Updated November 7

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July 24, 2000 Wire News, Avian Attack Force—An elite force of more than 700,000 ducks and chickens, trained to locate and eat insects at the sound of a whistle, has been deployed in the locust-plagued fields of China’s Xinjiang province.

The birds have been trained for their mission by learning to associate feeding with the whistle command. Officials estimated that the new attack force has gobbled up more than 100 million locusts.

Editors’ queries: Can Pine Beetles and Gypsy Moths be next?And when the locusts are gone? Mmmm, Peking Duck, anyone?

Greg Koyl, ADM, Operations, toured some northern district offices this summer. Shane Berg, District Manager at Kispiox, captured in cartoon form the mood of Greg’s journey and the weather-forecasting skills of Executive Director Doug Konkin.

Health on the Web

You’ve developed an itchy rash on your midriff. You have an appointment with your family doctor the day after tomorrow, but meanwhile, you wonder. Could it be impetigo or shingles?

You look up shingles in the dictionary, which tells you it’s caused by a herpesvirus. "Oh, great," you think, "does that mean it’s a sexually transmitted disease? Am I contagious? Should I sleep on the couch for the next couple of nights?"

Well, now you needn’t wonder. With the giga-tonnes of health information on the Web, you can find answers to your questions and probably a whole lot more than you ever wanted to know about rashes. Or asthma. Or cancer.

Just be careful of the source of the information you find. Confidence grows if the site is connected with a reputable university or hospital or a medical organization such as the Mayo Clinic or the Centre for Disease Control.

Some especially useful Web sites:

	www.hon.ch is home to the Geneva-based Health on the Net Foundation. It’s a good place to start, with its extensive offering of Web sites, hospitals and sources of support.
	www.canadian-health-network.ca is a comprehensive Web site sponsored by About.com and Health Canada.
	www.mayohealth.org offers resources from the famed U.S.-based Mayo Clinic.
	www.onhealth.com is connected with Harvard Medical School and offers health information, a diagnostic question-and-answer mechanism, reports on drugs and herbal remedies, homeopathy, naturopathy, other alternative medical sectors—even a site showing Yoga stretches you can do at your desk.

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A total of 103 golfers competed in this year’s 28th Annual BCFS Golf Tournament, held at the Williams Lake Golf and Tennis Club.

Present and past employees, retirees, family and friends enjoyed great company, beautiful "mostly Sunny Cariboo" fall weather, and excellent golf course conditions.

On Saturday night the banquet was held at the golf course clubhouse, which over looks the city of Williams Lake. The bright lights of the city, the good food (probably the best to date), interesting conversation, 50/50 draws and door prizes contributed to a very pleasurable evening.

Winners of the individual top scores categories included:

• Hamblin-Wood Memorial Trophy (men’s overall low gross): Brendon Foote
• Fire-Trol Canada Co. Ltd. Plaque (women’s overall low gross): Rachelle Satrum
• Cariboo Spur Trophy (retirees’ overall low gross): John Sedlak
• Northern Mountain Helicopters Trophy (men’s overall low net): Mike Carlson
• Conair Aviation Plaque (women’s overall low net): Irene Levesque
• Denny MacDonald Plaque (retirees’ overall low net): Ray Otsby
• Fire Tech Manufacturing Plaque (FS Regional team competition): Cariboo Forest Region (Terry Satrum, Kingsley Campbell, Philip Kabool and Brian Bentley

The committee is already at work planning the 29^th Annual BCFS Golf Tournament. Lets keep the spirit alive. Thanks to all who participated in the tournament and we hope to see you at the 29^th Annual.

Headquarters Pumpkin Carving Contest

This is your forest service community newsletter

Please share your news, events, triumphs, adventures, challenges, ideas, photos, cartoons, helpful hints, trivia—anything you think might interest the rest of us in the B.C. Forest Service.

What would you like to see in the FS News? Please tell us!

If you have a story idea, please check with us first before you write. Someone else might be already working on it.

If you have a story to tell but don’t want to write it, we’ll do it, from your information.

Email: Lindsey.Olivier@gems6.gov.bc.ca
Phone: (250) 356-6181

Or

Pat.Lush@gems1.gov.bc.ca
Phone: (250) 356-7503

Snail mail: FS News, MOF Communications Branch,
595 Pandora St., Victoria, B.C. V8W 9C3