this weekend and I know their will be plenty of dumb $%^&# from my school out the way doing what you mention.
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chris gadsden

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Re: Squatter campers
« Reply #3 on: May 26, 2005, 12:18:37 AM »

Of course the work of the Chilliwack/Vedder River Cleanup Coalition is helping but we have a ways to go yet.

We can have the RCMP and Bylaw officiers from the City Chilliwack evict campers in the City of Chiliwack part of the river, from just above the Vedder Bridge to the Sumas River. A month ago our phone calls got a squatter camp at the Crossing removed. They may have been the ones that were there last year and they left a terrible mess. There is a Bylaw#2929 that says no camping in this area.

Last summer we had some weekend campers evicted as well in this area after calls to the RCMP.

The Fraser Valley Regional District that looks after the area above the Crossing is presently working with the Provincial Government to make this area a recreational corridor and that will mean camping in designated areas only. We and other concerned groups are working with the FVRD with this plan of action and have sent letters of support to WLAP and Crown Lands.

We also will be meeting with our local MLA's once the new cabinet is sworn in so as to try to hurry this process along. As a side note, Barry Penner Chilliwack/Kent is working on a private members' bill to toughen the litter act and make fines that are not paid collected at the time of drivers license renewal. Write him a letter of your concerns as with a slimmed down majority after last weeks election they will be more receptive to the electorate this term, I think.

One hates to have so many regulations in place but there still is way too many users that do not respect the environment as you observed. I had a report a number of tress were hacked down in the Twin Cedars area this past weekend, sadly a common occurence these days.

Thanks to you and Pinhead for helping in the last cleanup and hope you and others will attend our next cleanup on July 9th. We must not give up as we are slowly making progress. Can you imagine the amount of garbage that would be out there if CVRCC and their great volunteers had not been doing regular cleanups the last few years?

Thanks for the post RVT as it keeps the awareness of what is going on out there in front of this forum, the members and the guests that read these posts.

chris gadsden

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Re: Squatter campers
« Reply #4 on: May 26, 2005, 12:20:24 AM »

I think you've just added ten new items onto Chris' to-do list. He'll be on these tomorrow I'm sure. :)
As you see I was already working on it as you typed the above as I am going fishing for an early Chinook for the next two days. ;D ;D

Spudcote

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Re: Squatter campers
« Reply #5 on: May 26, 2005, 09:58:17 AM »

Aaron, I cannot stress this enough, HAVE A CAMERA...I had my grad last weekend (t'was fun), but I was the only one who had "evidence" of the night's events (whether I wanted it or not...  :-\ ) Sorry to highjack...back to the thread.
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