Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management
OKANAGAN SHUSWAP PROCESS COMPLETED
INTRODUCTION
The Okanagan Shuswap Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP) provides broad direction for the sustainable use of Crown land and resources, including land, lakes and rivers within the plan area. The LRMP process began in July 1995, as the second LRMP to be initiated in the Thompson-Okanagan Region. The plan area is located in south central British Columbia. The planning table included 55 representatives from community, industry and local government. The table ratified its recommended plan in September 2000. The government of British Columbia has now approved the LRMP.
The Okanagan Shuswap LRMP will be implemented by government agencies, including the provincial ministries of forests; environment, lands and parks; energy and mines. The approved plan will guide a wide variety of resource management programs and activities, such as forest development planning under the Forest Practices Code, approvals of commercial recreation activities and wildlife management. It provides valuable information that will assist the permitting and impact assessment processes.
The Planning AreaThe Okanagan Shuswap LRMP covers 2.5 million hectares and is one of the most ecologically complex areas of the province. In addition, it is continuing to experience one of the fastest growing populations in B.C. The plan's population base of approximately 350,000 is the largest of any LRMP yet completed in the province. The LRMP is made up of the Penticton, Vernon and Salmon Arm Forest Districts. It also includes the communities of Kelowna and Osoyoos. Approximately 320 km long and 140 km wide, it stretches south from Seymour River / Shuswap Lake to the Canada - U.S.A border and west from the Monashee Mountains to the Okanagan Range. The area features many lakes including Okanagan, Shuswap, Osoyoos, Mabel, Sugar, Kalamalka, Wood, Vaseux and Skaha.
The region includes a diversity of ecosystems and biogeoclimatic zones. In particular, the region is also noted for its arid landscape, which is unique in Canada. The area also includes the largest number of rare, endangered and threatened species in B.C., due to the relative rarity of ecosystems in the southern Okanagan, and the high level of urban development and population growth.
The area's natural resources provide the foundation for the establishment of the local economy, with its early economy based on primary industries, such as agriculture, forestry and mining. More recently, the local economy has become much more diversified, with significant manufacturing, tourism and service sectors. The area's natural resources continue to make an important contribution to the health and growth of the local economy - both through ongoing activity in the forestry, agriculture and mining sectors, and through the provision of scenic views and recreational amenities that continue to attract new residents and tourists to the area.
The Planning TableThe Okanagan Shuswap LRMP is the result of the hard work and dedication of a core group of public and government representatives who worked together for more than five years to develop a common vision of future land use for the area. Participants reflected a wide range of backgrounds, interests and priorities including wildlife, economic development, recreation, tourism, hunting, commercial and recreational fishing, guide outfitting, community stability, cultural heritage, agriculture, mining and forestry. Respect and recognition of different viewpoints were key operating principles at the planning table as it reached consensus.
First NationsThe Okanagan Nation Alliance and the Shuswap Nation Tribal Council have communities located inside the plan area. First nations expressed an interest in the process, but chose not to participate formally. On several occasions, presentations were made to the table by First Nations. The presentations were made by individuals, and not as official representatives of any of the bands. A facilitator was employed to maintain communications between First Nations and process managers. The Okanagan Nation Alliance and the Little Shuswap Band signed separate agreements with the Province that provided for their review of LRMP map products, draft objectives and strategies and the draft LRMP. Process managers and government considered information generated by these reviews.
The participation of First Nations in land and resource planning will not limit their subsequent treaty negotiations with the Crown. Land use plans and any First Nations involvement in such plans do not prejudice aboriginal rights recognized by the courts, or the position First Nations may choose to take in formal, comprehensive negotiations involving the federal and provincial governments. First Nations may use protected areas for sustenance activities, including hunting and fishing, subject to conservation objectives, and for ceremonial and spiritual practices.
Local GovernmentThe regional districts of Okanagan - Similkameen, Central Okanagan, North Okanagan and Columbia - Shuswap had representatives at the Table, and the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary monitored the process. Under special terms of reference, each regional district individually passed a resolution outside of the Table consensus meeting, which defined support for the plan.
THE OKANAGAN SHUSWAP LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN
Protected Areas ( increase of 5 per cent to 7.9% of plan area)Protected areas are land and freshwater or marine areas set aside to protect the province's diverse natural and cultural heritage. They are dedicated to present and future generations for a spectrum of compatible conservation and recreation uses: as scientific benchmarks, as nature preserves, as places for education, appreciation and inspiration and as places to enjoy certain recreational activities. Protected areas are inalienable: the land and resources may not be sold. They are also areas in which no industrial resource extraction or development is permitted. No mining, logging, hydro dams or oil and gas development will occur within protected areas.
The Okanagan Shuswap LRMP will protect approximately 122, 963 hectares of new protected areas, plus 71,643 hectares of existing parks and ecological reserves for a total of 194,606 hectares. The addition of 49 new protected areas to the existing 49 protected areas increases the total amount of protected area in the Okanagan-Shuwap by five per cent. Approximately 7.9 per cent will now be protected, contributing 0.13 per cent to the provincial total of 12.37 per cent protected areas.
Protected area highlights include:
- Anstey-Hunakwa - A longstanding park proposal in the Shuswap Highlands, this 7,500 ha. protected area at the head of Anstey Arm will maintain an undisturbed portion of the popular Shuswap Lake vacation area. A large, relatively warm lake and high biological diversity, including old growth forests and a riparian flood plain make the park important for both ecological representation and backcountry recreation opportunities.
- South Okanagan Grasslands - Unique within Canada, the desert and near-desert grassland ecosystems of the South Okanagan Basin have been protected in four sites in the Osoyoos area comprising the new 9,700 ha. South Okanagan Grasslands Park. The park contains all known Canadian sites of at least three plant species and habitat for a number of rare and endangered birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
- Myra Bellevue - One of several new parks representing the North Okanagan Basin and North Okanagan Highlands, Myra-Bellevue captures a full elevational range from the outskirts of Kelowna eastward to the crest of the mountains. Features such as the dramatic escarpment of Little White Mountain, the scenic Myra Canyon, a number of existing trails and the historic Kettle Valley Railway with its trestles and tunnels have provincial recreational appeal and provide long term recreational opportunities for the increasing Okanagan Valley population.
- Snowy/Crater - The 26,000 hectare Snowy park adjoining the existing 33,272 hectares in Cathedral Park on the east significantly increases representation of the Okanagan Ranges and protection of a wide range of vegetation and wildlife habitats, from dry grassland valley to extensive alpine meadows. Together with the 353 hectare Crater Mountain addition to Cathedral Park we are linking our protected areas with a northern parcel of land in Washington State, comprising almost 6,000 hectares. Snowy supports a provincially significant herd of California Bighorn sheep and provides outstanding opportunities for hiking, ridgewalking, backpacking, horseback riding, wildlife viewing, hunting and commercial backcountry tours.
Resource Management Zones (RMZs) cover 93% of the Crown land base outside of protected areas and provide security for resource development while at the same time providing direction for the particular values that exist. The eighteen RMZs used in the plan apply to two specific geographical units and 16 particular resource attributes, where they occur on the land base. They range from crown/community interface and community watersheds, through recreation, tourism and visuals to ecosystem management and nine individual wildlife species. Under this approach, there is extensive overlap in the RMZs. Management in any particular location must meet the objectives of all the RMZs which overlay that location. The objectives and strategies within these zones apply to all agencies, resources and activities, and are the fundamental building blocks of the plan. Objectives describe a desired future condition with respect to a particular resource or resource use. Strategies describe 'how' the objective will be achieved.
Socio-economic ConsiderationsOkanagan-Shuswap LRMP table members view their plan as being clear and articulate, fair, balanced and inclusive of all interests. Within the total plan area, 7.9% of the land base will be fully protected, 72.1% will fall under general management direction as well as one or more resource management zones, and 5.4% will be subject only to general management direction. The remaining 14.6% of the land base is other than provincial Crown land. With the exception of the small Joe Rich Special Management Zone (in effect a geographical unit RMZ), the table felt that neither special resource management zones nor enhanced resource management zones were necessary, as the attribute-specific RMZs effectively balanced and covered off their interests. The protected area recommendations were designed to deliver the highest protected area values while avoiding, as much as possible, areas with other high resource values. In some instances, overlap was unavoidable, particularly in the grassland protected areas in the south where there are some of the rarest, under-represented ecosystems in the Province as well as high potential mineral interests.
Biodiversity and Protected Area ConsiderationsThe plan provides specific direction on managing for biodiversity and the assignment of Old Growth Management Areas (OGMAs) as part of its General Management base. In addition to this, table members negotiated agreements on biodiversity in the plan's Resource Management Zones for riparian areas and for particular species such as grizzly bear, caribou, and mule deer winter range. These agreements provide enhanced planning direction at the Landscape Unit level beyond what is covered in the Landscape Unit Guide and maintain biodiversity over the landscape while reducing the the impact of OGMAs on the forest industry.
Protected areas contribute to biodiversity most significantly in the southern Okanagan valley, through protection of significant amounts of the limited low elevation grassland ecosystems remaining on provincial Crown land. Smaller protected areas protect key pockets of habitat for rare and endangered species.
Agricultural ConsiderationsThe plan has recognized the significance of agriculture in the Okanagan-Shuswap area by providing objectives and strategies to maintain adequate Crown forage supplies for the ranching sector, ensure adequate supplies of water for agricultural use, mitigate wildlife/agriculture conflicts and ensure availability of arable Crown lands if needed.
Access ConsiderationsThe plan recognizes the significance of access on Crown lands by addressing the topic in a separate section, as well as under general management and in the individual resource management zones. Objectives and strategies are provided to offer all users opportunities for appropriate access, to minimize impacts of road development and use on sensitive areas, and to employ local planning forums to develop access strategies to resolve site specific issues or conflicts. A general principle throughout the plan is that access management issues will be dealt with through consultation involving affected stakeholders and interests.
Forestry ConsiderationsIn its General Management section, the plan provides objectives and strategies to support forest health and to maintain or enhance the sustainable supply of economically viable timber and minimize costs, while maintaining environmental standards and addressing other resource values. More specific direction for achieving this desired balance has been developed for each resource management zone so that the overall social, economic and environmental implications can be clearly understood and agreed to by all. The protected areas package and the management direction in the plan have been modelled for the Okanagan timber supply area (which is 80% of the plan area, TFL's being the other 20%). It is based on the best available information at this time and is to a similar rigour as the timber supply review that is currently underway for the area. The LRMP reduces the mature timber harvesting land base by 13% (approximately 90,000 ha.). Because of the large amount of mature volume available for harvest, this does not have an impact on the current level of harvest, which can be maintained for 80 years.
Recreational ConsiderationsThe plan area offers some of the most diverse recreational opportunities and experiences in the province. The plan maintains or enhances this diverse range of opportunities and features for tourism and recreation, with special management emphasis on regionally significant trail corridors such as the Kettle Valley Railway corridor and the Mission Creek trail, and on intensive recreation areas such as the Aberdeen Plateau east of Vernon and Mount Ida near Salmon Arm.
Tourism ConsiderationsThe Okanagan-Shuswap area is one of the most intensively visited parts of the province and almost 500 businesses in the area are estimated to be directly dependent on tourism, with many more deriving a portion of their income from tourists. The plan identifies objectives and strategies to provide opportunities for existing and future tourism industry development and to reduce conflicts between commercial recreation operations and other resource users. Specific resource management zones for tourism use, dispersed tourism use and backcountry tourism focus on maintaining the settings, particularly the visual quality, which will sustain and support tourism.
Energy and Mineral Resource ConsiderationsThe Okanagan Shuswap area has a long history of mining for precious and base metals, industrial minerals and coal. The protected area package reduces the accessible area of high and medium mineral potential by 9.3 per cent. The plan provides certainty for access to all Crown lands outside of protected areas for the development of energy and mineral resources, subject to standard regulatory and approval processes and conditions. Additional mitigation measures that may be required to meet RMZ objectives (e.g. access routing, deactivation requirements, timing of operations) can be addressed through existing approval mechanisms. The plan area's potential for oil, gas and large scale hydro energy is low.
Implementation and MonitoringPlan approval marks the beginning of the implementation and monitoring phase of the LRMP.
Priority implementation items include:
- Prepare the final plan document
- Complete the Okanagan Shuswap Implementation Plan
- Communicate approved LRMP direction to all affected decision-makers and agencies
- Legally designate new protected areas and Environment and Land Use Act corridors
- Establish higher level plans for specific objectives related to the Forest Practices Code
Resource Management Division
PO Box 9426
Victoria BC V8W 9V1
RMD Website: http://srmrpdwww.env.gov.bc.ca
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| Contact: |
Warren Mitchell |
Phil Whitfield |
For Immediate Release
January, 2001
