It certainly seems as if Mother Nature is doing her bit to remind us that we don't control everything. Weather patterns everywhere have been most unusual and extreme this year :( I certainly feel sorry for our spiders in Florida, our hot and dry year pales beside what they are experiencing. Our problem right now is bears. In the brochures our village is described as the "village in the forest". A bit of a joke since a foreign owned lumber company, who's executives have probably never even been here, clearcut all around us two years ago :( Couple that with a newly installed electric fence around the municipal dump, and suddenly we have bears on every street :( It wouldn't be so bad except we have a large group of young people, who are connected via the internet and cell phones, who are hunting the bear out and harassing the poor creatures. Feelings are running pretty high since three of the bears have had to be shot (a bullet is cheaper than relocation). I'm part of a group who get out and cordon off a road to let the bears pass in peace, but these horrible children have no respect for authority, not even when the Mounties are present. The gang disperses (sometimes) when told, but they re-group after the police have left. There's only a few of us who can officially guard the bear and a lot of times the kids will move on to the next sighting, so we're pretty thinly spread. As I said, feelings are pretty strong about the situation, most of the townspeople support us..I can't believe that I, personally, actually rushed a Mountie to grab his rifle away, I'm horrified..all because of a few YOBS who get a thrill out of seeing an animal get shot. It's a sad situation, and we've probably got another month of nightime vigils before the bear move on for the salmon runs. Sharon on Vancouver Island
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