CRAIK—A feral wild boar shot recently in the R.M. of Craik has people wondering if the menace is putting down roots in the area.
Earlier this November a wild boar was shot and killed a few miles west of Craik. The boar was spotted at night when it ran across the road. The man went back the next morning looking for it, but couldn’t find it. He checked again later in the day and found it in a pasture a few miles from where he’d first seen it the night before.
The hope is that the boar shot near Craik was a lone boar and not a member of a group of wild boar that has taken up residence in the area.
Hilton Spencer, Reeve of the R.M. of Craik, said he saw a wild boar three or four years ago while he was out hunting south of Craik.
“I guess they’ve been around here the odd time,” he said, not aware of any problems caused by boars in the area.
Still, “We’re happy it was shot,” Spencer said.
“They are not good things to have around. They are quick. They are mean,” said pest control officer Lee Storey.
Groups of wild boar have been known to destroy acres of crop overnight due to their feeding habits. Wild boar are omnivorous and eat a wide-variety of plants, roots and animals. They up the ground wherever they go. The species is not native to Saskatchewan. Wild boar were introduced to the province in the 1990s as a form of agricultural diversification. A few animals escaped from their pens and thrived in the wild.
They are smart, they have no natural predators and because sows can produce two litters of four to 12 piglets a year, tough to control.
Storey, who works to control nuisance animals for the rural municipalities of Arm River, Willner and Big Arm said wild boars are not a problem yet in the area, “but they could be.”
About three years ago, he knew of one boar that was south of Girvin and has heard of three sightings in the area that he considers reliable.
Other parts of Saskatchewan are not so lucky.
To read more, please see the Nov. 24, 2014 print edition of The Davidson Leader. To subscribe phone 306-567-2047.
Category Archives: featured
Memory Bulbs to be lit again
DAVIDSON—Davidson’s sky looks brighter at night thanks to the efforts of local individuals and organizations.
About 1,500 LED lights have been strung around the limbs and branches of a large elm tree in Bob Crowley Memorial Garden on Railway Avenue, at the end of Washington Avenue.
The project was coordinated by Davidson’s Communities in Bloom committee with Jeannie Allan supervising the pruning of the tree, Panther Industries donated the lights, Communities in Bloom had power installed, which was done by Halvorson Electric.
Davidson’s public works foreman Doug Torrie spent eight hours stringing the lights.
It was a tedious job, but the efforts are appreciated. The lit tree looks beautiful at night.
The lights will be on from dusk until dawn all year round, said Stuart Dougan, Communities in Bloom chairman.
Elm trees are not the only ones being lit this season. The large evergreen tree beside Davidson Town Hall will again serve as the community’s memory tree.
Communities in Bloom, in conjunction with the swimming pool committee, is selling Christmas Memory Bulbs. People may purchase a light bulb on a string of lights to honour a friend or loved one. On Dec. 10 at tree lighting ceremony will be held and the names of all the people for whom a bulb has been purchased will be read.
Dougan said Communities in Bloom has ordered more lights for the occasion and hopes to have them strung soon before the weather turns cold again.
Cyclones break losing skid
DAVIDSON—The Davidson Cyclones snapped a two-game losing skid by beating the Watrous Winterhawks 4-3 in Davidson Wednesday.
Watrous was first on the board with an unassisted goal early in the first period by Brett Slobodzian. Chad Manz put the Cyclones on the scoreboard with help from Zach Sim and Clinton Maier. Travis Eggum regained the lead for Watrous with 5:05 remaining in the period.
Slobodzian scored his second goal of the game early in the second period to give Watrous a 3-1 lead. Kevin Johnson found the back of the Winterhawks’ net with a goal midway through the period to put Davidson down by one. Cody Danberg tied the score at three all, giving the Cyclones hope going into the third period.
In the third period Danberg scored the game winner with 8 minutes remaining. Cyclones goalie Brady Willner was perfect in the third period turning away Watrous’s shots.
With a 3-1 record, the Cyclones are in last place in the Long Lake Hockey League standings thanks to a 6-4 loss to Leroy in their first game of the season Nov. 7 and a 6-2 defeat to Lanigan Nov. 12.
Craik welcomes new administrator
By Kevin Gilby
CRAIK—Craik’s new town administrator Sarah Wells says she’s a “city girl, but a town girl at heart.”
Fresh at her new job, Sarah is approaching the position with enthusiasm to help “organize the town [and to] see that things get done that weren’t being done before.” Her first few weeks dealt with reducing the backlog from the vacancy, but notes that “it wasn’t so bad. Joanne Yates helped out a lot with that.”
Previously a paralegal for a real-estate company, Sarah is familiar with many of the responsibilities she now faces. Her previous job required her to deal with property titles, property taxes, utilities, and many of the laws and acts that apply to municipalities.
Sarah and her family are excited to be moving to the area with one of her two daughters already enrolled in the Craik School and her husband showing interest in the local hockey team. Currently living with relatives in Craik, she looks forward to getting involved with Communities in Bloom once her family gets established in their own home.
Many features of small town living appealed to the young family, such as the “driving times are cut down so much, it’s much more convenient to have family time,” she adds that “the school is great, the small classroom sizes mean more time to spend [on the kids].”
Major Rick Rogers welcomes her addition to the town and says, “We’re very, very happy to have her here.” A sentiment he previously echoed during Sarah’s involvement at her first town council meeting held earlier in the month.
Brinks Truck rolls
DUNDURN—Saskatoon RCMP report icy road conditions a factor in a rollover on Highway 11 near Blackstrap Nov. 17.
At about 2 a.m., police responded to the scene of the rollover. A Brinks truck had lost control and rolled due to icy roads. The two male occupants of the truck were injured in the rollover. One man was transported by air ambulance to hospital and the other was sent to hospital by EMS ambulance, RCMP Cpl. Marc Durocher said.
The southbound lanes of Highway 11 near Dundurn were closed for a time causing traffic to be backed up for about 2.5 kilometres until the vehicle was removed.
Maj. Sarich pays tribute to veterans
DAVIDSON — The community filled the Parish Hall this Remembrance Day to show their appreciation for the sacrifices made by Canada’s war veterans and service members.
Guest speaker, Major Ron Sarich began with a somber tribute to Cpl. Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent. Speaking with his back to the crowd, he commented on the “cowardice” of the actions taken against the men before asking for a moment of silence.
Sarich shared his belief that when we remember those who served, we must also remember those who helped at home. He wanted to thank the women who worked in the factories, producing munitions and equipment for the war effort. He wanted to thank the service people who provided the troops with training before their deployments. And finally, he wanted to thank all of the farmers who had to stay back and provide food.
“All of these contributions, ” Sarich said, “were necessary. If they didn’t have equipment or food, our troops couldn’t have done anything. Everyone gave and sacrificed so much to support the men and women overseas. We can’t forget them either.”
Ron selected a couple stories that had been shared with him by veterans that had served in prior war efforts. While the first story was meant mainly to entertain, Ron had picked a much more serious tale for his second.
Sarich spoke of a group of men flying a mission over Germany. In this particular instance, the bomb payload became dislodged and fell from its support harness only to wedge itself in the floorboards of the aircraft.
A nervous crew was then forced to return to their base with a live, unsecured bomb firmly reminding them of the gravity of war. Ron never learned why the bomb didn’t go off. He said it could have been a ‘dud,’ or “perhaps the arming cycle didn’t complete.”
“I chose that story because if it could happen to [them], it could have happened to others who weren’t so lucky to have the arming cycle not complete.” The story, he said, “shows how risky those missions were, even before they got under enemy fire.”
After thanking the students for the “wonderful slideshow,” Sarich concluded by presenting Gord McRae, president of the Davidson branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, with a framed picture he had personally taken over 20 years ago.
The picture of a U.S. Navy Sturgeon class boat, taken in April of 1983, surprised Sarich. He took the photo from the belly camera of the CP-140 Aurora, and was shocked to see the shadow of his plane clearly visible in the boat’s wake from 125 feet above the water. “It wasn’t planned, ” Sarich says, “so it came as rather a pleasant surprise to get that picture back.”
McRae thanked the major for speaking and indicated he will have the photo displayed in the Davidson Museum for everyone to view.
McRae and Sarich both expressed their thanks to the Davidson Inter-Church Association, the Sherlock 553 Cadets, and to everyone that came for making the commemoration possible. McRae also thanked the Davidson Co-Op for providing doughnuts and refreshments before closing the day’s service.