Burns Lake Snowmobile Club installs gazebo

The Burns Lake Snowmobile Club is all ready for the winter season, after recently completing installations of a new gazebo rest area near Nellian Lake.

“We have a special use permit for Nellian Lake, and our snowmobile club goes right past it. It became clear to us from members that this was a destination to stop,” said club president Dennis Firomski. “Before there was a little fire pit and a picnic table and that’s about it.”

According to Firomski, the area has a rich history, as the previous structure in place was used by boy scouts in the area decades back, and there was a big fort as well. “Over the years, it became unusable, so we decided to burn it down a couple of years ago, and we decided to replace it with the gazebo this year,” he said.

The project, which began in August of 2021, was funded through grants from the Nechako Development Fund, Chinook Community Forest and Burns Lake Community Forest. There were also donations from both Babine Forest Products and Decker Lake Forest Products.

The total cost of the project was $32,000 according to Firomski.

As for the outlook on the season, Firomski says that a lack of snow has put a slight damper on things. “Generally, we’re used to getting enough snow by Christmas and new years eve to be able to ride the power lines and roads. We’re a little shy of snow right now in the Burns Lake area, but if you go up high in the mountain areas like the Telkwa Range, those areas are very good right now.”

In terms of COVID-19 health protocols, Firomski told Lakes District News that it hasn’t affected turnouts this year, and that the club is actually planning on bringing back one of its favourite events. “We had to cancel the cold smoke races last year, and we’re hoping to bring the event back. It’s being scheduled for Feb. 12, 2022 as of now, but obviously things can change with COVID-19 pretty quickly, so we’re taking a bit of a wait and see approach,” he said.

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