This is quite a last minute posting on my part as the time for public feedback submissions on the province's Old-Growth Strategy closes today (January 31st) You can make your submission today using the link/image below.https://www.ancientforestalliance.org/old-growth-review/?fbclid=IwAR0XRpcjJX3lxT-vDWGo5XkIvRBctLg9LAaONRFck1B6g8fDl3kw5bA3snc BC Old-Growth Strategic Review Thank you for your interest in submitting feedback to the old growth panel. The public consultation period is...

Update on Garibaldi Squamish Resort According to their Winter 2019/2020 (https://www.garibaldiatsquamish.ca/news/2019/2/4/winter20192020newsletter?fbclid=IwAR22Y4ociivhiq0YF_Eihh5hWSab1qIM-jZjgsQxMskwdZJo8DvyNscFYBQ) It appears that Rod Macleod retired and has been replaced with Sabina FooFat as Project Director. They desire to apply to extend their EA (environmental assessment certificate) in the Spring to 2026. The proposed resort would occupy 2,760 hectares and is to be...

Introduction A letter campaign initiated by the British Columbia Mountaineering Club in 1915 followed by a second campaign in 1917 supported by the Alpine Club of Canada (among others) led to the Garibaldi Park Reserve being established April 28, 1920 by Order in Council of the provincial government. One hundred years later, the B.C. Mountaineering Club now proposes the Garibaldi Provincial Park southwestern amendment. The southwestern amendment proposal is for an expansion of the trail and...

The article below from the Daily Hive (January 2nd) contains a decent little summary of the interconnected players in the local ski business, specifically Grouse Mountain, Revelstoke Mountain Resort and Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing and the proposed Garibaldi at Squamish Resort. Personally, I haven't heard any new news pertaining to developments with the Garibaldi at Squamish Resort proposal (GAS) since Fall 2019.   -x- Less than two years after it acquired Grouse Mountain, a...

Callaghan Country has two trails that are pay for use in winter. They are the groomed trails (one is the service road and the other is the FSR). If you don't use the groomed trails you can wander anywhere in the tenure without paying a fee. I spoke with FLNRORD about building a new, free public trail. They would support it. We used to ski up the FSR for free. Then the snowmobilers got kicked out and CC stabbed its supporters in the backcountry community in the back by making them pay to use...

Planning by Metro Vancouver pertaining to the potential opening up Widgeon Marsh Regional Reserve appears to be underway. There is an online public survey referenced (a link), however it seems to not be functioning correctly. (Survey Closed)   -x- A massive freshwater marsh on the edge of wilderness is approaching a new milestone on its way to becoming one of Metro Vancouver’s biggest parks.  The Widgeon Marsh reserve is currently shut off to the public, and only Metro...

The intent behind a FOI request I made was to research a surprise I found while hiking near Hidden Peak on 20190728. I found a heli landing pad marker stake is on the flat patch at 50.21577, -123.23189. This appears to be just inside the Park boundary. Based on the FOI results, two heli operators are permitted to operate inside the Conservancy, but not the Park. It is likely that this stake belongs to one of these two companies. It is therefore possible that one (or both) of these companies...

BC Trails Strategic Review An important BC Government strategic Trail Review and Planning is underway. Public comment and input is currently being solicited. It is important that the voice and wishes of the non-motorized backcountry recreation community is heard and represented. Submit your comments at the bottom link (the image). The proposed new Trail Strategy Document can be viewed here as...

It appears that the idea of a Jumbo Glacier Ski Resort has been finally relegated to the rubbish bin of history. -x- Conservation has won in the 30-year battle over the $1 billion Jumbo Glacier resort with an agreement to extinguish the developer’s tenures and turn the area into a First Nations protected area, the Ktunaxa First Nation announced Saturday. The Ktunaxa began an effort last year to buy out proposed resort owner’s tenures for Jumbo to turn the land into a conservation area that...

Nice to see that repairs at the Sea to Sky Gondola are ahead of schedule for an earlier than expected reopening. -x- Squamish tourist attraction to reopen 6 months after main cable was severed, causing millions in damageThe Sea to Sky Gondola will reopen on Valentine's Day, just over six months after a vandal cut through the main cable causing millions of dollars in damage. The Squamish, B.C., tourist attraction took delivery of a new 4.4-kilometre cable from Switzerland...

The matter of illegal backcountry huts I've written one application for a backcountry hut and assisted with a second. Front Counter BC is the managing agency. From what I know of the process, the agency checks with other land agencies, First Nations etc. for impacts, conflicts etc. That would include biologists looking for impacts on wildlife, habitat, endangered species. Also important, is who is managing the facility. An abandoned facility would become a problem for the province and...

Public Comments are currently being accepted until January 28, 2020 for the proposed Bridal Falls Gondola in Chilliwack. Information Below:https://comment.nrs.gov.bc.ca/applications?id=5deea32924e1cc0021629eb6&fbclid=IwAR3QKV8IcnPiIPPODifJcwbXVYcaggWc72Tuy2AonCsEix21fGSppjTtjMc#details Application Details:   This application is to add an additional parcel of Crown land to an existing Investigative Use Licence held by the Bridal Falls Gondola Corporation for the same purpose...

Grouse Mountain is being sold yet again after just two years since the previous owners purchased the resort. Could "Mountain Flipping" be the new trend for 2020? -x- NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — The gondolas, grizzly bears and ski slopes of Grouse Mountain are being sold, again. Just two years after being bought by investors, the tourist attraction is being sold to Northlands Properties Corporation which is run by the prominent, B.C-based Gaglardi family. “With our...

Probyn Forest Stewardship Plan overlaps 37 recreation trails and access routesI participated with the Federation of Mountain Clubs of B.C. in identifying 37 recreation trails and mountain access routes in the massive Probyn Log Ltd. forest stewardship plan. The purpose of the FSP is to outline objectives set forth by the Government of British Columbia related to forest management activities proposed on crown lands. Probyn is seeking a term of 5 years for this FSP. The map below shows the...

From Backcountry BC - Time for a little grinch-like Christmas BC Parks post. Here is BC Parks (spin, spin go the spin doctors) thanking those of us who have purchased BC Parks license plates and how they are using that money in a manner, in their own words no less, that rejects the founding (and current) dual mandate of recreation and conservation. Notice that recreation, trails and facilities are never mentioned with regards to how they are spending your money; only the singular priority...

from Steve Jones: In my opinion, the Ministry has an uphill battle ahead to regain the trust of the public. Whether or not you care about the Judas wolf issue, the level of misdirection in statements from the Ministry (in 2016) is appalling. Does anyone remember the Judas wolf controversy in 2016? There is a new twist in the story that makes me very frustrated at the lack of transparency from our provincial government in 2016. A "Judas wolf" is a wolf that is fitted with a radio...

At the moment the CBC website has an article about protecting caribou habitat from snowmobilers. The government has a scheme to do this by using gps tracking collars on the few remaining caribou to inform snowmobilers where they should not go. Comments on the article are still open.-x- Members of two B.C. Interior snowmobile clubs will get updated maps with off-limits caribou herd locations Members of two B.C. Interior snowmobile clubs will get access to parts of the...

No more logging in the Skagit-Manning donut hole. "To protect the environment for people now and in the future, the B.C. government has taken steps to safeguard the Silverdaisy watershed from logging on the B.C. side of the Skagit River Valley. “Effective immediately, BC Timber Sales will no longer award timber licences in the Silverdaisy area, ensuring no additional commercial forest harvesting occurs in that area,” said Doug Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource...

Princess Louisa property purchased by BC Parks FoundationQuoting from the Federation of Mountain Clubs e-newsletter:Back in October, we traveled to Princess Louisa Inlet and helped stake the boundary lines of the property recently purchased by the BC Parks Foundation. Our ED, Barry Janyk, had the immense pleasure of wrenching out the heavily reinforced "For Sale" sign that had been drilled into a tree at tideline on top of a very slimy cliff! This pristine 720-hectare parcel is an amazing...

The article below features a fine list of American Ski Resorts that allow uphill travel, including Vail's home resort. There are now well over 80 resorts in North America that allow it. Perhaps our Canadian resorts, such as Whistler Blackcomb, will get with the times and come to the same conclusion that so many other resorts have. Uphill travel is good for public relations and good for business. Backcountry skiing is growing, but downhill skiing, not so much. -x- Across the U.S., the...

Well, it does seem that it is possible to change Government's mind with a little public pressure. From Steve Jones: Woohoo! Thanks everyone for the letters. Concerns from the public and advocacy groups about the full closure of the Nlháxten/Cerise Creek Conservancy have resulted in BC Parks significantly shrinking the area that is closed. See new map below. Notably, the hut will now be open! Please do respect the much smaller closure area or they may feel that they have to expand it...

The Mountain doesn't care what its name is - Chris ludwig 2019   who climbed it first The Sun doesn't wait for you before setting enveloping the forest in blackness   The rain and snow cares not if you are cold and wet or forgot your rain jacket   The fog doesn't lift if your cel phone battery dies or if there is no service no city connection here   The swamp, snow and mud will not harden and dry for...

This is an open letter to Mt Seymour Resort (from Mick Bailey)   Readers, please feel free to SHARE it so that a respectful discussion can occur and a workable solution can be reached. To begin with, we must raise awareness or this problem will likely continue  This regards an issue that has been smouldering within the hiking, skiing and climbing community for the better part of the last decade... When someone shows up early to access Mt Seymour for a sunrise hike or a...

The large scope of the closure due to the Joffre landslide at Cerise Creek is receiving some pushback. This closure seems to be of particular concern to the commercial mountain guide operators, who must obtain a permit before teaching their courses and running guided parties in the area. With the closure, they cannot obtain such permits any more. Also of concern is the complete lack of management in the area, which is extremely apparent at Keith's Hut, which has been a free-for-all gong...

Crown land is to be returned to Squamish Nation, including world-class rock climbing area near Murrin Provincial Park. The province has promised to transfer several parcels of Crown land back to the Squamish Nation in exchange for the First Nation's support of the local Woodfibre LNG project. Time will tell whether or not this game of chess by the province and big industry (Woodfibre LNG) will lead to yet again a loss or reduction of access to the outdoor non-motorized recreation...