Backcountry BC

Nlháxten/Cerise Creek Conservancy

Southwest BC / Lower Mainland Regional Issues

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Nlháxten/Cerise Creek Conservancy

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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 again.

Note from BC Parks:
"We are revising the Regional Director order closing Nlhaxten Cerise Creek Park (due to the May landslides) to re-open some popular backcountry ski terrain that is in a part of the Conservancy unaffected by the slide.
· In May 2019, BC Parks closed the Nlhaxten/Cerise Creek Conservancy after two landslides from Joffre Peak heavily impacted the Cerise Creek watershed within the Conservancy.
· BC Parks has reassessed the closure and the closure area has been amended. Public access is not permitted within the immediate slide path as outlined in red on the map posted on the Nlhaxten/Cerise Creek Conservancy website. The remaining areas of the Conservancy are now open to public access.
· The Keith Flavelle Hut (Keith’s Hut) is outside the closure area and open for public access.
· Signage has been posted at the trailheads and on the conservancy website.
· BC Parks will be conducting an assessment of the closure area in Spring 2020."

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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 show for many years now.
It is not enough simply to roll out a new pile of paper and a management plan for a given area as BC Parks has done. That paperwork so far doesn't seem to have made things better up at Cerise Creek, but rather the opposite seems to be the case.
 
Without the will and resources for implementation and execution, talk and paper is cheap.

-x-

Province to review closure of popular ski touring area near Pemberton

THE BACKCOUNTRY skiing community has lost access to an important recreational area for at least this winter—though there is still hope that skiers will be able to access at least part of the Nlháxten/Cerise Creek Conservancy.

BC Parks recently shared that the conservancy will remain closed for the winter following a geological assessment of the area.

The agency is currently working in coordination with the Lil'wat Nation on the management of the conservancy, following the recent completion of the Nlháxten / Cerise Creek Conservancy Management Plan. 

As previously reported ("BC Parks investigating second Joffre landslide," May 17, 2019) the area was closed in May following two landslides.

Full Article:  https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/sea-to-sky/province-to-review-closure-of-popular-ski-touring-area-near-pemberton-2508476

 

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The Nlháxten/Cerise Creek Conservancy Management Plan has been released by BC Parks.
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 back-room bureaucratic "feelings" instead of hard quantifiable data and numbers.
I don't like it.
I can handle a position that I disagree with, but when the goal posts are always moving, I tend to get suspicious of motive and intent.
As a side note, I am in communications with BC Parks planners to seek an alleviation to my fears and concerns, and so far communications seem genuine and cordial.