Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Old Black Dog]

   
 


Overnight campers to be barred from Chilliwack River

 
   
   
Beginning May 1 there will be a year-round overnight parking and camping ban along the Chilliwack River, between the Vedder and Tamihi bridges. Jenna Hauck/ Progress
 
 
By Jennifer Feinberg
The Progress
Mar 23 2007


Anyone tempted to camp or park overnight on Crown land along the Chilliwack River after May 1 will have to think again.

A committee of community leaders and agency reps put their heads together to come up with an effective legislative deterrent to the wanton destruction that has plagued the area for years.

Out of a multi-stakeholder process came a plan to use Section 58 of the provincial Forest and Range Practices Act to restrict camping to designated recreation sites, and to provide enforcement agencies with the authority to issue tickets for non-compliance.

“I am extremely pleased it will be up and running the first long weekend in May,” said Joe Hall, chair of the Ch-ihl-kway-uhk Tribe Society. “We see it as a tool to curtail the nasty camping behaviour that we’ve seen in the Chilliwack River Valley.”

Endless truckloads of garbage are dumped for others to clean up and a range of destructive incidents are recorded every season. Reports of countless young trees cut down for campfires and toxic-laden items like car batteries tossed into vulnerable riparian zones have grown.

FVRD electoral area E director David Lamson said the pollution and destruction by the world-class river is a problem that dates back at least 15 years. He worked on the committee that is responsible for the ticketing initiative and welcomes the positive changes it will bring.

“Hopefully now people will come to the Chilliwack River Valley and have a better recreational experience,” he said. “It will also mean improved access to the river by day users. They won’t have to walk past camps of people raising Cain anymore.”

Hall noted that vandalism by metal thieves this winter is responsible for an estimated half a million dollars in damage to a future healing village at the former Centre Creek site. The estimated cost of the project has just spiked to $3 million, as a result. There was also significant damage reported at the former Mt. Thurston site owned by the tribe society.

“It’s devastating what they’ve done, and it’s added to the cost of the project tremendously,” Hall said.

Of all the longer-term strategies reviewed and discussed, the idea of using Section 58 was deemed most effective, he said.

The Section 58, (1)(b) order applies specifically to all portions of Crown land between the Vedder and Tamihi bridges, in the mid-Chilliwack River Valley.

“We need to clearly demonstrate that we will no longer tolerate this kind of behaviour and that collectively we can protect the environment and provide families and residents with a safe and secure place to enjoy the natural world,” said Hall.

FVRD chair Clint Hames said the collaborative effort initiated by the FVRD Parks committee years ago was geared to finding a method of tenure where regulations could apply in the CRV.

Without any legislative remedy or way to prohibit the behaviour, it became like “a free-for-all” for visitors staying overnight on Crown land, Hames suggested. “There’s no other area like the CRV for the sheer numbers of people arriving in the summer,” he said. “It was just a disaster, so I’m so pleased we found a way to address it. Now the secret will be determining how it will be enforced.”

Lamson said he expects a combination of agencies, such as RCMP or Conservation Officers to enforce the new section of the legislation.

Local MLA and Environment Minister Barry Penner said he’s pleased by the results of the multi-partner committee.

“It’s going to mean off-limits for overnight camping. So we’re going to see how this works to clean up the area and relieve some of the environmental pressure and public safety concerns we have.”

 

[cohokid]

Still allowed to camp above tamahi?

[Rodney]

There is one key player that has been left out during the multi-stakeholder process when section 58 is being planned out for the Chilliwack River recreational corridor - The recreational users.

While the enforcement of Section 58 of the provincial Forest and Range Practices Act is very welcoming, as we recognize the problem is primarily caused by irresponsible campers, most of the law-obeying users are paying for the changes without expressing our thoughts.

There are several problems in the current changes.

The placement of large concrete barriers and the large ditches beside them, are not only unappealing visually, it basically eliminates all parking spaces. Those who planned this out do not realize that the amount of angling pressure will remain the same if not higher once salmon season begins. How are less parking spaces going to accommodate the same amount of vehicles in the area? By doing so, it may eventually lead to a reduction of anglers in certain areas, meaning less eyes watching the river, reporting vandals, poachers and litterers, who are the primary problem that we are trying to eliminate.



Ticketing and towing of parked cars after 10:00pm is a great idea, but this should be thought out more carefully considering anglers are allowed to fish until one hour after sunset and that is usually past 10:00pm in the summer.

What is even more frustrating is the fact that the Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Coalition has worked hard in the past five years with the Fraser Valley Regional District and the City of Chilliwack by conducting regular river cleanups and forming the Adopt-a-River program so we can have a clean river without restricting angling or recreational access. Yet the coalition has not been made aware of the planning process until last week besides witnessing the placement of concrete blocks along roadside. This demonstrates how easy it is to have access taken away, another reason that we urge people to not only help with the cleanup process, but also report all unlawful activities.

The directors of the Chilliwack Vedder River Cleanup Coalition will be meeting with the district recreation officer next week to express these concerns and welcome some of the changes so we can all work together to reach our goal, which is to keep the Chilliwack River a clean world-class recreational river.

Our next river cleanup is on April 21st, please support.

http://www.cleanrivers.ca/events.html

[Sam Salmon]

Rod-don't take this the wrong way but there are many ways of looking at the situation.

"There is one key player that has been left out during the multi-stakeholder process when section 58 is being planned out for the Chilliwack River recreational corridor - The recreational users"

Is it not the responsibility of Recreational Users to keep themselves informed of changes as proposed by Regulatory Agencies?
After all it's not that big a place is it?
BTW-cyclists and walkers also use the river-for recreation.

"The placement of large concrete barriers and the large ditches beside them, are not only unappealing visually, it basically eliminates all parking spaces. "

Something needed to be done it may not be perfect but should go a long way to protecting the river against damage.
So people will have to walk further-what's the big deal?
It's true that in the past a person could almost fish from their truck in some places but does anyone really think that convenience could last under the relentless pressure the CV system is under?
It is tough for handicapped users and maybe some allowance-barricaded access points like those on bike trails-should be made for them.

"How are less parking spaces going to accommodate the same amount of vehicles in the area? "

The answers are simple-car pooling and private paid parking-which is common in other jurisdictions.

"it may eventually lead to a reduction of anglers in certain areas, meaning less eyes watching the river, reporting vandals, poachers and litterers, who are the primary problem that we are trying to eliminate."

The old 'less eyes on the river' argument is specious at best and has never been proven.

"Ticketing and towing of parked cars after 10:00pm is a great idea, but this should be thought out more carefully considering anglers are allowed to fish until one hour after sunset and that is usually past 10:00pm in the summer."

Nonsense and you weaken your post by including it.
Sunset is past 10 PM in June but not in August/September/October when the river is busiest.

"What is even more frustrating is the fact that the Chilliwack Wedder River Cleanup Coalition has worked hard in the past five years with the Fraser Valley Regional District and the City of Chilliwack ........ This demonstrates how easy it is to have access taken away, another reason that we urge people to not only help with the cleanup process, but also report all unlawful activities."

No one would be foolish enough to deny the many positive changes the CVCC has brought about by tireless volunteering/lobbying-an effort to be applauded.
However again I point out that people have to keep themselves informed-no one was sandbagged.

"The directors of the Chilliwack Wedder River Cleanup Coalition will be meeting with the district recreation officer next week to express these concerns and welcome some of the changes so we can all work together to reach our goal, which is to keep the Chilliwack River a clean world-class recreational river."

Good Luck in putting your points across but what's done is done, if it means a tougher time for recreational anglers so be it.

[troutbreath]

Hopefully they address the drunken flotila of summertime that leaves a heck of a lot of garbage around from their day trip. Pay parking just keeps the poor away, not a great way to deal with this type of problem. People should have good access to outdoor activities. Really they probably could have charged the filthy campers before they left there mess behind. If they had the enforcement people hired to do it. Someone will push those barriers into the river.

[Fish Assassin]

Campers have nobody to blame but themselves. It's really too bad that a few bad apples ruin it for everybody. Rodney raised a few good points which needs to be modified.

[allwaysfishin]

this is typical behavior of the politicians and city officials in the chilliwack district. Truth is they don't care about input from fisherman and rec users. Thier nazi-istic way of doing things has been going on for years. Just look at all the development on the river banks in and around peach rd and lickman.... not much concern for the river there.
  I had originally thought that all those barriers were being put in for possible flood protection... but now i see the monsters head. While I agree there needs to be some kind of plan to reduce the flagrant destruction, vehicle thefts and garbage on the river... but... seems they are only putting efforts or plans in to look after the stretch of road where there are many high value houses and properties. Looking after the river.... my ***... they are simply appeasing the tax paying residents on that stretch of road and the bell acres folks. They prolly don't like to look out at thier scenic view and see lowly fishermen trudging along and parking thier muddy trucks.

one more reason I'll never move back to chilliwack/sardis.

look what happened after they restricted the allison pools campground access... (approx 15 years ago)... the problems escalated and spread deep into the valley. The higher the enforcement and restrictions... the farther into the bush the problem went. I'v tromped all over that valley from greendrop lake, pierce and hanging lks, hiked thurston mnt... it's suprising sometimes where you find piles of construction waste... tire dumps.... battery dumps.... stolen cars..... that stretch of road between the crossing and tamahi is the least of thier worries.
The whole plan is a bandaid that will simply see the backwoods dumping and such continue.... or better yet increase. But that's o.k.   the fisherman and true rec users will be the ones who see that and have thier experience of the valley compromised.... as long as the valley residents are happy.... who cares about us folks who drive all the way out there, spend our $$ in town at local businesses.. ect ect... you get my point.

[troutbreath]

Yes the local people can really influence decisions because they elect the officials of that area. This happened on the Seymour many years ago too. They don't want other peoples opinion on access because really they want no access and you to go away. Then comes the barriers to get you in the habit of not parking there cause there is no parking. It's like the tards you see put big boulders on city property to keep you from parking near there mansion, without getting them stuck under your vehicle..

[blaydRnr]

politics make no sense. in the process of closing off access to overnite camping, they also closed off daily parking to those who would like access to the riverside for the sake of picnicking, float tubing, and regular tourist draws to the river. those cement slabs and ditches and no parking signs are not the answer.

if the locals are behind all this, then i hope they're satisfied that funding went towards that, rather than flooding preventative projects.

[searun17]

If the new regulations state no camping in these areas i think it is a good thing,something had to be done ,it is fine to put up the no parking signs and no camping signs would also be a good idea,but to me if they plan on enforcing the no camping regs then there is no need for all the barriers to be in place to begin with,to me i think that they feel the police or the conservation officers will enforce the new regs and if this is the belief then why penalize the law abiding users of the area with the placement of the barriers.Basically it sounds to me that we the users are just being given lip service and they know how hard its going to be to enforce properly ,hence the barriers and restricted access to all the law abiding taxpaying users of the area.Their plans are very well meaning but not very well thought out with regards to the access for the majority of citizens who are not the problem here.

[Geff_t]

If it is the residents that are behind those barriers then they can only blame themselves when they do get spray painted. Sounds like the cure to one problem will create another. Typical politics.

[Xgolfman]

I wish they would have extended it up to the hatchery, above tamihi bridge as that area gets hammered the hardest IMHO...I come up and fly fish during the summer when most are on the Fraser...It's a mess, people are sitting in lawn chairs in the water and letting their beer cans float down river when their done with them...and on and on...
That said, this looks like huge lip service.

[searun17]

I don't know what the final outcome of this situation will be but the way i see it is if there was enough will and or money for proper enforcement of the new regs there wouldn't need to be any barriers placed along the river,its the same with everything from fishing to hunting  regs etc,you can put all the new regs and laws out there that you want but if there is no enforcement they mean nothing and as a result of this its easier to punish the majority of abiding users by putting up a new gate or barriers and no parking signs limiting access for everyone not just the individuals responsible for the problem.How do we fix such problems i don't know ,but i do know the politics behind it all stink.

[Fish Assassin]

In all fairness to the landowners I don't blame them. If you were a landowner how would you like it if slobs (and that's what they are) leave their garbage strewn all over the place. Where I live, every week come garbage pick up day, binners are emptying containers in the back alley looking for recycleables. If I ever catch one emptying one of my containers.........

[Geff_t]

If I was a land owner I would be pissed that the view I once had is now of concrete blocks. If they where so concerned start a block watch type neighbor hood. I still do not understand the reasoning behind the blocks when they say they are going to enforce the new laws. Are they actually going to enforce the law or are they just like ie was said before giving us lip service.