Concerns are being raised over a proposed gravel mining operation for a 72-acre property along Garnet Valley Road in Summerland, B.C.
Top of mind for many is the potential impact to wildlife in the area and the environment.
BC Wildlife Federation (BCWF) and the Summerland Sportsman’s Association say they are strongly against the proposed mine and issued a public letter earlier this week.
“It’s going to be dependent on the province to really take a look at this and go, ‘Is wildlife really important to us in this valley and in this province, or are we OK with having a whole bunch of extraction that’s going to impact wildlife,’” said B.C. Wildlife Federation executive director Jesse Zeman.
“Obviously, we need gravel. This is not the place to have a gravel pit.”
According BCWF, the mine threatens to compromise a winter and spring feeding location and birthing zone for mule deer, which are in decline.
The valley is also frequented by Big Horn Sheep, a blue-listed species, which the federation says are both vulnerable and highly sensitive to human activity.
“We have the largest mule deer project in the province going on right now. We have deer that go from here all the way over towards Merritt across the Coquihalla all the way to Aspen Grove. This area for mule deer is absolutely critical,” said Zeman.
“What we found is they’re extremely traditional in terms of how they move across the landscape. When you look at these deer when they migrate in the spring and when they come back in the fall, they literally go on the exact same path. So, impacting habitat to that extent where we essentially destroy it, it has a huge impact on these deer that are essentially imprinted to walk in the same trail every single year.”
Nearby Eneas Creek has been revitalized as wildlife habitat over the past seven years by the Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship, with the support of the Okanagan Basin Water Board, South Okanagan Conservation Fund, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, and Environment and Climate Change Canada, according to BCWF.
If the proposal moves forward, the organizations believes it could undo thousands of dollars’ worth of investment and years of conservation work in the area.
“We’ve put a lot of money and time into this area back here, which is prime deer wintering habitat,” said Summerland Sportsman’s Association vice-president Blair Parker.
“What we’ve done is habitat restoration and slashing and burning to create better feed areas for the deer in association with the Ministry of Forests, Penticton Indian Band and numerous other groups. We’d really hate to see species at risk, like the deer, have their environments threatened.”
And they’re not alone as a citizens group, other local organizations and district staff have expressed concern over the proposal.
On Tuesday, Summerland Council made it clear that they also share the same concerns.
“The whole community thinks what this is, this isn’t a place for a gravel pit,” said Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes.
“We understand that we need gravel, just not right there.”
Aside from concerns regarding wildlife and the environment, there are also concerns regarding the impact to geotechnical stability, landslides, existing infrastructure and local traffic.
“Garnet Valley Road is really a narrow, windy road with lots of blind corners, and you just can’t have cyclists and large gravel trucks sharing a road like that. That road was never built to take that kind of traffic so the impact on our infrastructure, who knows if it can handle that,” said Holmes.
“The other thing is, and it is in our Official Community Plan, it doesn’t conform with what we see to go in that area. We have other parts of Summerland where resource extraction is allowed in our zoning, but that area isn’t, and I was kind of surprised that the government can just approve a gravel pit anywhere without any regard for what the municipal zoning is for that area.”
It is not council’s decision on whether or not to approve the mine permit as it is up to the province.
The district, however, has sent in a submission opposing the gravel pit. On Thursday, the Regional District tabled a motion, brought forward by Holmes, to also write a submission to oppose the gravel pit.
“It’s an application to the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the provincial government,” said Holmes.
“Because it’s within our municipal boundaries, they sent a referral to the municipality, whether we support it or not and we sent a referral back saying that we don’t support it.”
Holmes is encouraging anyone with an opinion to also submit letters to the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation.
The deadline to submit any feedback is Feb. 2, 2024 and at this time no official decision has been made.