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Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, October 2,2002 - 8 Basic Black by Arthur Black LOADED FOR BEAR Life has a funny way of getting your attention. For Isaac Newton, it was an apple on the noggin. For Archimedes, it was noticing how the water level rose when he got into the bathtub. For Troy Hurtubise, it was getting knocked flat by a grizzly grizzly bear he calls The Old Man. It happened on the banks of Humidity Creek in northern northern British Columbia, back in 1984. Hurtubise was by himself, himself, panning for gold along a creek, when he looked up and saw, staring back at him, a grizzly big enough to block out the sun. The bear was so big and so powerful, it sent Hurtubise sprawling with a blow from its snout, Hurtubise was reasonably reasonably certain that he was living through his last few moments on earth, but the bear, unaccountably, lost interest and strolled off into the bush. Needless to say, Hurtubise would never forget the encounter, but what really rattled rattled him was the feeling of absolute helplessness that washed over him when he faced that bear. He couldn't run, he couldn't hide, and the idea of fighting back was utterly ludicrous. Personally, I am quite comfortable with the knowledge knowledge that even a puny grizzly could kick my butt in a nanosecond, but not Troy Hurtubise. He resolved that day, to figure out a way that he could stand up, unarmed, in front of a wild grizzly, and live to tell about it. Thus began Project Grizzly - one man's personal quest to create a grizzly-proof suit. Hurtubise retired to his basement workshop and went to work. Using only basic tools and a welding torch he's worked his way through several several prototypes - from early models incorporating not much more than hockey equipment and duct tape to Robocop-like suits of armour made from heavy-gauge aluminum, aluminum, stainless steel, high- tech' plastic, titanium - you name it. And he's built some pretty tough suits. Suits that could withstand: a blast from a 12- gauge shotgun at twenty feet; a 150-foot drop off the Niagara Escarpment; 18 different different encounters with a three-ton pickup going 30 miles an hour; and assault by Paid Advertisement Moving Ahead What are VECs? I dentification of Valued Ecosystem Components Components (VECs) and ways to protect them are an integral part of the Environmental Assessment phase of the Port Hope Area Initiative. Initiative. This Initiative involves the cleanup and long-term management of historic low-level radioactive radioactive waste in the municipalities of Port Hope and Clarington. - VECs are parts of the environment (ecological, scientific, cultural, socioeconomic, socioeconomic, health or aesthetic) aesthetic) that are of particular value to society. VECs may be rare or endangered species. species. They may also be important important cultural landmarks, such as heritage buildings. Such cultural, social and economic factors, along with features of the natural environment, environment, are collectively referred to as VECs. A potential example of a VEC in the Port Hope area is the Ganaraska River fishery. The fishery is important for recreational, scientific, ecological ecological and economic reasons. reasons. Public input is needed Input from the public and other stakeholders is an important step in identifying VECs, according according to Tabitha Poehnell, an environmental analyst with the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Office (LLRWMO). "Once VECs have been identified, measures can be put in place to minimize potential effects during the construction and operation phases of the long-term low-level radioactive waste management management facilities," she says. "The local community knows a lot about its environment," says Ms. Poehnell. "Take migratory migratory birds as an example. Our terrestrial consult ant coming into the area might not be here at precisely the right time to observe them; the community knows what is here, when it is here, and why it is important," Identifying VECs Consultants have been engaged by the LLRWMO to describe the existing natural environment. environment. They are already at work walking roads, fields and watercourses and monitoring the environment through the changing seasons. seasons. The four main ecological ecological aspects being studied, include: terrestrial (birds, animals, plants); aquatic (wetlands, rivers, lakes and their life forms); atmospheric atmospheric (climate, air quality or noise levels), and geophysical geophysical (soil, rocks, groundwater). These studies studies will establish baseline conditions of the existing natural environment. VECs will be featured at "Low Level Radioactive Waste Expo '02," to be held November 1, 2002 (6 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.) and November 2, 2002 (10 a.m. - 4 p.m.) at the Port Hope Legion on Toronto Road. Follow-up public workshops on VECs will be held at a date to be announced. Moving Ahead This regular column is published by the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management Office to inform local residents of progress on the clean-up and safe long-term storage of low-level radioactive waste in the area. For copies of this column or additional information call 905 885-0291, or visit the Project Information Exchange at 110 Walton Street in Port Hope. Visit the Project Information Exchaije, 110 Walton Street, Port Hope 10:00-5:00 Thus, to Sat. Call (S05) 885-0291 Toll-free 1 858 255-2755 www.Urwmo.org Low-Level lailoactive Waste Management Office Ganaraska fishery is an example of a VEC. a 350-lb log swinging down from 30 feet up in a tree. The suits survived, and so did Hurtubise who jwas inside them. His latest model - he calls it the Ursus Mark VII - is more like a lunar landing craft than a body suit. It contains an air conditioning unit, protective protective airbags, robotic hands (Hurtubise manipulates them with his tongue), a built-in computer and a video screen which allows the wearer to have 360-degree vision without without moving his head. Hurtubise, who must strip to his shorts and cover his body with Vaseline just to get into the Ursus Mark VII, figures figures he's put more than 1,600 hours and over $200,000 into this model alone. That's enough to earn him a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the world's most expensive research suit, but it still doesn't doesn't answer the only question that really matters to Troy Hurtubise - is Ursus Mark VII tough enough to withstand an all-out attack from an enraged bear? That's Hurtubise's big problem right now - he can't find a suitable dancing partner. partner. Pickup trucks, swinging logs, even a gang of toughs with baseball bats and crowbars crowbars are old hat now. He wants to meet a bear. The thing is, bears in captivity don't have the untamed edge that makes a grizzly in the wild such an awesome force of nature. But wild grizzlies are hard to find. Especially if you're clomping around in a high- tech suit of armour. Still, should you happen to find yourself on the banks of Humidity Creek sometime and ÿou spot a critter than looks like a cross between The Michelin Man and a Marvel Comics Action Figure - pay it no mind. That's just Troy Hurtubise looking for a rematch. Birthday Greetings Isabelle (Mommy) and Orville (Daddy) Challice celebrated their birthdays with an Open House at the Sr's Complex Sunday afternoon. Isabelle turned 77 on Sunday, and Orville had his 80th Birthday on Tuesday, October 1st Bike race (continued from page 7) Paul Rush was 34 when he took his own life. Everyone, his parents, his siblings and his many friends, were shocked. "He was very fit, he rode all year round; it was something he needed. He was pleasant and had a sense of humor," said Cox. "Nothing exceptionally exceptionally terrible was happening happening in his life. It's very traumatic; traumatic; people say, 'what happened?'" happened?'" Cox wonders: if she had known more... about suicide prevention, and mental illness... illness... would the story have had a different ending? Together with her husband, Cox organizes Paul's Dirty Enduro to provide money for the Canadian Mental Health Association. She hopes next time, someone's subtle cries for help will be heard. Rush's mother, Mary, looks around at the crowd of over 600 people, "It's a great tribute tribute to Paul," she says. "It means Paul was special to a lot of people. The Canadian Mental Health Association says 1 in 5 people are affected by mental illness, at some point in their lives; 2 to 3% of Canadians suffer from a severe and persistent persistent mental illness; 4,000 people die prematurely by suicide, per year; and disability disability due to depression seriously seriously affects 10 out of 100 people. people. Combating mental illness is everyone's challenge. The participants in the Enduro were rewarded for their time and effort by sharing sharing laughs with other bikers, meeting old friends and lending lending a hand to help educate people about mental health.