Welcome to Area H Home page. My name is Brad Hope. I was elected as Area H Director for a three year term in November of 2008. The purpose of this page is to advise residents of events, programs, projects and other matters specific to this area. . Please contact me if you have comments or suggestions related to this page or to Area H.
Current Events relevant to all of Area H will be shown on this page.
Issued related to specific areas - Allison Lake, Chain/Osprey etc. may be found under Current Topics.
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Current Events - Area H
Feed: Government Wide NEWS
Posted on: March-08-10 9:36 AM
Author: Government Wide NEWS
Subject: SNOWPACK AND WATER SUPPLY BULLETIN
VICTORIA – Environment Minister Barry Penner says there has been a decrease in snowpacks across the province over the past two months, following the warm and dry January and February.
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Forest Fire Fuel Reduction Program (Feb. 23/2010) See March 5th updated info below
RDOS Area H has aquired substantial funding for fuel reduction and the removal of beetle killed wood from crown lands. Projects are slated for Eastgate, Missezula Lake, Tulameen and Bankier. We are as well reviewing sites at Allison Lake and on RDOS lands adjacent to the Town of Princeton.This project has taken longer than antisipated to get underway as there have been issues in resolving interfaces between private and public lands. However that has been completed. Work crews will begin on the ground work in Hedly Feb.24. and today our fire control manager, John Davies notified me that in Area H we are simply waiting for the Minister of Forests for final approval. Mr. Davies thinks that will be given very soon.
(March 5,2010) Forest Fire Fuel Reduction Update)
From: John Davies <john@valhallaconsulting.ca>
To: Brad Hope
Sent: Fri Mar 05 14:21:31 2010
Subject: Tulameen update
I heard from MoFR today.
Tulameen should be ready to go the week of the 15th. There mapping person is on holidays (this might explain the delay) and won’t be back until that week.
We’ve also received notification that our boundaries for East Gate and Missezula have some overlap with private lot boundaries. We will resolve these next week and correct the issues. In the meantime I’m trying to negotiate removing the polygons that overlap on the private boundaries so that work can begin in the other polygons where there are no issues.
I’ll update you when I know more.
John Davies, RPF
Senior Forester
Valhalla Consulting Inc
11510 Upper Summit Drive
Coldstream, BC
V1B 2B4
Office: 250.260.5363
Cell: 250-540-3473
Fax: 1-866-485-2112
John@ValhallaConsulting.ca
www.ValhallaConsulting.ca
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Area H Looks at New Program for Noxious Weeds (Feb.2/10)
RDOS has for many years partisipated in a control program for noxious weeds. We have our own contractor run education and abatement programs. Highways as well does some abatement work as does Agriculture and some private companies like Teresen and Fortis, all indepentdent of the other. On Feb 4th I arranged to have David Ralph from the Dept. of Agriculture come and speak to the RDOS Board about a single agency pilot project for Area H. What this would mean is that all of the agencies, rather than working independently, would pool funding resources and work towards a co-ordinated plan for weed control. This approach, I believe, would give us much more control in addressing the weed problem. There are other regions in BC that have moved to a single agency and in speaking with them it appears that they very much favor that approach. It not only focuses the effort it allows the district much more interaction with local landowners and stakeholders. Please contact me if you have an interest in this issue, s to go to get this established but I think it has potential.
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Forest Fire Fuel Reduction Program (Feb. 23/2010)
RDOS Area H has aquired substantial funding for fuel reduction and the removal of beetle killed wood from crown lands. Projects are slated for Eastgate, Missezula Lake, Tulameen and Bankier. We are as well reviewing sites at Allison Lake and on RDOS lands adjacent to the Town of Princeton.This project has taken longer than antisipated to get underway as there have been issues in resolving interfaces between private and public lands. However that has been completed. Work crews will begin on the ground work in Hedly Feb.24. and today our fire control manager, John Davies notified me that in Area H we are simply waiting for the Minister of Forests for final approval. Mr. Davies thinks that will be given very soon.
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Area H Official Community Plan (OCP)
An OCP is a policy document that provides the Regional District and the community with general direction on land use matters such as environmental protection, growth management, parks and recreation, community servicing, and long term land use. The current OCP was formulated in the mid‐1990s. It is generally considered good practice to review the policies contained within an OCP every 5‐10 years to ensure they respond to changing circumstances within the community such as shifting population, affordable housing and climate change.
In order to update our Area OCP we felt that it was necessary to consult with as many residents in as much detail as possible. To achieve this goal our RDOS planner Chris Garrish mailed a survey questionnaire to every owner of property in the district in July of this year. This initial survey asked residents a series of questions and asked those interested to participate in a further much more detailed process. That advanced survey process has now been completed, public meetings have been held and we continue to seek input as we move toward a completed document. This is an important process, one that will be used to determine land use policy throughout the district. It can be fine tuned to reflect particular needs in specific areas. Chris has made every attempt to make this as inclusive and as comprehensive as possible. There is still an opportunity to be involved. The link below provides all the details and the survey results which I think you will find interesting and informative! Thanks to Chris Garrish and Director Michael Brydon for there continuing efforts on this project.
http://www.rdos.bc.ca/AreaH/OCP
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New Regulations for Off Road Vehicles
KAMLOOPS – Rules for off-road vehicle registration and licensing, helmet use, youth safety and environmental measures will be implemented over the next two years under a new off-road vehicle (ORV) management framework, announced Tourism, Culture and the Arts Minister Kevin Krueger....to read more click link below
www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2009-2013/2009TCA0012-000602.htm
This has long been a controversial issue in Area H. There have been many complaints that ORVs damage trails, spoil the outdoor experience for others and are used in a dangerous manner often by under aged children without proper safety gear. For the most part, I believe this is once again just a few irresponsible individuals giving the majority a bad rap! These new regulations may, over time, solve most of the problems related to safety and to some of the noise issues. In speaking to a number of ORV groups we have found that most are in favor of the noise regulations. However there is still the issue of shared trails usage. The TransCanada Trail has been a particular problem with many complaints from hikers and bikers about ORVs. Trails in the China Creek Recreation area and other areas have sustained considerable damage in the past as well.
Rather than argue an issue where both sides lose, the two groups have gotten together and have come up with and decided to try a different approach with the idea that there is room for everyone and if we wish to limit motorized use in some areas and on some trails then we had better be prepared to offer an alternative! As a result, the GPS work on an alternate motorized route between Coalmont, Tulameen and Princeton has been completed, consultation with tenure holders is in process and it is likely that a more interesting more connected ORV route will soon be available. I think everyone found that we had more in common than we thought. Many hikers also like to ride an ATV or snowmobile and at the same time many of us like to get off the ORVs and take a quiet walk with the family. This is not just a local problem, it is province wide and this may be an idea whose time has come, an example of what we can do when we work together.
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High Speed Internet
Residents of Allison Lake, Chain and Osprey Lake areas, Missezula Lake and Eastgate will be pleased to know that China Creek Internet Service has submitted strong applications for funding for high speed internet for your areas. At this time we do not know when funding decisions will be announced but are hopeful that they will be successful.
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MEDIA RELEASE
Water, water, water! By Melanie Bagley
Community Liaison/Project Manager
Community members who attended the Sustainable Similkameen public meeting in Keremeos were very clear that, when it comes to creating a sustainability strategy, the number one priority in this valley is water. "Water is the life blood of the valley," said Cawston resident Gabi Cursons. Gabi has been involved in a water-monitoring program. The program, run by Ministry of Environment and Environment Canada, takes samples from the Similkameen River from Princeton and Chopaka every two weeks.
The program was started in late 1970s. Over the last few years there have been some startling changes in the Similkameen River. According to Gabi, generally the water level has dropped, the river is warming up and, hence, the dissolved oxygen has decreased, and also overall water quality is decreasing.
The public felt that comprehensive data on water in the whole valley, the rivers, lakes and aquifer, was needed.
The Keremeos meeting was one of three Sustainable Similkameen meetings held during the week.
At the public meeting in Princeton, strategic planners Drs. Laurence Moss and Romella Glorioso presented four alternative future scenarios of the world outside the valley that will likely affect our communities. The scenarios had six overarching characteristics: in-migration, local role in governance, shift in society values, economic development, First Nations self-determination and climate change action.
The public and panel members were asked to choose one scenario to be used in crafting a Similkameen sustainability strategy. "Please do not choose the one you like the most," stressed Dr. Moss. "Choose the one you think is most likely to occur."
The driving forces of the chosen scenario are: increasing demand for places rich in natural and socio-cultural amenities and decreasing local role in public policy decision-making for sustainability. The other scenarios will not be redundant.
"They make up an early warning system," explained Dr. Moss. "They can be used to monitor the changing world outside the valley and with them changes can be identified earlier and easier so that plans, investments, etc can be changed or altered with less costs."The third meeting at the end of the week was a progress session of the Sustainable Similkameen panel who discussed the valley’s resources for sustainability. The strengths and weakness of the Valley’s resources were identified and assessed by the panel from information gathered at sixteen community meetings, biodiversity studies, the Valley amenity migration survey and other sources.
The volunteer panel members will continue working on this project, and the next task will be to bring together the strengths and weaknesses of the Valley’s resources with the threats and opportunities in order to craft a realistic Valley sustainability strategy. With public input, the panel and consultants will formulate the strategy by the end of the project in March 2010. The strategy will then go to the valley’s public decision-makers and planners, as well as private sector and volunteer stakeholders so that, as they make plans, the whole valley can be considered, not just one of its jurisdiction. Jurisdictions include the Village of Keremeos, the Town of Princeton, RDOS Areas B, G and H, the LSIB and USIB.
However the strategy is formulated, one thing was again made clear. There must be a means to implement, monitor and evaluate the Similkameen sustainability strategy.
For further information on the Sustainable Similkameen Project, please visit,