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Residents ask B.C. premier for logging deferral in Skimikin/Ptarmigan Hills range

Logging fight in Skimikin

A group of Shuswap residents are calling for a five year deferral from logging activity in an area southeast of Chase.

Residents living in Skimikin, Ptarmigan Hills, Chase and outlying areas have sent a letter to B.C. Premier David Eby laying out their case for a logging deferral for the Skimikin and Ptarmigan Hills range.

“The goal of this request is to allow for these updated regulations to become integrated into Forest Management. This area is currently under the jurisdiction of BC Timber Sales, and is at an extreme risk of being irreversibly altered by existing forestry practices, just steps behind the implementation of change," the letter said.

Ninety-two people are listed as signatories to the letter.

Marjorie Hamilton is one of the authors of the letter, and a resident of the Ptarmigan Hills area. Hamilton and a small group of residents have been fighting to protect this small parcel of land since 2014, when it was originally slated to be logged by Tolko.

“If you were to look, I have this incredible view, a satellite image of our area here. Everything has been clear cut, we’re the last postage stamp for miles and it's just a small piece, a minor piece that we're trying to protect,” Hamilton said.

“People often want to look the other way with this kind of thing. But there are people today that will say, 'Hey, no, no, this isn't right.'"

Along with the five year deferral, residents are also asking for the area to be included in the 30 per cent of land which will become protected, as outlined in the Biodiversity, Habitat and Species at Risk Protection Agreement, signed by First Nations and federal and provincial government representatives.

The goal of the agreement is to help governments and First Nations work together towards Canada’s goal of putting 30 per cent of land in B.C. under protection by 2030.

The letter goes on to list five endangered or at-risk species that reside in the area as well. The at-risk species listed are the fisher, long-tailed weasel, flammulated owl, western painted turtle and the pine grosbeak subspecies carlottae.

“If the logging activities proceed, B.C. may lose one of the remaining strongholds for biodiversity and habitat for several species at risk by a small margin of time," the letter said.

The letter's authors argue the natural untouched diversity of the Ptarmigan Hills range offers natural fire resiliency. The letter quoted statements made by John Innes, Forest Renewal BC chair in forest management.

“Over the past 40 years, about 8.5 million hectares of B.C.’s publicly owned forest have been logged," the letter quotes Innes as saying.

"Based on the BLM [Bureau of Land Management] fuel specialist’s testimony that the fire hazard associated with a plantation would be higher than the mature forest it replaced for up to 40 years, we can project that as much as 8.5 million hectares of B.C. now have an elevated level of fire hazard as a consequence of logging and replanting."

The letter also points out the importance of an undocumented aquifer system in this range that provides fresh water to nearby residents, noting fears that it could be damaged by logging.

“More than a century has passed, long before current clear cutting practices became common, since the balance of this forest was disturbed. ...This area warrants the analysis by qualified groundwater hydrologists to ensure its viability should a harvest still be considered,” the letter states.

The letter also discusses the extent of the wildfire damage in the region.

“This area needs to be left intact based on documented evidence regarding the intrinsic value of viable, healthy forests. Greater than 41,000 hectares of forests were lost to our neighbouring Bush Creek fire alone,” the document said.

Hamilton said the letter signatories have not heard a response back from the premier’s office, but they are still fighting for the logging deferral.



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