Comment on access issues and management for the Williams Lake Subregional Plan.

July 27, 2000

 

Interagency Planning Team

Williams Lake Sub-regional Plan

 

 

The Williams Lake Sportsmen’s Association  (WLSA) is pleased to be able to provide comment on access issues and management for the Williams Lake Subregional Plan.  The BCWF Region 5 has been discussing with MELP with respect to access and road restrictions as they relate to hunting, and some of the following is a reiteration.

 

It is the WLSA’s general position is that we do not wish to see all current road or vehicle restrictions, as they appear in the hunting regulations, to be reiterated in the subregional plan.  Further, new road restrictions or any restrictions to be part of the subregional plan should be established by physically blocking or by deactivating roads rather than by inclusion in the hunting regulations.  Finally, interested groups should be consulted regarding any new road restrictions to be considered.

 

The current regime of road restrictions that appear in the hunting regulations which specifically target hunting may not be suitable for inclusion in the subregional plan.  In some instances these restrictions are under review due to changes in  allocation , such as the introduction of LEH for moose.  In some cases the road restriction was intended for an interim period to allow wildlife to acclimate to traffic are not meant to be permanently imposed as by an subregional plan.  Leaving the current restrictions under the hunting regulation would allow more flexibility to game management.  In particular we would not want to see the ATV restriction in MU 5-13 as part of the subregional plan, as we feel that with the advent of moose LEH this is no longer warranted.

 

If new road restrictions are considered, it is our preference to see this done by physically gating , blocking or by deactivating roads, for example at key bridges.  Simply putting the restriction in the hunting regulation only impacts hunters who chose to abide by the regulations.   Disturbance by other non-industrial users is not considered, and the regulations provide no means to control individuals participating in the first nation’s harvest where the band council does not enter into an agreement with the government regarding road usage.

 

Please contact us if there is a need to discuss any particular road restrictions.  To arrange a meeting you may contact myself or the club president Glen Kuenzl.  Contact information is available at our website http://www.stardate.bc.ca/sportsmen/.

 

Yours truly,

 

 

Douglas Hill

Director, Williams Lake Sportsmen’s   Association