Snowmobilers in the Peace have had to manage a patchwork of areas, some that are closed year round, some that are open year round, some that are closed for certain weeks of the year, and others that are part of the Adaptive Management and Access Program, also known as adaptive management areas.
The program is “an innovative approach to land management, allowing for flexible access based on caribou activity,” according to the BC Snowmobile Federation. “This system was developed through collaboration between the BCSF, local snowmobile clubs, government agencies, First Nations, and other stakeholders to protect sensitive ecosystems while maintaining recreational opportunities.”
The way it works is that areas under this program area are monitored for potential interactions with caribou. If there are no caribou in an area, it is open to riding. If a herd does wander into one of these active management areas, the area will be closed to riding. Once the potential for interactions between humans and caribou has passed, the area will be reopened.
Over the last few years, as these areas have been studied, the government has gotten a better picture of what the potential interactions look like and—much to the pleasant surprise of local riders—are looking at relaxing regulations in some riding areas in the Northern Rockies.
For instance, the Silversands area, accessed west of Chetwynd, is currently closed year round, but the government is proposing to open the area to riding between January 15 and April 30 every year.
Or the Tunnel Mountain area, accessed up the Windfall Creek Road, which in turn is accessed off the Bullmoose Mine Road, is also closed year round, but the government is proposing to open that area from November 15 to February 28.
They are also planning on removing snowmobile prohibitions in the Bijoux and Murray active Management areas.
Currently the Bijoux and Murray riding areas are actively managed. If the proposed regulations were to come into effect, these restrictions would be lifted.
In addition, access to the active riding areas has been through permits. “The permits were provided to specific snowmobile clubs and their members,” says the proposal. “The proposal would replace the permit system with seasonal snowmobile access through regulation.”
According to the proposal, “analysis of caribou location and habitat data has improved understanding of when and how caribou use these areas. The regulation change would only allow snowmobiling during times when data indicates caribou are not present and keep snowmobiling closures where caribou are present. The proposed regulation change would make the rules clearer and more consistent while protecting caribou and providing more recreation opportunities. It would also make monitoring and enforcement easier.”
While this would open up these areas to riders, the year-round closures of the Holsworth and Windfall Active Management Areas would be maintained.
If you are interested in commenting on the proposed changes, visit the BC Government Active Management area webpage, by searching for “BC Active Management Areas” on your favourite search engine.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
