It is interesting that everyone seems to be so upset about a mink farm in the Elk Valley. After all, this is agricultural land. If people are worried about the smell, and/or the death of animals, perhaps they should live in town. Most livestock raised on a farm or ranch is destined to be slaughtered, and yes, probably skinned for the hide.
As far as grizzlies, anyone even raising a flock of chickens could be said to be attracting bears. They can also be attracted by garbage or even pop cans stored in a shed.
Concerning the cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), studies show that it is in fact caused by high nutrients in the water - mostly phosphates from household detergents, and nitrogen from fertilizer or any animal feces (horses, cows, pigs, chickens, wild animals, as well as mink). Mink do not cause blue-green algae any more than any other species of animal.
Most of the land in the Elk Valley is in the ALR (Agricultural Land Reserve) and is therefore reserved for agricultural purposes. Using it for this should be encouraged, thus it was quite a disappointment that our representatives, Mike Sosnowski (RDEK), and Bill Bennett (MLA) are not standing behind agricultural development in this area. Those who live on residential acreages in an area set aside for agriculture should have no objections to agricultural activities in their area.
Cathy and Kurt Broten
Sparwood, B.C.