--There are a number of issues...some have been somewhat resolved or made more clear by the most current edition of a published "proposed boundary". The original and still area of interest in the first proposal was significantly larger.
--Some perspective on what is at stake for local area fishers there were 5 stocked lakes, including Sawmill/Burnell (local trophy lake). The current boundary excludes 3 of the lakes in a strip of land which is between two areas of interest. To put this in perspective for locals...there are not many lakes for fishing in the vicinity thus every lake is important for locals. If we were excluding 5 lakes in Kamloops area there are many more options, here these are basically the only small lake fishing opportunities if close proximity.
--One can imagine when you see a map with a narrow strip excluded and a big stamp on it that it is not necessarily the final boundary, one gets suspicions that the strip won't be excluded for long.
--So how long do local residents have to keep up the fight for local use and control? Myself and others have been at countless meetings for years over this dating back to the Okanagan TSA guidlines
---Note: below is a cut and paste from the 2001 document
--Okanagan-Shuswap Land and Resource Management PlanThe Okanagan-Shuswap Land and Resource Management Plan (OSLRMP) is a strategicCrown land use plan for the Okanagan-Shuswap. The plan covers all of the Crown land and resources, including lakes and rivers within the plan area. The plan itself consists of maps of resource management zones (RMZs) and proposed new protected areas (PAs) and text that containland and resource management objectives and strategies that apply to the entire Crown land base, as well as additional objectives and strategies that are specific to each of the identified zones.The provincial government initiatedthe OSLRMP process in July 1995. Over 4.5 years a group of 30stakeholders representing a diverse range of interests and local governments met to develop a recommended LRMP. On September 9, 2000 the OSLRMP Table reached full agreement on a package of LRMP recommendations which was intended by the Table members to bring land use certainty to resource interests and direction to government managers in the plan area.On January 18, 2001, the Okanagan-Shuswap LRMP was approved by Cabinet. While the base linefor management at that time was the Forest Practices Code, the LRMP represents Cabinet directed policy, to be considered by statutory decision makers. Where the LRMP directs management 'above' the requirements of the FPC it was indicated that there will a "higher level plan" developed that elevates those items from policy (LRMP) to legislation (HLP) so that they override those legal elements of the FPC.
--So for those who have not been paying attention this guideline resulted from many years of local stakeholders consultation, meetings fighting&celebrating along the way. My view is that this "Local" plan was good and can adapt to the changing needs of the community and the land. Why would local people want to or need to relinquish local control for control by the Federal Government that can and will impose rules with very little influence by local area residents? It is a huge slap in the face to those who have worked for many years in a spirit of inclusion and compromise to meet both the needs of area residents and the Land.
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Topic: National park reserve in South Okanagan-Similkameen gets green light (Read 6756 times)