Historically it was used by First Nations for trade and travel; now a part of that area east of Skaha Lake near Penticton is B.C.’s newest wildlife management area.
The province announced Tuesday that it has designated more than 6000 hectares as a wildlife management area. This will allow the province to regulate activities on the land, like trapping, critical to wildlife survival.
“These wildlife management areas provide the provincial government additional authority to issue orders and regulations to promote the conservation and management of fish wildlife and important habitat,” said Steve Thomson, Minister of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resources. “It also allows us to protect species of risk or species of international significance.”
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The unique landscape teems with life but it’s also a sensitive that ecosystem conservationists worry could be under threat. In particular are the California big horn sheep, and a variety of birds and snakes.
With Tuesday’s announcement, these species have now have a large corridor roam freely.
“This is a major milestone of conservation in the South Okanagan. It connects the existing Nature Trust property on east side of Skaha Lake to our Okanagan Falls biodiversity ranch, and helps to establish conservation on the landscape scale,” said Jasper Lament, CEO Land Trust of B.C.
The Penticton Indian band was also a partner.
“I’ve hiked that whole area for years with my buddy back in the day when we use to track mountain sheep,” said Chief Jonathan Kruger of the Penticton Indian Band. “We’ve seen everything there. It’s going to protect so many animals.”
Over the past decade, the province, in conjunction with various land trust groups and private land owners, have protected millions of hectares of land, including last year when Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park almost doubled in size.
“It really adds to total area because if you add to Skaha Bluffs Provincial Park and the Okanagan Park, it does create a corridor to that protected area where we can manage that total area,” said Thomson.
There are now 26 wildlife management areas in B.C., covering roughly 240,000 hectares.
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