Sea to Sky Backcountry Forum

Background

This is the fact sheet for those wishing to write a letter of support for the Sea to Sky Winter Backcountry Forum. Anything helps!!!

In September 2001, the Sea to Sky Winter Backcountry Recreation Forum (Winter Forum) began monthly meetings to resolve the growing conflict among recreation users in the Sea to Sky backcountry. The Winter Forum included representatives from outdoor recreation clubs (backcountry skiers, snowshoers and snowmobilers), commercial recreation operators (heli-ski, snow-cat and snowmobile tour operators), and government representatives. All representatives recognized the increasing and often conflicting recreational demands placed on the Sea to Sky backcountry. There are over six million recreational visits to the Sea to Sky corridor each year. The number of recreational visits will increase with the 2010 Olympics.

The vision of the Forum was to find a way for all recreational users to have reasonable access to an enjoyable experience in the Sea to Sky backcountry. After almost two years of consultations, discussions and negotiations, the Winter Forum developed a Winter Sharing Accord, which designates areas in the Sea to Sky backcountry for different recreational uses. The Winter Sharing Accord was signed off by all Forum participants. Every user group made compromises and trade-offs in order to achieve the Winter Sharing Accord. The Winter Sharing Accord is therefore a total package, balancing the recreational interests of each user group and thereby minimizing conflicts between the different user groups.

The Sharing Accord was included in the Sea to Sky Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP). However, due to complaints by some snowmobilers, the government is considering making the area around Phelix Creek hut motorized, instead of protecting it for non-motorized users. The ring leaders of the complaining snowmobilers include two people who were invited to participate in the backcountry forum, with the same responsibilities as all other forum representatives, but refused. One of them claimed at the time that he did not have to participate because he knew high people in the government. Please tell the government that they have to listen to everyone!

The need for letters supporting the Backcountry Forum and the non-motorized zone around Phelix has never been greater. We are truly in a 'use it or lose it' situation -- if we don't write letters and get out there to make ski tracks then we might lose the area to snowmobiles. So get out your pens and read on for inspiration! Remember: individually written letters, printed, signed and mailed, make the most impact.

Government Contacts

The Winter Forum is currently involved in ongoing negotiations and discussions at various levels of government regarding the Winter Sharing Accord. The Winter Forum is therefore seeking letters of support from recreational users of the Sea to Sky backcountry. Letters should be directed to the following government representatives:

Kevin Kriese
Project Director, Strategic Initiatives Divison (Smithers)
3726 Alfred St
SMITHERS BC V0J2N0
Phone: 250 847-7789	
Email: kevin.kriese@gov.bc.ca

Ross Kreye, Planning Officer
200 - 10428 153 St
SURREY BC V3R1E1
Phone: (604) 586-4414

Honourable Pat Bell, Minister
Ministry of Agriculture and Lands
PO Box 9043, STN PROV GOVT, Victoria
Victoria, B.C.  V8W 9E2
Phone: 250 387-1023
Fax:  250-387-1522
Email: pat.bell.mla@leg.bc.ca 

Honourable Gordon Campbell, Premier
Province of British Columbia
P.O. Box 9041, STN PROV GOVT
Victoria, B.C.  V8W 9E1
Fax:  250-387-0087
E-mail:  premier@gov.bc.ca

Although individual letters are best, a good tactic would be to write a letter to Mr. Kriese and indicate on it you've also sent a copy to the others. For the others, include a short cover letter explaining the copy you have sent, and why you have copied them on it

Note: Kevin Kriese is from Smithers but has been brought in as a specialist first nations negoitator for the Sea to Sky LRMP. He is currently negotiating the LRMP adjustments with the Lilwat First Nation, but I understand that he is responsible for most of the LRMP.

Letters of Support

The key points to raise in the letters, if they apply to you, are:

• Identify yourself as a recreational user of the Sea to Sky backcountry.
• Your support for the Winter Sharing Accord developed by the Sea to Sky Winter Backcountry Recreation Forum because it balances the recreational interests of all user groups, including the motorized and non-motorized recreational users.
• Government should honour the Winter Sharing Accord and support the implementation of the Winter Sharing Accord.
• Any changes to the Sharing Accord must be negotiated with all users and stakeholders to ensure a fair outcome in the spirit of the original accord. Unilateral changes by the government are not acceptable.
• Snowmobiles and other motorized uses detract from your backcountry skiing experience.
• You do not want motorized use of Sproatt Mountain or the area surrounding the Brian Waddington Hut.

If you have any questions or need more information regarding the Winter Forum or the Winter Sharing Accord for the Sea to Sky corridor, please contact Monika Bittel at monikabittel AT telus DOT net or Sandra Nicol at sandra DOT nicol AT telus DOT net. Thank you for your support.

Letter Writing Tips

• Be polite.
• Avoid copy-pasting. It's more work, but an individually written letter counts for more to the government.
• Mail a hard copy to Kevin Kriese. At the end of the letter, after the signature, have a list of people that the letter has been CCed to: "CCed by email to:". Write here the names and titles, but not the addresses, of the people above. Attach the letter to emails sent to the CC list. Write a short note in the body of the email, asking them to read your letter regarding your concerns about X (eg motorized recreation in the Phelix area) and to say that the original copy of the letter was sent to Kevin Kriese (include his title).
• Include your return address in the letter and on the envelope.
• Encourage your friends to write letters.
• You do not have to go into a huge amount of detail, or write about a lot of issues. A 1-2 page letter is good.

2007/2008 Update

There are several issues threatening the forum recommendations and the government is considering taking unilateral action to change the forum zoning. In particular this affects Phelix Creek and the Brian Waddington Hut and Mount Sproat.

Phelix Creek Issues

• LRMP open houses were held in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton. Attendance was generally poor and some negative comments were received from the snowmobile community. The open houses were advertised in local papers in Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton, but not in Vancouver.
• No Open house was held in Vancouver, where the majority of recreational users of the sea to sky corridor live (both motorized and non-motorized). The population of the greater vancouver area is 2,000,000 whereas the combined population of Whistler, Squamish and Pemberton is around 50,000.
• Local snowmobilers don't want to be excluded from Phelix, even though their use is low.
• A snowmobiler petition was submitted with 121 signatures. This prompted a counter petition which gathered about 250 real and 700 electronic signatures.
• Harry Redman is leading the charge on the snowmobile side. He opted out of participating in the stakeholder forum and now wants the government to change the LRMP unilaterally to his liking. If the government listens to him, they are saying that you don't have to participate in stakeholder forums and negotiate to get what you want. This sends a strong message to the rest of BC that they do not have to participate in these kinds of stakeholder forums, merely lobby the government instead. He may be trying to break up the forum altogether by going after one of the prime non motorized zones.
• Unilateral changes to the forum by the government goes against the spirit of the forum, which is direct stakeholder negotiation to achieve a solution acceptable to all parties
• Phelix creek was zoned for non-motorized use by the forum. This decision was signed off by all forum representatives, including the representative from the Pemberton Valley Snowmobile Club.
• The government approach is to isolate Phelix Creek and look at it as a single issue. However, this is not in the spirit of the forum which took a fair and balanced approach to recreation opportunities throughout the Sea to Sky corridor. Any changes to one area upset the balance of the forum recommendations and would require renegotiation with forum stakeholders.
• Around D'arcy, Phelix Creek is the only non-motorized zone. Birkenhead peak, Haylmore Creek and the Birkenhead River are zoned motorized. Birkenhead Lake park (which is adjacent to the start of the Phelix Creek road, also allows snowmobiling in some parts of the park. New logging roads on the east side of Phelix Creek below 1000m are also already in the motorized zone. In the D'arcy area, there is much more land zoned for motorized recreation than for non-motorized recreation.
• The Brian Waddington Hut in Phelix creek was built in 1998. The area has been popular for non-motorized activity since the early 1970s (many first ascents were completed in 1972). The site was selected because it was already a popular area for ski touring and there was no historic snowmobile activity. Access to the area by snowmobile is very difficult due to terrain constraints. At the time, MOF also requested that the chosen site for the cabin have a low potential for skier-snowmobiler conflicts, and the Phelix Creek site was approved with this in mind.
• Snowmobile use in the area is more recent, as the machines have only recently become powerful enough to get through steep terrain to the alpine.
• The forum recommendations were accepted into the sea to sky LRMP, subject only to negotiations with first nations. On the ILMB website, it states “Until the final LRMP is completed, the current draft will be used as interim management direction for provincial government decision making with the plan area.”
• The ILMB Website states: “the upper portions of Phelix Creek are zoned RA1-A for winter recreation, which means non-motorized with air access allowed.” It goes on to say management direction for the valley and adjacent areas is “to maintain the wilderness, natural and visual, and aesthetic (including noise management) qualities with the Birkenhead park and also the Wildlands draining into the park so that the experience for humans and wildlife is the same for both.” The Upper Portion of Phelix Creek is zoned as Wildland, part with a wildlife emphasis and part with a non-motorized recreation emphasis.
• As of January 2008, it seems that Kevin Kriese has all but decided to allow snowmobile use of the area. We need letters now or the area will become motorized. A good deadline would be to ensure your letters are received before January 21st, when Mr. Kriese will attend the Rec+Con meeting, to give us the strongest stance.

Sproatt Issues

• Canadian Snowmobile Adventures has been operating in the Callaghan Valley for a number of years under short term tenures. They are being displaced by the new Whistler Nordic Center / Whister Olympic Park. They want to take over the south side of Mount Sproatt, which was recommended as a non-motorized zone by the forum. Their operation will include helicopter accessed snowmobiling in the spring.
• Sproatt has high values for day use backcountry skiing and it's one of the few day use areas south of the Duffey Lake road. The new nordic center road will make access even easier and increase use. The north side of Sproatt is non-motorized (and will remain non motorized) because it is a drinking water supply area for Whistler. Presently, snowmobilers violate this boundary on a regular basis.
• The new access road to the Whister Olympic park will be the third highest plowed road in the Squamish Forest District (after Duffey Lake and Diamond Head). This makes it a very attractive destination for backcountry skiing because of access to a high elevation trailhead. The nearest backcountry skiing areas to the Whistler Olympic Park are Hanging Lake and the south side of Mount Sproatt. Both of these areas are included in Canadian Snowmobile Adventures' tenure application.
• Canadian Snowmobile Adventures wants to build a new snowmobile base in close proximity to the Olympic Nordic Center. Noise impacts may be unacceptable
• The government seems to be lumping cross country and back country skiers together, saying that we are gaining the new facilities in exchange. However, the XC trails are not attractive to BC skiers, and the good BC ski terrain in the upper Callaghan is too far away to access for a day trip. This is an important point to emphasize. Also, there will be a fee to use the cross country trails.
• Canadian Snowmobile Adventures currently holds a 2 year temporary commercial tenure permit. Prior to this tenure (2005?), they operated illegally in the valley without a tenure. Their past illegal operational history should not be considered as part of the management decision. This company basically set up shop in the valley illegally and now they are being grandfathered into the area. Granting CSA a continuing long term tenure in the Callaghan will only encourage other recreation businesses to operate illegally without a tenure.
• Canadian Snowmobile Adventures should seek a replacement tenure in an area that is not a popular BC skiing destination. This process needs to be guided by the forum. Some areas near whistler that could be considered are the Jane Lakes/Cheakamus River Westside Main/Whistler Interpretive Forest or the Soo-Rutherford Divide or Marble Creek (East of Daisy Lake) or the SW flank of Whistler Mountain outside the ski area. Other areas that could be considered for a replacement commercial tenure are the Mamquam River Valley and Brohm Ridge. All these areas are zoned for motorized recreation and a snowmobile commercial tenure would not conflict with the forum and LRMP recommendations.
• It was understood in the forum and LRMP that the Callaghan valley would have a special planning process because of the Olympics. However, the proposed expansion of the CSA tenure the south side of Mt. Sproatt is outside of the Callaghan Valley planning area. On the ILMB website, it states “Until the final LRMP is completed, the current draft will be used as interim management direction for provincial government decision making with the plan area.”

What the other side is saying

• To see the other side of the issue, check out the following snowmobile forum discussion threads:
• [1]
• [2]
• [3]

Sample Letters

2007-2008 Snowmobiling near Brian Waddington Hut (Phelix Creek)

For example see Matthew Carroll's letter: http://carroll.org.uk/files/phelix_creek_access_letter.pdf

Also see the wiki page Snowmobiling near Brian Waddington Hut for another sample letter and more background information.

December 2007 letter regarding Mt. Sproatt

Scott Nelson
11-939 7th Avenue West
Vancouver, BC V5Z 1C4

December 22, 2007

Kevin Kriese
Project Director, Strategic Initiatives Divison (Smithers)
3726 Alfred St
Smithers BC V0J2N0

Dear Kevin Kriese,

My name is Scott Nelson and I’m a recreational backcountry skier from Vancouver BC. I frequently visit the Sea to Sky corridor for backcountry skiing, logging about 40 days last year. I’m writing this letter about the recent controversy that has arising over a commercial snowmobile tenure being considered for Mt Sproatt, near Whistler. I oppose issuing this tenure because Mt. Sproatt is a popular backcountry skiing destination, which is about to become much more popular with the new Whistler Nordic Center access road.

Before the completion of the new Whistler Nordic Center, Mt. Sproatt and Rainbow Lake were already popular backcountry ski destinations. This area also has a long history of conflicts between skiers, snowmobilers, and the watershed designation. This area probably had the most skier snowmobiler conflicts of any location in the sea to sky region, but unlike other areas, Sproatt remained popular with skiers despite the snowmobile pressure.

The new Whistler Nordic center completely changes the situation at Sproatt for backcountry skiers. The new access road is the 3rd highest plowed road in the Sea to Sky region; only the Diamond Head road and Duffey Lake portion of highway 99 are higher. The Diamond Head road is steep and narrow and the Duffey too far from Vancouver for day trips. The elevation, proximity to Vancouver and the quality of the road make Mt. Sproatt a very attractive location for backcountry skiing day trips, much more so than before the Nordic center opened. The newly accessible terrain in the upper Callaghan valley is too far away from the parking area for day use backcountry skiing (the most popular and fastest growing part of the sport). On the other hand, Mt. Sproatt is the best and easiest to access day trip area from the Nordic center parking lot, and will see the most traffic. The alpine access is not quite as easy as Diamond Head, but the terrain is better so I would expect similar usage. Diamond head can currently see 100 visitors per day, despite the often poor road conditions.

One problem that frequently comes us in the analysis conducted by ILMB is that backcountry and cross-country skiers are grouped together for the purposes of recreation impact analysis. However, this is not realistic. Cross-country skiers prefer flat terrain and groomed trails, such as those found in the upper Callaghan valley. Backcountry skiers prefer vertically oriented terrain and high elevations with steeper slopes. We usually either go skiing for turns, or try to ski to the top of a particular summit. If the two groups are lumped together, the exchange of Sproatt for the upper Callaghan looks like a fair trade. However, cross-country and backcountry skiers are really 2 different user groups. Under the proposed tenure adjustment changes, cross-country skiers gain and backcountry skiers lose.

As far as the majority of public snowmobilers are concerned, the south and west sides of Mt. Sproatt make a marginal snowmobile area. The areas designated for snowmobiling on the south and west sides of the mountain are too small for today’s high-powered machines. Snowmobile riders will no doubt look to better terrain in 21 Mile Creek and on the west side of Rainbow Mountain. These areas are part of the drinking water supply area for Whistler and snowmobiling is not allowed in order to preserve the quality of the drinking water. Because this attractive terrain is just over the ridge from the proposed snowmobile area, many snowmobile riders will go there, as they have done in the past. This will make 21 Mile Creek and Rainbow Mountain a de facto snowmobile area, since enforcing the long ridge top boundary will be next to impossible. The only real way to protect the drinking water supply area, and backcountry skiing opportunities in 21 Mile Creek, is to have all of Mt Sproatt be a non-motorized recreation area and move the Canadian Snowmobile Adventures (CSA) commercial tenure to another location.

CSA proposes upgrading access to the alpine on Mount Sproatt and grooming the trails. Experience at Brandywine and Brohm ridge shows that snowmobile trail grooming will greatly increase the number of public snowmobile users. This will exacerbate the existing conflicts and also result in more and more snowmobile incursions into the watershed. The Sea to Sky Backcountry Winter Recreation Sharing Forum negotiated a solution to resolve conflicts between motorized and non-motorized users across the region. The process was long and tedious, but in the end a delicate balance was found. Any changes imposed unilaterally by the government threaten the fairness and delicate balance that was achieved by the forum. I support the plan developed by the forum, and I also support having all proposed changes negotiated at a re-convened forum to ensure the fair regional balance is maintained. This should be done not only for Sproatt, but also to consider the impacts of proposed changes from negotiations with First Nations. I’m confident that the forum would be able to find a place to relocate CSA’s tenure to that is acceptable to all stakeholders involved, not just CSA and VANOC.

There are many areas available for commercial snowmobile tenures that do not conflict with the forum recommendations, such as Janes Lakes, the west side of the upper Cheakamus River, the southwest flank of Whistler Mountain, or the Soo-Rutherford divide. Farther from Whistler, the Mamquam Valley and Brohm Ridge would also be suitable locations for commercial snowmobiling tenure. CSA should be encouraged to apply for one of these areas instead of Sproatt so the forum recommendations can be maintained.

Sincerely,

Scott Nelson

CC by email: Honourable Pat Bell, Minister of Agriculture and Lands

CC by email: Honourable Gregor Robertson, MLA Vancouver-Fairview

2004 VOC letter

Here is a copy of the letter sent on behalf of the VOC. Everyone's name didn't fit on but I tried! (Milena)

March 19, 2004 Varsity Outdoor Club Box 98 Student Union Building 6138 Student Union Mall Vancouver BC V6T 2B9

RE: Sea to Sky Backcountry Recreation Forum

Honourable Gordon Campbell, Premier Province of British Columbia PO Box 9041 STN PROV GOVT Victoria BC V8W 9E1

Dear Premier Campbell,

We, the executive council of the Varsity Outdoor Club at the University of British Columbia, are writing to express our support of the Sea to Sky Winter Backcountry Recreation Sharing Forum, and the Sharing Accord produced by the Forum.

In case you are not familiar with the Forum, here is a bit of history: in September 2001 a group of community members representing non-motorized backcountry recreationists such as skiers; motorized users such as snowmobilers; and commercial tenure holders, began to hold meetings about backcountry recreation in the Sea to Sky corridor of the Squamish Forest District. Their goal was to create a plan that would ensure that all users of the area would have reasonable access to an enjoyable experience in the backcountry by minimizing the incidences of user conflicts between different groups. A group of approximately 30 people have been meeting once per month since then, and have written and mapped a Sharing Accord which divides the backcountry of the Squamish Forest District into specific use areas. In some areas all use types are permitted (for example, backcountry skiing and snowmobiling are both permitted), and in other areas motorized use is restricted to ensure that non-motorized users have a protected enjoyable experience. For more information on the Forum, we suggest that you refer to the Winter Forum's website at www.backcountryforum.org, or that you speak with MSRM employees Malcolm Leung (formerly with Land and Water BC), Kevin Lee (with LWBC), or Ross Kreye (with the LRMP). Under the guidance of the newly formed Sea to Sky Backcountry Recreation Forum Association, the Sharing Accord map is being included as Recreation's contribution to the draft Squamish Land and Resource Management Plan.

The Sharing Accord is a finely balanced agreement between user groups that was laboriously constructed through an intensive consultation process to ensure that all users concerns were fairly represented. However, despite verbal support of the Sharing Accord from Land and Water BC, and the presence of representatives from LWBC throughout the process, conflicting tenures continue to be granted by LWBC in the Sea to Sky corridor. A conflicting tenure is one that allows a commercial operator to conduct an activity that is restricted in that area by the Sharing Accord, (eg. allowing a heli-skiing operation to ski in a Non-Motorized area, or permitting snowmobile tours in a Non-Motorized with Restricted Motorized Access Area). From the start, Forum participants laboured to shape the map around existing tenures, and with each new conflicting tenure granted, the map changes, and the carefully constructed balance - reasonable access to an enjoyable experience for all users - is being lost. With each new tenure granted, non-motorized users especially have lost areas that were protected from motorized use, and these areas cannot be regained until the tenures expire. As an organization primarily engaged in non motorized activities, the Varsity Outdoor Club is concerned that our rights to an enjoyable experience are being lost along with these areas.

As you can see, LWBC has undermined the Sharing Accord and the efforts of the Forum to represent all user groups, including both motorized and non motorized, commercial and public recreationists. The Varsity Outdoor Club would like at this time to express our unequivocal support for the efforts of the Backcountry Forum in developing this Sharing Accord and to make two recommendations on how the Provincial Government, through the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management, should approach this problem. The first is that LWBC should be forbidden from issuing tenures that conflict with the Sharing Accord map. Since this map was developed with all users in mind by a broad based coalition representing a variety of interests, it is only fair that the wishes of the recreation community be reflected in the decisions to grant tenures. The second is that it be put in writing in the LRMP that no tenures with use that conflicts with the LRMP Winter Backcountry Recreation map (currently almost the same as the Sharing Accord map) shall be granted, and that no currently existing conflicting tenures shall be replaced with new conflicting tenures, should the current tenure holder wish to forfeit their tenure, or should their tenure expire.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. We believe that this Forum has had great success in bringing together a diverse variety of groups with one common goal in mind the enjoyment of British Columbia's beautiful backcountry areas. We feel the Sharing Accord is a progressive solution to the conflicts which occur in the backcountry, and hope that with your support, the Forum's goal can be realized. Your prompt actions on this matter will be truly appreciated by the Varsity Outdoor Club, and all recreationists in the Sea to Sky corridor.

Respectfully,

Roberta Holden (President) Chris Stathers (Vice President) Sandra Nicol (Sea to Sky Winter Backcountry Forum Representative) Milena Semproni (Sea to Sky Summer Backcountry Forum Representative)

On Behalf of the:

Membership and Executive of the Varsity Outdoor Club, University of British Columbia

cc: Honourable George Abbott, Minister of Sustainable Resource Management Bill Valentine, CEO, Land and Water BC Inc.