Lead and generous hours problems with shooting range
I welcome the opportunity to respond to Mike Flatt’s July 13 letter denouncing my June 27 letter stating that it is time for the Cowichan Fish & Game Club to move from its current problematic location in the Cowichan River Provincial Park beside the endangered heritage Cowichan River.
Mr. Flatt said my letter was a “complete distortion of the truth.” What truth is he referring to?
The truth is that B.C. Parks commissioned an environmental study this year which stated that constituents of concern (COCs) are present in site soil at concentrations in excess of the applicable standards provided in the British Columbia Contaminated Sites Regulation.
Mr. Flatt said that the question of lead pollution on the shooting range is “complete nonsense.” I suggest he Google “lead pollution shooting ranges” where he will discover that creditable sources (Canadian Firearms Institute, US Environmental Protection Agency, Princeton…) discuss in detail the endemic problem of lead pollution on shooting ranges. Surely he doesn’t think CFGC is immune? There must be years of accumulated toxins there. The aforementioned study commissioned by B.C. Parks found samples where lead content surpassed the standard for invertebrates and plants and had samples for lead greater than the CSR standard for the Protection of Human Health due to Soil Intake.
There appears to be a thriving and lucrative business in shooting range cleanup in other jurisdictions. To my knowledge there has been no cleanup ever performed at CFGC. When the public becomes aware of the inherent dangers and demands a cleanup, who will pay the costs?
Of course Mr. Flatt is correct to suggest that I have no proof that lead and other contaminants might migrate from the shooting range to the river; however, for the sake of subsequent generations, I reckon we should err on the side of caution. The range is less than 300 metres from the river and higher in elevation. It is in an area of acidic soil and significant annual precipitation: factors promoting lead migration.
We know the health dangers of lead ingestion. Minute lead particles on the clothing of firearms shooters can critically affect children. (CFI recommends changing clothes.) There are examples of litigation stemming from individuals suffering from the effects of exposure to lead particulate.
Mr. Flatt disputes my claim that CFGC’s generous hours of operation attract more members. Chemainus allows 14 hours outdoor shooting/week. Langley: 27. Saltspring: two. Cowichan Valley Trap and Skeet: 5.5. Gabriola: 38 (but only nine hours of centerfire). The CFGC by comparison allows: 71 hours of which 63 hours is centerfire so surely, CFGC is the logical choice.
Interestingly, he does not dispute the pictures on the Protect Cowichan River website showing the escape of bullets from the gun range. Those pictures are evidence that range rules are not being “strictly enforced” or that the range is inadequate for its current use. More than 24 bullets have been found embedded in trees outside the range and bullets have been found on two private properties, homes situated beyond the range. One of those bullets narrowly missed the homeowner.
Definitely it is time for CFGC to move. I suggest that Mr. Flatt direct his energies not to false accusations but instead to investigating alternate real estate for a new site and until then insist on using green bullets.
Francine O’Brien
Duncan