Issue #30 - The Jasper Community Team

If it’s sunny out, there’spretty much no wayI’m staying indoors.I love the sun! It’s soseductively warm andcheery. I find its brightradiation a siren call for thew o r l d o f p o s s i b i l i t i e soutside my door.One damper on my sheerchildlike delight in sunnydays, however, is the everpresent reality of sunburn. Iget all squeamish when Ihear friends talk about their“first sunburn of the season”and how it’s going to “turninto a tan.” For that reason,it was with excessive delightthat I discovered that in2010, May is UltravioletAwareness Month! Woo hoo!I’m sure we’ve all heard itbefore, but the steps toprotecting your skin andPage 8Freak o’ the WeekWhen FireChief G reg VanTighem (GVT) puts hismind to something, he’sgoing to do it.Meaning, if he has to getdressed up in a bikini andwash a few dozen cars toraise what he said he’d raisefor the MS Society, considerit done. Last year, with theh e l p o f h i s J a s p e rRockhopper teammates,GVT raised a whopping$ 3 2 , 0 0 0 - p l u s f o r M S .R e c e n t l y , t h e C h i e freturned from Texas, wherehe and 130,000 othersparticipated in a 190 mile,2-day road bike ride. Prettyneat stuff, but we at TheSkinny couldn’t help askingeyes from UV radiation aresimple:Wear Sunscreen! At leastSPF (sun protection factor)15. SPF 15 means that thewearer can be out in thesun 15 times longer withoutbeing sunburned. If youwork outside, or plan tospend most of the dayoutside, wear at least SPF30.A p ply L i b e ra l l y- M o s tpeople use less than halfthe recommended amountof sunscreen. Slather it on!Apply Frequently - Even ifit’s water or sweat resistant,sunscreen wears off andloses effectiveness. Reapplyevery 2 hours.A p p l y E a r l y - M o s tsunscreen bottles comewith the instruction toapply at least 30 minutesbefore sun exposure.Plan Ahead - If you’re goingEnjoy The Skinny: Issue #30People do that?Freak: 1. A very unusual situation or event 2. (informal) a person regarded as strange because of theirunusual appearance or behavior. 3. A Jasperite featured in The Skinnyour fearless, shirtless leader buddy in Yellowknife whothis question: “Say Chief, it’s had MS.”cool and all, but what’s T h a t f r i e n d ’s p o s i t ivewith your obsessive, insane a t t i t u d e , d e s p i t e h i sdedication to raising assloadsworsening condition, neverof money for charity? ceased to amaze VanIt’s kind of weird, don’t you Tighem. And it’s thatthink?”perspective which is at theLuckily for us he laughed, heart of his fundraising.admitting that his goals “I do it because they can’t,”keep getting more lofty. But he said simply.the constant bar-raising is But there’s another elementsomething that the fire at play, too: the MS Bikechief is used to, and it’s Ride, which takes place insomething that to him, October and marks the endfeels right.o f t h e f u n d r a i s i n g“It’s grown on me,” GVT campaign, is a ton of fun.said, admitting that his Training for that ride keepspassion has taken hold of him in shape and recruitinghim in ways he hadn’t fellow riders keeps himthought possible. “It started socially active.four years ago with a “The ride in Hinton at theto be out of doors for morethan two hours, bringsunscreen with you!But wait! Don’t rely solelyon sunscreen to protectyour skin. Proper clothingand shade are equallyimportant. Put on a hat,s e e k s h a d e , w e a rsunglasses, cover up. Andremember that overcastc o n d i t i o n s d o n ’ tsignificantly reduce thei m p a c t o f U Vradiation. Shockingly, 80%of ultraviolet (UV) radiationp e n e t r a t e s o v e r c a s tconditions.While it’s not necessary tobe quite as passionateabout sun protection assome people (tee hee), thedangers of UV radiation arereal, and more pronouncedin the summer months.Make a habit of carryingsunscreen and a hat withyou when you go out. TakeYes that’s a bikiniend of the summer is agood carrot on the end ofthe stick.”GVT is gearing up fora n o t h e r s u m m e r o ffundraising. Look for him ata BBQ near you. If youwant to hit the trails with am o t ivated, f u n - l ovinggroup, the Rockhoppersm e e t e v e r y T u e s d a youtside of the Fire Hall at 7.The Passion of the Sunscreen By Laura DzikowskiTai: “Sick!” Dad: “Hold still!”the extra few minutes toreapply when you stop for awater break. Bust out thatsuper cool new ball cap yougot in a promo from somefruity flavored beer. Showyour skin the love, andenjoy all the best the sunhas to offer knowing thatyou’re well protected.L a u ra D z i k o w s k i i s aRegistered Nurse who lovesn o t h i n g m o r e t h a nshaming her friends intobeing healthy.May 010How to make sure Jasper life’s a beachMarmot is done and inevitably it isgoing to get hot around these parts.Aside from all the "active" pursuits youmay have in mind for the summer,theleisurely amongst us are all lookingforward to some "plagetime".With that said here are some of the"Do's and Don'ts" to keep in mind foreasy livin' out at the lakes around thevalley this summer.DO wear sunscreen, Flamazine is anexpensive topical treatment forsunburn you don't want to need.DO keep your dog on a leash (andbring poo bags) IF the beach actuallyallows dogs.DO invest in a floatie.DO the "pack it in, pack it out" thing,garbage on a pristine sandy beach?Get real!DO NOT bring glass anything.DO NOT leave your gross cigarettebutts out there, pinch off the coal andkeep the butt for disposal later.DO NOT attempt to play Frisbee if youare lame at it.DO NOT wear Speedos.In terms of beaches, here are the localfaves:Lake Annette: if ever a beach was anightclub, this is the one. Also popularwith families as it’s warm and haspicnic/bbq sites. The dock side tendsto be less crowded. Gates lock at 10p.m.Pyramid Lake: great parking-to-beachproximity and has picnic sites as well.Thoughts of spring alwaysbring to my mind thehardened Earth letting outan immense sigh of relief,manifesting itself in theform of promising eventssuch as snowmelt, thawingground, and in time, springflowers. In the necessarilyugly (sorry world, we are avery aesthetically drivenspecies) days of spring, thebrown and grey shades atground level don’t providemuch optimism for theMay 010It’s not as warm as Annette but wickedviews of Colin range and Pyramid. 10p.m, you're out.Horseshoe Lake: not a beach per se,but more than makes up for it withcliff jumping ranging from a few feetto 80-plus. Wait until a smokin' hotspell or bring a wetsuit. Avoid longweekends.Jasper/Talbot Lakes: sand dunes tohide amongst and shallow, reasonablytolerable water temps make this a favebrilliant season to come. Itis hard to believe that in afew short weeks shades ofc r i m s o n , c a n a r y a n dcerulean will litter roadsidesand gardens where deadEnjoy The Skinny: Issue #30DO invest in a floatie. Pyramid Beach, 2009.stalks and drab grays nowreign. However dreary anddead the ground may look,sweep aside the leaf litterand you might find a patcho f p r a i r i e c r o c u s e s(Anemone patens). Thesefurry little perennials aren’tactually crocuses, they arepart of the buttercup family,but with their fuzzy leavesand stalks and blue-petaledflowers, who really cares(sorry to my universitybotany teacher)? They lookamongst the Hinton crowd. Parking onHwy.16 a bit sketchy.Lake Edith: adjacent to Annette, notquite as warm, great picnic sites. Moreleeches than any other lake in town sostay to the areas that get deep quicklylike the Annette side of things or thedock. Gates lock at 10 p.m.JRT Lake: just try to find it, you won't.Until such time,Max Din,Aquatic Rasta CoalitionBy Max DinWildflower watch: go kiss a crocusBy Jennifer Edwardslike a little chunk of thebrilliant blue sky fallen fromthe heavens to remind usthat spring is indeed on itsway. As the first blooms andtherefore the harbingers ofspring, crocuses are hopeflowers. I found my patch ofcrocuses, bent down andgave them a kiss…for hope,renewal and the life-filledspring to come.Jennifer Edwards (nee McPhee)is a local botanist with a passionfor wildflowersPage 5