Operation Red Nose
looks for volunteers
Operation Red Nose Prince George is asking the
community to be a deer and volunteer for its
2016 campaign.
The designated driving service available during
the holiday season relies on an army of
volunteers to help keep Prince George roads
safe.
"We need about 350 volunteers to help us this
year to ensure we can meet the demand for
rides we expect during the holidays," said
Operation Red Nose spokesperson Andrea
Johnson. "Our volunteers who return year after
year have a great time knowing they've made a
difference in the community. We guarantee
new volunteers will feel the same way."
Volunteers must be 19 years old and have a
valid driver's license. They can be part of a road
team of three or work behind the scenes
answering phones at Operation Red Nose
headquarters.
Applications, which include a Criminal Record
Check form, are now available online at
www.ornpg.ca. Volunteers can simply fill it out,
print it out and take it, along with their driver's
license, to the RCMP's main detachment on
Victoria Street.
Entering its 19th season, the free, seasonal
service, organized by the Rotary Club of Prince
George - Nechako, in partnership with the
RCMP and ICBC, allows party-goers to not only
get themselves home safely, but their vehicles
too. The service is available on 10 nights during
the holiday season to those who do not feel fit
to drive.
On average, about 15 road teams of three will
be on call each night of service, working from 9
p.m. - 3 a.m. This year, Operation Red Nose will
be in service Nov. 25 and 26, Dec. 2 and 3, Dec. 9
and 10, Dec. 16 and 17, Dec. 30 and New Year's
Eve.
In 2015, 1,059 safe rides home in nine nights
were delivered which ranked Prince George
second overall out of 13 communities in B.C.
It was the third-best in the 18-year history of
Operation Red Nose in Prince George.
Briefing Room
Prince George woodlot operator, Big Bull Enterprises, has been recognized for innovation and excellence in
woodlot management.
Big Bull Enterprises is being recognized for their leadership and guidance in managing the mountain pine beetle
epidemic. They are receiving a total of $5,000 – $2,500 each for the provincial Minister’s Award for Innovation
and Excellence in Woodlot Management and the north area Minister’s Award for Innovation and Excellence in
Woodlot Management.
Owners Brian Harding and Darcy Nygaard prepared their Prince George-area woodlot for harvesting prior to the
arrival of the mountain pine beetle, including road-building and bridge replacement. Their efforts created access to
the full woodlot and enabled them to remove almost all of the affected pine as green attack, helping reduce the
spread of the beetle in the area.
Because of the epidemic, normal sources for purchasing seedlings to replant the harvested area had limited
inventory. Big Bull took the initiative to pick their own seed – enough to grow 300,000 seedlings – and, within
three months of harvest of the last attacked pine, every opening created by mountain pine beetle salvage
operations in their woodlot had been planted.
Big Bull Enterprises’ post-beetle harvesting strategies, including using partial cutting and selective harvesting,
have benefitted local sawmills and communities in the Prince George area.
In summer 2015, preliminary reconnaissance of the openings created by the mountain pine beetle on their woodlot
showed that all areas are stocked and 95 per cent have reached free to grow status.
The awards are funded by the Province of British Columbia and administered by the Federation of BC Woodlot
Associations. Each year, the awards recognize a woodlot licensee representing each of the coast, south and north
areas, along with an overall top performer. Award winners are nominated through official submissions from their
fellow woodlot operators.
