Paradise/Holy Grail Threatened

[bigblock600]

I would like to see someone do a study on the negative impacts of low-flying helicopters flying over and landing in areas fequented by caribou.

The BC government's doctrine on caribou is to treat then almost like a lost cause. Projects and research have proven to be too expensive and to have low success rates. There is no management plan with an active "field approach" to help ensure thier survival. No caribou are moved into a new area to ensure genetic diversity...no caribou are raised in farms like the pandas in china for re-introduction. You would think if this species was so important to the people of BC, the government would actually do something more than simply putting the Kaibosh on sledders. At least in Alberta, there is a woodland caribou recovery plan and recovery team who conducts research and promotes/contributes to wolf culls and other strategies to ensure the caribou's survival.

we are just the scapegoats boys. when they shut us down, it makes the people of BC think the government actually gives a damn

- annoyed Albertan biologist/sledder

 

[dooin800]

Just a little note on this "new" area for riding snowmobiles, I live in edson and there are guy's around here that have been riding blue for all most 20 years and I have been riding in this area a few years my self. So how is this a new industry? but Ms Foster has skied it for 12!

 

[Depsnolvr]

Hello

I would just like to let everyone know that the deadline for public comments is not Sept 25. The Commercial Rec Officer for the Ministry of Toursim Culture and the Arts will be taking public input for a while to come and hopefully the date on the internet page will change soon to reflect the correct timeline.

Any member of the public can apply for tenure and that is all Snowy Tours has done, is apply. The public has a right for adequate conslutation periods, so please keep your opinions flowing, but please keep all of your comments clean and educated for the best outcome.

 

[glacier mt lodge]

I would like to thank everyone for their support and also like to comment on a few things Brokensled alludes to.
We support any one who is willing to invest in Blue River and create a new business but only if it provides real economy to the Valley but not at the expense of others with all the benefits going out of town. This applicant has not demonstrated any interest in working with other users. She never once approached our club, our tourism association, our local government rep,or any business in Blue River. Instead she wrote a scathing, totally inaccurate rant in the Valemount newspaper slamming sledders. She has asked for section 58's in the North Blue drainage and she obviously just wants to keep a huge area to herself for only her profits.
Tenure operators pay approximatly $3.00 to $6.00 per head to the provincial government, which isn't very much to begin with, and it goes directly to the province--I don't see how she would contribute to the local tax base or to the local economy directly as snowmobiling does. We met with government on Sept 5th trying to work out the caribou areas and her name came up as a user but Government never mentioned that there was a tenure application. Government has also not distributed info packets to other tenure holders, our local club or VARDA as per the SRMP that she supposedly supports. This leads me to suspect that no one ever had any intention of getting our opinion, instead government planned on just slipping it through quietly. It's happened before and government have tried to backdoor us in the past as you all know so I won't get into it again, but the Groundhog closures and the fact that Blue River only lost ridding area and gained nothing in the VARDA SRMP are examples.

 

[Powder Puff]

Did these tenure applicants have to advertise in your local paper and surrounding areas? Lately gov. changes the name of section 58`s and slides them through. Watch for it.
When tenure holders were origionally allowed to use these areas commercially in the province gov. told us it would never keep out the general public. Now because of conflicts gov. is giving them exclusive rights to areas by using the section 58`s. So you live here and are now supposed to watch from the distance while tourists mostly from other countries use these areas.
Mtn. Caribou were moved from this area 100 of them (mostly females and young) down into the states and the southern part of the province and they all died. When they put the dam in up here in the 80`s I heard of caribou floating dead in the lake above the dam that was formed when they dammed the river cause they were following migratory routes and drowned when they couldn`t get up the banks. It has been proven that the animals are not dying in the winter while they are in the alpine. The animals are studied by having nets dropped on them from choppers. They are startled way more by skiiers and we are seeing them more and more in areas that we are still allowed to snowmobile. They travel on our tracks and there are not preditors in the snowmobile areas even though they tell us preditors use our groomed trails to access the alpine. Can`t figure out why they think a preditor would travel all that distance to maybe find a caribou when the moose and deer are everywhere in the valley bottom these days and now we have wolves and cougars hanging around the outskirts of town because of their numbers.
Get mad everyone and send in your responses and like everyone has said be tactful about it.

 

[scotts]

I was wondering if there would be any merrit in one of the vendors "hint blue jewel or glacier mt lodge" that mite be attending the edmonton snow show to Have a display on this topic at your booth. maybe with preprinted comment cards that people could sign to be sent to the gov.

 

[woodies]

posted my comments but maybe to late?

 

[glacier mt lodge]

posted my comments but maybe to late?

No it is not to late. They have extended the date to Oct 25 2008 so please all post politely. Thank you to everyone that has posted to date.

 

[scotts]

wonder if there would be any way to push for the banning of heli sking in areas closed for caribou. I think if that was ever passed you would see a great deal less of a push towards areas being shutdown under the banner of saving the caribou.
I think its time time start reporting to the wildlife officials that evertime we are out in the backcountry and see a helicopter over areas such as the closed portions of a place like miledge that the chopper was dislocating caribou and causing them undue strees.

 

[glacier mt lodge]

I was wondering if there would be any merrit in one of the vendors "hint blue jewel or glacier mt lodge" that mite be attending the edmonton snow show to Have a display on this topic at your booth. maybe with preprinted comment cards that people could sign to be sent to the gov.

We will be attending the show and will try to have as much info as possible.

 

[WCTHEMI]

Added my comments.

 

[Mongrol]

wonder if there would be any way to push for the banning of heli sking in areas closed for caribou. I think if that was ever passed you would see a great deal less of a push towards areas being shutdown under the banner of saving the caribou.
I think its time time start reporting to the wildlife officials that evertime we are out in the backcountry and see a helicopter over areas such as the closed portions of a place like miledge that the chopper was dislocating caribou and causing them undue strees.

I don't want to ban anyone, just like I don't want to be banned.

Note the sign in yellow in the photo.

 

[dooryder]

we have put lots of those sings in some of our riding areas where we were premititrd too

 

[Mongrol]

The signs only work if people do what the signs request. I've seen signs of machines chasing elk/cariboo away from marked trails and in restricted areas. Also signs of x-country skiers having a crap beside a well used trail (how eco sensitive is that)?

Practising exclusion, on any groups part, stinks! Its a big public country, not one group or business's private domain. I've run into this situation over the years in activities such as river boating, flying, sledding, & quadding. It goes no where (exclusive use) and takes the fun out of the activity.

Tenure has no place on Crown Land if it practises exclusion.

Nuff said!

 

[scotts]

i agree with your opinion of not banning anyone. The point iam trying to make is that alot of other groups such as heli skiers and eco groups jump on the caribou bandwagon only as a means to get sledders out of certain areas and would not be so quick to do so if they themselves where to lose access to that area as well.

 

[Mongrol]

I think we're both on the same track.

The groups/individuals that employ this tactic are dispicable. A few years ago, the Sierra Club was on its high horse about logging until it was uncovered that a couple of its senior executive had "clear cut" land that they had in northern Idaho.

Hipocrits!

 

[scotts]

Sad how that works isnt it. I wrote a post on this thread about hypocrites but the powers at snow and mud censored me."again"

 

[dooryder]

its almost to the point that we disobey some of these tenures, i dont think any one should have the right to basicaly own crown land, we should share it in harmony and get along, but no, the skiers want us out, i dont mind sharing a trail with skiers as long as the dont flip me off , cut me off, or scream at me, we should all have the right to use this land at out will for our recreation use