Mining & Petroleum Focus Group Southern Rocky Mountain Management Plan. Synopsis of Focus Group Key Issues

Transcription

1 Southern Rocky Mountain Management Plan Page 1 of 6 Synopsis of Focus Group Key Issues Sectors who brought forth issues are listed after the issue in brackets. I. Timeline Completing the plan by June, 2002, does not provide enough time to address the range of issues (Forestry; Mining & Petroleum; Commercial Hunting, Fishing and Trapping; Local Government; Environmental Interests). II. Legislation 1. The Plan should be legislated and enforced (Mining & Petroleum; Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Recreational Hunting and Fishing; East Kootenay Residents Land Use Coalition; Agriculture; Local Government). 2. The Recreation Management Strategy should be legislated and enforced (Forestry; Mining & Petroleum; Commercial Hunting and Fishing; Recreational Hunting and Fishing; Environmental Interests; Agriculture; First Nations; Local Government, Tourism). III. Boundary Expansion 1. The boundary should be expanded to include complete watersheds as a minimum area for planning (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Environmental Interests; Tourism). 2. Boundary expansion is supported in the case that the plan simplifies operational planning and doesn t increase industrial access constraints and costs; and is not supported if industrial access constraints and/or costs are increased (Forestry; Mining & Petroleum). IV. National Park Proposal 1. The park proposal is strongly opposed (Mining & Petroleum; Commercial Hunting and Fishing; Recreational Hunting and Fishing; East Kootenay Residents Land Use Coalition; Agriculture; Local Government s constituents). 2. The park proposal is strongly supported (Environmental Interests). V. Transparency and Representation The planning process must be transparent and have broad sector representation (Mining & Petroleum; East Kootenay Residents Land Use Coalition; Environmental Interests).

2 VI. Land Use Certainty Page 2 of 6 The plan should provide land use certainty for resource users. Goals for certainty are unique to each sector and are as follows: Resource industry (Forestry, Mining & Petroleum): Access to the resource; Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping: Quality of experience ; Recreational Hunting and Fishing: Right to hunt and fish; East Kootenay Residents Land Use Coalition: Recreational opportunity; Environmental Interests: Single conservation initiative for the area between Banff/Jasper National Parks and International Peace Park; Agriculture: Crown grazing opportunities; Tourism: Quality of experience. VII. Implementation and Monitoring 1. Plan should be implemented and have a mechanism for incorporating change and providing flexibility (Forestry; Mining & Petroleum; Environmental Interests; Agriculture; Local Government; Tourism). 2. Plan should provide education, and an arbitration and mediation process (Tourism). 3. Plan should provide a forum for ongoing dialogue between resource users, tourism and local economic development (Local Government; Tourism). VIII. Scientifically Based Constraints Management objectives and guidelines should be based on the best available science (Forestry; Mining & Petroleum; Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; East Kootenay Residents Land Use Coalition; Environmental Interests). IX. Carrying Capacity 1. Carrying capacity studies are needed to address natural systems and social experience (Commercial Hunting and Fishing; Recreational Hunting and Fishing; Environmental Interests; Agriculture; Local Government; Tourism). 2. The unique wilderness qualities of this area should be kept forefront in planning, and protected through acquisition and implementation of carrying capacities and effective regulation (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Recreational Hunting and Fishing; Local Government; Tourism). X. Assessment of Crown Land Use Applications

3 1. Criteria for evaluating the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of commercial recreation proposals are needed (Commercial Hunting and Fishing; Recreational Hunting and Fishing; Environmental Interests; Agriculture; Local Government; Tourism). The evaluation criteria should include: Provincial Stewardship Principles (Local Government); Environmental and social carrying capacity information (Commercial Hunting and Fishing; Recreational Hunting and Fishing; Environmental Interests; Agriculture; Local Government, Tourism). Economic viability assessment (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Tourism). Compatibility with existing uses (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Agriculture; Tourism). Protecting the areas unique wilderness experience product and underlying resource (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Recreational Hunting & Fishing; Local Government; Tourism). Certainty for existing tenure holders (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Agriculture; Tourism). Consistency within the tourism sector (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Tourism). Consultation with local interests to determine impacts (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Tourism). 2. Tenure allocation methods currently used for Guide Outfitting and Range should be used as models for developing an allocation method for commercial recreation (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Local Government; Tourism). 3. Commercial recreation planning should be high priority (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Recreational Hunting and Fishing; Environmental Interests; Agriculture; Local Government; Tourism). 4. Commercial recreation tenure allocation must be linked to strategic direction provided in the SRMMP (Local Government, Tourism). Page 3 of 6 XI. Recreation Access Management 1. Detailed planning is required to resolve existing motorized/non-motorized use conflicts (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Recreational Hunting and Fishing; Environmental Interests; Local Government). 2. Road closures need to be legislated and enforced. This is not an industry responsibility (Forestry, Mining & Petroleum). 3. Land-use certainty and effective regulation should be provided to facilitate use of the backcountry for economic development in a context of sound environmental stewardship (Local Government; Tourism). 4. Overland motorized recreation should not be permitted (Agriculture; Local Government; Tourism). 5. Overland motorized recreation should not be permitted, except for snowmobile use under sufficient snow pack conditions in designated areas (Environmental Interests). 6. Cost/benefit analysis of activities should be conducted, and only activities that are of an overall benefit should be accommodated, e.g. ATV use (Local Government). 7. Designated area(s) should be identified for motorized off-road use (Agriculture, Tourism).

4 8. Licensing and identification is needed for all motorized users, including ATV s and motorized bikes (Local Government; Tourism). 9. Public education must be provided so that the why s and wherefore s of non-motorized use designations are well understood (Tourism). 10. Motorized recreation is not compatible with Crown grazing (Agriculture). 11. Cumulative impacts of motorized use on wildlife must be addressed (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Environmental Interests). 12. Non-motorized designations on Crown land don t account for the non-availability of the protected areas for motorized use, and have a negative impact on industrial users (Mining & Petroleum). 13. Backcountry River Corridor designation should be implemented on the Elk, Wigwam, Bull and Flathead Rivers to ensure non-motorized use (Environmental Interests; Local Government). 14. Backcountry River Corridor designation is inconsistent with some present land uses (e.g. existing roads) and appears arbitrary and poorly defined (Forestry; Mining & Petroleum). 15. Access Management Area plans should be maintained/implemented (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Environmental Interests). 16. Snowmobile encroachment at Frozen Lake, Montana from B.C. needs to be addressed (Montana). Page 4 of 6 XII. Conservation of Wilderness and Wildlife Habitat Values 1. Outstanding wilderness values establish this area as unique and provide the quality of experience that draws both tourists and residents to this location. Wilderness and wildlife values must be addressed (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Recreational Hunting and Fishing; Environmental Interests; Local Government; Tourism). 2. Wildlife base case inventory needs to be established to provide a basis for evaluating proposed activities (Forestry; Commercial Hunting, Fishing and Trapping; Recreational Hunting and Fishing, Environmental Interests). 3. Funding for long term wildlife research should be identified in this plan (Forestry; Environmental Interests) 4. Wildlife habitat enhancement should be continued, especially in terms of addressing forest in-growth (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Recreational Hunting and Fishing; Environmental Interests; Agriculture; Tourism). 5. Domestic sheep and llama threaten native wildlife populations with potential disease transfer, and should not be introduced in the plan area (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping). 6. Big horn sheep herd that frequents the Woods Ranch Wildlife Management Area in Montana is potentially threatened by domestic sheep close to the border in B.C. (Montana). 7. Grizzly bear is protected in Montana due to low population numbers, and access is managed to protect habitat values. Grizzly bear management in B.C. is of concern (Montana). 8. Permanent backcountry facilities for commercial recreation must be minimized (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Recreational Hunting and Fishing; Tourism). 9. Elk Valley private land development is impacting grizzly bear and elk north-south migration. Three areas providing potential connectivity across Highway 3 need to be addressed (Recreational Hunting and Fishing;

5 Environmental Interests). Page 5 of 6 XIII. Fisheries 1. Guided angling over use on the Elk and Wigwam Rivers is depleting the Westslope Cutthroat Trout population due to ineffective fisheries regulation (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Recreational Hunting and Fishing; Environmental Interests; Tourism; Local Government). 2. Fisheries inventory should be conducted (Commercial Hunting, Fishing & Trapping; Recreational Hunting and Fishing). 3. Flathead River Bull Trout and pure strain Westslope Trout populations should be addressed (Montana). XIV. Water Quality In Montana, the Flathead River is a designated Wild and Scenic River which stipulates that no activities can be approved in the corridor unless they protect or enhance the river. The protection of Flathead River water quality in B.C. is of concern (Montana). XV. Fires In Montana, there is concern over fires starting in B.C. and spreading across the border to private land (Montana). XVI. Noxious Weeds Noxious weeds must be addressed (Forestry; Commercial Hunting and Fishing; Agriculture). XVII. Livestock Grazing Livestock grazing should be accommodated and increased to historic levels (Agriculture). XVIII. Agricultural Land Reserve Agricultural Land Reserve lands should be identified and potential future agricultural use of these lands should be accommodated (Agriculture).

6 file://\\ilmbwwwt.gov.bc.ca\ilmbwwwt_adm\ilmb\lup\srmp\southern\southern_rocky\docs\tmpewz2qw... Page 6 of 6