More Alpine Closures being Proposed

[tomcycle]

For those of you guys that have ridden the China Head Ridge you will notice that it's within the closure. If you are concerned about this you should contact BCORMA and find out what we can do

If we sit back and do nothing, we can expect all alpine to be closed in the not too distant future

Here we go again, though these are not general closures above 5,700ft. Area is between Clinton and Pemberton.

Doesn't directly effect our current trail networks, but may effect dual sport or wilderness single-track riders. These two closures are for all motorized vehicle use year-round from the below email.

If you read the referenced alpine closure regulations for other areas, certain specified roads are open to summer recreational powersports. No background on how those roads are chosen as open vs closed. Since I don't have the science documentation behind these closures, I'm wondering why recreational use is closed, but various commercial resource extraction use of quads and snowmobiles is allowed. If Grizzlies need protecting, protect them.

Should this be pushed to our PTAB representative(s)? Not sure where BCSF and ATVBC are at with this specific closure. BCSF is referenced in the email. We also need to be vigilant for these types of regulations to get rolled out into more general closures to be applied across the Province.


Peter Sprague, MSc.

Hi Peter,

The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is seeking input from the BC Snowmobile Federation with respect to proposed Alpine Motor Vehicle Wildlife Act closures within the Cayoosh and Shulaps Mountain Range. These closures will apply to all motorized vehicles. Under the Wildlife Act Motor Vehicle Prohibition Regulation a motor vehicle is defined as:
“motor vehicle" means a device in, on or by which a person or thing is being or may be transported or drawn, and which is designed to be self-propelled, and includes an atv or snowmobile, but does not include
(a) a device designed to be moved by human, animal or wind power,
(b) a device designed to be used exclusively on stationary rails or stationary tracks, or
(c) a boat propelled by motorized power;

These closures will apply year round at the 1,920 meter elevation (approximately 6,300 feet). These closures are identical to adjacent existing closures under the Wildlife Act such as Nine Mile, Hogback Mountain.

More information on existing closures under the Wildlife Act Motor Vehicle Prohibition Regulation can be found here: http://www.bclaws.ca/Recon/document/ID/freeside/474756515

These closures are required to protect and conserve important alpine habitat and regionally important wildlife. Please refer to the table below that outlines wildlife values these closures will conserve and protect.

Species or Habitat	Conservation Status	Value	Wildlife ActClosure
Grizzly Bear	Threatened Population	Spring Habitat, Whitebark pine	Shulaps , Cayoosh
Mountain Goat	Species of concern	Winter and Kidding Habitats	Cayoosh, Shulaps
California Sheep	Species of concern	Alpine Winter Habitat	Shulaps
Whitebark Pine	Threatened species of concern	Important fall food for Grizzly bear	Shulaps, Cayoosh
Mule Deer	Secure not at risk	Summer foraging habitat	Shulaps, Cayoosh
Wolverine	Species of concern	Denning habitat	Shulaps, Cayoosh

I have enclosed two maps for you to use as a reference that will assist you with respect to providing any comments that you may have. In addition, please refer to the attached Google Earth file that illustrates where these closures will apply. Please accept this email as an opportunity to comment. I have passed this information on to the Ministry of Recs and trails.
If I have not heard from you by Friday October 23[SUP]rd[/SUP], 2015 I will assume you have no comments on these closures. For your respective club members you can also comment through the hunting and trapping public advisory website: http://apps.nrs.gov.bc.ca/pub/ahte/ Proposed regulations will be posted here shortly.

If you have any questions or have problems viewing the attached files please feel free to contact me.

Respectfully,

Francis J. Iredale, RPBio
Wildlife Biologist
Fish and Wildlife Branch, Resource Stewardship Division
Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations
Thompson-Okanagan Region
Work: (250) 371-6241
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wildlife/wsi/index.htm

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?u...24400a7224470&attid=0.3&disp=inline&safe=1&zw

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?u...24400a7224470&attid=0.4&disp=inline&safe=1&zw

 

[Pembydoorider]

I sent this to the BCSF and they knew nothing about it. Is this how our government does consultation?

 

[offworlder]

I sent this to the BCSF and they knew nothing about it. Is this how our government does consultation?

Thanks and good thinking PDR ! Perhaps we should then do the same with ATVBC ? Do we have any cross reps (both DSBC and ATVBC) here ?

 

[tomcycle]

I just got an email from BCORMA pushing this issue back to DSBC

Many of you DSBC riders have crossed the Shulaps perhaps not even knowing it? Make sure to check out the map below

I am have problems finding much direct government information on this closure and where we can send our comments, perhaps someone else might know where the information is.

I found a nice video of riding the Shulaps

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hLhBwuJvNjs/VhfrtehxQ9I/AAAAAAAAEBA/twKQx9PN1v4/s1600/12110004_1666291473585915_7099414306583923469_o.jp g

 

[cactusreid]

tom , can you possibly post a link to your map that shows what and where the closures are? my old imac putor and old eyes are have trouble picking out the areas. And also a statement in defence of us 2 wheeled dirt and dualsport riders, watch that video for a bit and try to spot any section of that single track that is wider that 18 inches. yes it has a track burnt in, but that trail has probably been used by dirt riders for the last 30 odd years. Have a look at what a feller/buncher and a skidder will create in a pristine wilderness in a few day's or a week and then tell me that we are making a huge negative impact. If the greenies are really concerned about saving vast tracts of wilderness in our world, i'm here to tell them that they are barking up the wrong tree's!! no pun intended!

 

[offworlder]

More info here: http://www.debbiedemare.com/2015/10/proposed-motorized-vehicle-closures.html

You can see via Google Maps this area contains the following peaks: Big Sheep, Big Dog, Noaxe, Blue, all the Shulaps and more. Poison Mt. and the Yalakom appear to be just outside of the restrictions, but its hard to be sure: https://goo.gl/maps/6YGFrwQMHJF2 (zoom in to see the peaks)

Comments can be sent to: [email protected]

 

[tomcycle]

Thanks Mark, Im still looking for the official government link as there is a link for comments and we all want to put in a 2 cents worth before they make a final decision

 

[Pembydoorider]

After many complaints to government they are finally listening and are going to be putting up a website by Nov 15 that will allow public input. When I get a link I will post it here

 

[tomcycle]

After many complaints to government they are finally listening and are going to be putting up a website by Nov 15 that will allow public input. When I get a link I will post it here

This is good news, where did you get this info from

T

 

[triplenickel]

Videos like that sure don't help our case.

 

[Pembydoorider]

Videos like that sure don't help our case.

Why? it looks like they are riding on an existing trail

 

[Pembydoorider]

This is good news, where did you get this info from

T

From the SLRD rep
http://www.debbiedemare.com/2015/10/proposed-motorized-vehicle-closures.html

 

[cactusreid]

I'm with pembydoo as i think that vids like these can help our cause. but we also will have to start posting our own outraged videos of feller benchers and log processors, encroaching into areas that we have held sacred for decades, and as they wipe out and destroy vast areas of wilderness in a weeks worth of time!! I have yet to have anyone come up to me and say- "Sorry about destroying your long held and traditional dirtbike trails"

 

[Island Hopper]

Triplenickel may have a point, that trail in the video looks more like a game trail than a motorized use trail, especially in some of the clips where it disappears on the scree slope.. It's a tough call on what is go and what is no go, but that trail for sure is off the beaten path so to speak... A few years back when the mineral exploration teams were crawling over that area the word was that a mine was going to go in and they were going to shut it to recreational users, as Cactusreid stated heavy industrial use seems to trump all... As the main China Head FSR route has been in continuous use for many many yrs you would think the wildlife would have it ingrained by now as part of their instinct..

 

[tomcycle]

Don't get sidetracked by the video, the real issue is area closure without consultation. To date October 28 2015 I have yet to find an official government website to inform the public of this proposed closure (and I am pretty good as google search)

I do have a copy of an email that went to the ORC intended for snowmobile guys

 

[tomcycle]

From what I can gather to date, the only motorised contact for the area closure was the snowmobile guys. It also went out to the Outdoor Recreation Council and they forward this to their motorised members (unfortunately DSBC is not a member of the ORC)

If you have thoughts about this closure, which I would think everyone should, I would direct your comments to the sender of this email

Francis J. Iredale, RPBio
Wildlife Biologist
Fish and Wildlife Branch, Resource Stewardship Division
Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations
Thompson-Okanagan Region
Work: (250) 371-6241
[email protected]

From: Iredale, Francis FLNR:EX [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Tuesday, 29 September 2015 12:14 PM
To: '[email protected]' <[email protected]>
Subject: Proposed Alpine Vehicle Closures Wildlife Act Shulaps and Cayoosh Drainages



Hi Sal,

Hope your summer of trail mapping went well. It is regulation proposal season for us at the Ministry and we have a couple of access closures under the Wildlife Act we are proposing. Please pass on to those members that would be interesting in commenting.

Thank-you,
Fran



The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations is seeking input from the BC Snowmobile Federation with respect to proposed Alpine Motor Vehicle Wildlife Act closures within the Cayoosh and Shulaps Mountain Range. These closures will apply to all motorized vehicles. Under the Wildlife Act Motor Vehicle Prohibition Regulation a motor vehicle is defined as:
motor vehicle" means a device in, on or by which a person or thing is being or may be transported or drawn, and which is designed to be self-propelled, and includes an atv or snowmobile, but does not include
(a) a device designed to be moved by human, animal or wind power,
(b) a device designed to be used exclusively on stationary rails or stationary tracks, or
(c) a boat propelled by motorized power;

These closures will apply year round at the 1,920 meter elevation (approximately 6,300 feet). These closures are identical to adjacent existing closures under the Wildlife Act such as Nine Mile, Hogback Mountain.

More information on existing closures under the Wildlife Act Motor Vehicle Prohibition Regulation can be found here:http://www.bclaws.ca/Recon/document/ID/freeside/474756515

These closures are required to protect and conserve important alpine habitat and regionally important wildlife. Please refer to the table below that outlines wildlife values these closures will conserve and protect.

Species or Habitat	Conservation Status	Value	Wildlife Act Closure
Grizzly Bear	Threatened Population	Spring Habitat, Whitebark pine	Shulaps , Cayoosh
Mountain Goat	Species of concern	Winter and Kidding Habitats	Cayoosh, Shulaps
California Sheep	Species of concern	Alpine Winter Habitat	Shulaps
Whitebark Pine	Threatened species of concern	Important fall food for Grizzly bear	Shulaps, Cayoosh
Mule Deer	Secure not at risk	Summer foraging habitat	Shulaps, Cayoosh
Wolverine	Species of concern	Denning habitat	Shulaps, Cayoosh

I have enclosed two maps for you to use as a reference that will assist you with respect to providing any comments that you may have. In addition, please refer to the attached Google Earth file that illustrates where these closures will apply. Please accept this email as an opportunity to comment. I have passed this information on to the Ministry of Recs and trails.
If I have not heard from you by Friday October 23[SUP]rd[/SUP], 2015 I will assume you have no comments on these closures. For your respective club members you can also comment through the hunting and trapping public advisory website:http://apps.nrs.gov.bc.ca/pub/ahte/ Proposed regulations will be posted here shortly.

If you have any questions or have problems viewing the attached files please feel free to contact me.


Respectfully,

Francis J. Iredale, RPBio
Wildlife Biologist
Fish and Wildlife Branch, Resource Stewardship Division
Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resource Operations
Thompson-Okanagan Region
Work: (250) 371-6241
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/wildlife/wsi/index.htm

 

[triplenickel]

Why? it looks like they are riding on an existing trail

That's not what our foes will see. They'll see guys roosting, passing each other and turning up dirt off the trail, cutting corners making new trail not to mention the noise from spirited riding. You can hear camera guy get hit with a rock from thumper roost after getting passed before thumper throws up a little roost, this is while going through fresh veg off trail. That happened in less than the first minute. Don't get me wrong I don't have a problem with it but others perception is what costs us riding areas, we need to be smarter about what we do and publicize in contentious areas. The vid doesn't illustrate the tread lightly mantra and motorized users don't generally have much support. Ask a sledder.

 

[tomcycle]

Reminder

Don't get sidetracked by the video. We have the Sierra Club for that!

 

[Pembydoorider]

So Nov 15 has come and gone and no website as was promised. As soon as there is one I will post the link here. Seems like the government was caught a bit by surprise by the oppostion

 

[coyote650]

Had a quick look at mineral/ mine claims just to get an idea of industry interest. It would seem that the areas of proposed alpine protection are pretty comprehensively blanketed, with large blocks by various exploration companies . Looking at assessment reports filed they include diamond drilling and trenching as well as the usual grid based geochem. and geophys. surveying. I don't really see this as in keeping with the tone/idea of habitat protection. Did they get the same notification Rec. users got ? Maybe with seasonal access to work around wildlife....All the above would have required road building or helicopter lifts, camps and vehicle on and off road support.