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Messy find on Walsh Lake

Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (May 28/04) - What was once thought to be good, clean country living is quickly deteriorating into a garbage dump for messy anglers and snowmobilers, say two couples living on Walsh Lake.

The Palmers and Portz's spent most of Tuesday cleaning up the ice surface, and couldn't believe the size of the pile they gathered at the end of the day.

The two couples live on the lake year-long. They say this year's mess is the worst they've ever seen.

"We found tampons and everything," said Lorna Palmer.

"It was nasty. We're cleaning up after pigs."

Using a quad machine, they gathered six loads of garbage in all -- everything from beer and pop bottles to discarded Christmas trees.

They also found fishing lines frozen into the ice, presumably with hooks -- and perhaps hooked fish -- still in the water.

But what worries them the most is the minefield of submerged logs that come once the ice melts.

"We just about nailed a three-foot log (in our boat) last year," said Palmer.

"They're cutting down whole trees on the shore."

Fishing shack burnt

Earlier this month, Don Portz complained to Fisheries and Oceans after three ice fishing shacks were discovered perilously sitting atop the melting ice.

He said the owners of one shack did come back, but only to burn it where it stood.

"They left all the charred stuff behind," said Portz.

Portz said he has nothing against the anglers.

He just wants them to clean up after themselves.

The Portz's find the matter particularly irksome because they build the ice road the anglers use to get onto the lake.

"In prior years, you'd have people ice fishing in the weekend, but now they're in there all week long," said Portz.

Portz said he contacted DFO again, who he described as "supportive," but because the ice is melting away from shore, he doubts the department will be able to make it out to see the garbage pile for themselves. DFO could not be reached for comment.

As for the garbage pile, the couples say they're planning to make a bonfire out of it once the wind stops blowing against the shore.