BC Conservation Officer Service
Access Management Compliance and Enforcement Program (AMCEP) 2014 Report Compiled by Conservation Officer Patricia Burley May 15-Nov15, 2014
Wigwam Flats AMA – View from Purple Canyon to China Wall
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Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................ 3
Maps ....................................................................................................................... 4
Contact Information ............................................................................................... 4
2014 Results – Tables/Charts .................................................................................. 5
Chart and Summary from 2011-2014 ...................................................................... 5
Access Management Areas ..................................................................................... 9
Alexander Creek ................................................................................................... 9
Barnes Lake ........................................................................................................ 11
Chauncey Todhunter.......................................................................................... 13
Corbin ................................................................................................................ 15
East Flathead ..................................................................................................... 16
Galton Range ..................................................................................................... 18
Grave Prairie ...................................................................................................... 19
Sheep Mountain ................................................................................................ 21
Upper Elk Valley ................................................................................................. 23
Upper Flathead .................................................................................................. 24
Upper Wigwam .................................................................................................. 26
Weigert Creek .................................................................................................... 28
Wigwam Flats .................................................................................................... 29
Education and Outreach ....................................................................................... 31
Other Work Projects ............................................................................................. 33
2015 Recommendations ....................................................................................... 35
Summary .............................................................................................................. 35
Appendix ............................................................................................................... 36
Pictures .............................................................................................................. 36
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Introduction
The 2014 Access Management Compliance and Enforcement Program (AMCEP) Report is the sixth and final report for the sixth month Access Guardian position. 2014 was the fourth year that the Elk Valley has had a dedicated Conservation Officer (CO) working as an Access Guardian for a commitment of 5 years. The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) worked in partnership with the Conservation Officer Service, District of Elkford, District of Sparwood, City of Fernie and the Columbia Basin Trust to provide funding and support to continue with a designated CO as the Access Guardian. The Letter of Agreement between the RDEK and the Conservation Officer Service was signed in January 2012. In the following results section, results are broken down in charts explaining where, when and how much time was spent in each Access Management Area (AMA) within Electoral Area A in 2014. The Access Guardians (CO Burley) primary goals were to spend most of her time providing outreach and enforcement in the AMA’s from May 15-November 15. For the remainder of the year, CO Burley continued her regular full time duties as a CO stationed in Fernie. Some office time was committed to raising money, redesigning, ordering and widely distributing the free Outdoor Access Guide that educates back country users on closed or restricted access areas. This guide was funded by a variety of industrial and stakeholder groups in 2014 such as the Elkford ATV Club, Fernie Trails Alliance, Sparwood Fish and Wildlife Club, Fernie and Elkford’s Rod and Gun Clubs, BC Recreation Sites and Trails and Teck Coal Operations. In addition, educational presentations and stakeholder meetings were conducted throughout the year to open the doors to communication between the recreating groups and the Access Guardian. Aside from the committed AMA compliance and enforcement work, CO Burley had other responsibilities to conduct when working in the East Kootenay’s. Responsibilities such as; assist with problem wildlife, public safety concerns and environmental protection issues. “The Conservation Officer Service is a public safety provider focussed on natural resource law enforcement and human wildlife conflicts prevention and response. Our Vision: To be a progressive and respected leader in environmental compliance and enforcement, shared stewardship and public safety. The Conservation Officer Service Motto is: Integrity, Service and Protection.”
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Maps To reduce this document size, AMA maps have not been included in this report. If required, maps of individual AMAs are available from two sources, the Ministry of Environment website: www.env.gov.bc.ca/kootenay/eco/accessmaps.htm and the Hunting Regulations Synopsis. The hunting synopsis is available in print and online: www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/wildlife/hunting/regulations/ the maps available from the MOE website are in colour and contain much greater detail. As per the Letter of Agreement, CO Burley provided monthly AMCEP Reports to the RDEK for review. The monthly and final reports from May to November 2012-2014 are now available for the public to view and read at the following website: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/kootenay/eco/accessmaps.htm Please see the attached Excel 2014 Stats for more detail of the Access Guardian’s patrols and outreach efforts from January to December 2014. Contact Information Questions and concern can be forwarded to CO Burley at the following information: RAPP 1-877-952-7277 Desk 250-423-4264 Cell 250-423-1888 [email protected] 1621A 10th Avenue P.O Box 2877, Fernie, BC, V0B1M0
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2014 Results Table 1: Overall results of the 2014 Access Program. Total number of patrols and time spent within each AMA was recorded along with the number of persons contacted, number of charges, warnings and education delivered.
Table 2: Overall outreach results provided to the public for the 2014 Access Program.
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Table 3: Estimated time spent travelling to various AMAs. Travel time calculated by multiplying travel distance by the number of patrols conducted. (ex: Alexander Creek: Travel distance (1) x Patrols (6) = 6 hrs. of travel time). This is time over and above time spent in the AMA
Table 4: Summary of 2014 statistics. Filtered numbers are for the months of Sept-Dec.
• It should be noted that Officer Presence is calculated as the time Officer(s) were physically present in an AMA and the outreach time provided for presentations, it does not account for travel to or from the areas.
• People that are educated are those defined as being encountered by a CO and
discussing specific AMA facts and requirements for which the person in question was previously unaware. It should be noted that the AMCEP and general AMA facts are discussed with more than 80% of contacts.
• The above tables include the time spent on the preparation of the slide show presentation, Outdoor Access Guide, follow up paper work, media articles, brochures,
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AMA enforcement investigation time and phone conversations with questions regarding AMA’s.
• Some AMA’s are patrolled more than others. The reason for this is that the CO’s respond to the area’s with the most complaints and non-compliance. When time permits CO Burley tries to patrol area’s that are remote and haven’t been checked for some time.
• From January to December 2014 the COS conducted 170 patrols within the Electoral
Area “A” AMAs. These patrols did not only include the Access Guardian, but other CO’s from around the East Kootenay Zone and elsewhere in the Province.
• Officers spent 518.25 hours within the AMA boundaries alone. The travel time on top of that was 153.64 hours to get to and from the AMAs. An additional 290.5 hours were spent providing education to the public and follow up time on investigations. Patrols that took place within the AMA’s were by truck, ATV, snowmobile or foot.
• A total of approximately 962.39 hours were committed to the AMCEP.
• The public had reported many AMA activity/violation reports to the COS, which takes additional time to investigate. In 2014 a total of 46 AMA files were investigated by the East Kootenay CO’s in Electoral Area A. These violations involve the illegal vehicle operation within the closed boundaries of an AMA.
• Other violations that were found while in the AMA’s were; loaded firearms, improper
documentation (hunting licences), hunting out of season, fishing during closed time, illegal possession of wildlife/fish, hunting/fishing without a licence, illegal guiding, fishing with prohibited gear/bait etc.
• Most Long Weekends were worked for 2014: July, August, September, October and November.
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Chart and Summary from 2011-2014 Table 5: Summary of statistics of the AMCEP results from 2011 to 2014
• Since the AMCEP started in August of 2011 the results of the program have been
growing in success. The number of patrols conducted, educational events, hours spent on investigations and educational presentations, contacts and violation tickets issued have all increased.
• More people have been contacted and educated while in the field or from educational
talks.
• The public have made more AMA violation complaints to the Conservation Officer Service in 2013 and 2014 than ever before. Therefore the word is being spread throughout the area on the importance of the AMA’s; more people are coming forward to make those non-compliance complaints to the COS. Also, most of the complaints reported to the Conservation Officer Service have resulted in convictions.
• More community groups have come forward requesting CO Burley to provide AMA
presentations. CO Burley has been contacted directly by numerous recreationists wanting more information on the AMA’s. She is the go to person for Access questions.
• There was less hours on site in 2014 due to the incoming calls that the CO’s had to
respond to including office investigation time.
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Access Management Areas Alexander Creek
Table 6
• Alexander Creek AMA is one of the more complex AMA’s in the East Kootenay’s with a large area and a large range of road networks on the north end. Alexander has the highest number of different seasonal road closures. Motorized traffic in the summer and fall driving through the BC/AB Passes seem to be the challenge for this AMA. This large area is hard to catch people when they are in the act of cutting locks, chains, driving on closed roads and going around gates.
• CO Burley had a meeting with Canfor in September to discuss options to help support
the AMA. Canfor agreed that they will post a gate on Deadmans Pass Road and create ditches to deter traffic on the closed trails in the spring of 2015.
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• Alexander Creek AMA has a high cliental of Alberta residents that frequently carry out quad trips (ATV and dirt bikes) from the Atlas staging area in the Crowsnest Pass. There were not as many complaints made from the public to the CO’s regarding Alexander during the 2014 ACMEP year compared to previous years. Therefor CO Burley did not conduct as many weekend patrols as she focused on other busy weekend AMA such as Wigwam Flats and Grave Prairie AMA’s.
• An area of concern for Alexander in 2014 was the access road behind the Crowsnest Provincial Park located off of Hwy 3 before the Alberta border. There is a yellow gate behind the rest stop of the park that motorists are accessing to recreate and camp illegally. The issue with this access is that numerous people have been driving through the park to Alexander Creek AMA closed areas. There are well run trails here, but they are all closed for the protection of habitat. A significant amount of time was spent in this area and along Phillips Pass by the CO’s. A number of Violation and Warning tickets were issued to motorists by the Fernie CO’s. An illegal motorized camp had to be evicted from the area numerous times taking time from the CO’s, BC Parks and the RCMP. The gate will be locked during 2015 with access only by approved contractors and gas line employees.
Recommendations: CO Burley will continue to patrol the area when it is most likely to have a high number of non-compliance motorists. Late afternoons, Friday-Sundays, with nice weather would be the most practical time to encounter motorized recreationists from AB and BC. CO Burley would like to organise a patrol with another CO along the BC/AB boarder. Continuous education and communication with the Alberta Quad Squad (southern Alberta Rockies ATV club), Elk Valley Snowmobile Clubs and Elk Valley and Cranbrook ATV Clubs will be utilized. CO Burley will continue to help investigate violators of the AMA’s with the use and support of the trail camera photos and videos. Teck had purchased land within Alexander Creek AMA from Tembec in 2014 as part of their Conservation Lands initiative. Teck and CO Burley have communicated throughout the year to discuss options to help educate public on the AMA. Teck will be posting new large coloured AMA signs at the different southern entrances.
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Barnes Lake
Table 7
• Barnes Lake AMA is a beautiful alpine bowl full of wildflowers and lush plants. Once on ATV, it is a 30 minute ATV ride from the Flathead Forest Service Rd; not far from the Corbin Mine, Southeast of Sparwood. Once in the high basin area, the open road closes and the public is required to hike 30 minutes to the lake. This is one of the more remote AMAs to access – time to drive to, ATV, and then hike into the Lake. Barnes Lake has good fishing opportunities for all abilities and ages.
• Unfortunately, ATV’s are pushing their limits in the riparian ecosystem with larger machines which result in more environmental damage. The Sparwood Fish and Wildlife Club members have spent a considerable amount of volunteer time to ditch out the closed road to deter motorized activity. In time these ditches wear down making it easier for people to cross the ditches and access the closed area.
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• CO Burley and CO Scott patrolled to Barnes Lake AMA during the September Long Weekend. They encountered a large ATV group from Sparwood at the Corbin Staging Area. CO Burley gave out the Outdoor Access Guides and provided educational advice on the AMA. The group told her that if she had not spoken to them that day they had planned on going to the Lake with the ATV’s as this is what they heard to do from other locals. They did not know it was an AMA. Once on the steep and rocky trail to the Lake the CO’s encountered another group of five ATV’ers. They claimed that they turned around at the closure boundary, which the CO’s were able to confirm once they saw the tracks. The AMA signs at the boundary were all ripped down, which CO Scott replaced. The trail to the lake was heavily abused from motorized access.
Recommendations: As recommended from 2011, a sign indicating the distance and time to walk to the lake could be posted at the closed section of the road. A Report All Poacher and Polluter (RAPP) sign would be suitable at this location as well (although there is no cell service there information could be reported to the CO at a later time). The signage would have to be posted with the public’s assistance. Barnes Lake would be good to patrol for anglers on a regular basis. The CO’s would like the public’s assistance with reporting abuse in this AMA, as it is a pristine mountain riparian area. When people report complaints of abuse to the RAPP, CO’s will know when is best to conduct proactive patrols or can follow up with plate numbers recorded from vehicles associated with the violating off road vehicles. Some weekend patrols with two CO’s to Barnes Lake will be booked again for 2015. CO Burley could also station her truck at the staging area and educate ATV’ers as they go by.
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Chauncey Todhunter
Table 8
• Chauncey Todhunter is northeast of Elkford towards the Fording Mine. It has easy and quick access for the local community to get to by horseback, ATV, hiking or driving. This AMA is the busiest during the elk and sheep hunting season. A number of public complaints were made where vehicles were seen driving on closed roads in the AMA. It is frustrating for the hunters that hike/horseback to remote areas then to find someone drive by on the closed road. Vehicle licence plates are needed in order to track the suspects down for follow up investigation.
• There are no entrances from Alberta into this AMA. It was found that most motorized traffic was from local BC residents. There were hunting camps that set up for weekly periods that were checked during the hunting season. The local Outdoor Access Guide was handed out at each camp.
• This area is also heavily used by industrial workers. Teck Coal and Canfor Ltd. were
given brochures during the summer to hand out to their employees and contractors to carry in the field with them to know what to do if they encounter someone violating in an AMA. New employees for Teck and Canfor should be briefed on AMA boundaries.
• Teck had an active work site stationed up the Dry Creek Seasonal Road. Teck had to monitor who was on site at all times, including hunters. As this was a sign in only site,
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CO Burley did not patrol Dry Creek during the sheep hunting season unless a violation was reported.
• There have been winter reports made to CO Burley with snowmobile abuse up the Todhunter and East Ewin Creek Road. Aside from permitted trappers and contractors the public is not exempted to use snowmobiles in this AMA.
• The Sparwood Fish and Wildlife Club received an approved permit from Forest Lands and Natural Resource Operations (FLNRO) to install a new gate within the Chauncey Todhunter AMA. Volunteers from the club helped install and paint the new Todhunter gate in late to early September. CO Burley was able to lock the gate at the start of the seasonal closure date; September 1st. The gate did a great job during the fall hunting season. Every time CO Burley patrolled the area, the gate was locked and vehicles were parked at the staging area. The program could not be as successful as it is without dedicated and supportive community members like this.
Recommendations: Numerous RAPP complaints came to the CO’s attention for the East Ewin and at the end of Ewin Road; many were followed up with plate numbers. A grizzly bear was shot and killed in the area adjacent to the AMA along the Fording Hwy that the CO Service is investigating. The CO’s also patrol the No Hunting No Trespassing area at the Fording and Greenhills Mines when driving to the Chauncey Todhunter AMA. The CO’s will continue to patrol the AMA during the winter season as snowmobiles continue to abuse the AMA, most motorists can access the AMA from Elkford. The elk hunting season continues to be the busiest non-compliance season for the AMA. A number of short elk were shot in the area.
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Corbin
Table 9
• Michel Creek twists along the Corbin Road which makes it convenient for the CO’s to
check anglers while also verifying compliance within the AMA. A number of fisheries tickets were written on Michel Creek for prohibited fishing gear (barbed hooks or bait). There are many anglers on this creek and some of them come from as far away as the USA, United Kingdom, and Europe.
• Many camps set up and park along Michel Creek on the opposite side of the AMA closure, but CO Burley still stops and educates them on the AMA, distributing the Outdoor Activity Guide and the toll free 24 hour RAPP number to call if they see trucks or ATV’s in the closed area. There is an open road to the south end of the AMA closure where ATV tours come through from Alberta called the Tent Mountain Road.
• Corbin AMA was fairly quiet this hunting season. The CO’s have some ongoing investigations pertaining to vehicles witnessed in the motorized closure. The majority of Corbin AMA was previously Tembec land which has now been sold to a private land
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owner. There has been logging taking place throughout the AMA, which is sometimes hard to manage between workers with permits or other people entering the non-motorized areas.
Recommendations: Recreation camps with visible ATV’s near Michel Creek will continue to be checked and educated. The public camping in the Corbin area are also encouraged to report violations to help CO’s. There are a number of gates that are left unlocked or open where people are accessing the closed roads for hunting. Logging and mine exploration has been and will continue to be active in the area and with this high amount of authorized activity there will be more eyes and ears out there to witness and report violations. East Flathead
Table 10
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• East Flathead is one of the most remote AMA’s to patrol to and from Fernie. It is a
recreational haven for the outdoors enthusiasts. There are three different entrances the public can take to get into the East Flathead AMA; from Corbin, Morrissey and Ram/Cabin Rd.
• The East Flathead seems to have a steady flow of recreational users year round. There are open roads for snowmobilers to utilize during the winter, which many of them also bring back country skiers into. During the spring, summer and fall, it is continuous traffic for camping, fishing, hiking and hunting. It was observed that the Flathead is becoming busier than ever.
• CO Burley patrolled the Kishenina FSR during the fall where she had to post a number of new AMA signs; Airport FSR and Nettie FSR.
• There are a number of BC Forest Recreation Sites within the AMA that are beautiful areas to camp in; the public is reminded that they are not entitled to leave a camp set at a Forest Recreation Site for more than two weeks. Many of these sites such as Proctor Lake have been abused with litter and vandalism.
• Middle Kootenay Pass is one of the most utilized illegal entrance routes that can be
accessed by Alberta residents into BC, and visa-versa. Unfortunately CO Burley was not able to conduct a patrol to this area during the 2014 season. She had to respond to other AMA complaints, and human- wildlife safety conflicts.
• Guide Outfitters, Assistant Guides, Trappers and local members of the communities in
the Elk Valley frequent this area almost weekly throughout the year. There are large networks of open roads on the south end of the East Flathead, where education will continue to be provided to the recreating groups in the field.
• The CO’s worked on avalanche safety and orientation with the US Border Services Officers in Montana, Environment Canada and the RCMP in March 2014. Snowmobilers are still accessing the closed area from AB from the summit of Sage Pass.
Recommendations: Motorized activity found on the closed portion of Middle Pass will not be tolerated. There are signs on either side of the border warning people of the closed road. It is well known by the public and Alberta residents that Middle Pass is closed, but people continue to drive to the summit for the mountain top views and are also now doing high marking with motorcycles on the sensitive ecosystem (mostly during July, August and early September). A helicopter patrol would be beneficial on a nice weathered weekend in July or August.
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Although not part of the AMA program, some snowmobile patrols will be conducted in the winter of 2015 to monitor activity where Mtn. Goats reside. If the reactive call levels are not as high in 2015 as they were in 2014, the CO’s will conduct more proactive patrols in the East Flathead including a focused weekend project. Galton Range
Table 11
• The month of November is the busiest month for hunters in the Galton Range AMA. The Galton Range borders Hwy 93 on the east side of the highway south of the Elk River. It includes twelve mountain drainages with access into six drainages. It is a popular area for hunters as it is a migration route for deer. Mule deer (4pt only) are open until November 10th and after November 10th an LEH sheep hunt continues to November 20th and the season for whitetail deer continues till the end of November.
• CO’s from Cranbrook and Fernie patrolled this area throughout October and November. On October 30th CO Burley patrolled the AMA with her new Sgt, Cam Schley. During
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that patrol they came across a number of violations. One of the encounters was with a truck driving out of the year round closed road; Meth Gorrie. The Meth Gorrie Road had motorized abuse starting in the early hunting season where ATV’s and UTV’s were driving around the gate. A member of the public had blocked that access, but within a weeks’ time to October 30th, someone cut the metal piece of the gate that allows officials to lock it. It was very disappointing for the CO’s to discover this as they would have to rely on the public’s help to weld it back together so that the gate could be locked again. As the CO’s were looking for a trail camera location along the road a truck was intersected driving out of the road towards them. There were two hunters in the vehicle. They were educated and issued a violation ticket for driving on the closed road. The CO’s continued to the Red Canyon Drainage where they intersected hunters in a vehicle driving out of another closed area. They were issued a violation ticket for a loaded firearm and a warning ticket for the AMA closure and an incorrect cancelled species licence.
Recommendations: The few patrols that were conducted in the Galton Range in 2014, almost every patrol ended with tickets. Cranbrook was short one CO during the hunting season therefore the Galton’s were not patrolled to its normal extent. In 2015 the Fernie and Cranbrook office will be fully staffed. In Phillips Pass the Meth Gorrie gate will have to be fixed and a lock needs to be put on the gate to Rabbit Lake/Upper Wigwam AMA. Night patrols could be conducted in this area for the fall of 2015 relating to past violations. Grave Prairie
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Table 12
• Grave Prairie is a critical and extremely valuable winter range for wildlife and was patrolled numerous times every month throughout the year by CO Burley and the other CO’s. It continues to be the busiest AMA for recreationists year round (especially during the bow elk and deer seasons).
• During patrols into this AMA, the Elk River was also checked for anglers. During those checks, tickets have been written for people fishing without a licence and for fishing with prohibited gear. As for AMA violations, it continues to be a struggle to keep people from camping and driving in the closure with motor vehicles. There is nothing illegal about a person camping with a tent, but people continue to drive on the sensitive grasslands with their large trailers which cause more damage and puts pressure on the habitat that wildlife rely on in the winter.
• Numerous camps had been evicted from the area starting on the May Long Weekend
and into the fall season, with violation or warning tickets to go along with them. Some of the common camping spots in the prairie area were finally being respected by the public. Only 2 camps were evicted from this area during 2014. The Sparwood Fish and Wildlife Club continued their bow 3D shoot in June which they had an approved permit for.
• More AMA signs have been posted, but the CO’s are frustrated with the amount of signs that are being ripped down repeatedly (the prairie area). It is an offense under the Wildlife Act for people to remove, damage, alter or destroy any sign legally posted in support of the Access Management Program.
Recommendations: CO Burley will continue to meet with the Fernie, Sparwood and Elkford High Schools every year preferable before the May Long weekend to educate on AMA’s and the COS. Grave Prairie ends up being a party site for many of the graduates, a large number of youths were issued AMA tickets in the prairie during the spring of 2014. CO Burley is to work the May Long Weekend and monitor the campers and motorized activity.
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The Tembec land that was part of Grave Prairie was sold to Teck in October 2013. CO Burley took part in the Teck Conservation Lands Committee Meeting in December to discuss options to better equip the AMA with signage and closure points (gate locks, ditches, new closed roads). There was a higher than normal number of violations during the hunting season within this area that the CO’s responded to. Conservation Officers dealt with four illegal sized elk within the northern section of the AMA within early October alone. Most hunters camped in the area that CO Burley checked were returning hunters from previous years that she had met that were well aware of the AMA closure. Sheep Mountain
Table 13
• Although Sheep Mountain AMA is not in Electoral Area “A” or on the AMA priority list, it is occasionally patrolled since it is in close proximately to Elko and is used by many Elk Valley recreationists and is along the way to patrolling the Galton AMA’s.
• Sheep Mountain AMA is another AMA that is primarily patrolled during the late October
and November deer season. It is a smaller AMA that has an abundance of wildlife and hunters. CO Garay patrolled near the farm field off of Cutt’s Road where a violator was found and charged for driving out of the non-motorized field. CO Burley was hunting in
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the area in November on her personal time when she witnessed a red pickup truck driving into the closed farm field. She was not able to get a plate number. This is a frustrating issue for real outdoor enthusiasts and CO’s, as she was going to walk that area that was now disrupted from a vehicle that is not legally allowed to be in there.
• Sheep Mountain has a large area of sensitive grasslands that elk and deer rely on for
year round feed. These grasslands do not recover as easily as other rugged habitats. Motorized vehicle tracks are seen driving off the main open roads and onto the grasslands. There are signs posted on the closed roads which have been fairly respected (not torn down).
• There is a dirt bike park on the Northeast corner of the AMA that still needs to be
monitored. CO Burley would visit the area and talk to families recreating in this dirt bike course regarding the AMA, but did not enforce the legislation. This is an area that needs to be looked into and dealt with on the AMA boundary maps for the 2016 legislated changes. Habitat Biologist Doug Martin is aware of this concern and is considering removing this section from the AMA, as long as dirt bikes do not expand into the hills and grasslands of this AMA. If this was to be abused and occur, the dirt bike area will be completely shut down again.
Recommendations: Sheep Mountain should continue to be a part of the AMA program. It is convenient to patrol Sheep Mountain while on patrol to the Galton Range. Signs are staying up on closed roads. There is noncompliance within the southern end of Sheep Mountain near the Elk River. This is also a good area to look for people fishing for bull trout as it is a great lookout over the river.
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Upper Elk Valley-Fording
Table 14
• The Upper Elk Valley-Fording AMA is a heavily used AMA throughout the summer and early fall months. It receives motorized traffic from the local communities from throughout Canada and the United States.
• The Upper Elk Valley Road leaves from Elkford and is approximately an hour drive north where you arrive at Elk Lakes Provincial Park. Height of the Rockies Provincial Park also borders the AMA to the West. Hikers, campers, bikers, anglers, hunter and ATV’s all thrive to enjoy the beautiful views of the Upper Elk Valley.
• The Big Weary Ridge Trail is open on the East side from July 1-Aug 31. The Elkford ATV
Club has been cleaning up garbage and keeping the trail trimmed. They are educated on AMA’s in their club within the Elk Valley and want to educate other ATV recreationist through the BC/ATV Club online. CO Burley provides a presentation to the group every spring.
• The BC Recreation Sites and Trails; Weary Creek and the Aldridge Creek Trail are both
closed to motorized access and are maintained by the Hornaday Wilderness Society. Both these trails are now washed out making it unpassable by ATV. The Hornaday Wilderness Society will continue to work on the trails making it passable for horseback and hiking.
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• During the September Long Weekend CO Burley patrolled with a new BC Park Ranger in the Upper Elk Valley AMA. They were able to check a number of hunting camps where they provided educated and awareness of the non-motorized areas. BC Parks will be able to contact the CO’s if they are travelling in the area and find non-compliance.
Recommendations: There is a large map of the Upper Elk Valley AMA once you drive into the area. Signs were replaced along some of the trails where they had been ripped down. Increased officer presence in this AMA is always needed. CO Burley will conduct an ATV patrol up Big Weary with the Elkford ATV Club. Although this AMA does not receive a large number of RAPP complaints it does not mean that non-compliance is not occurring. During the patrols that CO Burley was able to proactively conduct she witnessed visible signs of ATV abuse. Under the Forest Service Road Use Regulation the Elk River FSR is being heavily abused with youths operating off road vehicles (ORV). In order to utilize a FSR with an ORV, operators have to be 16 years and older, have $200, 000 third party liability insurance and a drivers licence. CO Burley patrolled the FSR and provided education regarding the importance of safety. Upper Flathead
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Table 15
• CO Burley and other CO’s patrolled the Upper Flathead by truck. It is a remote area to get to and takes a whole day to patrol.
• A number of illegal cabins have been found around the McClachie area and are currently
being investigated by a Natural Resource Officer in Cranbrook. It is illegal to build a year round structure on crown land without a permit.
• This AMA is open for snowmobiling in the winter. Recommendations: Having a regular presence in the hunting season would be the most beneficial way to educate people on the road networks that are in the Upper Flathead. ATV patrols on the north end of the AMA would be the best way to patrol to access the Shoefly Road. More large maps have been requested by the public from the different access points. CO Burley observed new trails into the closure on the NE end off of the Flathead Forest Service Road. CO Burley will focus more patrols in this area in 2015 including the Barnes Meadow area where she has not patrolled yet.
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Upper Wigwam
Table 16
• This is a popular river for anglers from Canada and the United States. It has world class bull trout fishing opportunities. Unfortunately this river is being abused with people illegally snagging fish and retaining bull trout when they are not allowed.
• The main open road (Ram) does not give motorized vehicles many options to drive off of it. The river and the road are in fairly steep terrain which means the anglers all hike down from the road to the river. There is a locked gate over the Wigwam River, near the mouth of Ram Creek with some driving around it. The upper gate on the East side of the Wigwam River also see’s considerable vehicle traffic going around it. During late August an UTV went around the southern gate and then was winched up a steep bank to get around the north gate. There was significant damage to the terrain and a live tree was ripped out of the ground.
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• On the south end of this AMA is Rabbit Creek which people access from Phillips Pass in the Galton AMA. People pass the closed gate in Rabbit Creek and violate the AMA, most of this occurring during the hunting season. There has been numerous locks put on this gate, but they get cut every year.
• CO Burley and CO Connatty conducted a full day patrol on the UTV in the AMA in early August after CO Burley received a number of complaints regarding groups of ORV ripping around the closed area. They rode to the south on the open Upper Wigwam Road and connected to the closed road (west of the Wigwam River) making a full loop. It was a beautiful summer day, but unfortunately there were not as many people out as there had been reported the previous day.
Recommendations: The AMA boundaries can be explained to people who fish or hunt in this area. Gates always have to be checked as the locks had been cut or removed a number of times during the summer. When the weather is hot and the river is clear, this AMA is a great area to patrol for anglers. There is a recreational site close to the Wigwam River where recreationists can be checked and educated. The Upper Wigwam loop patrols will be conducted in the late summer to make contact with the recreation users.
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Weigert Creek
Table 17
• Weigert Creek AMA is utilized by horseback riders, hikers, hunters and 4X4 recreationists.
• Only the lower half of the AMA can be accessed by truck, the other two trails are accessed by ATV or small trackers. Access to this AMA can also be accessed from Elkford, it is hard to ascertain if people are illegally in the AMA without patrolling to the back of the AMA.
• Three complaints were made to CO Burley in October regarding illegal motorized access within Weigert Creek AMA. This AMA is an ecologically sensitive area for wildlife. All types of wildlife live in this area, some of which rely heavily on the protection from human harassment of motorized vehicles. One area in particular that is seeing the abuse more than ever before is the west access trail. On the west access trail just past the sawdust pile/landing the open trail ends; it also intersects Weigert Creek. The signs at this location keep getting ripped down; volunteers have helped to post them high up
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and out of reach from other recreationists. A bridge was built across the creek during the fall of 2013 which ATV’s use to access the closed area into mountain goat terrain. There is no issue with the hunters and hikers that are walking in this area, but the people with ATV’s are not legally allowed to use the trail past the creek.
• Snowmobiles are exempted in the AMA during the winter, but not for hunting (East Kootenay –snowmobiles cannot be used for hunting). The bridge will be removed next season as it is not permitted with the appropriate government officials.
Recommendations: There are dedicated members of the public that frequently use this AMA and will report any violations they see occurring to CO Burley. A new Weigert Creek AMA map is needed at the entrance onto the main road from Hwy 43. Volunteer groups would be needed to help post the sign at the entrance of Weigert Road. Wigwam Flats
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Table 18
• Wigwam Flats has breathtaking views of the China Wall on the south end of the AMA. Mount Broadwood on the north end is a caver’s paradise. Wigwam Flats is probably one of BC’s most valuable winter ranges and has almost every species of wildlife that you can view in one given area. The Wigwam River offers amazing fishing opportunities to the fly fisherman. Silver Springs are three turquoise lakes that connect to one another which offer a beautiful 15-30 minute hike. Unfortunately, Silver Springs has turned into a party site for people who like to leave their garbage behind for animals and other people to pick up.
• Wigwam Flats is a sensitive area for wildlife and its habitat. Invasive plants have taken over in some of the areas and are hard for the specialists to control. Specialists have advised that motor vehicles have spread the invasive plants to other parts of this AMA.
• This area has also become more popular for the mountain bike community, although mountain bikers are allowed in this area when motor vehicles are not, it is recommended that they stay on the main trails as mountain bike tires too can spread invasive plants. CO Burley patrolled this AMA with the Fernie Trails Alliance (FTA) who helps support and educates bikers within this AMA. In 2015 FTA will be creating signage in this area to educate bikers to stay away from the Flats during the spring as it is a lambing area for Mountain Sheep. It is illegal to harass wildlife with a motor vehicle and for dogs to chase wildlife. It is recommended for dogs to be on leash in this area.
• The Fernie Rod and Gun Club have spent many volunteer hours picking some of the invasive plants in Wigwam Flats over the years.
• CO Burley put up a trail camera on the closed road off of Rocky Ridge Road for a week to
see if she could catch who was accessing the closed road. She was able to view seven separate vehicles drive through the closed road. She was only able to identify three of the plate numbers and all operators were charged for accessing this closed area.
• The gates to the Drinkwater, Rocky Ridge and Wigwam (off of Ram Creek Road) seem to
be working in 2014. People are still finding other ways to drive in the closed area; such as the pipeline. When the gates are closed hunters and anglers continue down the
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roads on their mountain bikes. A number of complaints were made by the public which helped CO Burley plan patrols.
• In July CO Burley encountered a group of eleven ORV that were driving on one of the closed roads off Rocky Ridge Road. She educated the large local group and issued tickets.
• The Wigwam River is a pristine bull and cutthroat trout fishery. The illegal angling activity on this watershed can be devastating to the trout population. CO Burley was interviewed by the Fernie Free Press regarding the increase in illegal fishing activity on the river. The Conservation Officer Service (COS) was asking for the public’s assistance in reporting illegal activity seen or known to be happening on the river. This was within Wigwam Flats AMA. The articles can be viewed below. http://www.thefreepress.ca/news/271448131.html
Recommendations: CO Burley spent a substantial amount of time in Wigwam Flats and on investigations during July and August. She will continue to conduct day patrols during any time of the week in 2015. It would be best to do most ATV patrols during the open time of June 15-July15 where people go off the main open roads; users such as ATV’ers, kayakers, anglers, campers etc. During the hunting season CO Burley can conduct road blocks to check hunters and education on the AMA at the Ram Creek and Lodge Pole FSR junctions. The Shoefly and Ram FSR were very busy with hunters during the fall of 2014. CO Burley had a number of tickets issued in this small corridor. The maps at the entrances of the seasonal open roads eventually need to be updated. They are fading and peeling off. The message seemed to have spread throughout the area for the closed area between Rocky Ridge Road and the Wigwam Road. Education/Outreach CO Burley attended Municipal Mayor/Council and RDEK meetings in the spring for a review of the 2013 AMCEP Final Report. CO Burley created a short power point presentation to show the charts and pictures of the AMA’s. Education and outreach is always a top priority within the program. One of the main educational tools that CO Burley uses while in the field is the Outdoor Access Guide (OAG). The OAG has had the support from the Municipalities, Industry and the public. 3000 copies of the outdoor access guide were printed in time for the hunting season and paid for by local industry and the public: specifically the Elkford ATV Club, Fernie Trails Alliance, Sparwood Fish and Wildlife Club, Fernie and Elkford’s Rod and Gun Clubs, BC Recreation Sites and Trails and Teck Coal Operations. The free guide can be picked up at the Cranbrook Ministry of Environment Office, AB Quad Squad Office, Blairmore Environment
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Ministry Office, Elko Gas Station, Fernie, Sparwood and Elkford’s Chamber/Tourism Offices, Service BC in Sparwood and Fernie, Grassmere and Jaffray. The Outdoor Access Guide has been very useful for hunters and other recreational users since they were created in 2013.
• Another way to provide education to the public was to have face to face outreach presentations. CO Burley conducted slide show presentations on the AMA’s to a number of community groups. The following is a list of the presentations she took part in: Fernie Rod and Gun Club, Fernie and Sparwood High schools, Elkford’s Elementary School, Fernie Trails Alliance, Fernie, Elkford and Sparwood Mayor and Council Members, Elkford ATV Club, Sparwood Fish and Game Club, Elkford Rod and Gun Club, RDEK and Cranbrook ATV Club. During these presentations CO Burley had the opportunity to answer questions and meet a number of people that wanted to discuss their AMA concerns.
• May 6 – CO Burley provided presentations to a number of classes to elementary aged
children at Rocky Mountain Elementary School in Elkford. It is so important to educate our youth at all ages to know how to protect fish/wildlife/environment and know who the CO’s are and what they do.
• May 15– CO Burley and RCMP Cst Weber provided education to all the students at the Fernie and Sparwood Secondary School’s before the busy May Long Weekend. CO Burley provided the teenagers with a power point presentation on the career of a Conservation Officer, AMA information and mud bogging issues. Cst Weber went over the importance of driving safety (legalities of texting, drinking, and speeding in a motor vehicle).
• CO Burley created two separate RAPP Brochures for industrial companies in the Elk
Valley in 2012. Teck and Canfor were sent the brochure to be handed out during training and orientation in the summer of 2014. Employees of these companies were asked to keep a copy of the brochure in their work vehicles and report any non-compliance they may see. Industrial workers are usually in the backcountry and it is nice to have communication with them which gives the COS more eyes and ears watching out for the resources.
• CO Burley completed a weekly column during hunting season in the Fernie Free Press on
legalities and regulations during the hunting season called “Tips from the Conservation Officers”. A number of violation reports and articles were written in the Free Press for the public’s assistance on illegal fishing and hunting activity during the summer and fall. http://www.thefreepress.ca/community/279984102.html
• On September 26th, CO Burley had a meeting with Canfor Employee Ian Johnson in Elko to discuss what they can do to help deter access on decommissioned forestry roads.
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Alexander Creek AMA for example will be ditched and gated within the Deadmans Pass area in 2015 in support of the program.
• On December 6th CO Burley met with the Teck Conservation Lands Committee in Cranbrook to provide them with the results from the 2014 AMCEP. The group also discussed options for their Conservation Lands in Alexander Creek, Grave Prairie and the townsite in the Flathead Valley.
• An i-phone Application is available for the public called PDF Maps which can be used
with the Access Management Maps from the BC Government online site. The smart phone application is free and is user friendly. CO Burley uses the application whenever she is in an AMA. A blue indicator shows if you are within the AMA, no cell service is needed. Open and closed roads, along with the different AMA boundaries are all incorporated into the program. All CO’s in the East Kootenay’s have these maps on their i-phones. The public can find instructions on how to download the maps at: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/kootenay/eco/access.htm The public can contact CO Burley if they are having trouble downloading the maps.
Other Work Projects On top of a CO Burley’s regular duties and responsibilities, there are a number of focused enforcement projects that CO’s organise and conduct every year. The following is a breakdown of the different work projects that CO Burley took part in for 2014.
• February28-21 and March 6-7: CO Burley instructed and certified 4 RCMP from the Cranbrook and Kimberly Detachments and 10 CO’s from across the Province on Avalanche Skill Training Level 1 (AST1). CO Burley is an AST1 Instructor within the COS. All CO’s, Forestry staff and RCMP are required to have this training in order to go on snowmobile patrols in the mountains.
• February 21-23: The East Flathead AMA was patrolled by snowmobile with 4 CO’s, an
Environment Canada Officer and 5 US Border Patrol Officers. Sage Creek Pass is a common area for snowmobilers to access during the winter season. This area is a year round non-motorized closure, most people access it from Alberta; Castle Mountain. The height of land is considered dangerous avalanche terrain, which officers have to be cognitive of while patrolling by snowmobiles.
• There was not an organised May Long Weekend Project with RCMP this year for Lake Koocanusa. CO Burley focused on busy AMA’s during the long weekend. A number of violations and warning tickets were issued along with campers being evicted from illegal camp sites.
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• CO Burley was notified in May that she was nominated and awarded with the 2012 British Columbia Conservation Officer of the Year Award. She was flown to Victoria where she received her Provincial Plaque from the Minister of Environment, Mary Polack. The Fernie Free Press wrote an article regarding the award; it can be viewed on the following website: http://www.thefreepress.ca/community/262783891.html
• CO Burley took part in the Sparwood Emergency Awareness Day on June 7th. She provided education to the public and was able to answer any AMA access, hunting and fishing questions that people had asked her.
• During the week of August 13th CO’s arrested two American Residents in Wigwam Flats AMA for guiding anglers illegally. Their Court date is booked in Fernie for January 15, 2015 in Fernie.
• August 2-3: The Conservation Officer Service, in conjunction with Forest Lands and Natural Resource Operations Ecosystems Biologist and the East Kootenay Invasive Plant Council (EKIPC) Coordinator conducted vessel inspections, to provide education and take the necessary enforcement action with the boating public. This took place on the August long weekend. It was also the intent to liaise with and heighten the awareness of the Canadian Border Guards in respect to Aquatic Invasive Species. The focuses of the patrols were directed towards Wildlife Act and Controlled Alien Species Regulation 94/2009, specifically the heightened concern of zebra mussels entering our prestige waters. Work was conducted at both the Roosville and Kingsgate border crossings, on the Canadian side inspecting vessels entering Canada. Stationary check stops were also set up at high use boat launches around Lake Koocanusa. Motto; “Clean, Drain and Dry”
• CO Burley took part in a Decoy Project with the other East Kootenay CO’s during the October hunting season. There were three separate individuals that were charged for discharging a firearm from a vehicle, highway and for having a loaded firearm.
• During the hunting season CO Burley gained experience on larger case files which included search warrants, production orders and other court documents.
• CO Burley and Inspector Caravetta marched in the Fernie Remembrance Day Parade and Ceremony on November 11th. This was the first time that Uniformed Conservation Officers had taken part in this Ceremony.
• On December 17 CO Burley attended a presentation held by the Delta Police Department in New Westminster regarding Dialogue on Police Mental Health. CO Burley is one of two Team Leaders for the Provincial COS’s Critical Incident Stress Management Program Peer Team. This is a necessary program in every enforcement agencies policy for the support of mental health and well-being.
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2015 Recommendation’s
• AMA outreach and education will be ongoing throughout 2015. CO Burley will book slide show presentations with the Elkford, Sparwood and Fernie Secondary Schools preferably before the May long weekend.
• The Local Outdoor Access Guide will be an evolving public document which means that
new updates and changes will be made yearly. The public and stakeholder groups have agreed to help fundraise towards yearly publications. The supply of the magazines are inventoried and delivered by CO Burley throughout the communities.
• Trail cameras have proven to be a useful tool to catch non-compliance within the AMA’s. The program has a total of three trail cameras that CO Burley utilizes every year. She will continue to post the cameras in hidden areas where people will least expect them to be.
• The AMA survey was not a benefit to the program in 2012-2014. The survey will not be utilized in 2015.
Summary The community members have been very welcoming and extremely supportive of the AMCEP position. The meetings with the stakeholders, municipalities, and public recreationists were all informative for CO Burley to help base her objectives for her allotted AMCEP time. CO Burley is still learning the history of the area, but looks forward to continuing the open communication she has with the public on AMA compliance and enforcement. The people in the East Kootenay’s have such a great opportunity to explore the beauty of the Rockies which provides a variety of recreational experiences. CO Burley will continue to make contact with all these user groups and will strive to build a better understanding to the public of the laws and regulations that are built around them.
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Appendix Pictures
Figure 1: New Artic Cat 750 Prowler was purchased in support of the 2013 AMCEP. This side by side UTV ensures more equipment can be utilized and can fit three CO’s in it at one time. The winter tracks were purchased in 2014. This will give the UTV more versatility throughout the whole year.
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Figure 2: Illegal mudbogging in Grave Prairie AMA (June)
Figure 3, 4, 5: Issues within the AMA’s-destroyed signs, cut chains and locks on gates and cut gates 2014.
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Figure 6: Example of a trail camera photograph that captures vehicles licence plates.
Figure 7: Outdoor Access Guide
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