Revelstoke environmental group seeks law enforcement on Columbia Flats
The North Columbia Environmental Society says existing rules restricting motorized vehicles on the Columbia River flats aren’t being enforced, and they’re calling on all levels of government to step up and deal with the situation.
The Revelstoke-based North Columbia Environmental Society (NCES) is asking governments of all levels to enforce existing rules prohibiting motorized recreation on the Upper Arrow Lake drawdown zone, most commonly known at the Columbia River Flats.
In a letter sent to local, regional and provincial government officials, they’re asking for rules set in 2005 consultation plan, known as the Upper Arrow Reservoir Drawdown Zone Management Plan, to be enforced.
NCES president Jody Lownds said that motorized activity is harming valuable bird, fish and wetlands habitat, and also contributing to contamination by fires, pollution, garbage and oil spills.
In an interview with the Revelstoke Mountaineer, Lownds said the path to better enforcement was hindered by the number of jurisdictions that have some authority over the lands, which are primarily controlled by BC Hydro.
Determining which agency was responsible for enforcement is one difficulty; the actual on-the-ground enforcement of local, provincial and federal laws is also spread across a number of enforcement agencies.
The NCES has penned a letter like this one to several levels of government, and is awaiting a response in the coming weeks.
The NCES cited a recent incident where vehicles including a backhoe got stuck in the mud as a result of bogging as an example of a violation of regional, provincial and federal laws — something they want stopped through enforcement.
The Revelstoke Mountaineer interviewed NCES president Jody Lownds on May 12. Click play on the SoundCloud App below to hear the interview.
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