The Nlháxten/Cerise Creek Conservancy Management Plan has been released by BC Parks. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/.../cnsrvncy/nlhaxten-cerise-crk/ I noted a great deal of vague language and vague adjectives used when describing "carrying capacity" Clauses such as [implement "appropriate" visitor management systems to maintain "acceptable capacity"] and ["appropriate" types and levels of recreation activities], hint of future closures and backcountry restrictions based upon...

The Backcountry BC Experience - The Fall of Investigative Journalism As we at BCBC continue to take on more of an investigative journalism type of role and approach to our work, I have noticed that the official media are doing far less of it. When we approach journalists for publication, we now present a fully researched position, since journalists seem to have far less time and resources to perform investigative work these days. It also seems that they are the first to be fired as...

Not content to accept defeat at the hands of Backcountry BC, the greedy developers and their shills on the Sunshine Coast have started a letter writing campaign to reverse the Minister's decision to protect Chapman Lake and to not rezone/delete Tetrahedron Provincial Park. https://everythingelphinstone.ca/more-about-water/ I would love to know who these letter writers and the person(s) coordinating this campaign are. I would like to know their connections to local government,...

Proposed BCMC Crawford Cabin Survey The BC Mountaineering Club (BCMC) has proposed to construct a new cabin on Crown Land at the head of the Crawford Valley approximately 5 KM East of the current BCMC Watersprite Lake Cabin. The proposed Crawford Cabin (at approximately 5,100 feet elevation) would be accessed by an extension of the existing Watersprite Lake Trail. Please take the time to complete the following survey as we seek your input to guide our decision making on such things...

Golden Alpine Holidays of Golden BC objected aggressively to Kootenay Mountaineering Club’s plan to hold their 2019 summer camps within their heli-hiking tenure area. —FMCBC rec+con minutes.

British Columbians who love the great outdoors will soon have nearly 600 new campsites to choose from. The province announced plans Thursday to build 362 new campsites in 13 provincial parks, and an additional 232 new campsites at a dozen recreation sites. The new sites stack on to 431 spaces built in 2018, making for more than 1,000 new sites in total. The province also says camping fees will not be increased this year. Full...

I don't fully understand the politics and background of this issue; specifically the issue of having a SORCA as a member representative on the Smoke Bluffs Committee. Perhaps there are some members of Backcountry BC who can provide me with more information and a better understanding of the issue in the comment section below. -x- No voting SORCA member for Smoke Bluffs Committee   The committee asked council to add a voting member of SORCA In a divided vote, council decided...

Sicamous man fined $20,000 for work fixing up Eagle Pass Fire Lookout  In a case critics view as an example of bureaucratic overreach, a Sicamous man is facing a $20,000 fine after the province concluded his involvement on a project to fix up a historic fire lookout contravened the Forest and Range Practices Act. Guy Maris is appealing the fine and province’s determination that he broke the rules by participating in the construction project, which didn’t have the proper written...

Dear Destination BC. I'm sure that when you crafted your 75 page Destination Development Strategy for the Sea to Sky Corridor in consultation with the limited confirmatory echo chamber of Government and Ski Resort Operators, that it was in the comfort of governmental and corporate offices. Perhaps if you had consulted with any of the outdoor clubs and backcountry advocacy groups, including myself, we would have expressed some hesitation about your plan to dump visitors upon the...

It is interesting what you can find when you do a little digging as an advocate.  Justice Church's statement "that sounds suspiciously like you are trying to have it both ways." seems to be a rather fitting statement for how those with money and power in Whistler seem to govern themselves when it comes to the "little guy". I also deem us backcountry users to be the "little guy". Spearhead Aviation Ltd. v. Whistler Heliport Society, 2018 BCSC 1762 THE COURT: Mr. Robinson [Counsel for...

Regarding a proposal by Don Vanderhorst to construct a wilderness lodge on Brohm Ridge inside mountain goat winter range. The lodge and resort proposal is entirely inside a designated ungulate winter range (UWR). The province establishes mountain goat winter ranges to provide high suitability habitat. Habitat attributes include snow interception, foraging opportunities, escape terrain, steep south and west-facing windswept ridges/slopes, conifer bluffs, shrub/grass communities, and...

According to Squamish Chief newspaper, April 12, 2019: The Squamish-area mountain range has captured the attention of prospective developers for decades. Now, a new application proposes a wilderness lodge at the top of Brohm Ridge, near man-made Natasha Lake. Don Worthington has owned a private cabin on Brohm Ridge since the 1970s, and has made similar applications to provide remote accommodations in the area before. Now, he's proposed a new three-storey lodge, which would house up to 18...

Letter to the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission from conservation, recreation and wildlife organizations expressing and reinforcing the strong opposition to any and all resource extraction activities in the headwaters of the Skagit River, inclusive of both the British Columbia Timber Sales (BCTS) proposed block and road development in the Upper Skagit River drainage (Silverdaisy and Twenty-Six Mile Creeks) and this subsequent mineral exploration permit application which has been...

From Alex Wallace of the Federation of Mountain Clubs of B.C. I have attached a photo from Feb 27th of the encroachment on the Hikers Access Trail on Hollyburn: I heard from a few people expressing their annoyance at this, and I hear that Lesley Bohm raised it at FMCBC Rec and Con in February. It looks to me very much like the ski area took advantage of the two years of (inexplicable) work by the BC Hydro contractor, i.e. the extensive blasting and earthmoving in the Fall of 2017...

γνῶθι σεαυτόν (know thyself)- an Ancient Greek aphorism was carved into the stone forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. The philosopher Socrates expanded its form to "The unexamined life is not worth living". Today, in modern psychology, we have the "big five" personality traits - perhaps yet another variant on Ancient Greek Wisdom. For the advocate, it needn't matter your personality type or your nature. All you need to be effective, is that you master what you are given by...

I’m pleased to announce that, in a late afternoon phone call yesterday, I was advised by senior Ministry of Environment staff that Minster Heyman had in fact decided on the future of Tetrahedron Provincial Park. To quote the press release, “…the minister… evaluated the Chapman Lake expansion project and after careful consideration, is not prepared to move forward with a park boundary amendment… As a result, the Sunshine Coast regional District’s proposed expansion of the community water...

Article in The Province newspaper by Daphne Bramham that highlights the difficulty in Whistler in confronting climate change. On the one hand, it wants compensation from energy producers for climate impacts. On the other hand, its main industry—tourism, is a huge greenhouse gas emitter due to airline travel. There is currently no carbon tax on aviation fuel except point to point within British Columbia. One estimate puts Whistler Blackcomb's annual carbon footprint at equivalent to 4,300...

In light of the land grab feeding frenzy by Blackcomb Helicopters Ltd., Whistler Mountain Bike Groups, and Sun-shine Coast Mountain Adventures Limited (SCMA) we are beginning to investigate and ask more detailed questions.  We may also begin a campaign and/or petition for a moritorium on these commercial recreation applications in the coming weeks should answers not be adequate or forthcoming.     -x-   Dear Mr. Standen, Mr. Vanderzalm and Mr....

Kees and Clair hut takes shape.  The capacity of the hut, I'm told, is 40 persons. There are 10 tent pads at the northwest corner of the lake with an occupancy of 4 persons each. That's another 40 persons. Since the existing Russet hut will be removed once K&C can be occupied, there is an overnight capacity of 80 persons. I heard BC Parks may add some more tent pads next year. The day visitor capacity in summer should be based on the land base through which visitors can disperse....

Another day, another wilderness commercial land grab. https://arfd.gov.bc.ca/ApplicationPosting/viewpost.jsp?PostID=55367&fbclid=IwAR0DzTxc56b9CMx-0OiEMkePY8fq7VoyjaKSh1NlEgR0EXgl-cezVvfjJOQ Client: Blackcomb Helicopters LtdPurpose: COMMERCIAL RECREATION/MISCELLANEOUSRegion: Lower Mainland, SurreyAgency: Crown Land AllocationFile: #2411936 Location: Pemberton Area (Hectares): 2,531.91 +- BCGS Mapsheet: 92J025 92J026 Legal...

Too many issues, not enough advocates, too many hungry hippos. Blackcomb Helicopters has applied for a heli-biking tenure in the Tenquille Lake Area (Comments close July 19th). Thank you to Steve Jones for raising this issue with us. From the change.org petition (sign by clicking...

This is an older article written in 2013  by Leigh McClurg at http://pebbleshoo.com/athelney-pass-the-park-that-never-was/ I wanted a record of it here so McClurg's article it is not forgotten or lost on the internet: -x- I uttered those words as myself and Spring had just found a large rock that would be comfortable to sit on as we unpacked our lunches. We where sitting atop “The Elephant”, an unofficially named volcanic plug of rotten rock. A few kilometers away we could...

Almost 30 per cent of BC Parks still have no management plans, including 38,000-hectare Pinecone Burke Provincial Park.  A Park Management Plan sets out in writing what can and cannot be done in a provincial park. In the past, some management plans (Such as the 1990 Garibaldi Provincial Park Master Plan) have been rolled out having been crafted secretly in the back room by staff and insiders. This is why almost 70% of Garibaldi Park is zoned a wilderness conservancy and why Heli-Ski...

Article from Larry Pynn of The Province Welcome to Davis Lake Provincial Park, abandoned and abused poster child for the underfunding of B.C. Parks. The government website for the 192-hectare, Class-A park, about a 45-minute drive northeast of Mission, tells visitors to expect nature appreciation, a “unique ecology,” a scenic waterfall, and a 15-minute walk through “a virtually pure stand of western hemlock” to lakeside camping. Anticipate, too, prime bird habitat,...

Another Day, another 15 KM2/1,852 Hectare adventure tourism/commercial recreation permit application (including a Yurt) at Silverdaisy Mountain (see and submit comments on the application at the following link). https://arfd.gov.bc.ca/ApplicationPosting/viewpost.jsp?PostID=55391&fbclid=IwAR0tmrNOKrP9R2bZqKwSfLhRgzBNLwEDEZl4SMJt0dyVZStxplwmP5k9oFg I have never been a traditional "tree hugger" conservationist type and have always believed that there should be a balance between public...