A brief rundown on the situation:



Recently, the Chi-ihl-kway-uhk Forestry Limited Partnership (CFLP) was granted a license for a 10 year plan to harvest sections of forest within Woodlot 0084, subject first though to giving the public an opportunity to view their harvest plan. This woodlot covers some 800 hectares of the lower forested slopes along the Elk and Mt. Thurston Ridge.

The Ministry of Forests has granted the CFLP an annual allowable cut of 6,400 cubic metres, or an area equivalent to eight hectares (five-year timber offers are predicated on a First Nation’s population,with individual First Nations offered the equivalent of somewhere between 30 and 54 cubic metresof timber per person per year.) In March of this year, a "Notice of public viewing" was posted in the March 9th edition of the Chilliwack Progress, one of our local newspapers. This is the notice that was posted:
(click onto image for a larger version) Public viewing notice which appeared in the Merch 9th edition of the Chilliwack Progress

The public notice does not identify this woodlot application as encompassing the Elk-ThurstonTrail. The notice says "within the Chilliwack River Valley of the Chilliwack Forest District/FraserTSA". Deliberate obfuscation cannot be proven; but this notice is so vague that many people, whowould have responded had they known that the trail was to be compromised, have been left 'outof the loop'. This is not an honest, open, public process.

This trail is one of the most popular hiking trails in the Fraser Valley. When BC Forest ServiceRecreation used to do user-surveys on trails, more than 15 years ago, it showed in excess of sixthousand visits per year: and many people do not take the time to fill in a form before they startup the trail! Therefore six thousand is probably a conservative number. Added to that is theincrease in population in the Valley & the increased interest in outdoor recreation.

The Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Forestry Limited Partnership office will not provide copies of their plan tothe public. There is one copy available in the office which is available for perusal if one can visitthe office. The statement by the forester was that 'the Chiefs had said that the plan must not leavethe office'. A request for a photocopy of the plan was refused.

BC Forest Service (BCFS) used to provide, free to the public, recreation maps of the facilitieswithin the various forest districts. These have not been produced recently. However the 1992 and1997 maps show the trail & provide a description of its features. BCFS also used to either do, orpay to have done, maintenance on the trail Yet somewhere, somehow the trail has 'gone missing'from official documentation. The Ch-ihl-kway-uhk woodlot plan says that the trail "has not beenlegally designated": thus absolving them from paying much attention to it.

The woodlot plan must be approved by the Ministry of Forests (aka Kerry Grozier, ChilliwackDistrict Manager). Yet the trail is now under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Tourism, Sportand the Arts (MoTSA). So Forest Service has no responsibility for the trail: and the peopleresponsible for the trail have no authority over the approval of the woodlot. This is another ofthose classic cases of 'It's not me! It's them.'.

(click onto image for a larger version) proposed plan on a topo map

This is a photo of the map that is on display in the Sto:Lo Development Corpoation's office, where Matt Wealick also has an office (Matt Wealick is a registered professional forester (RPF) and is the manager of the CFLP.
Notice, on the map, that the major problem with this plan is the road which will run along thetrail for part of its route. This is a ten-year woodlot plan that could be extended. Therefore, if it isapproved as it stands, there will be dirt bike/ATV access to the trail. Some of the moreadventursome riders will be able to access the summit ridge. That will be the end of the Elk-Thurston meadows.

A Ministry of Forests Tenures Specialist said, when informed that Ch-ihl-kway-uhk would notallow the plan to leave the office or be copied: that the plan would be placed on the ChilliwackForest District website: since this is an application for public lands and has a public process. Tendays later, when the plan had not appeared on the website, an enquiry was met with answer thatthe woodlot application plan would NOT be being placed on the website. So much for publicprocess!

Public input is to be considered before Mr. Grozier gives final approval, but the window forpublic input ends on May 8th.

What you can do!

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