Fall/Winter 1993 Newsletter

Slocan Forest Products logs Passmore watershed

The recently formed Passmore Water Users Group has made two separate presentations at the local CORE table asking that their watershed be recognised as a source of domestic use water, and that logging be deferred in sensitive areas. Residents' water comes from Airy Creek and its tributary Tindale Creek. Both creeks are part of Slocan Forest Products' active logging operations in Tree Farm Licence #3. The company plans to cut 13 blocks in this watershed between 1993 and 1997. Ten of these blocks are scheduled for 1993.

In addition to logging deferrals, water users also requested reconstruction of the main road along Airy Creek, a source of creek siltation for many years. To date, SFP has granted no deferrals. The mainline road has been upgraded for timber hauling purposes, but the siltation problems in the creek remain.

Airy and Tindale Creeks have a history of logging that dates back to the 1940s when there was a mill located on Airy Creek and logging camps provided the base for fallers working with teams of horses. Old-timers say that the slopes above the creek were selectively logged three times during the early years, but the intense removal of trees from the headwaters of Airy Creek didn't occur until the early 1980s. Tindale Creek basin was logged in the mid 196Os and is now characterised by numerous landslides on steep slopes, with a network of unused logging roads.

In June of this year, a representative from Slocan Forest Products informed the Passmore water users that their watershed is considered a potential hazard area. The company had been asked by the Ministry of Forests to begin restorative work. The initial assessment and recommendations for restoration are now complete. Some work has begun on critical problem areas and the company's efforts to address these problems are acknowledged. Passmore water users contested three proposed cutblocks located in sensitive areas. Unfortunately, their efforts have met with little success to date. Residents currently travel up the Airy Creek back roads looking for potential slides, washouts, and other problem areas. They plan to monitor any restoration work. Slocan Forest Products plans to close Airy and Tindale Creeks to logging in 1997 and do not plan to re-enter the area for at least 15 years. However, prior to 1997 thirteen blocks are proposed for cutting in this domestic use watershed.

The Passmore Water Users Group is the newest member group of the Slocan Valley Watershed Alliance. Members include families who obtain water from a community system that taps directly into Airy Creek, as well as individual licensees on Airy Creek. Other members obtain their water from numerous small creeks and springs which originate on Norn's Ridge, located on the south side of the Little Slocan River facing Perry Ridge.

The Passmore Water Users Group welcomes help from people who use the Airy-Tindale area for recreation. Water users plan to continue bringing information about Airy Creek to the CORE table. Please express your concerns about this area to the CORE representatives and to the Passmore Water Users Group.

- Jennifer Yeow

Report from the CORE table

The CORE Slocan Valley Pilot Project has dealt with a number of "process" issues in recent months and is now moving into the real work of dealing with land and resource management issues.

In June, CORE Commissioner Stephen Owen and the remaining sectors at the table responded to several concerns the SVWA had raised about the project.

Although some aspects still remain fuzzy, the responses were positive enough that the SVWA decided to return to the table. The following month, the wilderness sector also returned, and the First Nations representative has agreed to participate as an active observer.

With all sectors back at the table, much work has been spent coming to agreement on "process" items. These include a purpose statement, a set of ground rules, and terms of reference for the table's operation.

In September, the focus shifted as each sector laid out the issues that it expected the process to deal with and the interests (concerns, expectations, fears) it had in each of these issues. Each sector is now working on a set of "indicators" to measure whether or not its interests are being met as the planning project proceeds.

The highlight of the September meeting (from the SVWA point of view) was a presentation by Herb Hammond on landscape ecology analysis and the table's agreement to supply our sector with the information and data needed to undertake such an analysis for the valley. A number of sectors expressed strong support for the project. (See box on page 2.)

At the October meeting, SFP announced that they would hire a consultant to do a landscape ecology analysis for them as well. At the upcoming November meeting, CORE staffer Rick Page will make a presentation on this kind of analysis. Both our sector and SFP agreed to have our consultants available following the presentation to discuss our respective projects.

While the focus has been on planning for the future, the table has also attempted to deal with two current forest-use issues: ongoing logging in the Airy-Tindale drainage near Passmore, and a logging proposal for the west shore of Slocan Lake, just north of the Valhalla Park boundary.

Airy Creek (and its tributary Tindale Creek) was overlooked when logging and road-building deferrals were negotiated for domestic watersheds during the CORE process. Although over a dozen families take their water from this drainage, the area is within Slocan Forest Products' tree farm. These water users had previously not been active in the SVWA, nor had SFP made us aware of proposed logging in this area. This summer, water users became concerned over plans for 13 cutblocks, many of which have been logged by now. As well, they have raised the issue of restoration in this watershed which has been heavily logged and has suffered several landslides directly related to logging and road building. As this is the only domestic watershed in the valley with current active logging, we are very concerned in how SFP responds to water users' concerns. The situation is discussed and updated at each CORE meeting. (See article page 1.)

The table was also asked to review a proposal to salvage looper-killed hemlock along the west shore of Slocan Lake, across from Rosebery, The Ministry of Forests requested SFP to submit a plan to salvage this wood. SFP's plan called for a 50-hectare cutblock which would leave the area with an increased fire hazard, would not meet the visual quality objectives set for the area, and would result in an estimated $200,000 loss for SFP and provide only 6.5 days of work at the mill. A number of other concerns were also raised at the table including First Nations cultural sites within the proposed cutblock, a valuable mushroom crop, a lack of planning for biodiversity protection, and the fact that the beetle infestation was over and a healthy crop of young trees is coming up among the snags. At the October meeting, it was decided to put the proposal on hold for a few months because agreement could not be reached.

Also at the October meeting, our sector requested the table to support a call for public hearings into CPR's proposal to abandon the rail line between Slocan and Crescent Valley. Neither SFP nor the independent forest contractors supported our request. Interestingly, neither did RDCK Director Bob Barkley, although he was a member of the Chip Transportation Study Steering Committee which recommended the use of rail for chip transport from Slocan. We will draft a letter calling for public hearings with support from the labour, wilderness, wildcraft and tourism sectors.

- Richard Allin

The watershed sector is represented at the table by Richard Allin. For a full report of each CORE meeting, attend the SVWA monthly meetings, next one scheduled for 7:30pm, Nov.22 at the Threads Guild in Perry Siding. Your input is important. The next CORE meeting is November 27 and 28 in Appledale, the table will be talking about extending the project beyond the current December 31 timeline. Come check it out if you can.

West Kootenay Watershed Coalition participates in Regional CORE process

Twenty-one watershed groups formed the West Kootenay Watershed Coalition this summer and are participating as a sector in the West Kootenay/Boundary CORE process. The coalition is represented at the CORE table by Colin Mackintosh and Wayne Peppard of the Slocan Valley Watershed Alliance.

The regional CORE table will make recommendations to Commissioner Stephen Owen about how land should be used in the region. The Kootenay effort is one of three regional processes that will help develop a land use plan for the province. Commissioner Owen will then take those recommendations to Cabinet. Owen recently negotiated an extension to the Kootenay process from December 31, 1993 to March 31, 1994.

One of the main topics of discussion at the regional CORE meetings has been the provincial Protected Areas Strategy (PAS), a province-wide effort to decide what areas should be permanently protected. Currently three options are being developed that would protect 12%, 15%, or 18% of the land base in the West Kootenay. These options will be available soon for public comment.

In addition to fully protected areas, the regional CORE table is attempting to decide what other kinds of land use designations need to be made in order to protect a wide variety of interests (water protection, recreation, tourism, biodiversity, timber, mining). The table anticipates evaluating more than one land use option (also called "scenarios"). These options should be ready to evaluate by the beginning of March 1994.

Each sector has defined its goals and interests in participating in CORE. Staff from CORE are developing a master list of goals common to all sectors. Currently sectors are working on developing criteria by which they can evaluate the options for land use. These criteria will help the sector decide if an option will meet its needs.

CORE staff is proposing to develop working teams composed of representatives from the various sectors and from the Government Services Team (experts from various government ministries who are assisting the Table). These teams would work between meetings to try to develop portions of land use options that balance the needs of all sectors. To guide their work, teams would use the master lists con taming the goals and criteria of all sectors.

The Watershed Coalition has obtained a grant from the West Coast Environmental Law Foundation. Funding will be used to retain legal advice in the CORE process and to develop discussion papers on legal issues such as chlorination and the Water Act. The grant will also be used for technical assistance in developing management strategies to meet the watershed sector's needs on issues such as risk assessment, water quality standards, and acceptable levels of disturbance. An overlay map showing watershed/riparian protection areas will also be prepared.

Participating in CORE requires a great deal of hard work by those representing the watershed sector. Your input is welcome and the public is invited to attend all regional CORE meetings. For more information about the West Kootenay Watershed Coalition or about regional CORE, phone Colin Mackintosh.

- Colin Mackintosh & Wayne Peppard

SVWA hires hydrologist

The SVWA has hired Allen Isaacson, a hydrologist with more than 25 years of field experience and the author of many research publications, to examine several domestic watersheds in the Slocan Valley.

Mr. Isaacson will be submitting reports on Perry Ridge, Airy/Tindale Creeks (Passmore), Elliot/Christian/Trozzo Creeks, and Hasty Creek. These watersheds are either undergoing active logging (Airy-Tindale) or are scheduled for logging or road building in 1994. The SVWA has asked Mr. Isaacson to evaluate the sensitivity of these domestic use watersheds and to determine whether logging is likely to cause damage to water quality, quantity, and timing of flow.

SFP Logs on Frog Peak in visual corridor

Slocan Forest Products has just completed a 21.4 hectare clearcut on Frog Peak, located within Tree farm Licence #3. Frog Peak is a special landmark to those who live in the south valley. SFP agreed through the CORE table to defer until December 31, 1993 any logging in domestic watersheds and the visual corridor, However, this triangular-shaped opening on Frog Peak is visible from Highway 6 and the Back Road from Winlaw to Vallican.

SVWA supports value-added manufacturing

The evidence is now clear, that we cannot continue to cut trees at current rates - the wood simply is not there. Across the province allowable annual cuts (the amount of timber licensees are permitted to cut each year) are being reduced. Recently the allowable annual cut for Slocan Forest Products' Tree Farm Licence #3 was drastically reduced. We face a corresponding reduction in employment unless changes are made.

The SVWA is committed to looking for ways to create economic stability in our communities. One way is to make more from the amount of wood that is cut, or adding value to the products. This means producing more finished products here, rather than exporting raw lumber to be remanufactured elsewhere.

MLA Corky Evans chaired a committee that looked at lumber remanufacturing in the province. The committee's report states that the same volume of lumber produces one job in a sawmill' or 4.55 jobs in value-added industries. It is clear that adding value to wood products creates jobs. The report recommends that the government set a goal of doubling the number of remanufacturing jobs by the year 2000, and again by 2010.

Learn about the recommendations for lumber remanufacturing made in the Evans report. For a copy of the report, phone Mr. Evans' constituency office in Nelson at 352-6844.

Write to Premier Mike Harcourt and Forest Minister Andrew Petter and request action on the recommendations in the Evans report.

The Chip Transport issue:

Rail and barge or truck?

People throughout the Slocan Valley have been urgently requesting that wood chips be hauled by rail and barge in order to reduce the number of large trucks hauling on Highway 6. The Chip Transportation Study determined that the cost of barge service from Nakusp to Castlegar and rail service from Slocan to Castlegar would be competitive with truck transport and would meet the concerns of local residents.

To date the provincial government has yet to act on the study's recommendations. Celgar requested proposals on barge transportation of chips and the government is currently considering why these proposals are higher than estimated by the Chip Transportation Study.

Meanwhile, the CPR has stopped operating the Slocan Valley train, so additional lumber trucks are also on the highway. The CPR will soon apply to abandon the line.

The SVWA joins with other groups in requesting that the Federal Government require public hearings prior to abandonment.

Mapping project by Elliot/Christian/Trozzo water users

Water users from Lemon Creek to Trozzo Creek on the east side of Highway 6 are known as the Elliot/Christian/Trozzo Watershed Group. This ambitious group has embarked on a mapping project to define their water sources and needs. Hiking about on old trails, water users are finding out where the various creeks and springs collect and flow down the slope. They are also noting the location of landslides, bogs, and seeps.

Residents are then recording information about water sources and the landscape on forest cover maps. The maps already indicate Slocan Forest Products' plans to build roads and log in their watershed beginning in 1994.

All water users in the Elliot/Christian/Trozzo Creek area are invited to participate in this mapping project. Bring your coloured pencils! Next meeting is Tuesday, November 30, 7 p.m., Threads Guild.

PUBLIC INPUT SOUGHT

The government is seeking public input on a number of important documents that will affect all of us. Individuals and groups may want to make their views known.

Protected Areas Strategy Options for the West Kootenay - three options available for public review.

Stewardship of Water Discussion Paper - a Ministry of Environment series of documents around which legislation will be introduced over the next several years. Copies available from Ministry of Environment, Water Branch.

Forest Practices Code - a draft Ministry of Forests document just released for public review. The Code is intended to legislate improved standards of forest practices throughout the province. Copies available from Arrow Forest District, Castlegar.

Community Watershed Guidelines - still in the development stages, but a draft is expected in the new year.