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Man in Motion finds time for fish

With a visit nearly coinciding with his namesake relay, Rick Hansen will visit Castlegar on April 23
87761castlegarRick-Hansen
Rick Hansen

Rick Hansen will be coming to Castlegar on April 23, (one day after his relay makes it’s way through town)to participate in the West Kootenay Juvenile Sturgeon release program.

“I’m looking forward to coming up there,” said Hansen in an interview with the Castlegar News. “I’m very much excited about conservation and, of course, environmental sustainability.

The great work that’s gone on there in preserving these incredible fish has been phenomenal and I wanted to pay tribute to all the work that’s been done. Without it, these sturgeon will become extinct.”

Hansen became interested in conservation at a young age, when he would fish on the Fraser River with his father.“Being born and raised in B.C., my earliest memories were being out with my father and grandfather out on the water not only fishing but witnessing the incredible abundance of our natural ecosystems,” he said.

“As time went on I became connected to a very special fish - sturgeon. Living in Abbotsford and then Williams Lake, and when I was a student on the coast - they kept popping back into my life. They always captivated my imagination as I learned more about their story. I also realized that it’s not always a world of abundance.

"We as humans need to realize our impact on various species and balance our footprint with concern.”Rick will present two Outstanding Service Awards on behalf of the UCWSRI (Upper Columbia White Sturgeon Recovery Initiative The name of award recipient will be announced at the event, and will be a deserving individual dedicated to sturgeon recovery through BC Hydro’s Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program.

“We need to do what we can to support and encourage the recovery of these,” he said. “The sturgeon in the Fraser River used to be in incredible abundance in the 1800’s until a huge commercial fishery almost wiped them out.”The Sturgeon Release will occur on the Columbia River, there will be eight release stations along the river, with the largest site being near the Hugh Keenlyside Dam where Rick will be present.

More than 300 students from the West Kootenay school district have been invited along with their parents to spend their Pro-D day to drop-in and out throughout the day to learn about fish conservation and participate hands-on in the Sturgeon Release.

The relay through Castlegar will feature several great local residents as medal bearers.“There’s going to be some amazing people. Brian Bebelman, the Pass Creek fire chief, is an incredible leader in the community. Another Castlegarian who will be part of the relay is Cole Hoodicoff. Thirteen-year-old Hoodicoff had a severe spinal cord injury while skiing at Red Mountain in Rossland which left him paralyzed below the chest.