A class 3 avalanche started in CP 146-2 of Shannon Creek on Feb 3, 1999. This avalanche destroyed many 200+ year old trees in a reserve, as well as several hundred spruce trees thirty feet tall in a one hectare area, of a thirty year old spruce plantation. Not only did this avalanche damage the plantation but it also deposited approximately 7m depth of snow and forest debris over a 30 metre length of Valhalla Mountain Touring's (VMT) sno-cat access trail. It was fortunate that there was no traffic over this trail at the time of the avalanche, although guides were changing shift on the morning of the third and were traveling the access trail just after the avalanche ran. Valhalla Mountain Touring had clients at their cabin beyond this avalanche zone at the time of this event. The Ministry of Forests, by approving this clearcut, has created a permanent avalanche hazard on this access trail for a minimum of the next 25 years, where none existed before.

A second major avalanche was generated in CP 146-1 on Feb 8,1999, partially burying equipment and loggers. Fortunately no one was injured. As a result of this avalanche, Slocan Forest Products undertook avalanche control work the next day, releasing a major slab avalanche from CP 146-1 that destroyed and damaged hundreds of second growth trees as well as 3/4 hectare of a plantation.

These clearcuts are side by side and are 36 and 40 hectares in area, on average slopes of 65% at elevations between 1550 and 1700 m. It is significant that the only two avalanches to run during this period originated in these new clearcuts (CP 146-1 being actively logged and CP 146-2 was clearcut the previous year) despite the presence of many natural avalanche tracks in the Shannon Creek valley. There were thirteen natural avalanche tracks that had not run that are on the north side of the creek opposite these two new clearcuts. This demonstrates how the lack of forest cover in a clearcut contributes to snow accumulation and instability. It is noteworthy that SFP and MOF were warned of the consequences of proceeding with these clearcuts.

On May 17, 1996 the Valhalla Wilderness Society submitted its review and comment of the 1996-2000 Forest Development Plan to Slocan Forest Products and the Ministry of Forests.

From page 6 paragraph 6 of the VWS review:

"A very important aspect that the terrain stability assessments and the operational plan fail to address is the creation of snow avalanche start zones by clearcutting on steep slopes in high snow accumulation elevations. Experts state "dangerous slab avalanches are most likely to start on slopes in the 30( to 45( (58% to 100%) range." (Avalanche Handbook-US Department of Agriculture). These avalanches have serious effects on the slopes below these openings. They can and will destroy timber, structures and endanger lives downslope of these zones. Despite these facts SFP proposes to clearcut many cutblocks on slopes ( 60% and at elevations greater than 1230 m. (4000'), creating avalanche start zones at critical snow accumulation elevations throughout the forest license in this operational plan. Clearcutting should be banned on slopes ( 60% at elevations greater than 1230 m. (4000') because the openings created facilitate a higher accumulation of snow, are susceptible to wind depositions of snow, are highly susceptible to solar radiation, and have no protection from warm rainfalls. These are all factors that can initiate a large and destructive avalanche."

From page 11 paragraph 4 of the VWS review:

"The clearcut logging of blocks 146-1 + 2 (Shannon Creek)... Not only do these clearcuts threaten the maintenance of biodiversity they also pose a threat to the plantations that are growing below them as they are situated on steep slopes above the critical elevation for snow accumulation of 1230 m and would create hazardous avalanche start zones for avalanches that could destroy major sections of these plantations."

These warnings were also repeated in the VWS review of SFP's 1997-2001 Forest Development Plan. Despite these warnings no alterations in design were made to these cutblocks. Alex Ferguson, then Divisional Forester, wrote, "At this time, we are dealing with this issue on a site specific (cutting permit) basis. We are planning to begin mapping snow hazard areas for our operating area during 1997/98.

The torrent began directly below CP 146-2 which was clearcut in 1997 in an area that had been logged approximately 30 years ago. The scarp is located 33 metres below a culvert on the main road into CP 146-2, on an old skid road. The debris torrent ran 250 vertical meters to the alder flats on the edge of Shannon Creek. It scoured a small stream to bedrock, depositing tons of debris into the lower channel, and introduced a substantial amount of sediment to Shannon Creek, a fish-bearing stream. This debris torrent ran on slopes 50 metres to the east of a major avalanche that originated in clearcut 146-2 in February of 1999. It also destroyed approximately 1/4 hectare of the same spruce plantation hit by the avalanche. This gully system has remained stable throughout the last thirty years in all kinds of weather and snow pack conditions. It seems more than a coincidence that the debris torrent started below the 40 hectare clearcut of CP 146-2 (a 1997 Forest Practices Code block) after the first heavy snow year following logging.

In a report by Peter Jordan, Research Geomorphologist Nelson Forest Region, dated July 27,1999, he states:

"Directly above the landslide is a culvert, installed at a low spot in the road. 40m up the road it crosses the main gully, where a culvert should have been installed. The next culvert is 150 m up the road. Between the culverts the road slopes at about 6%. There are no water bars or cross ditches. There is no evidence of surface flow in the gully, but it appears that subsurface water in the gully was intercepted by the road cut, and carried by the ditch into the culvert, where it flowed down to the slide source. There was evidence of recent flow of water below the culvert. The primary cause of the slide was the lack of a culvert at the main gully. An additional factor may have been enhanced snowmelt due to the 1997 clearcut above. From the contour map, about 90% of the drainage area of the gully above the landslide has been clearcut."