This page will give brief summaries of the Southwest BC Recreation and Conservation Committee Meeting Minutes to help keep members in Southwest BC and the rest of the province up to date on issues in this region of BC and ways that the SW Rec & Con Committee is working with representatives from the provincial government, land and resource industries and commercial recreation to resolve conflicts with other users and stakeholders such as heli-skiing, snowmobile use, logging and mining.
Summary of Jan 23, 2012 SW BC Rec & Con Committee Minutes Brian Wood, SW BC Rec&Con Committee Co-Chair 1. 21 Mile Creek/Rainbow Non-Motorized Area. To increase public response to the recent FMCBC survey of illegal snowmobile activity in the non-motorized zones in the Rainbow area, our members are posting additional notices in appropriate areas. To participate in the survey, please visit www.mountainclubs.org/21mile. We are also looking for photographic evidence of snowmobile activity, eg. just tracks if no machines are present, to help justify enforcement, and this evidence can be sent to bivouac via the FMCBC website. Members are encouraged to organize club trips to the area to increase presence of skiers and snowshoers as well as improve our surveillance of the area. 2. Whistler Olympic Park (WOP) WOP is planning to construct a 15 metres wide “Nordic ski trail” from the top of the Olympic ski jump area to Madeley Lake which will pass through some presently undisturbed mature forest. The SW BCRec & Con Committee feels that a trail of that width is more like a road than a trail, and will therefore cause far more environmental damage than a more usual-sized Nordic ski trail that is typically about 3 metres wide. Members who agree with the FMCBC are encouraged to write letters expressing their concern about this plan to WOP and to copy the FMCBC. 3. Spearhead Traverse Huts This ambitious proposal is undergoing or has completed several initial studies as required by the current Garibaldi Park Master Plan. The proponent, the Spearhead Hut Committee, has provided some details of the proposal on their website, and also on the Alpine Club of Canada Whistler Section's website. Specific sections of the Garibaldi Park Master Plan, including the Spearhead Range, are undergoing a consultation process to re-evualate the present plan, and BC Parks expects to receive comments from interested parties respecting this re-evaluation. At present, the FMCBC feels that it has insufficient information on the proposal to either support it or reject it as many details have not yet been finalised. For example, we are concerned about the size of the huts and how reserved and non-reserved spaces in the huts will be managed. The FMCBC appreciates that the huts will provide benefits such as emergency shelter and some management of human waste disposal which currently are presently unavailable on this increasingly popular traverse. Please send any comments or concerns that you might have to the Spearhead Hut Committee. 4. BC Parks and Working Volunteers' Insurance Members of the FMCBC will attend the Vancouver area meeting of the BC Parks Volunteer Strategy on 16 February. Vancouver is one of several venues across the Province where this the situation will be discussed. We hope to be informed of BC Park's future plans to reinstate at least liability insurance, and possibly also accident insurance, for volunteers who work on infrastructure, mainly trails, in BC Parks. After the results of this meeting have been circulated among our members, the FMCBC is proposing to send a letter to BC Parks with our comments and any additional proposals. So please feel free to send us your concerns and suggestions about this important issue which might help to improve the present state of our parks. 5. Grant Applications The Province has re-instated the Gaming Grant Program for projects relating to two areas where our type of volunteer work might be appropriate, namely Sport Issues, in which the application deadline is 31 May, and Environment issues in which the deadline is 31 August. Click here for details of the procedure. Grants are also available from the Recreation Foundation of
BC. The application deadline of January 31 has passed for this year, but watch their website for 2013 grants. Member Clubs are encouraged to apply for grants for club projects and the FMCBC can offer letters of support and can assist with drafting applications, but we require ample time to assist with the process (2 months is recommended). Your club should have at least some project and budget details worked out in order for the FMCBC to be able to assist with your application. If your club is not able to apply for a grant directly it is possible to apply through the FMCBC, but your club needs to provide the FMCBC with all the necessary documents and a budget in order to make this happen. Summary of Dec 19, 2011 SW BC Rec & Con Committee Minutes Brian Wood, SW BC Rec&Con Committee Co-Chair 1.Whistler Olympic Park (WOP) To obtain data relating to improper snowmobile activity in the 21 mile Creek/Rainbow area, the FMC website is hosting a survey at www.mountainclubs.org/21mile. This survey is to supply hard data which might be sufficient to enable use of tougher measures to restrict snowmobiles in this LRMP designated non-motorized area. If you have been to this area since 2009, please complete the survey with your experiences involving snowmobiles and their tracks for all your visits there. 2. Fitzsimmons Creek Bridge and Hiking Trails Task force (HTTF). To facilitate access to or from the Spearhead Traverse via Singing Pass a bridge across Fitzsimmons Creek is needed near the base of the Whistler Blackcomb Ski Area. The HTTF is prioritizing its inventory of trails near Whistler to decide which trails have the greatest priority for improvement and a bridge for the Singing Pass trail MAY be at or near the top of their list. 3.Chilcotin Parks Plan. The FMC submitted input on this plan by the December deadline and we are monitoring progress. 4. Skookum Creek IPP Proposal The FMC will be contacting the proponent to make our concerns known as the Forest Service roads(FSR) in this area may be changed due to this proposal. The main FSR provides access to Mt. Mamquam and to other areas of interest. The local mountain bikers are also concerned about this development and we expect to cooperate with them about access issues of mutual concern. 5. Mt Seymour Parking Issues. The FMC is seeking clarification on warnings from employees of the ski area that those back country skiers and snowshoers who park their cars at the upper (western) end of the parking lot are liable for fines or to have their cars towed. The employees indicate that non-paying skiers and snowshoers who use the western portions of the lot are making it inconvenient for paying customers and should instead park in the easternmost parking lots much further from the ski lifts, and from the normal back country access trail. We are asking members to report their experiences with this issue which arose shortly before Christmas and we hope to resolve it shortly. 6. Natural Resource Road Act Survey. The FMC submitted its response to this survey by the 15 Dec deadline and we will monitor progress of this complex issue. 7 Province-wide Advocacy Committee (AC) The new AC is being formed to improve two-way communication between the regional committees of our member clubs (or directly from the clubs) and the Recreation and Conservation and Trails committee based in SW BC. The AC has drafted a initial list of about ten issues which are considered to impact backcountry users on a province-wide scale, and requests our members to supply us with their concerns so that the list can be more comprehensive. Eventually, the AC hopes to prioritize the issues which give the most problems, and a few of these will become the focus of our attempts to improved matters by dealing directly with the appropriate authorities in Victoria. Initially the AC will have a provincial listserve to deal with all matters, and other web-based communication methods will be tried, eg regular meetings using Skype or other means.
Summary of Nov 21, 2011 SW BC Rec & Con Committee Minutes
Brian Wood, SW BC Rec&Con Committee Co-Chair 1) Brandin Schultz Discussion.
13 members of the committee discussed many of our concerns relating to BC Parks with Brandin Schultz, the new BC Parks Southwest Regional Manager whose office is conveniently located on the North Shore. His office has an area of responsibility which covers the Sunshine Coast, the Sea-to-Sky Corridor up to Joffre area, the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley up to the Coquihalla, but not Manning Park which is managed by the Kootenay Regional office. He indicated that recent re-organisation of the Ministry of the Environment should help parks planners focus on some of the matters that may have slipped in the last 5-10 years.
The main topics discussed are summarised below.
We asked why the recent renewal of the heli-ski tenure/permit in the Spearhead Range in Garibaldi Park was made without calling for public consultation. This contrasts with renewal of commercial tenures on Crown land outside parks where there is usually public consultation before renewal of a tenure. Brandin explained that there was public consultation during the original park planning process to devise the master plan, and that it was not necessary to repeat the consultation process for a renewal. However, probably because of the Spearhead Huts proposal, the permit was renewed for only 5 years as opposed to the previous 10 years as BC Parks felt that the question of heli-skiing should be revisited before the 5 year term expires to alert the company of the possible change. We are renewing our previous request for an effective avoidance protocol between heli-skiers and back country skiers. We also stressed the need to facilitate access to the Singing Pass trail which is an important access to Garibaldi Park and one of the self-propelled accesses to the classic Spearhead Traverse. This traverse likely will see much more usage if the Spearhead Huts proposal is approved, and one suggestion to improve self-propelled access to this area is to re-install a bridge over Fitzsimmons Creek. While this bridge would not be in Garibaldi Park itself, it is an important access issue and the FMC strongly supports prompt action on this matter. We raised the broader question of motorized versus non-motorized recreation in or near BC parks in general, but particularly in Garibaldi Park which has been and still is under many stresses from park boundary shifting to accommodate expansions of Whistler Blackcombe, the proposed Garibaldi at Squamish Resort, trespassing by snowmobilers etc. We stressed that since so much land in the adjacent Sea-to-Sky corridor has been turned over to long term motorized commercial recreation tenures, the park represents the only real refuge from motorized recreation and must be preserved for self-propelled activities. We noted that public, ie. non-commercial snow mobilers, are often found in designated non-motorized zones, but this might be due to ignorance, not necessarily defiance, of the law. We are trying to inform the snow mobilers by erecting signs on access roads which show non-motorized areas. In contrast with the public snow mobilers, commercial snow mobile tour operators tend to keep to their designated tenured areas as they are more aware and would risk losing their tenure for non-compliance. Brandin mentioned the recent “Healthy by Nature” conference and this makes us hopeful that health benefits of non-motorized activities might finally be recognized and enforcement of non-motorized zones might eventually be realized. General problems relating to most BC Parks were discussed, and many of the problems relate directly to the funding reductions over the last decade or so. These include the well publicized failure to maintain trails, bridges, toilets, shelters etc particularly in back country parks, whereas the same facilities in front country parks are better maintained, presumably as they are used more and are more visible. Brandin explained that the new Park Enhancement Fund is available to receive public and corporate donations which can be designated for a particular project in a particular park. The response to this funding initiative remains to be seen, but we indicated that many people would rather contribute labour than cash to help with park infrastructure maintenance, ie volunteering to maintain trails. In this regard the FMC is not fully satisfied with the question of liability insurance for volunteers working in parks and the need for rangers to be present when there are so few rangers available for this work. After these extensive discussions with Brandin Schulze, he left the meeting and there was little time left for other matters, but two topics were discussed as follows:-
2) Spearhead Huts Proposal David Scanlon, one of the BC Mountaineering Club representatives on the Spearhead Huts Committee (SHC) provided additional information relating to progress of the project. Progress on the ground is being made as three potential hut sites have been selected and pursuant to Stage 2 of the Park plan, work has started on various scientific studies of these sites which are accessible from both the summer and winter traverse routes. Some details can be found on the SHC website: www.spearheadhuts.org . Hut management plans are underway and David indicated that the Alpine Club of Canada, Whistler Section will be in charge of taking the bookings and it will be a pay and book ahead system. Furthermore, there will be a limit on number of people who can book and the guides will be informed that they cannot book the entire hut. The general idea is to have a portion of the accommodation that can be booked and a remaining portion on a “first-come” basis. The FMC asked the SHC to provide the public with a “Vision” of how the ACC expects this hut management system to work as some FMC members feel that some ACC huts in other parts are not managed to their satisfaction.
3) Natural Resource Roads Act The FMC will be submitting input on the Discussion Paper on the proposed Natural Resource Road Act by the deadline of 15 December 2011. Members of the public are invited to send their submissions by this deadline by completing the on-line survey found at:- http:/www.for.gov.bc.ca/mof/nrra/feedback.htm It is added that often these deadlines are not strictly enforced and submissions received shortly after the deadline might still be admitted as input, so give it a try if you have not already done so. If you submit input, remember that backcountry users rely mostly on forest service roads to access the back country, and to some parks At present, de-activation and lack of maintenance to bridges as well as the road bed is causing loss of access that used to be available. Also, gating a road will probably prevent access by regular cars whereas ATV’s (quads), motorized trail bikes and snowmobiles commonly can by-pass ant gates which can provide access to delicate alpine areas which can be subjected to essentially permanent damage by these machines.
Summary of October 17, 2011 SW BC Rec & Con Committee Minutes Brian Wood, SW BC Rec&Con Committee Co-Chair 1)21 Mile Creek As there has been no real response or commitment to deal with our request to restrict motorized activities per the LRMP designation, the committee will draft letters to local politicians and media to bring this unresolved matter to the public’s attention. 2) Whistler Olympic Park Good news is that for $10 per person skiers can use WOP trails for backcountry access and more signs will be installed to clarify access. Overnight parking is now available and much easier to buy by going online. Bad news is that Callaghan Country trails are not accessible with a WOP ticket, and use of CC trails by back country skiers is indeterminate at present. 3) Garibaldi Park a)We are attempting to get conditions for the recent 5 year renewal of WB Heli-ski license in the Spearhead Range, which is permitted under the present GP plan. b) The Spearhead Hut project is initiating various studies to determine environmental, safety, etc, aspects relating to three proposed cabin sites which are accessible from both the proposed winter and summer trails. c) We are investigating the various “stakeholders’ who would be involved with our plans to have a bridge installed across the Fitzsimmons Creek to facilitate access to the old Singing Pass Trail which would become more important if the Spearhead huts are built. d) Friends of Garibaldi Park will be having their inaugural meeting in the near future so that they can become a registered society and be in a better position for fundraising. 4)BC Parks Funding Scott Webster and Al Jenkins reported on the recent meeting organised by CPAWS and the Parks Elders relating to funding and other parks issues. We will be monitoring progress of the select “Steering Committee” or core group and will help wherever possible. 5) Natural Resource Roads Act Project This recent government initiative is being reviewed so that the FMCBC can make a submission before the deadline of 15 December 2011. Please review the project at the website is http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/mof/nrra/index.htm and in particular note references to road de-activation and gating which will severely effect our back country access. |
|
Trails & Projects >
SW BC Rec&Con Meeting Summaries |