By Adam Donnelly

Kamloops area Conservation Officers kept busy over long weekend

May 23, 2017 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — The warm sunny weather made for an amazing weekend for those who were out enjoying nature. It also made for a busy four days for local conservation officers, who were out making sure people were staying safe over the long weekend.

Conservation Officer Kevin van Damme said from Friday to Monday, four officers checked over 1,000 recreational users in the Thompson-Fraser Zone, at a number of different recreation sites and Provincial Parks.

“[There were] a lot of fishermen,” van Damme explained. “About half of those [we checked on] were fishermen. We were out hitting all the campsites, all the Provincial Parks, making sure everyone was both respecting their neighbours while out camping, and respecting the environment.”

He also says this long weekend was one of the busiest in recent memory, with many of the campsites visited at maximum capacity. Despite the numbers of people out enjoying nature, van Damme says most recreational users we’re observing proper safety precautions and following the necessary rules. Of course, there were some who weren’t.

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“We gave over 120 warnings to folks, just sort of reminding them to be safe and be respectful. We also had to levy about 50 fines out there to folks who were maybe exceeding their limit while fishing, or fishing without licenses.”

Van Damme added officers also removed several boaters from the water for operating their vessels without the proper safety equipment, and issues a number of warnings to Off-Road Vehicle operators.