CHERRYVILLE – Cherryville residents have been raising concerns about plans for a road and logging upstream of their community in the Cherry Ridge area.
Now they’re getting some support from the regional government.
The regional district board wrote to BC Timber Sales (BCTS) this week asking them to hold off on issuing contracts for the project, “until a risk assessment on the portion of Cherry Creek that runs through Cherryville has been completed and provided to the Regional District of North Okanagan.”
The Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations said in a statement they had already provided risk assessments to the regional district.
Critics of the project are also calling for more study.
“We are asking BCTS to please hold off any contracts to put the road in, to construct the road, until a thorough study is done by them,” says electoral area ‘E’ director Eugene Foisy. “We would also be prepared to try to raise some funds and have some professionals do a study on our behalf.”
Opponents say studies have only covered areas upstream.
“The study didn’t consider the area where we live, it just considered the area above Currie Creek,” says resident Hank Cameron.
A statement from the ministry seems to suggest they believe that more studies aren’t needed because conditions downstream are similar to those upstream.
According to the hydrological assessment, the channel conditions (particularly morphology and stability) downstream of Currie Creek were found to be similar to those observed for the Cherry Creek main-stem channel upstream of Currie Creek and did not warrant an increase in the hazard ratings or different recommendations.
The deadline for companies to bid to build a forest service road for the project is Monday.
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