The Copperbelt Railway and Mining Museum is out about $1,500 in goods and a small amount of cash following a break-in to the museum early Monday morning.

Angela Drainville is the executive director of the Miles Canyon Historic Railway Society, which owns and operates the Kopper King-area facility.

She said this morning a brand new laptop computer and some gold jewelry from the gift shop were among the items stolen.

The thief or thieves did not get away with much cash because the museum staff remove most of it at the close of business every day.

“It was just so senseless, so ridiculous,” Drainville said.

She said the alarm was triggered at 7:20 a.m. The police were not immediately called because squirrels have been known to set off the alarm, she said.

When Drainville arrived at the museum 20 minutes later, she noticed a window had been broken into.

She waited for the arrival of the maintenance supervisor and another employee before she entered the building to find the mess.

In addition to the missing items and two stolen cash boxes with little money in them, the thieves removed soft drinks from the fridge and poured them on the floor, she said.

Drainville said none of the museum’s collection was missing.

This is another example of thieves hitting non-profit organizations where it hurts, she said.

These organizations provide a valuable community service and can least afford the losses they’re faced with, she noted.

Most recently, the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter on Tlingit Street lost $500 when thieves jimmied a window open and stole the cash from a locked file cabinet.

Drainville said in addition to the break-ins, there’s the ongoing issue of vandalism and graffiti, particularly along the Whitehorse waterfront.

But a couple of sheds at the Copperbelt museum were also tagged over the winter months with material so inappropriate for children it just had to be removed as soon as the snow melted, she said.

Drainville said painting over the graffiti was at the expense of the non-profit, just as it will be for repairing the window the thieves took out Monday morning.

These unwanted and unnecessary costs come as the facility tries “to keep our admission rates, camp registration and birthday party prices accessible so families can visit affordably,” she said.

The graffiti problem along the waterfront was particularly noticeable earlier this month and in late June, said Drainville.

At one point, the back of the historic White Pass and Yukon Route depot was covered with it.

“I am hearing tourists riding the trolley say, ‘This is such a pretty community except for the graffiti problem.’”

Drainville said discussions among non-profit organizations have begun to see what can be done about the numerous break-ins and graffiti sprees.

Perhaps the community could provide a service or activity that would lessen the problem, she said.

Drainville said a graffiti park might be the answer, for instance.

She knows of one non-profit organization which is preparing a letter to raise the issue of possible solutions with city council.

One has to wonder what the root cause is, whether it’s a behavioural thing, perhaps desperation, because these thefts have serious consequences without a lot of reward, Drainville said.