The South East SnoRiders Club is expressing disappointment after a solar panel was stolen from the recently rebuilt Tomahawk Shelter. Club President Mitch Gobiel says the shelter had only recently been restored following wildfire damage in the RM of Piney, thanks to fundraising efforts and support from the community. Now, another unexpected setback means the volunteer-run club will once again need to replace stolen equipment. Gobiel says the theft happened sometime between Saturday, July 18, and Wednesday, July 22. “One of our club members, a former board member, he was there last Saturday, and it was fine because that one is totally accessible by quads and stuff. So, we don't mind that ATVers use it. We don't have a problem with it. Of course, there's no light at night because we did take the battery out, but we left the panel. And he was there [on Wednesday] and the panel is gone.” Related Stories: Southeast SnoRiders rebuild Tomahawk Shelter after forest fire loss Southeast Snoriders Having Tough Time Getting Trails Ready Lighting plays an important safety role Gobiel says the solar panel provides lighting during the winter months when darkness comes early and snowmobilers rely on the shelters as safe stopping points. “Snowman has a, I won't say a rule, but a requirement that shelters have some sort of light. And it can be a solar panel, it can be a candle, but we stay away from candles. That way, less likely that the place will burn down type of thing.” He adds that lighting is about more than convenience, it is also an important safety feature. “If somebody breaks down in that area, in any of the areas where the shelters are, it's more than just you got to get in and make a fire and stuff. You need light so you can see what you're doing type of thing.” A familiar problem returns While the theft is frustrating, Gobiel says vandalism and theft at shelters are not new challenges for the club. Around eight to 10 years ago, damage became so frequent that the club removed it altogether for two years because repairs were becoming too costly. “It was costing us over $2,000 a year 10 years ago for maintenance of vandalism of shelters in the Woodridge area. And of course, got lots of complaints from some of those saying, hey, we need a shelter there, and we did replace it.” In previous years, the club would remove the shelter during the summer to help prevent theft and vandalism. However, Gobiel says they chose to leave it in place this year because of the support they received from the ATV community while fundraising to rebuild it after the wildfire. Now, replacing the stolen solar panel has become another job for volunteers. “It's not only buy one and stuff, but also take the time to go and reinstall it. But we'll wait till later in the fall, basically just before the snowmobile season kicks in before we do it, because we don't want to keep feeding the beast, so to speak.” A plea to return the panel In a Facebook post, Gobiel encouraged whoever took the solar panel to simply return it to the club's shop in Woodridge, no questions asked. “It only takes one bad apple to spoil the barrel. And that's basically what it is. It just takes somebody being greedy, whatever you want to call it. It's just frustrating with the amount of volunteer hours that our volunteers put into this organization, that something as simple as that, it's disappointing.” With files from Adi Loewen