It’s a difficult balance — protecting fragile alpine ecosystems versus providing road access to those areas.
The Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resources has come under fire for closing access to high-elevation forest service roads both in the Kootenays and in the Sea-to-Sky corridor near Pemberton.
The ministry is closing roads to protect animals like grizzly bears, mule deer, mountain goats and bighorn sheep.
But backcountry recreation users — hunters, dirt bikers and 4-by-4 drivers — say closing those roads is a critical blow to their way of life.
The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources recently closed roads near Jaffray in the Kootenays and it caught hundreds of locals by surprise, leading to a mid-week meeting where close to 300 people came to vent their frustration.
“What people are perturbed with is the lack of input they were allowed to extend in being a viable resource towards that change,” Jaffray resident Bob Prowse said. “Once again, the public consultation process, we feel, was flawed.”
In a written statement, the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources said it conducted a six-month consultation with stakeholders but also admitted it needs to do a better job.
– With files from Ted Chernecki