We work with many other stakeholders to ensure the development of the area is sustainably managed and doesn’t impact the natural resources that are essential for the economy and environment in a negative way. As these stakeholders are local businesses and licence holders in the area, they receive government referrals when other companies submit proposals which would create change in the area and impact other stakeholders and the environment.
These development referrals come from stakeholders like First Nations, tourism operators, livestock farmers, logging and mining industry. We are involved in project planning including road access and deactivation, developments that cause wildlife displacement and habitat fragmentation. Our input is based on the information in the government Stewardship Plans of the Chilcotin Ark, research that has been conducted in the area, government policies and research, direction from past Land and Resource Management Plans and local knowledge.
Heli-Skiing
| Date | 1999 |
| Location | Bridge River Watershed |
| Company Name | TLH Heli-Ski Ltd. |
| Development Proposal | TLH Heli-Ski Management Plan |
| Summary of issues | Displacement of mountain goat and big horn sheep. |
| Solution | Cancel ski runs on the Shulaps Mountains and Relay Tyaughton area to reduce sheep displacement issue. Restrict flight path to stay away from mountain goat winter ranges and reduce risk of displacement. |
Ski-Touring and Hiking
| Date | 2001 |
| Location | McGillivray Pass / Connel Creek |
| Company Name | White Cap Resorts Ltd. |
| Development Proposal | Ski Touring / Hiking Operation |
| Summary of issues | Potential displacement of mountain goat from prime habitat winter and summer. Grizzly bear displacement from prime habitat in summer. |
| Solution | Mitigation strategy needed. |
Horse Pack Trip
| Date | January 2004 |
| Location | Chilcotin Mountains |
| Company Name | Rex Mount Ranch Ltd. DBA Spruce Lake Adventures |
| Development Proposal | CR Application of horse pack trip operation |
| Summary of issues | Camp and horse grazing conflicts with existing operations. Potential limit of carrying capacity of some areas. Wildlife displacement from prime habitat. |
| Solution | Separate areas of use and disperse use. |
Horse Pack Trip and ATV Use
| Date | January 2004 |
| Location | Bridge River Valley |
| Company Name | Tyax Resort |
| Development Proposal | CR Application for horse pack trip and ATV operation. |
| Summary of issues | No grazing tenure for horses and want ATV access into subalpine. Cabin location displacing mountain sheep herds on Shulaps Mountain Noaxe Lake. |
| Solution | Pack in feed for horse trips. No new road development for ATVs into subalpine and limited camp development. |
Mountain Biking
| Date | 2004 |
| Location | Chilcotin Mountains |
| Company Name | Tyax Air |
| Development Proposal | CR Application for mountain biking in the Chilcotin Mountains. |
| Summary of issues | Non-compatible use of horse trails and safety risk to horses and riders by mountain bikers. |
| Solution | Pre-trip orientation to be given to mountain bikers. Guided mountain bike trips only. Notice to horse pack trips of future bike trips so avoidance schedule can be developed. Limit speed of mountain bikers. |
Hiking and Mountaineering
| Date | 2004 |
| Location | Hurley River Road |
| Company Name | Canada West Mountain School Inc. |
| Development Proposal | CR Application for hiking and mountaineering activities in Railway Pass. |
| Summary of issues | No issues |
| Solution | N/A |
Cat-Ski and Lodge
| Date | 2004 |
| Location | Grouty Peak / Hurley River Road |
| Company Name | Backcountry Snowcats Ltd. |
| Development Proposal | Hurley Cat Ski and Year-Round Lodge |
| Summary of issues | Potential displacement of mountain goats, grizzly bears and moose from prime habitat. |
| Solution | Mitigation plan needed. |
Heli-Ski and Snowmobiling
| Date | 2005 |
| Location | Hurley Pass / Lone Goat |
| Company Name and Participants | Whistler Heli-Ski Commercial Snowmobilers Public Snowmobilers |
| Development Proposal | Joint Use Agreement |
| Summary of issues | Overlapping use conflicts between heli-skiing, snowmobile companies, and public snowmobiles. |
| Solution | Separate use areas to reduce conflict between snowmobilers and heli-skiers. Set limits for number of snowmobilers to use area. Match experience to carrying capacity. |
Heli-skiing
| Date | 2005 |
| Location | Eldorado Area / Slim Creek Area |
| Company Name | TLH Heli-Ski |
| Development Proposal | Review of heli-ski activities. |
| Summary of issues | Potential conflict between snowmobilers and heli-ski operations. Potential displacement of mountain goat from prime wintering grounds. |
| Solution | Separate use areas to reduce conflict between snowmobiles and heli-skiers. Helicopters stay away from goat wintering areas on south aspects and wind-swept ridges. |
Cattle Grazing
| Date | 2006 |
| Location | Marshal Lake |
| Company Name | Phil and Mandy Rogers |
| Development Proposal | Marshal Lake Area New Cattle Grazing Tenure |
| Summary of issues | Potential overgrazing on big horn sheep and deer wintering area, south of Carol Lake. Potential conflict between grizzly and cattle. |
| Solution | Drift fence to keep cattle north of Carol Lake. Constant range riding to prevent cattle getting sick on vetch and to reduce chance of grizzly getting habituated on cattle. |
Forest Stewardship with Road Deactivation
| Date | July 2006 |
| Location | Cariboo Chilcotin Region |
| Company Name | Tolko Industries Ltd. |
| Development Proposal | Cariboo Woodlands Forest Stewardship Plan |
| Summary of issues and mitigation strategy | – Road Access: We support 100% deactivation of all block roads, spur roads, watershed roads, and main-haul roads where possible. We are totally opposed to any loop roads for obvious reasons.- Backcountry Objective: We see that the backcountry objective for the South Chilcotin is to maintain only 30% backcountry, but the majority of it is used around the Big Creek Park.We support maintaining the buffer around Big Creek Park, combined with road deactivation.The Taseko backcountry is 70%.This combined with road deactivation is workable. Maintain visual quality in Taseko area for tourism operator (need to consult operators). Wildlife management for Taseko/ Big Creek area This requires 100% road deactivation. We support 100% road deactivation. |
Road Construction
| Date | 2007 |
| Location | Hurley River Road |
| Company Name | Nomis Resource Group |
| Development Proposal | Hurley / Lone Goat Gravel Pit |
| Summary of issues | Moose displacement from prime habitat during road reconstruction. |
| Solution | Summer work schedule. |
Watershed Designation
| Date | December 2007 |
| Location | Anderson Lake |
| Company Name | BC Ministry of Environment |
| Development Proposal | Community Watershed Designation |
| Summary of issues | No issues |
| Solution | N/A |
Road Deactivation
| Date | January 2008 |
| Location | South Chilcotin Mountains |
| Company Name | Interwest Timber |
| Development Proposal | Tyaughton Mud / Nooxe Creek Watershed Risk Assessment and Road Deactivation |
| Summary of issues | Old logging roads washing out. |
| Solution | Deactivate or water bar roads wherever it’s suitable and needed. |
Waterpower
| Date | March 2008 |
| Location | Downton Lake, Bridge River Valley (British Columbia) |
| Company Name | Max Pacific Power Inc. |
| Development Proposal | Waterpower Project Cluster (Run-of-River Power) |
| Summary of issues and mitigation strategy | – Bridge River: Potential displacement of grizzly from prime habitat during construction. – Nichols Creek: Potential displacement of grizzly from prime habitat during construction. – McParion Creek: Prime moose area – potential displacement of moose during construction. Prime grizzly area – potential displacement of grizzly during construction. This project has high potential to displace grizzly from the west end of Downton Lake. A good mitigation plan is required. – ZZ Creek: Potential displacement of grizzly from prime habitat during construction. |
Waterpower
| Date | March 2008 |
| Location | Carpenter Lake, Bridge River Valley (British Columbia) |
| Company Name | Max Pacific Power Inc. |
| Development Proposal | Waterpower Project Cluster (Run-of-River Power) |
| Summary of issues and mitigation strategy | – Truax Creek: Limited concerns for wildlife. Limit road development along south side of Carpenter Lake to meet LRMP directives. – Rob Creek: Limited concerns for wildlife. Limit road development along south side of Carpenter Lake to meet LRMP directives. – Tommy Creek: Year-round mountain goat ranges on west side of Tommy Creek. Limit road development along south side of Carpenter Lake to meet LRMP directives. – Keary Creek: Year-round mountain goat ranges on west side of Keary Creek and critical winter range. Limit road development and deactivate road when done. Limit road development along south side of Carpenter Lake to meet LRMP directives. – Yalakom Creek: No issues on powerline. |
Logging Cutblocks
| Date | March 2014 |
| Location | Liza Lake, Bridge River Valley (British Columbia) |
| Company Name | Interwest Timber |
| Development Proposal | Cutblocks |
| Summary of issues | The proposed cutblock is part of an important migration route for Big Horn Sheep. A large land slide in the area causes deep snow drifts in the winter that the sheep cannot travel through so they must use the adjacent forest for travel. The cutblock encompasses this vital travel corridor. |
| Solution | Add a 50m retention buffer around cutblock keep all trees larger than 75 cm. |
Snowmobiling
| Date | 2022 |
| Location | South corner of Chilcotin Ark |
| Company Name | She Shreds Snowmobiling |
| Development Proposal | Tenure for snowmobiling |
| Summary of issues | Company hasn’t accurately assessed impact on mountain goat, moose and grizzly bear. Did consult with First Nations and businesses in the area. |
| Solution | Reassess impact on wildlife and consult with all stakeholders |
Helicopter Use in Parks
| Date | 2022 |
| Location | South Chilcotin Mountains and Big Creek Provincial Parks |
| Company Name | Blackcomb Helicopters |
| Development Proposal | Switch from float plane to helicopter use without licence |
| Summary of issues | Blackcom Helicopters purchased Tyax Air. They then stopped using the float plane and used helicopters mid-season without any licence or government permission to do so. As long as they don’t guide clients, they are only transporters and can drop off clients anywhere and don’t have to follow the commercial recreation licence rules |
| Solution | The company needs to follow proper procedure and ensure they follow all regulations such as observing the 1,500m no fly zone regulation from mountain goats and mountain goat habitat to prevent wildlife displacement |
Intensive Use Site
| Date | 2022 |
| Location | White Cap Mountain |
| Company Name | White Cap Resorts |
| Development Proposal | Sauna site application for a small intensive use site |
| Summary of issues | No issues, proper procedure followed |
| Solution | N/A |
Park Ranger Cabin
| Date | Spring – summer 2022 |
| Location | Spruce Lake, South Chilcotin Mountains |
| Company Name | BC Parks |
| Development Proposal | Cabin for park rangers |
| Summary of issues | Small lodge proposed to be built by BC Parks on the edge of Spruce Lake. Conflict between BC Parks and local cabin owners as well as conservation and stewardship of the area. First Nations and the public were not consulted about this |
| Solution | So far, none found |
Trail Development
| Date | 2022 |
| Location | Lick Creek Trail into South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park |
| Company Name | Trails Committee, Bridge River Valley Community Association |
| Development Proposal | Bike trail development to ATV trail |
| Summary of issues | This narrow trail to the alpine is used by horse riders and hikers who are mostly alienated by mountain bike users. Now, the company plan to develop it to allow ATV access right to the alpine. This would displace mountain goats, bears and mule deer from their prime habitat. Horse and hike users would be further alienated due to the dangers of an encounter with a motorized vehicle |
| Solution | Choose a more suitable area for ATV trail development |
Gain FREE access to our Nature Conservation Course today!
All of our programs and courses with our training partner the Wilderness Training Academy are self-directed providing you with information, inspiration and self-reflection prompts for you to put into action. Are you ready to gain free access to your Nature Conservation course?
You will learn:
- about the flora, fauna and landscapes of the Chilcotin Ark
- the fundamentals of wildlife tracking and observation
- practical skills and knowledge to make your contribution to conservation