Mortar sweep continues at Vancouver Island sand dunes

A section of Pacific Rim National Park Reserveon Vancouver Island's westcoast that was supposed to reopen to thepublic last spring remainsclosedbecause officials still aren't sure whether any more dangerous ammunition is buried there.

The area, known as theWickaninnish Sand Dunes,was used as a target range for Second World War soldiers learning to toss grenades, fire artillery and drop bombs.

Part of the dunes, an arearoughly the size of three football fields, wasclosed 16 months ago, after an unexploded mortar shellwas discovered.

Canada'sDepartment of National Defence has sinceconducted two electromagnetic sweeps of the area, but says one more sweepis necessary to find any other dangerous devices.

Renee Wissink,resource conservation manager for Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, said the finalsweep won't take place until this fall. He saidthe unpredictability of the dunesis partly responsible for the delay.

"The terrain is difficult, it's up and down, it's shifting," he said.

The dunes are also home to several endangered species, including plants and moths that can't be disturbed at certain times of the year.

Wissink said that, so far, no more live ammunition has been found.

"There's been lots of the sorts of fragments that we've always seen in there over the years: shells from high-calibre rifles, fragments of smoke flares,"he said. "They also find other cultural artifacts, including such popular items as beer cans."

He expects the area will be reopened to the public early in the new year.