A youth fishing program intended to teach children to appreciate nature at Maguire Lake in Salmon Arm, British Columbia, is apparently backfiring. Reportedly, countless turtles have become tangled up in fishing line or have swallowed hooks! This can result in prolonged suffering and slow, agonizing deaths. Officials are considering extending the dock to persuade kids to fish offshore, but since the turtles don't stay exclusively on the shoreline and are attracted to baited hooks, this expensive measure won't solve the problem. Further, turtles are also reportedly being harassed by unsupervised children participating in this program. Please politely urge officials to prohibit all fishing in Maguire Lake's sensitive environment immediately. Tell them that kids can learn to respect the outdoors via wildlife watching, hiking, and community-based ecosystem restoration projects.Send polite comments to:Steve MaricleSmall Lakes Fisheries BiologistMinistry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operationssteve.maricle@gov.bc.caThe Honourable Marty Bootsma Mayor of Salmon Armmbootsma@salmonarm.caPlease also e-mail the members of the Salmon Arm City Council: dcannon@salmonarm.ca, celiason@salmonarm.ca, kflynn@salmanarm.ca, aharrison@salmonarm.ca, iidzan@salmonarm.ca, and kjamieson@salmonarm.ca.