BC Grasslands Spring 2005

GrasslandsBC

“The voice for grasslands in British Columbia” OCTOBER 2004

M A G A Z I N E O F T H E G R A S S L A N D S C O N S E R V A T I O N C O U N C I L O F B R I T I S H C O L U M B I A

A Balancing ActSustainable recreation in BC’s grasslands

A Balancing ActSustainable recreation in BC’s grasslands

GrasslandsBC2

Stay Off the GrassThe issues surrounding use of grass-lands for mechanized recreation aresomething I’ve just had a closeencounter with. The Ministry ofSustainable Resource Management(MSRM) undertook to establish a

recreational Access Management Strategy here in theEast Kootenay. MSRM convened a stakeholders negotiat-ing process and the game was on. It went on for twoyears. The sectors soon settled into two distinct groups:motorized vs. non-motorized. In this jurisdiction quadsand motorbikes have been almost completely free to gowhere they please. Alberta has enacted restrictions andin Montana you can ride a quad only on roads markedas accessible. If marked otherwise, no motors allowedregardless of the surface; the penalty is confiscation ofthe machine. And so riders from Alberta and Montanahave pushed into the last bulwark of the land of the free,British Columbia.

Accepting restrictions was a bitter pill for many of thelocal motorized riders. The engagement with their oppo-nents, intent on restricting them, isn’t over yet, but it is aways down a pretty bumpy road.

It’s no news that motorized recreationists aren’t allalike. There are two general categories: those who enjoythe outdoors for itself and those who want to shred it bythe application of motive power to wheels. About the onlysolution for this latter group is to identify sacrifice areas.

A partial agreement was reached and the process willcontinue to grind away on the sticky parts. For example,cows have been targeted by the motorized riders as moreculpable than quads for damage to grasslands and theywant a chance to prove it. They want access privileges

equal to those of cows. This notion might have merit; togain free access privilege to grasslands, all motorizedriders could be branded, brisket-tagged, ear notched andherded thru a rest-rotation access plan. I’d recommendusing low-stress handling techniques on humanitariangrounds.

But to be serious, Pogo said,“I have seen the enemyand he is us”. The motorized/non-motorized dichotomyis only a symptom of a vexatious larger issue. With eachadvance of population, technology and “development” (anasty euphemism) the human footprint leaves a largerimprint on the face of the planet, especially the favouredparts like grasslands. Access management is importantbecause it might make some reduction in the rate ofgrowth of that foot. But the leviathan called civilizationkeeps walking, regardless.

It may be that having the motor powered ridersengaged in land use planning is the most important ben-efit for grasslands that is to be gained from the accessmanagement exercise. Perhaps the appreciation of wildcountry and open spaces will form the glue that couldjoin all sides of this issue into common cause. The fun-damental treasure to be gained is the unencumberedlandscape. And it’s just possible that enough motor pow-ered recreationists can learn to recognize grasslands as afountain of energy that flows from and through the soils,plants and animals found there. And from there a wide-spread land conservation ethic would be born. Am I adreamer? Perhaps. But let’s introduce the dream anduntil it bears fruit, devise a suitable punishment formachine riders that go off road in grasslands. We couldstay with the cow as a model. We all know what happensto them as a consequence of their off road use of grass-lands.

Collaborative Environmentalism

“Only if people, through government,can cooperate in informed, collective,firm self-discipline, can they overcomethreats to the integrity of the biosphere.”(Caldwell, 1990)

After nearly six years with the Grasslands ConservationCouncil of British Columbia (GCC), I thought it would beinteresting to reflect back on my graduate research andrelate what the GCC is doing as a provincial grasslandconservation organization to an extensive body of theory

on the role of environmental non-government organiza-tions.

Over 15 years ago when I started my research on the“Role on Environmental Non-Government Organizationsin Wetland Conservation” my goal was to better under-stand how non-profit organizations effectively deliver onconservation initiatives to protect endangered ecosys-tems. As I searched the extensive literature on this sub-ject, I learned about the theory of environmentalism andabout non-profits and their impacts on conservation andstewardship. This subject still fascinates me today as Iponder many of the same questions…what constitutes

The Grasslands ConservationCouncil of British Columbia

Established as a society in August1999 and subsequently as a regis-tered charity on December 21,2001, the Grasslands Conserva-tion Council of British Columbia(GCC) is a strategic alliance oforganizations and individuals,including government, rangemanagement specialists, ranch-ers, agrologists, grassland ecolo-gists, First Nations, environmentalgroups, recreationists and grass-land enthusiasts. This diversegroup shares a common commit-ment to education, conservationand stewardship of BritishColumbia’s grasslands.

The GCC Mission is to:

• Foster greater understanding andappreciation for the ecological,social, economic and culturalimportance of grasslandsthroughout BC;

• Promote stewardship and sustain-able management practices thatwill ensure the long-term healthof BC’s grasslands;

• Promote the conservation of rep-resentative grassland ecosystems,species at risk and their habitats.

GCC Board of Directors

EXECUTIVE

Maurice Hansen, KimberleyCHAIR

Michael Pitt, Pender IslandVICE CHAIR

Kristi Iverson, Lac la HachePAST CHAIR

Katherine Gizikoff, MerrittSECRETARY

Judy Guichon, QuilchenaTREASURER

Cindy Haddow, VictoriaDennis Lloyd, KamloopsBob Scheer, KamloopsOrdell Steen, Williams LakeJim White, Knutsford

BOARD

Brad Arner, KamloopsBarry Booth, Prince GeorgeLeanne Colombo, CranbrookMike Duffy, 108 Mile RanchAllen Eagle, Dawson CreekWendy Gardner, KamloopsBob Peart, SidneyMark Quaedvlieg, KeremeosDarrell Smith, InvermereGreg Tegart, VernonGary Tipper, KimberleyDave Whiting, KamloopsDave Zehnder, Invermere

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Bruno Delesalle, Kamloops

COVER PHOTO BY SEAN JENKINS

A mountain biker enjoying theterrain near Kamloops, BC

Message from the ChairMaurice Hansen

Message from the Executive DirectorBruno Delesalle

effective environmentalism? I hope to bring some perspective to this important question.Environmental non-government organizations, or ENGOs ultimately play three key

roles. The first role is advocacy. Advocacy is generally defined as watching and scrutinizinggovernment and industry to ensure compliance with environmental protection standards,regulations and policies; pressuring governments to maintain an adequate level of envi-ronmental protection and accountability while possibly expanding government considera-tion of environmental factors; and finally, informing government, communities and thegeneral public about environmental issues and ecological values. As advocates for conser-vation, ENGOs pressure governments to broaden their view of land use and environmentalissues to assure more informed decision making, and ensure ecological integrity is notneglected as a result of poor planning and decision making.

The second is a “supplemental” role. An ENGO can supplement the regular roles andresponsibilities of government, filling-in where government is unable or unwilling to fulfillits mandate and responsibilities to environmental conservation or where these activitiesare better performed by an ENGO. The supplemental role also includes performing activi-ties that are not expected of government, as they fall beyond the scope of jurisdiction andresponsibility of government. Partnerships may be established with government to fulfillthese activities as they are complementary and mutually beneficial.

A secondary aspect to the supplementary role is one of legitimizing government plan-ning and decision making through direct participation in these processes, providing andreviewing information, and providing viable options and solutions. It is the function ofsupplementing, and “adding to” through partnerships and collaboration that I coin as “col-laborative environmentalism.”

The third is a “transformative” role. The transformative role is characterized by activi-ties that aim to fundamentally restructure the institutional system and transform the waysociety thinks and operates. These more dramatic paradigm shifts are sought throughprotest, civil disobedience, demonstration and education.

Awareness of environmental degradation and the need for conservation is not new.Ecologists such as George Marsh warned of alarming trends in the way humans used nat-ural resources in the mid-1800s. Since the 1800s, a myriad of scientific discoveries, gainedknowledge and understanding about natural systems and the numerous waves of environ-mental awareness and activism has resulted in a change in the way society operates.Society is more aware about conservation issues today than 20 years ago. However, somemay argue that little has fundamentally changed. Society, governments and economic sys-tems in general still function with principles that are far removed from the realities of thenatural environment. Operating within recognized biophysical realities and maintainingecological integrity as a basis for planning and decision-making has not yet become a cor-ner stone to human socio-economic and institutional systems.

Environmental organizations serve as pervasive and necessary links in the processes of communication that bind government and people. (Pross, 1975)

While today’s planning and policy initiatives are rapidly evolving, governments andindustry are encountering challenges in protecting endangered ecosystems and landscapessuch as grasslands. Shrinking financial resources, a lack of clear policy and priorities forprotection of grasslands, fragmentation of jurisdictional powers and institutional mecha-nisms for the protection of these endangered ecosystems, and poor integration and com-munication between government agencies is frustrating much needed and effectiveprogress.

Organizations such as the GCC are addressing these challenges. The GCC is neither ahard core advocacy group nor a group that specializes in protest, civil disobedience and

In This Issue4 Mountain Biking Meets Grasslands

Ken Johansson

5 Solutions for a Sustainable FutureTaylor Zeeg

7 Grassland Recreation in British ColumbiaNorma Wilso

PERSPECTIVES

8 Naturalists Afoot in the GrasslandsRick Howie, Eva Durance and Anthea Bryan

9 Recreation Management on First Nations’ LandWarren Fortier

10 Sustainable Mountain Biking is AchievableRebecca Wright

11 The Role of Business in Land ManagementRob Hood

13 A Cariboo Trails PerspectiveEric Gunderson

14 Extension Note—Best Management Practices for Grassland RecreationSarah McNeil

15 Conservation Partner Profile: Ducks Unlimited CanadaBrad Arner

16 FLORA: South Okanagan Grasslands Protected AreaJenifer Penny

17 FAUNA: Brewer’s SparrowNancy Mahoney

18 18 Profile of a Grasslands Aficionado: John SchnurrenbergerAdapted from an article by Susan Zais

19 Across the Province

20 Members’ Corner

20 Conservation partner profile: Vancouver FoundationEva Cheung Robinson

21 GCC Project Updates

28 In the next issue

3 www.bcgrasslands.org…continued on page 27

4

The wind raking past your ears filling in every gap inyour wake, your heart beating as if it is about to explodeout of your chest and your thighs burning, begging youto stop. As you pedal faster you see a seemingly endlessblur of grass spotted with intermittent sagebrush fly byas you speed down a razor thin single track through theglacier formed hoodoos. This is a common image ofmountain biking meeting grasslands on any summerday around the city of Kamloops. With its abundanttrails, great terrain, favourable weather and influencefrom internationally renowned mountain bike riders,Kamloops is, according to some of the top mountainbike magazines, one of the best freeriding locations inthe world.

As with many other sports, mountain biking hasevolved into a multi-disciplinary activity with a varietyof genres, one of which is freeriding. Freeriding, by defi-nition, takes place on a flowing single track trail withtechnical trail features such as jumps, berms, gaps, dropsand ladder bridges along its path. This is one of thefastest growing of any of the mountain biking genresand is also the one with the most potential to damagethe environment that sustains it.

One of the first and foremost conundrums of this rela-tively new aspect of mountain biking is that it takesplace on unsanctioned areas such as private property orproperty that is not defined for this extreme type of use.Given the inherent risk that these riders assume as theyspeed over jumps and ladder bridges, the landowner,whether private or a level of government, assumes a sig-nificant liability as a result.

The second problem is environmental impact.Mountain biking, like most other outdoor recreationalactivities, impacts the environment; freeriding, perhapsmore so. On one of the more popular freeriding trails inKamloops one can see very poor trail design leading todramatic erosion of the gully in which it is situated;poorly built structures posing a significant danger to theriders; and ladder bridges and various other structuresnailed to trees which will likely cause the trees to die andeventually lead to slope instability.

In the fall of 2002 these issues came to a forefrontamong local landowners, environmentalists, mountainbikers and City of Kamloops officials. The solution to theproblem was to find a place to practise freeriding whileprotecting the interests of the landowners and the envi-ronment; thus the genesis of the Kamloops MountainBike Park. The potential of building such a park reignit-ed the flame of the Kamloops Mountain BikeAssociation, which in turn set in motion a “land stew-ardship approach” to resolving this freeriding dilemma.Using this approach the City of Kamloops would beresponsible for the overall administration of the parkand the Kamloops Mountain Bike Association would beexpected to design, construct and maintain all the trailsand features within the park as well as contribute mone-tarily through a 50/50 cost share split with the City.

Prior to any of the partnerships being formed howev-er, a suitable location had to be found to house thismountain biking marvel. The location had to meet anumber of criteria such as slope, elevation change, roadaccess, ownership by the City of Kamloops and environ-mental suitability, just to name a few. A location waseventually found and agreed upon by both the City ofKamloops and the Kamloops Mountain BikeAssociation. The location is an area between two com-munities within the city that at one time functioned as alandfill and consists of the typical Kamloops hoodoosbounded by grasslands and sagebrush. The fact that aportion of this site was an old landfill is of particularinterest in that it aligns with a main planning principleto build on and improve what already exists rather thandisturb a virgin area.

Mountain Biking meets GrasslandsKen Johansson, Nature Park Technician, City of Kamloops

GrasslandsBC

Free rider coming off adrop near Kamloops. PHOTO COURTESY OF KAREN

PARKER

Once the idea of a mountain bike park and a locationfor it was established, an open house was conducted onSeptember 25, 2003 by the Kamloops Mountain BikePark design and planning committee, which consisted ofCity of Kamloops officials and members of theKamloops Mountain Bike Association. This open housewas attended by over 250 people and 210 questionnaireswere returned with a 98% in favour response. Given suchan overwhelming positive response, a management planfor the park was then written by the committee. The planoutlines how the park will be developed, the naturalresource issues to be addressed, how the park will bemanaged and, most importantly, the goals and objectivesof the park.

Out of the goals and objectives comes the vision state-ment for the Kamloops Mountain Bike Park: “To provideKamloops with a cutting-edge, premier mountain bikefacility.” The premise behind this statement is the coreplanning principle designed to solve the initial problemsoutlined above: to build a facility that will be unmatchedby any unsanctioned or sanctioned riding area withenough variability to continually challenge the riders sothey will not become bored and return to environmen-tally sensitive or privately owned areas.

Some of the other goals and objectives outlined in thepark management plan are:• Recreation: “To design a world class facility that pro-

vides a variety of mountain bike opportunities withvarying degrees of difficulty and continually evolvingfeatures.”

• Environment: “Protect the integrity of the naturalenvironment.” This plan also recommended the exten-sion of Valleyview Recreation Centre Park from 46 to80 hectares.

• Tournament Capital Initiative: “Supporting theTournament Capital initiative through sports promo-tion, tournament hosting, and increasing Kamloops’profile on the mountain biking scene.”The construction of the Kamloops Mountain Bike

Park is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2005 andcontinue through a series of three stages until comple-tion. The dates for the second and third phases of con-struction will be dependent on park use and budget allo-cation.

Freeriding is a sport that has sometimes been dubbeda mountain biking subculture by those who see trailsand technical features being built seemingly under thecover of darkness in unsanctioned areas; it is enlighten-ing to see how an initiative suchas the Kamloops Mountain BikePark and its subsequent plan-ning process can bring togethergroups of people not only for thebetterment of the sport but alsofor the betterment of our grass-lands. It is this type of attitudeand passion that makesKamloops such a great place tolive, ride and appreciate our nat-ural environment.

Ken Johansson lives in Kamloops where he is a NaturePark Technician with the City of Kamloops, a mountainbiker, a black belt and a soon to be master of GIS.

5 www.bcgrasslands.org

Big sagebrush andponderosa pine are familiarsites to those riding aroundKamloops. PHOTO COURTESY OF

KAREN PARKER

“It is enlightening to see how an

initiative such as the Kamloops

Mountain Bike Park can bring

together groups of people not only

for the betterment of sport but

also for the betterment of our

grasslands.”

6

Sales of off road vehicles (ORVs) in BC aregrowing in leaps and bounds. With approxi-mately 150,000 ORVs in BC and sales increasesof 230% in seven years, the sport is rapidlygaining popularity. Yet this dramatic increase inunit sales unaccompanied by the necessary pol-icy tools and management strategy to ensurethe realization of conservation values presents asignificant challenge for land use managers andconservation interests alike.

Across BC, motorized recreation clubs wantto implement and administer management pro-grams to help grow their sport, land managersneed tools to effectively implement and monitorland use management plans, and authoritiesand landowners need to be able to identifymachines riding in prohibited areas. But unlikemost Canadian jurisdictions, British Columbiais lacking regulatory and effective managementtools to help steward and promote responsibleoff road vehicle recreational activity.

So how as grassland conservationists are weto deal with this growing pressure on fragilegrassland landscapes? How are we to work withrecreation groups, industry and other non-gov-ernment organizations to achieve our conserva-tion objectives? Recognizing grasslands as adesirable landscape for recreating, how do weinsure the primacy of conservation and stew-ardship?

I would suggest it begins with a balance ofmutual respect, effective regulatory tools anduser-driven management initiatives.

A good management strategy would dovetailwith existing and future land use planning ini-tiatives. Through various land use planningprocesses (i.e. Land and Resource ManagementPlans, Recreation Management Plans,Sustainable Resource Management Plans), gov-ernment and local stakeholders designate areasof land for specific uses. Designating areas forrecreational activity increases recreation oppor-tunities, decreases user-conflicts and helps toreduce impacts to wildlife.

The problem is that without any effectivemeans to identify and address off road vehicleactivity in areas designated for non-ORV uses,or areas under commercial recreation tenure,

little can be done to ensure the designated areais kept free from ORV impacts. The unfortunateconsequence is a significantly impaired landuse planning process and the resultant pressureon government land managers to issue closures.

This leads to another key element of an effec-tive overall management strategy: the need foradequate regulatory tools to support the landuse planning framework. Currently there arefew effective legal mechanisms for enforcingland use designations arrived at via land useplanning processes. The negative effect of this istwofold: user-conflicts escalate, underminingthe outcomes of the land use planning process;and the natural attributes of an area, be theynatural resources or ecological integrity, arediminished. Land managers do have provisionsunder the Wildlife Act, the Land Act, and theForest and Range Practices Act, yet regulationsunder these statutes have specific applicationand/or lack the latitude and legal integrity toaddress user-conflict, general impacts to land,and transgression of designated area agree-ment. The various land use plans either com-pleted or currently underway in BritishColumbia are good mechanisms for achievingconsensus on land use, yet government man-agers and other stakeholders lack the means tomaximize the utility of the plans with regards tomotorized recreation use.

In the absence of licensing and registration,little can be done to insure the observance ofdesignated and non-designated areas and/orencourage voluntary compliance. Because thereare no means to identify and educate ridersand/or disseminate pertinent information onaccess issues, land use managers are renderedpowerless. The same challenge applies to pri-vate lands: landowners have no means to identi-fy and address riders on their private land. Theabsence of a management strategy that includesvisible license plates or decals will continue tobe a burr in the saddle of all landowners andstakeholders that work and play within BC.

An effective management strategy beginswith a means to identify ORV riders, track ORVactivity, and promote responsible recreation anduser-driven management. Furthermore, a good

strategy will be economically self-sustainingand provide funds for the off road vehicle clubsthemselves to administer management programsincluding safety, education, enforcement andcompliance, responsible trail development andconservation and stewardship initiatives. A user-driven management program and visible licenseplates or decals, in conjunction with effectivestakeholder-driven land use management plansis a win-win scenario for all those who valueBC’s grasslands, wetlands and alpine areas.

We can look to New Brunswick for one exam-ple of a model that endeavours to promoteresponsible recreation while still achieving con-servation and stewardship objectives.

New Brunswick recently amended legislationthat regulates off road vehicle use. The amend-ed legislation enables the return of a portion ofthe ORV registration and licensing fees to themotorized user groups to administer a range ofmanagement programs that include responsibletrail development, and educational and preven-tion initiatives to address concerns such as safe-ty, environmental impacts and enforcementchallenges. A multi-stakeholder advisory boardensures the monies are spent in accordancewith the purposes set out in the amendedstatute. Moreover, mandatory visible licensingprovides the mechanism to identify ORV use onprohibited public and private lands, satisfyingthe common and recurring concerns of landmanagers and private landowners in theprovince. The new legislation was a response tothe recommendations of the All-Terrain VehicleTask Force Report, and the culmination of near-ly 3 years of government and stakeholder-driv-en investigation into the issues and impactspertaining to off road vehicle use.

A similar process, albeit a process that hasbeen driven from the ground up, rather thanfrom government down, is well underway inBritish Columbia. Since November 2002, theCoalition for Licensing and Registration of OffRoad Vehicles has been developing options andsolutions within the BC context. The Coalition –a broad-based alliance of motorized recreationinterests, conservation organizations, and

GrasslandsBC

Solutions for a Sustainable FutureLand Use and ORV Management in BCTaylor Zeeg, Stewardship Program Co-ordinator, Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia

…continued on page 7


Grasslands in British Columbia provide a unique recreational opportunityin a province known for its mountainous terrain. They provide gentlyrolling landscapes that are easily accessible to recreationists with a widerange of skill levels, and the few trees allow open vistas, providing anoth-er attractive feature. For those who enjoy nature study, the opportunity toview endangered species in their natural habitat is an added bonus. Inaddition to the gentle landscape and great views, the weather is generallydrier in the areas with grasslands. A camping trip in the grasslands rarelygets rained out!

British Columbians are avid outdoor recreationists. We like to spendtime in the outdoors, and we often participate in several different types ofrecreational activities. We like to have high quality opportunities close tohome so that we can engage in a few hours of recreation. We also like tobe able to travel a few hours to a weekend destination. These conditionsall point to grasslands as likely landscapes for recreation. The heavilypopulated Thompson and Okanagan valleys have grasslands that are easi-ly accessible by residents for a trip of a few hours or a few days. Thegrasslands are also within a few hours drive of the Lower Mainland, mak-ing them accessible to a large population for weekend (or longer) recre-ational trips.

The romantic notion of the ranching life has been well marketed byprovincial tourism agencies, and draws visitors and BC residents to thegrasslands. The idea of riding horseback for days on end has led to severaltourist cattle drives which contribute significantly to local economies.Recreational horse riders enjoy similar rides, although often without thecattle! For horses, grasslands provide snacks along the way – a definitebonus.

Because of their open and gently rolling nature, grasslands lend them-selves to a variety of motorized activities. Riders of varying skill levelscan safely pursue a day of recreation in an attractive landscape.

Besides providing a unique, high quality recreational opportunity,grasslands are also sensitive and easily damaged. Many of the plants and

animals that live in grasslands cannot live in other habitats, and so whengrasslands are damaged, the plants and animals decline in population.Are there ways in which grasslands can be used for recreation, and yetmaintain their health and unique character? Certainly there are. As recre-ationists, we must realize that our activities will always have an impact onthe landscape, and some landscapes are more sensitive than others. Weneed to decide amongst ourselves how we can alter our activities and thusmaintain access to the widest range of opportunities. We also need tokeep in mind that we share this landscape with many other users, fromranchers to commercial tourism operators. The full range of users needsto be part of the solution.

Norma has been with the Outdoor Recreation Council of BC for over 10years. She joined ORC after completing her master’s degree in resource plan-ning from UBC. Prior to returning to UBC, she was a mineral explorationgeologist. She is currently working on a PhD in recreation policy.

Grassland Recreation in British ColumbiaNorma Wilson, Executive Director, Outdoor Recreation Council of BC

Hikers in the Junction Sheep Range. PHOTO COURTESY OF BC PARKS

industry – is a grassroots, user-driven initiativethat will provide government with a cost effec-tive and sustainable solution for the licensingand registration of all ORVs in BC, including aneffective management strategy.

The Coalition is now fully engaged with theBC government’s “ATV – Interagency PolicyCommittee (ATV-IAPC)” – an ad hoc commit-tee working under the direction of the DeputyMinister’s Committee on Environment andResource Development – on developing optionsand solutions for British Columbia.

Instilling grassland conservation values

amongst motorized recreation riders is thestart. This is where education, awareness,shared experience and collaboration comes in.One of the value added features of stakeholderdriven initiatives such as those in NewBrunswick and BC are that a range of interestsare conducting solution-oriented conversationsand coming up with innovative and creativeoptions for better management of off road vehi-cle recreation that serve the spectrum of publicinterests. This is built in value and the kind thatlasts for generations, or at least as long as wecontinue to have those conversations.

To learn more about the Coalition forLicensing and Registration of Off Road Vehicles,please refer to page 22 of this issue of BCGrasslands magazine.

As Stewardship Program Co-ordinator, Taylor co-ordinates several policy, stewardship, and landuse planning-related projects with the ultimategoal of influencing land use planning for grass-land conservation. He is a provisional member ofthe Canadian Institute of Planners. He can bereached at (250) 374-5787 [email protected].

Land Use and ORV Managementfrom page 6

A P E R S P E C T I V E

GrasslandsBC8

Amongst all of the groups who might causeecological damage on grasslands, those of uswho call ourselves naturalists perhaps feel leastto blame. We espouse a protectionist philosophyand only wish to enjoy the freedom of the hillsand the beautiful species inhabiting them.

While we may not cause widespread ecologi-cal damage akin to subdivision of grasslandsinto tiny parcels, outright destruction, or kilo-metres of eroding wheel ruts, as visitors tothese sensitive ecosystems, we share a collectiveresponsibility to consider how our activitiesmay contribute to the cumulative effect of allusers. Minor infractions can become major –one person stepping off a trail will likely do lit-tle harm, but let a dozen or more do so andplants can be destroyed. Conversely, an accumu-lation of visitors avoiding damage could signifi-cantly reduce human pressures on these fragileareas.

Since we tend to undervalue what we do notknow, wise human use of grasslands is oftencited as one way to ensure these lands’ ecologi-cal viability. It would be sad to feel that natural-ists should not use grasslands for recreation.What then are some possible impacts and how

can we lessen them?Recognize first that not all grasslands are the

same. Within the Thompson–Okanagan area,soil type and depth, vegetation, slope and aspectcan vary greatly. If you were to wander on footacross stands of bluebunch wheatgrass or Idahofescue near Kamloops on a dry summer day,

your passage might be unnoticeable. However,climb a steep, sandy slope above the east side ofSkaha Lake, for example, and watch your bootssink deep, dislodging cactus and burying fragilegrass stems with every step. Take a group upand down the same slope and the damage willbe visible for some seasons to come. Learningto recognize and avoid particularly sensitiveareas within the grasslands, like these soft-soiled hillsides, will help leave them unscarred.

Seasonal changes are important too. Cross asparsely vegetated bunchgrass slope nearKamloops in early spring when the silty soilsare still wet, and you will find that your foot-steps are apparent. The soil will slide and plantsmay be displaced, exposing bare ground toweed seeds in the mud on your boots. The bestpractice here would be to stay away until theground dries; failing that, keep to roads andestablished trails.

Weeds seem almost impossible to escapethese days. How many of us have inadvertentlywandered through a patch of burdock orhoundstongue (beggarticks) and decided toremove those sticky little hitchhikers on thespot, or worse, where there may not be weeds?Seeds and plant parts should be removed fromclothes, shoes, pets and equipment after agrassland excursion. Bagging and depositingseeds in the garbage, or burning them, willavoid spreading them further.

Many of us enjoy teaching others, particular-ly children, about nature’s wonders. This islaudable, but such excursions need careful plan-ning. The South Okanagan’s annual MeadowlarkFestival, with its dozens of field trips, is a casein point, especially as it is held when birds arenesting, young mammals are around, and manyplants are blooming. The organizers take greatcare to minimize impacts. Naturalists can helpavoid damage by restricting numbers to suit thetype and sensitivity of the terrain and givingparticipants clear directions on what constitutesappropriate behaviour and why.

The impacts of some activities may not be soobvious. Photography seems pretty benign.However, damage can be done if the photogra-pher walks around at random seeking the per-fect angle. Crushing vegetation or removing

neighbouring plants to get a clear shot at onecan leave an unwanted legacy.

And what about grasslands wildlife? Sharp-tailed grouse are one of the rarer resident birdsin BC. Seeing one is the dream of many bird-watchers, particularly the rare opportunity towatch them displaying as part of their courtshipat a traditional lek. Unfortunately, decliningpopulations and relatively few known leks haveresulted in sites being kept secret for fear thatrepeated disturbances could lead to abandon-ment or reduced breeding success. It is impor-tant to avoid disturbance of wildlife at leks,known breeding and denning areas, salt licks,and migration routes for amphibians and otheranimals.

Popular wildlife viewing areas receive highnumbers of visitors. Birders in particular have‘hot spots’ which get the bulk of visits. Suchrepeat visits can disturb wildlife to the pointthat some individuals may abandon a nest oryoung, or not breed at all. The use of tapes toattract birds can also cause harmful distur-bance. Such practices have been banned insome American National Parks.

Dogs can disturb grassland wildlife if we letour pets explore wildly across the landscape.Bighorn sheep and other mammals can beharassed or even killed. Ground-nesting birdscan be flushed off their eggs, and if your doghappens to find the nest, but does not damageit, a coyote may later just follow the scent trailthere. The nest will very possibly be predated.Dogs should be under control at all times.

Just how important are these kind ofimpacts? Statistics may not be widely availablebut we can all help reduce our footprint on theenvironment. For an in-depth discussion of thistopic, and to see how user groups are workingtogether, please refer to the document BestManagement Practices for RecreationalActivities on Grasslands in the Thompson andOkanagan Basins (2004 – website).

While we pass through the grasslands listen-ing to a meadowlark’s joyful song, we might dowell to ponder our steps to determine just howwe might tread lightly on the land and takenothing but pictures while leaving the gentlestof footprints.

Naturalists Afoot in the GrasslandsRick Howie, R.P.Bio., Aspen Park Consulting; Eva Durance, Consulting Biologist; Anthea Bryan, R.P.Bio.

”Since we tend to

undervalue what we do not

know, wise human use of

grasslands is often cited as

one way to ensure these

lands' ecological viability.”

Grasslands have been impactedimmeasurably by the province’sfire suppression mandate andoveruse by livestock. A host ofactivities, including recreationalbiking, have augmented this dis-turbance and have the potential tocreate adverse or irreparable dam-age to sensitive areas within thegrassland ecosystem.

Riparian zones within thegrassland ecosystem can be dis-turbed and damaged by overuse.These sensitive zones are keyhabitat areas for species that arelisted in the Species At Risk Act(SARA) and require absolute pro-tection from anything that mightjeopardize their livelihood.

This article represents a briefsummary of informal interviewsthat were conducted with variousindividuals in the Kamloops area.These individuals have many com-mon concerns, the foremost of

which was for the protection of sensitive grassland ecosystems andspecies at risk.

Several people expressed a concern over the impacts of any recreation,even so-called ecotourism, on grasslands. They stressed the importanceof protecting the integrity of the grassland ecosystem and the inability torestore grasslands to their natural condition after damage occurs. Inorder to ensure that impacts are minimized, proper protocol, includingappropriate consultation and accommodations with respect to local FirstNations, must be utilized.

Many of the people I talked to acknowledged the benefit of promotingrecreational activities such as mountain biking while also expressing con-cern over the protection of grassland values. They highlighted the impor-tance of creating designated zones for recreation while ensuring the pro-tection of existing grassland values, and emphasized the importance ofcreating a comprehensive grasslands management plan that would pro-tect grasslands while improving the integrity of the habitat for the nativegrass species.

The designated recreational areas, it was said, must be marked withappropriate mapping and signage to ensure that recreationists adhere totrails and stay within the identified zones. This would not only protect thegrassland ecosystems, but also the many archaeological sites found in theregion. Trails within recreation areas should be as attractive as possible;they could be established where there is natural topographical relief andgroomed with installed features to make them look natural.

It was noted that, while the need for recreational zoning is critical,equally important is the appropriate monitoring of all grassland areasaccompanied by penalties for anyone committing unlawful damages tothe ecosystem. For example, despite the creation of zoned areas for offroad vehicles in the Lac du Bois grasslands, there are still people that bikeelsewhere in the park, and although this damage has been noted foryears, no marked control of unauthorized recreation has been noted. Asdesignated areas become more heavily used, they become less attractiveto users, who might choose to look elsewhere for a more natural environ-ment. As concern over the eminent spread of invasive plants such as theknapweeds (Centaurea spp.) rises, it is becoming more critical to monitorand contain recreational activities in grasslands.

Conclusion

It would be beneficial to create designated areas for recreational biking.Of course, the process of doing so would have to include the rightful inputof all stakeholders and recreationalists from the region. Try as we might,there may still be individuals that will go where they please – so the ques-tion is what then?

There are organizations such as the Greater Kamloops MotorcycleAssociation and the International Mountain Biking Association have web-sites that provide guidelines for responsible riding. They encourage recre-ationists to stay within the designated areas and advocate for responsibleland use.

Recreational zoning within the grassland ecosystem is a complexprospect and we all have to make a concerted effort to protect this pre-cious ecosystem. I strongly agree that the zoning of recreation bikingareas is critical and that separate categories need to be delineated for dif-ferent types of biking.

Perhaps educational programs can increase awareness about the inter-face between natural processes and anthropogenic disturbance. Together,we can create monitoring programs within the grassland and recreationalbiking areas while asserting protection of non-designated biking areas byway of stiff fines or penalties. At the same time, we can implement com-prehensive weed control strategies.

Whatever the case, recreational biking is here to stay, and the sooner wegain a position of controlled management, the better for the environment.We must adapt a unified approach in the protection of the grasslands. Weall want to enjoy the beauty of our grasslands and especially to preserve itfor our future generations to come.

Warren recently graduated from the University College of the Cariboo(Thompson Rivers University) with a Bachelor of Natural Resource Sciencedegree in April, 2004. He is currently working as Forestry Assistant at theShuswap Nation Tribal Council in Kamloops, BC. Throughout his career,Warren has appreciated the beauty of natural resources both from a culturaland scientific perspective.

Recreation Management on First Nations’ LandWarren Fortier, Forestry Assistant, Shuswap Nation Tribal Council



Mountain biking can causeerosion and the spread ofinvasive plants such asknapweed. PHOTO COURTESY KRISTI

IVERSON

10GrasslandsBC


When we were contacted by the GCC to providean article about our perspective on the impactthat mountain bikers have on grasslands, I wascompelled to respond. As a rider, coach, pro-gram organizer and concerned citizen, I havemade many observations made over the yearsabout the truths and misconceptions that sur-round riders as a whole, as well as the impactwe have on our surrounding environment. Thisarticle is from a user’s perspective. It will touchon who mountain bikers really are, and identifycauses of abusive or irresponsible riding andpossible solutions for these issues.

Over the past five years, I have infiltratedmyself in the mountain biking community. Ihave found that we are a diverse group ranging from the hard-core youngrippers to older recreationists who are out for some fun and fitness. Weare students, teachers, lawyers, doctors, mechanics, sales personnel, exec-utives, unemployed people living for the moment, trades workers, busi-ness owners, retirees, people with disabilities…you name it. This is asport that seems to have few boundaries in terms of who actively partici-pates. We come from large city centres, suburban areas and rural commu-nities all over the world. Some of us ride the most expensive and up-to-date equipment, while others are sporting only the necessities to simply

enjoy a spin. Somecruise mountainroads and sprawlingdouble track, somelook for the cardioburn of a three hourgrind on single track,and still others arelooking for that rushof adrenaline thatcomes from sheerspeed, jumping, rid-ing bridges and per-forming morefreestyle acrobaticsand balancing

maneuvers. Cycling has an extremely long history dating back over a cen-tury and although mountain biking sports a shorter history of approxi-mately 30 years, it is here to stay. Yet it seems that despite this diversityand history, mountain bikers are constantly trying to beat a bad rap –why is that?

Maybe you have heard some of this before: mountain bikers are incon-siderate to our trails and environment, they cause dangerous and damag-ing mountain and land erosion in environmentally sensitive areas, theyleave behind debris of broken bike parts, they build trails without permis-

sion and are generally a nuisance for otherrecreationists. Is there any truth to theseclaims? Well, if we look at how rapidly our“pristine areas” are being treated by other usergroups, I would have to say that mountain bik-ers are no exception to the human race. Bynature humans take over areas as if theybelong to us. We clear-cut forests for all our“necessities,” we build resorts on mountainedges and we fill in wetlands to accommodateurban sprawl. Why would anyone expect thatmountain bikers are any different? Are we adifferent species all together – I think not.Having said this, not all mountain bikers arecreated equal.

As with all types of human activities, there are people who are con-cerned with how they use our natural resources, and there are others whoare not. Mountain bikers are no exception. It is unfortunate that some citi-zens do not realize the damage that even one trip down a hillside off atrail can do, but the same could be said of industries that know theiremissions practices are unsafe but still continue their business as usual.The problem, I feel, is not one of how to change mountain bikers but ofhow can we educate all people to be more respectful of our fragile earth.

There is always an opportunity to make a difference and that is exactlywhat many members of the mountain biking world are doing. It is mybelief that the keys to solving many of our user issues are education andplace designation. Here are just a few examples of what other riders aredoing to “help the cause:”1. Signing up with riding groups, camps or lessons in order to learn rid-

ing techniques, trail etiquette and rider responsibility.2. Adopting a “no trace” riding mentality whereby one leaves a space in

the same (or better) condition than upon arrival.3. Staying on designated trails.4. Placing garbage containers near trail heads/ends for proper debris dis-

posal.5. Organizing bike rodeos where member of the RCMP cover rider safety,

the local conservation organization educates about sensitive areas inthe community, the bike shop performs helmet and bike fitting, and thebike school holds a skills clinic.

6. Forming trail builders associations that work with local conservation-ists to determine where it would be most appropriate to build trails sothat both groups are satisfied.

7. Encouraging city/town planners to build room in their infrastructurefor mountain bikers. Riders will go where the trails are, so if the trailsare built in areas that are deemed acceptable, all parties can be accom-modated.

8. Expressing to government the need to have a forestry unit in place tohelp monitor environmentally safe areas for inappropriate use.The list could go on and on. In essence, remember that we are a diverse

Sustainable Mountain Biking is AchievableRebecca Wright, Purcell Mountain Bike School

Kids enjoying a ride in Invermere. PHOTO COURTESY

PURCELL MOUNTAIN BIKE SCHOOL

“There is always an

opportunity to make a

difference and that is

exactly what many

members of the mountain

biking world are doing.”


group of citizens that cannot be judged bythe actions of a few individuals. We require aplace to ride, education on how to be moreenvironmentally aware and the opportunityto plan in advance so that trails can be builtmore conscientiously. With a bit of patienceand acceptance, there is a place for us all.

Becca Wright was born in Ontario and livedin New Brunswick before moving toInvermere, BC in 1997. Becca earned degreesin Kinesiology and Education, along with aHealth Counselor diploma in AlternativeMedicine. She works as a high school teacherand volunteers as a soccer/bike coach. Shewas a formative member for the KootenayTrail Builders Association and the PurcellMountain Bike School that she runs with herhusband Byron Grey.

The Role of Business in LandManagementRob Hood, PhD, Thompson Rivers University

In August 2004 I attended the World Mountain Bike Conference in Vancouver BC where aspeaker recounted his experience developing his business in rural Colorado. He began bystating emphatically and somewhat humorously that cash was his primary motive. Yes cash .. . sometimes viewed as the only motive of private business owners and they’ll do whatever ittakes to increase profits to be successful. However, he quickly turned to the issue of manag-ing the land for which his business depended. The power of his message took me by sur-prise. He argued that care of the land was central for securing support from the communityand the subsequent success of his business. His talk left me thinking that other businessowners in attendance must, if not previously, certainly now believe that stewardship is essen-tial for business success and sustainability.

Clearly business owners have an increasingly important role in stewardship and thegrowth of recreation/ tourism businesses accessing grasslands and other public lands in BCsuggests it will be an increasingly important role. Over the past decade, the number of com-mercial recreation/tourism businesses seeking to operate on public land has increased sub-stantially. The challenge of managing this growth and subsequent impact on public lands,beyond public recreation, was acknowledged by government in the late 1990’s when theCommercial Recreation on Crown Land Policy was introduced to engage recreation/tourismbusiness owners in the management of public lands. The policy is designed in part to ensurebusiness owners are aware of their responsibility toward stewardship, and demonstrateactions required to practice stewardship. Prospective recreation/tourism operators arerequired to document projected impacts of their activities on the land and how theseimpacts will be managed. Only then will permits to operate be issued.

While the above example represents a more direct regulatory measure, tourism businessesare voluntarily including strategies to minimize impacts too. Three years ago I attended a BCWilderness Tourism Association (BCWTA) meeting. The BCWTA, a group of wildernesstourism business owners, agreed that attracting visitors was a competitive business and thetype of tourists they seek are demanding experiences only with businesses that demonstratesound stewardship. Subsequently, they developed a Code of Conduct to not only care for theland, but compete effectively in the global market to sustain their businesses.

In addition to businesses that directly use and impact the land, retailers too have a vestedinterest in stewardship. An obvious example of this is Canada’s Mountain Equipment Co-op,an organization that dedicates resources to environmentally- and socially-responsible proj-ects. Specific to mountain biking, the International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA)dedicates a section of their webpage to industry’s role, referring specifically to bike dealersand retailers, in creating a positive and responsible image to enable a land access and mini-mize impacts.

Is this view evident and practiced in the grasslands of British Columbia? I suggest we don’treally know. My brief investigation of mountain biking in the Kamloops area revealed storiesof environmentally damaging behaviours associated with mountain biking but it was notalways clear if it was commercial operators and their clients or the recreating public. I heardbusiness owners and other stakeholders acknowledge that impacts due to mountain bikingalone had increased over the past several years, and that the preferred strategy for manage-ment was a self-regulatory system for those invested in the activity. Business ownersacknowledged the work of the IMBA, for example the much publicized Rules of the Trail andacknowledged they have role in stewardship.

This is sounding positive and the argument for business to support and practice steward-

…continued over

GrasslandsBC12

ship seems feasible. However there are challenges facing commercialoperators that may lessen their investment and/or commitment to stew-ardship. First, there may be costs in terms of time and money that com-pete with small business owners’ ability to be profitable, hence viable as abusiness. Given business size and the price paid for the experiences theyoffer, independent recreation/tourism businesses are typically not finan-cially lucrative. This fact may lessen their investing in stewardship beyondexercising minimal environmental impact.

Second, commercial operators sometimes question the fairness of theirresponsibility to stewardship compared to that of the recreating publicwho access the same land for free. The recreating public may impact theland more severely simply due to their number, and limited mechanismsto make them accountable. In contrast the commercial operator isrequired to operate within the standards of their permit and invest instewardship. The line between public recreation impact and commercialrecreation impact may be unclear, and the commercial operator may feelthey are left with managing impacts from all users.

Third, business owners are challenged to keep up with knowledge thatenables them to support and practice stewardship. The recent ‘BestManagement Practices for Recreational Activities on Grasslands in BC’sSouthern Interior’ is an excellent resource important to all managers andusers of grasslands. Business owners are more likely to practice steward-ship and lessen impacts if they are aware of this knowledge.Dissemination of such important knowledge often falls short and doesnot reach the very people who it is intended to serve.

In summary, I have witnessed positive action, and policy is in place toencourage and require attention to stewardship. However, there are chal-lenges to overcome as industry assumes a role that historically residedwith public land managers. I prefer to believe that the recreation/tourismindustry is prepared to assume a greater role in the management ofgrasslands and that the challenges can be addressed through meaningfuldialogue among all users.

Rob is an Assistant Professor in the School of Tourism. Two years ago heconducted research to examine mountain biking in the Kamloops area, anddiscovered there were few if any land management strategies addressing theactivity despite its growing popularity and promotion as a tourist opportu-nity. He hopes to continue his study of mountain biking in the near future.


Grasslands offer unique and beautiful terrainfor mountain bikers. PHOTO BY SEAN JENKINS

Recreation planning in the Cariboo…where to start? As a former manag-er of Crown land and one time park ranger maybe I should produce aplanner’s credential on this topic. In broad terms I am a land use consult-ant, and the substantive credential is 30 odd years trying to apply meagergeology and economics schooling, often enough in the absence of anyplans and models.

British Columbia, in my working experience, is a great place for thecontrasting ethics of the developers and conservers. Finding middleground is all about good planning. Good planning is about knowing whenthe ground will shift.

There is a strange little tussle going on the Cariboo at present. A lot ofkeen cycling folks managed to locate, clear and connect a network ofCariboo mountain bike trails. With a lot of help from Forest Renewal BCand the Cariboo–Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association they managed tofirst print and then web-publish a set of downloadable mountain bikingmaps. (www.imagehouse.com/guidemaps/home.htm)

The City of Williams Lake itself is surrounded by large plateau areas ofonce logged Crown lands, now producing its next generation of timber.There is a network of skid trails from the logging (dating to 1930’s) and itis also grazing land so the trails are slow to overgrow. The latest evolutionof the trail network has been the growing number of cycling visitors, thegrowing publicity as a mountain bike destination, and recent films, eventsand competitions promoting these challenging trails. The area is alsocomparatively dry and sunny with great views from the spectacular ter-rain. The aforementioned cycling community has taken the trail networkone step further. They have (without official approval) installed and con-structed stunt obstacles. At first these were natural logs across the trail.But in recent years they have expanded these stunts to include bridges,see-saws, ramps, and log piles. Some of them are quite high, and some ofthem are, in a word, rickety. From a bureaucratic perspective there arisesa quagmire of liability issues which fall squarely on the heads of theMinistry of Forests (MoF) personnel. In 2004 the issue flared with theMoF dismantling of some of the stunts with the greatest exposure andsafety concerns. There was a backlash from the cyclists (who are not aregistered society). Thus a lot of determined consultation was done tocome up with a responsible method to continue this great cycling experi-ence in 2005. And Cariboo people are proud of coming up with made-in-the-Cariboo solutions. (More information can be found at www.pud-dlebike.com/news.html) Look closely at their trail rules. These ridersknow about knapweed, cattle, and keeping it on the trail.

Motorized recreation opportunities are also abundant in the Caribooand Chilcotin. The area has abundant lakes, rivers, trails, mountains, andsnow. There are rough tote roads and trails everywhere – with a diverselist of regulations and permissions needed, including closed areas, deacti-vated areas, and questionable routes crossing private land. You can findvirtually every type of terrain and activity to suit your needs. You can alsofind every type of legal access question. But the growth of tourism andeco-tourism means more organized groups, and more commercial recre-ation activity. The tourism business person needs operating funds and

their loans require security. A banker wants to know what guarantees atour business for continued activity. That means buying land or getting aland tenure in many cases. Obviously the only way to secure your busi-ness on Crown land is to obtain a tenure such as a lease or a license ofoccupation. You can buy a resort on the real estate market but how do yousecure trail rights? Land & Water BC is the agency that must decide if youcan rent Crown land for your tourism business. And yet it is not a simpleprocess. To understand the elements of getting Crown land for any pur-pose is a logical yet lengthy process of consultations and referrals involv-ing many public values, some of which are contradictory. You are not like-ly to get started without having a plan, yet by the time you have gonethrough the application process even the best plan must be fluid torespond to the many affected interests. (To get a good understanding ofthe process and the requirements examine the Land & Water BC websiteat: www.lwbc.bc.ca/02land/tenuring/commercialrecreation.)

Many agencies and interest groups have a stake in what new activitieswill occur and where. The region’s resources sector business is character-ized by forestry, ranching, mining, and tourism/recreation. But these arenot always harmonious neighbors. A sense of how the region sees itself iscontained in the Cariboo–Chilcotin Land Use Plan (CCLUP.) This docu-ment was the result of a lengthy consultation between the resource usersand many other sectors with the goal of benchmarking the general direc-tion for intensity of land use including protected areas and active forestharvesting. (http://srmwww.gov.bc.ca/car/planning/cclup/)

The Region is just now enjoying a resurgence of economic activity.Three mines are in stages of opening. The beef industry is improving inthe wake of BSE trade restrictions. There have been changes in ownershipof several sawmills with industry consolidation and favourable tariffchanges. And of course the region has an incredible infrastructure fortourism through it lodges, guest ranches, numerous lakes, and wilder-ness. Somehow it has not been discovered by the four and five star resortsor mass packaging of eco-tours found in other countries. So maybe thebig wilderness recreation surge is yet to occur. After the tourism growthseen in places such as Costa Rica, Mexico and Australia, we still have thegreatest unspoiled wilderness.

At present the greatest proportion of users of the wildlands are the resi-dents, often those who log or mine with heavy equipment. For many ofthem, making trails is their business, and no wonder they have a hardtime understanding the impacts of recreation toys like quads and moun-tain bikes. Nevertheless whole industries are changing their thinking. Andrecreation is going through the same change. The Cariboo and Chilcotinhave always been legendary for open grasslands but also for “forests thatyou can ride a horse through”. The landscape is also fragile and the prin-cipal of “Keep it on the Trail” is critical to the continued evolution ofrecreation and tourism.

Eric Gunderson is a land use and environment consultant in the Cariboo.He has extensive experience with public and private land projects inAlberta, BC, and Yukon. You can contact the author [email protected]


A Cariboo Trails PerspectiveEric Gunderson, Northwest Environmental Group Ltd.

GrasslandsBC14

Maintaining healthy grasslands is important for all British Columbians.Grassland ecosystems support a wide range of threatened and endan-gered species, provide a valuable forage resource for the ranching indus-try and offer excellent recreation opportunities for residents and visitorsalike. Appropriate grassland management will ensure that all these valuesare protected for future generations.

Grassland recreation is becoming increasingly popular as more peoplesettle in grassland communities. Well-managed recreational activities canminimize impacts to sensitive grasslands and the species they support;conversely, poorly managed or inappropriate recreation can cause signifi-cant damage. In order to ensure that grasslands are used in a sustainablemanner, recreationists and other grassland users must take responsibilityfor grasslands stewardship and adopt appropriate management practices.There are a variety of resources available to help guide grasslands usersand help them minimize their impacts on grasslands.

Best Management Practicesfor Recreational Activitieson Grasslands in theThompson and OkanaganBasins The Grasslands ConservationCouncil of British Columbia, inpartnership with the Ministryof Water, Land and AirProtection, developed the BestManagement Practices forRecreational Activities onGrasslands in the Thompson

and Okanagan Basins document. Developed with input from more than40 organizations, this comprehensive code of practices was created by theuser, for the user.

The Best Management Practices (BMP) document is the starting pointfor organizations and recreation groups, who can use the document todevelop activity-specific brochures and other education tools. The exten-sion of a voluntary code of practices to groups and individuals who usegrasslands is the first step in achieving sustainable grasslands use.

The GCC is currently working with a variety of motorized recreationinterests to develop a pocketbook brochure of BMPs for motorized recre-ation on grasslands. The brochure is an educational tool that will be dis-tributed to individuals, organized groups and commercial operators, andis an example of how the BMP document can be used to produce targeted

The Best Management Practices for Recreational Activities onGrasslands in the Thompson and Okanagan Basins document is availablefor download by visiting http://www.bcgrasslands.org/conservationcam-paigns/bmp.htm

Tread Lightly!®

Tread Lightly!® is a non-profit organization with a mandate to promoteresponsible outdoor recreation through education and restoration.Originally launched as a program of the US Forest Service in 1985, theorganization moved to the private sector in 1990 to improve effectivenessand better meet its goals. Tread Lightly! offers a wide range of programs,including a training program for instructors of the Tread Lightly! ethic,restoration and enhancement of recreational sites, and a wide range ofeducational tools for recreationists.

The Tread Lightly! website offers recreation tips for activities rangingfrom mountain biking to hunting to back country skiing. Tread Lightly!has also produced guidebooks for mountain biking, trail biking, ATV use,snowmobiling and personal water craft use, which are available for pur-chase or download by visiting: http://www.treadlightly.org.

Other ResourcesThere are a variety of other resources available to recreationists whowould like to minimize their impacts on grasslands and other sensitiveecosystems.The Outdoor Recreation Council of British Columbia (ORC) haspublished a series of educational and informational brochures coveringsuch topics as trail use ethics and backcountry sanitation. The brochurescan be ordered free-of-charge from the ORC website at:http://www.orcbc.ca.The Trails Society of BC (also known as TrailsBC) is a non-profitorganization with a mandate to facilitate the development of sustainable,multi-use trails in BC, including the BC portion of the Trans-CanadaTrail. A wide selection of trail maps and other resources is available at theTrailsBC website: http://www.trailsbc.ca/.The Greater Kamloops Motorcycle Association includes on theirwebsite a list of trails and designated areas for off-road vehicle use in theKamloops area. Visit their website at: http://www.gkma.ca/

Grasslands offer a wide range of recreation activities for all BritishColumbians. With wise and careful use, we can ensure that healthy grass-lands will continue to provide world-class recreation opportunities forgenerations to come.

In her role as the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the GrasslandsConservation Council of British Columbia, Sarah oversees the BCGrasslands website, BC Grasslands magazine, the public service announce-ments project and a variety of other communication and outreach activi-ties. You can reach Sarah at 250-374-5787 [email protected]

Extension NoteBest Management Practices for Recreationby Sarah McNeil, Education and Outreach Coordinator, Grasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia

Riders make their way up the trail.PHOTO COURTESY OF KAREN PARKER

text to come

Conservation partner profile: Ducks Unlimited Canadaby


GrasslandsBC16

F L O R A

If the sagebrush hills surrounding the town ofOsoyoos could talk, what a story they would tellabout the catastrophic transformation of thevalley below over the last hundred years. Wherethere was once antelope brush, bunchgrass andsagebrush ecosystems and pristine sandy shore-lines, there are now orchards, vineyards, golfcourses, weeds and ever expanding residentialdevelopment. These changes have resulted in adecline in the richness of the native flora. Manyspecial plants, ranging peripherally into BCfrom the south, have disappeared. Fifteen nativespecies, subspecies or varieties collected bybotanists since the turn of the 20th century, andpresently considered at risk by the BC

Conservation Data Centre (CDC), persist nolonger in this area. It is no longer possible toobserve and enjoy plants such as Atkinson’scoreopsis, scarlet globe-mallow, or shy gilia inOsoyoos. In addition, some native plants record-ed here in the earlier days survive in far fewerlocations than they once did. Some species onlypersist today on undeveloped First Nationslands.

Luckily, we can take heart in knowing thatfairly pristine areas still exist in this part ofsouthern BC, but you’re going to have to leavetown and head for the hills to see them! First,stock up on local fruit from the orchards andthe divine offerings of the wineries, and thenhead west out of Osoyoos for nine kilometres onHighway 3 to Richter Pass. You’ll find access to

the South Okanagan Grasslands Protected Areavia Kruger Mountain road. This protected areais comprised of four discontinuous parcels ofland called the Mount Kobau, Chopaka East,Chopaka West, and Kilpoola sites.

South Okanagan Grasslands Protected Areawas established in April 2001 to conserve,among other things, some of the best examplesof mid- to high elevation climax grassland andsagebrush communities left in the province. Inthese areas, stunning landscapes abound withrolling hills of open Douglas-fir forest, big sage-brush/bluebunch wheatgrass/arrow-leaved bal-samroot grassland, and deciduous and riparianareas. Other native plants common in the areainclude needle-and-thread grass, six-weeksgrass, shaggy fleabane, and threetip sagebrush.Two CDC Red-listed natural plant communitieshave also been identified in the protected area:Vasey’s big sagebrush/pinegrass and big sage-brush/bluebunch wheatgrass-balsamroot plantcommunities.

Other special biodiversity features includeBlue Lake, which has an unusual chemistry thatencourages the growth of a rare anaerobic pur-ple sulphur bacteria, at-risk, terrestrial lichens,important Bighorn Sheep range, class one MuleDeer winter range, and several species ofwildlife at-risk. Among these are the PygmyShort-horned Lizard, the Sage Thrasher, andBrewer’s Sparrow.

Of course, this area and the adjacent privateparcels are also important havens for a diversityof native plant species considered at-risk in theprovince. This is because there are so few areasof relatively pristine habitat like the SouthOkanagan Grasslands Protected area left. Infact, an astounding 46 provincially Endangered,Threatened, or Special Concern plants havebeen observed in or adjacent to the four pro-tected area parcels. Nearly one-fifth of thesespecies have not been seen for at least 25 yearsand about the same number have not been seenfor 10 years. Other species have recently beencollected during specific rare plant inventoryprojects. Lyall’s mariposa lily was the focus of adoctoral thesis by M. Miller in 2004 and theGrand Coulee owl-clover was recently foundduring surveys to identify plants at risk in the

protected area.The only known location for Lyall’s mariposa

lily in Canada is in and around the ChopakaEast site of the protected area. This species isnot only significant provincially but also nation-ally and globally. It is CDC Red-listed andCommittee on the Status of EndangeredWildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) Threatened. It isalso legally listed by the national Species at RiskAct and its world distribution is restricted to BCand Washington State. As a requirement underSpecies At Risk legislation, this and otherCOSEWIC-listed species require recoveryaction. The South Okanagan and LowerSimilkameen Valleys Recovery Strategy outlinessteps needed for securing and down-listingLyall’s Mariposa Lily in Canada. In the strategy,recommendations for recovery include site-spe-cific management, removing threat, seeking outnew natural populations and assisting in estab-lishment of new ones.

In contrast to Lyall’s mariposa lily, GrandCoulee owl-clover is not yet designated nation-ally and therefore not addressed by the Speciesat Risk Act of Canada. A status report has beensubmitted for review by the COSEWIC plantssubcommittee but will not be assessed until thisMay. It will take another several months beforethis species can be added to the legal list follow-ing COSEWIC’s assessment. Currently, the BCCDC considers this plant Endangered but underthe provincial Wildlife Act, it is only a candidatefor listing at some point in the future and cur-rently not afforded any protection. Furthermore,the other locations for Grand Coulee owl-cloverin BC are within the town of Osoyoos and areunder serious threat. This species was only justdiscovered in BC in 1994, undoubtedly some-how missed by the early collectors. It was alsoonly just discovered in the South OkanaganGrasslands Protected Area in 2003. It is fortu-nate that this species occurs there as its survivalin BC may depend on it. Locations in Osoyoosare destined to go the way of the others, lost todevelopment and agriculture.

The South Okanagan Grasslands ProtectedArea, therefore, plays an important role in pre-serving much needed habitat that is otherwise

South Okanagan Grasslands Protected Area, Osoyoos:A Hotbed of Endangered and Threatened PlantsJenifer Penny, Botanist, Conservation Data Centre

Lyall’s mariposa lily is one of the rearegrassland plants found in the SouthOkanagan. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE CANNINGS

…continued page 26


Brewer’s Sparrow –The Small Sagebrush SongsterNancy Mahony, PhD, Canadian Wildlife Service

F A U N A

Known affectionately to birdwatchers as LBJs(Little Brown Jobs), sparrows provide identifi-cation challenges to those unfamiliar with theirsubtle charms. While mostly small and brownwith various spots, streaks, eye-rings, wing-stripes and bits of brighter colour, each sparrowspecies has its own unique distinguishingmarks. The Brewer’s Sparrow however, may bethe least distinguished of the bunch. With abuffy brown streaked back, light belly, palebrown ear patch and greyish-white eyebrow, itstands out from the sparrow crowd by its’ rela-tive drabness. However, what it lacks in showyappearance it makes up for with the exuberanceof its song. The song’s description as a series ofvaried bubbling notes and buzzy trills at differ-ent pitches hardly does justice to the extraordi-nary sight and sound of this little bird perchedatop a sage shrub, head thrown back belting outa dazzling vocal display.

There are two distinct subspecies of Brewer’sSparrow in British Columbia considered bysome to be separate species; the timberline(Spizella breweri taverneri) and the sagebrush(Spizella breweri breweri). The timberlinesbreed in sub-alpine areas throughout the RockyMountains and very little is known about itsdistribution or biology. The sagebrush variety isa bird characteristic of the sagebrush grass-lands, or shrub steppe regions of the GreatBasin of Western North America. In BritishColumbia, it breeds in the southern Okanaganand Similkameen Valleys from Penticton to theUS border.

Typical breeding habitat of the SagebrushBrewer’s Sparrow is characterized by moderatesagebrush cover and an under-storey of nativeplants such as lupines that provide food forinsects which are in turn eaten by the sparrows.Males arrive on breeding territories from lateApril until mid-May when they sing raucouslyto defend a territory and attract a mate. Once afemale picks a mate, she builds a small compactnest of grasses that is placed most often inmedium-sized sage shrubs. They will placenests in other plants such as snowberry, wildrose, lupine, giant wildrye, lemonweed andbluebunch wheatgrass if sagebrush is not avail-

able, for instance when it has been removed byfire.

Females lay three to five eggs, which are incu-bated mainly by the females, although malestake their turn when the female forages. Theeggs hatch in 11 days and the chicks leave thenest after eight to nine days if they have avoidedbeing eaten by predators, which include snakes,small mammals, crows and magpies. If a nest isdestroyed by a predator, a pair usually builds anew nest and tries again. If it is early enough inthe breeding season, a pair may even re-nestafter a successful nest. During a particularlygood breeding season in 1998, one observedfemale made four nesting attempts, two ofwhich were successful, and another made threesuccessful breeding attempts, fledging anastounding 10 chicks in one season, an incredi-ble output for a bird weighing 10 to 12 grams.By the end of July breeding is finished and thesparrows often head upslope to cooler, wetterareas until they leave on fall migration by earlySeptember. Brewer’s Sparrows winter in dryscrub habitats in southern California, Arizonaand New Mexico, and through Baja and centralMexico.

The current population estimate for BC isapproximately 1,200 breeding pairs. However, itis not known whether the population is stable.Throughout its range in the western US, thespecies has been declining at a rate of aboutthree percent per year for the last 35 yearsaccording to Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data.However, the BBS data in BC are insufficient toestimate a trend. Like many grassland speciesin this region Brewer’s Sparrows are threatenedby urbanization and intensive agriculture. Theyare red-listed (endangered) in BC due to theirrestricted range and threatened shrub steppehabitat. Livestock grazing in the sagebrushgrasslands that remain alters the plant commu-nity, increasing the spread of exotic weeds at theexpense of native grassland vegetation.

Brewer’s Sparrow wintering habitat is undersimilar human pressures and this may be asimportant a factor in declining populations asbreeding habitat. Recent population modelspoint to over-winter survival and immigration

from nearby populations as key factors in main-taining the population in BC This suggests thatinternational cooperation to conserve habitatthroughout the range of this bird’s annual cyclemay ultimately determine its fate. Recentlysome of the best habitat for Brewer’s Sparrowsin BC has been protected in the grasslandprovincial parks, hopefully preserving keybreeding areas indefinitely into the future. On-going research by the Canadian Wildlife Serviceinto the population trends and the effects ofhabitat and weather on this population continueto teach us more about the factors affecting thisspecies. These efforts coupled with internation-al cooperation such as the North American BirdConservation Initiative will hopefully keep thissmall sagebrush songster an abundant icon ofone of BC’s unique grassland ecosystems.

Nancy Mahony completed a PhD at theUniversity of British Columbia studying popula-tion dynamics of the Sagebrush Brewer’s Sparrowin BC in 2003. She is currently a biologist at theCanadian Wildlife Service in Delta, BC where shemisses the smell of sage and the song of theBrewer’s Sparrow.

There are an estimated 1,200 breeding pairs ofBrewer’s sparrow in BC. PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE

CANNINGS

GrasslandsBC18

Born in Switzerland Jan. 24, 1941, Schnurrenbergerspent much of his childhood in the company of hisgrandfather, one of Europe’s last great stage coach driv-ers, and learned to love the horses he raised and trained.John, an avid reader of horse publications, became fasci-nated with the North American “West”, immigrating toCanada in 1965.

John landed a job on a ranch and then went on tospend six years as a commercial artist in the Vancouverarea. In 19744 he and wife Antje moved to the 12 acreranchette in Westwold, just south of Kamloops, wherethey still live today.

Over the last 31 years John has been thrilled to live outhis dreams; to be both a self supporting artist and ahobby cowboy and horse trainer. He has spent countlesshours helping various neighbouring ranchers move cat-tle on horseback and has often been a familiar figure atbrandings, calving and roundup times at ranches such asDouglas Lake and in the Nicola Valley.

These excursions not only appealed to his love of thecowboy life but gave him ample opportunity to take themany photos he uses to ensure accuracy of detail in hispaintings.

Working predominantly in oils, Schnurrenberger hasturned out a prodigious amount of work; his originalsbeing snapped up by enthusiastic collectors almostbefore the paint is dry!

His work has appeared on many calendars and maga-zine covers, and also appears on the special designatedMasterCard. Many of his images have also been madeinto limited edition prints and art cards.

John says,“I am mostly doing commissioned worknow and maybe produce one limited edition print a year.I am no longer doing one man shows but occasionallyparticipate in group shows. I still train one or two horsesa year and continue to help my rancher friends andneighbours work their stock. I have never been much fortaking vacations; the time spent working cattle and rid-ing my horses is pure holiday for me and all the relax-ation I need!”

John’s work is currently available through theHampton Gallery in Kamloops, and he can be reached at250-372-2293.

This article was adapted and reprinted with the permis-sion of the BC Cattlemen’s Association and JohnSchnurrenberger. It first appeared in the May/June 2003issue of Beef in BC magazine.

John SchnurrenbergerAdapted from an article by Susan Zais

John Schnurrenbergerhelping out at a localranch.PHOTO BCOURTESY OF

JOHN SCHNURRENBERGER

P R O F I L E O F A G R A S S L A N D A F I C I O N A D O


A C R O S S T H E P R O V I N C E

OkanaganProposed National Park Reserve Feasibility StudyOn October 2, 2003, the federal and provincial governments signed amemorandum of understanding (MOU) that paved the way for the cre-ation of a new national park reserve in the South Okanagan. Under theMOU, Canada and British Columbia agreed to work cooperatively toassess the feasibility of establishing a new national park reserve in theSouth Okanagan. Since the MOU was signed, Parks Canada has organ-ized meetings, presentations and open houses to discuss the feasibilitystudy, and provide information to and answer questions from the public.

No park reserve boundary has yet been proposed, but Parks Canadahas identified an area of interest which is subject of the feasibility study.The area of interest extends from Penticton in the north to Osoyoos inthe south, but any future national park reserve would encompass only aportion of this area and would not include communities or developedareas.

Phase One of the feasibility study, gathering information and scopingthe issues and opportunities, has been completed. Phase Two of thestudy involves preparing a park concept. During this phase, ParksCanada will prepare conservation targets and the park vision, developboundary options for the park and refine the park concept, collect socio-economic information on the area, assess the potential for natural regionrepresentation and ecological integrity and begin the initial assessmentof impacts and opportunities for the park reserve.

For more information on the proposed national park reserve, pleasevisit the Parks Canada website at www.pc.gc.ca/sols or contact the ParksCanada at [email protected].

Establishing Grassland Benchmark Area in the South Okanagan On April 1, 2004 a small subcommittee of the Land and ResourceManagement Plan (LRMP) Implementation Monitoring Committeeknown as the Ungrazed Areas Panel initiated, in partnership with theGCC, a process to review Protected Areas in the South Okanagan andLower Similkameen Valleys that offer potential for establishment ofungrazed grassland benchmark areas. The objective for the committeewas to apply funding from the Ministry of Water, Land and AirProtection to select and build one exclosure in the South Okanagan andLower Similkameen.

Although part 5 (the Protected Areas section) of the Okanagan-Shuswap LRMP document identifies grazing as a permitted activitywithin a Protected Area, it also calls for the establishment of ungrazedbenchmark areas for the Protected Areas. These ungrazed benchmarkareas were intended as a tool to assess the short- and long-term impactsof grazing on plant communities and the wildlife that depend on theseecosystems. Ungrazed areas are to provide resource managers with abenchmark or reference site to assist in monitoring grassland conditionand trend.

The Ungrazed Areas Panel completed a thorough analysis of potentialsites based on existing and potential ungrazed areas that representgrassland ecosystem types – 16 eco-types in total – in the SouthOkanagan and Lower Similkameen Valleys. The analysis resulted in theselection of 13 potential ungrazed areas, one of which was selected forfencing. Approximately $22,000 was invested to build the Kilpoolaungrazed benchmark area located within the East Chopaka South

Okanagan protected area.Building on the success of this project, the Grasslands Conservation

Council of British Columbia, the Ministry of Sustainable ResourceManagement, Ministry of Forests and the Ungrazed Areas Panel willdevelop a proposal for the establishment of other Ungrazed Areas in theregion as well as develop a plan for future maintenance and monitoringof these sites.

For more information on this project, please contact Terry Macdonaldat [email protected] or Bruno Delesalle at [email protected].

PeaceThe Peace River Forage AssociationThe Peace River Forage Association (PRFA) was started in 1992 to pro-mote, encourate, develop and protect the forage industry; maximizeinformation transfer an increase forage knowledge; develop forageopportunities and appropriate methodologies to apply knowledge effec-tively; and represent forage producers of the Peace River region in issuesimportant to them.

The Peace River Forage Association of BC was presented with the BCCattlemen’s Association “Environmental Stewardship Award” in 1999.The award was received as a result of 20 projects the Association hadundertaken in the areas of communicating, improving forage and graz-ing systems, addressing wildlife issues, and developing and demonstrat-ing remote watering systems.

The Association shares information with its membership and beyondthrough newsletters, forage fact sheets, tours, field days, and winter for-age club meetings. The newsletter “Forage First” is mailed out four timesa year, communicating to 500 forage enthusiasts. To date over 38 ForageFact sheets have been compiled. Annual forage and livestock tours areheld, highlighting innovated ranches, practices and projects. TheAssociation hosts several Friendly Field days & mini-tours each sum-mer, as well as Forage Club meetings and seminars during the wintermonths.

For more information visit the Peace River Forage Association of BC’sweb site: http://www.peaceforage.bc.ca or e-mail Associations coordina-tor at [email protected].

Province-WideInvasive Plant Council of British ColumbiaThe Invasive Plant Council of British Columbia (IPCBC) came to risefrom the Invasive Plant Strategy for British Columbia, a document pro-duced by a diverse group of partners lead by the Fraser Basin Council.The IPCBC’s goal is to work toward the implementation of the strategyso that through cooperation and coordination, negative ecological, socialand economic impacts caused by invasive plants can be minimized.The IPCBC Board of Directors is a varied group and has representationfrom the agriculture, tourism, mining, forestry, transportation and utili-ties industries, as well as First Nations, federal, provincial and municipalgovernments. News about IPCBC events and initiatives can be found on the IPCBC’s new website at http://www.invasiveplantcouncilbc.ca.For more information about the IPCBC, please contact them [email protected].

Take a walk through the grasslands in latewinter and you’re likely to detect theoccasional hint of new growth. A fewpale-green shoots of the bunchgrassesemerge through the protective cover ofpast years’ litter and the usually drablichens and mosses reveal themselves inemerald tones. The brightest note howev-er, is reserved for the flash of gold of thesagebrush buttercup (Ranunculus glaber-

rimus) as it heralds the imminent arrival of spring.Sagebrush buttercup is a small, perennial forb usually less than 15 cen-

timetres tall. It has a cluster of shallow, rather fleshy roots and numerous,stalked basal leaves that may have either smooth margins or three-lobedtips. The few upper leaves are shallowly to deeply three-lobed. Somespecies of buttercups are called “crowsfoot” in reference to the three-lobedleaves that are shaped like a bird’s foot. Each stem bears one or more ofthe typical yellow buttercup flowers. The nectary, a verysmall scale at the base of each petal, is partly responsiblefor the flowers’ common name, but the fancied resem-blance of the shiny or “varnished” yellow flowers to a cupof butter is the other reason. The short-lived flowers soonfade to reveal a globular cluster of about 30 – 150 tiny“seeds” (achenes).

This tiny species is one of 33 species of buttercups inBritish Columbia. As with all buttercups, the genus name,Ranunculus, originated from the Latin rana, which means

“little frog.” The great Roman naturalist, Pliny the Elder, first used thisname for these mostly aquatic plants that grow where frogs abound. Thespecies name, glaberrimus, relates to the plant being smooth or glabrous(non-hairy).

Sagebrush buttercup is common in southern British Columbia andextends south to California and New Mexico, and east across the prairiesas far as North Dakota. As its name implies, this plant flourishes in ourprovince’s dry, hot sagebrush grasslands but it grows over a wide range ofhabitats from shrublands to open forests, rocky slopes, and other opensites up to subalpine.

At first glance the arid habitats favoured by the sagebrush buttercupbear little resemblance to the cool and moist environments where aquaticbuttercups (and frogs) abound. Sagebrush buttercup’s secret is timing – itgrows when soils are moist and cool. The leaves appear just as winterstarts to loosen its grip, sometimes even before the snow melts. The shal-low roots absorb surface moisture from snowmelt and spring rains, andthe ground-hugging, basal leaves are resilient to cold and even snow.

Plants have been known to flower beneath the snow asearly as January when temperatures are well below freez-ing! Light and moisture are readily available at this timeof year since other, larger plants are still dormant. Thebuttercup’s moment of glory is short-lived however. As thesurface soil moisture is depleted below the buttercup’sshallow rooting zone, and growth of the taller neighboringplants quickly shades the ground, the dainty buttercupswither and become dormant. With adequate moisture infall, they may break dormancy and develop leaves; other-wise they will remain below ground until late winter.

Although pretty to look at, many species of buttercups are bestadmired from a distance since they contain toxic glycosides and are mild-ly poisonous. Contact with the acrid sap may result in skin redness, burn-ing and possibly blistering. Ingestion may cause burning in the mouth,abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea. Poisoning is uncommon becauselarge amounts must be consumed and since the plants are unpalatablethey are usually avoided.

First Nations were aware of the toxicity of sagebrush buttercup andwarned their children not to pick the plant. However, as with many poi-sonous plants, they were able to turn the toxic properties to their advan-tage. The Okanagan-Colville Indians prepared poisons by rubbing sage-brush buttercups on arrow points or by mashing the buttercups and rub-bing them on meat for poisoned coyote bait. They also mashed anddampened whole plants to prepare poultices for sore joints and otherpains. The Thompsons, who also recognized the skin irritant properties,applied a poultice of the mashed flowers to warts.

The sagebrush buttercup is truly the harbinger of spring and is the ear-liest flowering plant on our grasslands. The open blossoms act as beaconsto foraging bees and other nectar-feeding insects that welcome the earlysource of nectar. Look for sagebrush buttercup from late February to Junein native grasslands and dry, open forests, especially around the bases ofhills or other areas where soils are slightly moist. They are most easily

Call for MembersThe GCC has enjoyed a busy and productive year. It is

to you, the members, we owe much of our success in

2004-2005, and for that we thank you!

A great number of memberships are due for renewal in

the coming months, and we are confident that we can

rely on your continued assistance in our mission to

conserve BC’s precious grassland ecosystems.

Our membership is growing, and we hope to continue

our relations with our loyal members even as we

welcome many new grassland enthusiasts to our

growing base of support. Please use the enclosed

membership form to support the GCC and do your part

to promote the stewardship of BC’s grasslands.

Sagebrush Buttercup: The Harbinger of SpringBrian Wikeem

M E M B E R S ’ C O R N E R

GrasslandsBC20

Some plants flower beforethe snow melts. PHOTO BY

BRIAN WIKEEM

Sagebrush buttercupflowers and three-lobedleaves. PHOTO BY BRIAN WIKEEM


Sustaining HealthyGrasslands SymposiumMark your calendar! The GCC is hosting a Sustaining HealthyGrasslands Symposium in Kamloops, BC on June 17, 2005. The goal ofthe 2005 Sustaining Healthy Grasslands Symposium is to enable a com-mon understanding of grasslands-based mountain biking, grasslandstewardship and the future of grassland recreation in British Columbia.

Symposium registration will open on April 24, 2005. For more infor-mation on the symposium please contact Sarah McNeil [email protected], 250-374-5787 or http://www.bcgrass-lands.org/about/projects/edoutrach/sym.htm.

spotted where ground cover is short ordiscontinuous, such as on shallow, rockysoils, between sagebrush and bunch-grasses at lower elevations, and in pas-tures that have been heavily grazed bylivestock or other large mammals. Onupper grasslands where litter accumu-lates they appear as spindly plants that

manage to protrude to the surface.While you are searching, be sure to admire the lichens and mosses which

are at their finest in early spring. Also look for other early flowering butslightly later plants such as yellow bells (Fritillaria pudica), larkspur(Delphinium spp.), small-flowered fringecup (Lithophragma parviflorum)and small-flowered blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia parviflora). It won’t be longbefore the balsamroots (Balsamorhiza sagittata) are in bloom and the grass-lands are in their full glory. Its life cycle complete, sagebrush buttercup takesa back seat as the pageant of spring unfolds.

Sagebrush buttercup providesnectar for the first insects ofspring. PHOTO BY BRIAN WIKEEM

Grasslands SlideshowOn March 15th the new partnership between the GCC and Chris HarrisPhotography presented a sophisticated slide-sound presentation onBC’s grasslands at Martin Exeter Hall in 100 Mile House. BrunoDelesalle, Kristi Iverson and Ordell Steen of the GCC joined Chris topresent to the audience the GCC’s mandate and show their supporttoward in the creation of the book British Columbia Grasslands.

The event was the official launch of the fund-raising campaign whichwill be critical in enabling the project to be effective and successful. Thecreation of this book is a huge undertaking, with no smaller goal thanto put the grasslands on the world stage of conservation efforts.

More slide shows are planned for April and May and will be open tothe public at no cost, although donations and sponsorships are wel-come. For more information on these slide shows, please visithttp://www.bcgrasslands.org/projects/edoutreach/book.htm or contactthe GCC at [email protected].

N O T I C E2005 Annual General Meeting

The GCC Annual General Meeting will be held in conjunction with the

2005 Healthy Grasslands Symposium. The GCC AGM will take place at

Thompson Rivers University on Saturday, June 18, 2005. Further details

on the AGM and symposium will be available in April and will be posted

on the GCC website. For more information about the AGM please contact

Sarah McNeil at [email protected] or 250-374-5787.

Profile of a GCC Director

Dennis LloydProfile of a GCC Director: Dennis LloydDennis has been with the GCC since itsinception in 1999. He works as aresearch ecologist for the BritishColumbia Ministry of Forests and isthe co-author of the popular Plants ofthe Southern Interior BritishColumbia. Dennis’ work in ecosystemclassification is well-known through-out BC’s Southern Interior region. Hehas a wide range of experience inecosystem mapping, plant communi-ties, and silviculture. Dennis has also

contributed to the Land and Resource Management Plans for severalregions in BC and continues to volunteer his time and expertise. Dennisand his wife Sandra make their home in Kamloops, BC.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■Members’ Bulletins

The GCC is excited to offer a new service to GCC

members: Members’ Bulletins. The bulletins, which

will be sent via email quarterly, will include

important updates on GCC programs and projects,

grassland events across the province and other news

of value to our membership. If you have not yet

provided the GCC with your email address, please

contact us at [email protected] to be added to

our members’ mailing list.

G C C P R O J E C T U P D A T E S

BC Grassland WebsiteThe BC Grasslands website is a comprehensiveresource for all grasslands-related informationin the province. On the website you can findinformation on all GCC programs and projects,as well as updates on other grassland conserva-tion initiatives around the province. The websitealso includes Understanding Grasslands, aneducational site focusing on grassland ecology,and Where Are BC’s Grasslands, an interactivemapping component that was developedthrough the BC Grasslands Mapping Project.

In the coming weeks, the GCC will launch anew website component, Sustainable GrasslandManagement, which will focus on grasslandsuse and management. The SustainableGrassland Management site will be an excellentresource for members of the ranching commu-nity, students, academics and the interestedpublic. It includes information on the history ofthe ranching industry in BC, grassland plantsand plant communities, management practicessuch as grazing systems and grazing distribu-tion, and grassland monitoring.

During the 2005 – 2006 fiscal year, the GCCwill continue to build upon the site and incor-porate new information, including: regionalgrassland maps for all regions with relevantgrassland descriptions; results of the PriorityGrasslands Initiative including maps, data andassociated planning tools; MitigatingFragmentation and Development of BCGrasslands Problem Analysis results; and a newsite focused on responsible recreation in BC’sgrasslands with best management practices formotorized and non-motorized recreation.

The GCC would like to thank the followingpartners for supporting GCC website develop-ment:• Agriculture Environment Initiative• BC Gaming Commission• Habitat Conservation Trust Fund• Vancouver Foundation

BC Grasslands Public ServiceAnnouncementsThe first in a series of dynamic public serviceannouncements (PSAs) for television is cur-rently in production and will be completed inearly summer 2005. Through this PSA series,the GCC will reach out to members of the publicnot familiar with BC’s grasslands. Using a com-

bination of animation and live action footage,viewers will introduced to two characters – thecow and the curlew – and discover the grass-lands through their eyes. Throughout the series,the cow and the curlew will meet a variety ofother grassland species which will be includedas animated characters. The series will show-case a variety of threats to grasslands andencourage viewers to take a proactive role ingrasslands conservation and stewardship. Thecow and the curlew will also be used for otherGCC Education and Outreach initiatives andprojects, such as activity sheets for children andposters.

The BC Grasslands Public ServiceAnnouncement project is funded by the BCGaming Commission, Habitat ConservationTrust Fund, and the Grazing EnhancementFund.

Sustaining Healthy GrasslandsSymposiumThe GCC will be hosting a Sustaining HealthyGrasslands Symposium on July 17, 2005 inKamloops, British Columbia. The symposium,focusing on mountain biking in BritishColumbia grasslands, will bring together stake-holders in the recreation and tourism indus-tries, landowners and managers, and membersof the general public to raise awareness, provideinformation and facilitate discussion and dia-logue that will lead to action. The focus will beon educating grassland users on the damagethat irresponsible recreation causes to grasslandhabitats and grassland species. It will also intro-duce ways to minimize these impacts, and pro-vide the GCC with a clear vision on how to fur-ther mitigate recreational damage to grasslandsin British Columbia.

Those interested in attending the symposiumare encouraged to contact the GCC at 250-374-5787 or [email protected].

Member BulletinsThe GCC is excited to offer a new service to GCCmembers: member bulletins. The bulletins,which will be sent via email quarterly, willinclude important updates on GCC programsand projects, grassland events across theprovince, and other news of value to our mem-bership. If you are a GCC member but have notyet provided the GCC with your email address,

please contact us at [email protected] to beadded to our members’ mailing list.

Best Management Practices for MountainBiking on BC’s GrasslandsThe Best Management Practices (BMPs) forMountain Biking in Grasslands project is a tar-geted outreach program designed to reach theyounger demographic often associated with themountain biking community. The GCC will, incollaboration with the mountain biking com-munity, hold presentations in a variety of grass-land communities through the province inorder to extend a voluntary code of stewardshippractices for mountain biking on grasslands.Each outreach session will include an audiovi-sual presentation and facilitated discussion, andwill also give riders an opportunity to expresstheir concerns to the GCC.

The BMPs for Mountain Biking in Grasslandsproject will begin in late summer or fall of2005.

Grasslands SlideshowsIn April 2005 a partnership will be establishedbetween the GCC and Chris Harris Photographyand Country Light Publishing to produce a cof-fee table book on the grasslands of BritishColumbia, featuring Chris Harris’s stunningphotography. The Book will be developed andproduced over the next two to three years. AGCC Committee has been established to workwith Chris Harris to develop the story line forthe book. Chris Harris has already begun shoot-ing images throughout the Cariboo andChilcotin for the book.

To raise the necessary funds to produce thebook and to raise awareness about BC’s endan-gered grasslands, Chris Harris and the GCCCommittee will present grassland awarenessslide shows around the province. The first slideshow was a great success! It was presented atMartin Exeter Hall in 100 Mile House. ChrisHarris was joined by the GCC ExecutiveDirector Bruno Delesalle, Kristi Iverson andOrdell Steen both GCC Directors and membersof the GCC Book Committee to present theaudience with a story about of BC’s Grasslandsaccompanied with Chris Harris’s stunning pho-tography. Chris Harris presents and eloquentand passionate story.

The grassland awareness slide show was the

UPDATE: Education and Outreach Program

GrasslandsBC22




UPDATE: Grassland Stewardship and Sustainable Ranching Program

official launch of the fund-raising campaign forthe book. More slide shows are planned forApril and May. Please Join Chris Harris and the

GCC for a wonderful show and help us raise thefunds for this important project. For moreinformation on these slide shows, please visit

http://www.bcgrasslands.org/projects/edoutreach/book.htm or contact the GCC at [email protected].

Coalition for Licensing and Registrationof Off Road VehiclesThis important public policy initiative will pro-vide the means for better management of offroad vehicles in BC.

The Coalition is now fully engaged with theprovincial government on developing optionsfor licensing and registration of off road vehi-cles. In collaboration with the ATV –Interagency Policy Committee (lead by Ministryof Sustainable Resource Management), theCoalition will develop regulatory and adminis-trative options for licensing and registration,including management options to address safe-ty, education and enforcement.

A significant milestone was achieved in com-pleting the “Solutions for a Sustainable Future”interim report in July 2004. This foundationdocument presents a strong rationale for licens-ing and registration and better management ofoff road vehicles in British Columbia. The cul-mination of 18 months of collaborationamongst 12 interest groups, extensive research,and consultation with government agencies, the“Solutions” document is a major milestone inthis groundbreaking process.

For more information on the Coalition and todownload the “Solutions for a SustainableFuture” interim report visit the project websiteat: http://www.bcgrasslands.org/conservation/orv/coalition.htm.

Mitigating Fragmentation andDevelopment of BC’s grasslandsThis multi-year project will bear strategic toolsto help the GCC, other NGOs, and the publiceffectively address the fragmentation and devel-opment of BC’s grasslands.

The project includes the following steps:• Establish a project advisory committee (the

committee includes representation fromSmartGrowthBC; Ministry of Agriculture,Food and Fisheries; Aspen Park Consulting;Rangeland Associates; BC Cattlemen’sAssociation/Gerard Guichon Ranch and theGCC)

• Conduct a stakeholder workshop to flesh outissues and help focus the scope of the project– Completed May 2004

• Based on the results of the workshop, developa Strategic Planning Tool document to helpfocus the strategy-building component of theproject – Completed July 2004

• Conduct an in-depth problem analysis withthe ultimate goal of producing a strategy formitigating the fragmentation and develop-ment of BC’s grasslands

• Implement the recommendations within thestrategy document, possibly to includeregional workshops for land use planners or aprovincial conferenceThe project advisory committee is now

reviewing the draft problem analysis producedby GCC Runka Land Sense Ltd and team.Following from this the consultant team willdevise a strategy and implementation plan withprioritized options to help guide the GCC andits partners take action on this pressing conser-vation issue.

For more information on this project, or todownload associated documents, please visitthe project website at http://www.bcgrass-lands.org/conservation/fragdev.htm.

A sincere thank you to the following fundingpartners: Agriculture Environment Initiative;Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection;Vancouver Foundation; McLean Foundation;Beef Cattle Industry Development Fund;Sonoran Institute – Public Fund for CommunityCollaboration.

Best Management Practices for MotorizedRecreation ‘Pocketbook’The BMP pocketbook will serve as a useful in-the-field educational tool for motorized recre-ation interests recreating in grasslands.

Last year the GCC, in partnership with theMinistry of Water, Land and Air Protection,developed Best Management Practices forRecreation Activities on Grasslands in theThompson and Okanagan Basins. The BMPs arevoluntary stewardship guidelines that identify

ways in which recreational users can help sus-tain healthy grasslands while continuing toenjoy their activities. This comprehensive refer-ence document describes impacts and recom-mended objectives for 12 recreation activitiesthat take place in the grasslands of theThompson and Okanagan basins.

Building on the success of the foundationalBMP document, the GCC is now working withsummer and winter recreation interests ondeveloping an educational ‘pocketbook’ specifi-cally for motorized recreation groups, commer-cial operators and individuals. A key aspect ofthis project will be working with motorizedrecreation clubs to develop a network for dis-tributing the pocketbook to the end users. Thepocket book is expected to be available byspring 2005.

For more information on the BestManagement Practices initiative, visit the proj-ect website at:http://www.bcgrasslands.org/conservationcam-paigns/bmp.htm.

A sincere thank you to the following projectfunding partners: Canadian ATV Association;Real Estate Foundation; Ministry of Water, Landand Air Protection.

First Nations’ Relationship-buildingCommitteeFollowing from a successful Fall Directors’meeting focusing on First Nations relationship-building at Chief Louis Centre in Kamloops, theGCC is working with the Shuswap Nation TribalCouncil to explore areas of common interestand ways to collaborate on grassland conserva-tion and stewardship.

It is the GCC’s hope to solicit SNTC represen-tation on the GCC Board of Directors and fol-lowing from this continue to build strategicrelationships with other First Nation intereststhroughout the province. Nearly all of BC’sgrasslands are within traditional territory whilea significant portion are within IndianReserves, so healthy First Nations relationshipsbased on trust and mutual respect will be criti-

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GrasslandsBC

cal if we are to achieve grassland conservationand stewardship.

Grassland Assessment Manual for BritishColumbia – A Prototype for the FescueGrasslands of the Nicola Valley Building on the Range Health Assessment pro-tocol developed in Alberta, great progress hasbeen made in modifying this methodology forBritish Columbia. Last summer, field inspec-tions of lightly grazed sites, relic sites and exclo-sures were completed to determine benchmarkconditions for species composition, soil charac-teristics, litter accumulation, litter cover, erosionand invasive species specific to the HamiltonCommonage grasslands. More than 40 siteswere sampled to develop reference site informa-tion specific to these grasslands.

After two years of hard work and buildingsupport for this initiative, a revised draft of thegrassland assessment tool is complete for theFescue grasslands of the Thompson-Nicola.Although the current manual is applicable onlyto the mid-to high elevation fescue grasslands,this prototype and framework is the buildingblock for completing the manual for othergrassland types and other regions of theprovince.

The GCC in collaboration with the TechnicalAdvisory Committee and the consulting team,Solterra Resources, have initiated planning to

refine the methodology for the lower elevationgrasslands of the Thompson & Okanagan. Workwill begin this spring.

The project Technical Advisory Committeeincludes representation from: Ministry of Water,Land and Air Protection; Ministry of Forests;Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries;Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada; ranchers;Society for Range Management; BC Cattlemen’sAssociation; consulting biologists, ecologist andagrologists; range consultants; ThompsonRivers University, and the Forest ResearchExtension Partnership (FORREX).

For more information please the GrasslandsConservation Council at [email protected] 250-374-5787.

The GCC would like to acknowledge the fol-lowing funders:• name

Thank You Judy Guichon! The GCC would like to extend a sincere thank-you to Judy Guichon of Gerard Guichon Ranchfor her dedication to grassland stewardship andthe Grassland Monitoring Project. Judy and herstaff have worked closely with the GCC and theGrassland Monitoring Technical AdvisoryCommittee to develop and test the first proto-type Grassland Assessment Manual for BritishColumbia. The Guichon Ranch has allowed theGCC and its partners to use the HamiltonCommonage grasslands to conduct field surveysand develop the methodology. Judy has alsohosted numerous field days for the technicalcommittee and for local ranchers to test themethodology and the manual. Thank you, Judy,for your outstanding commitment to the GCCand to grassland conservation.

UPDATE: Development and Capacity BuildingMembershipMembers are an integral part of the GCC andwithout them our organization would cease toexist. They provide financial support and bringtheir diverse backrounds and expertise to ourorganization, helping us to achieve our commongoal of preserving and protecting BC’s grass-lands.

We would like to thank all our members fortheir continued support as the GCC forges

ahead with key initiatives for 2005 and beyond.We currently have over 200 active members andare confident that, with your support, our mem-bership will continue to grow.

From Grasslands to Giving…During the recent holiday season the GCC

conducted its annual Christmas Gift Campaign.We would like to extend our sincerest thanks toeveryone who purchased an annual member-ship for friends or family. As well, we would like

The BMP document wasdeveloped with input from morethan 40 organizations.

There is agreement that BritishColumbia needs a tool to assessgrassland condition and trend.This tool will be:

• Practical, simple, and easy to usein the field;

• Based on existing science,knowledge and methods from BCand elsewhere;

• Rigorous enough to evaluateenvironmental change at anacceptable level of accuracy, andbe repeatable over time;

• Based on indicators relevant toBritish Columbia grasslands thatenable assessment of conditionand trend; and

• Consistent with governmentstandards and requirements.

RIGHT The manual is designed for ranchers and will include a one-page score sheet based on visual assessments and observationscombined with three photographs. Theinformation will be recorded on summarysheets with photographs allowing for annualor multi-year comparisons of results and anassessment of trend over time.


Welcome, GrahamThe GCC is pleased to welcome GrahamMacGregor to the GCC team as our GISCoordinator. Graham received his Bachelor ofScience Degree from the University of Calgaryand subsequently worked in the consulting fieldin Calgary for two years. From there he movedto Chase, BC where he has lived for the pasteight years, consulting in the forest industry.Over this time his project experience includesPredictive Ecosystem Modelling, Timber SupplyReview, Fish Inventory Analysis, EcologicalLandscape Classifications, LandscapeBiodiversity Analysis, Watershed Assessmentsand many other GIS and mapping projects.

Graham has sinced moved to Kamloops andenjoys the great outdoors of BC for camping,canoeing, and skiing with his family.

We are very lucky to have Graham on theGCC team and we look forward to working withGraham to deliver the Priority GrasslandInitiative. You can contact Graham at 250-371-5269 or [email protected].

Priority Grasslands InitiativeThe GCC is proud to say that the first GIS(Geographical Information Systems) spatialinventory of grasslands in the province is nowmostly complete. This is an important mile-stone, as it literally puts BC grasslands on themap for people to view, understand and con-serve.

Over the last four years the GCC has beeninvolved in an extensive inventory of grasslandsthroughout British Columbia. The GrasslandMapping Project used existing 1: 20,000 ScaleGIS data throughout the province, detailedanalysis, and consultation with experts at vari-ous levels of public and government to createthe following important products:• Inventory of grassland ecosystems in the

province and associated vegetation habitats.• Historical development of grasslands in key

regions of the province• Inventory of rare and endangered species

associated to grasslands• Large scale mapping of major grassland

regions in the province.• Identification of key grassland statistics

throughout the province, based on owner-ship, historical loss and rare species on ourgrasslands.With a provincial grassland inventory now in

place the GCC is now in a position to move for-ward with the next exciting phase: The PriorityGrasslands Initiative. This initiative will use thegrassland inventory in conjunction with otherprovincial GIS data to identify, prioritize anddelineate grasslands for conservation and stew-

ardship throughout the province. This analysisand the resulting recommendations will enablethe GCC to work proactively and in partnershipwith stakeholders to ensure that high prioritygrassland ecosystems are managed for theirlong-term integrity and health.

The analysis will help in identifying manyecological, development and socio-economicissues affecting all grassland ecosystems.Grasslands GIS data will have a variety ofattributes applied to them. Examples of someattributes that may be included in the analysisinclude urban development risk, invasive weedrisk, rare ecosystems, degree of landscape con-nectivity and economic forage values.Ultimately, the analysis will help to highlighthigh priority grasslands, by using a combina-tion of conservation/Economic and threat val-ues.

Included in the analysis will be a regionalinput process that will help ensure the best pos-sible regional expert consultation and GISSpatial information available in the province isbeing applied to the priority analysis.

Recommendations regarding conservation,planning or stewardship could then be forward-ed by use of regional strategy documents Thecollective development of regional strategy doc-uments will then help form the basis of an over-all provincial grassland conservation and stew-ardship strategy.

The Priority Grasslands Initiative will alsocreate a broad-based GIS spatial data tool thatother organisations will be able to utilize fortheir analysis, research and monitoring of the

to welcome all new members to the GCC com-munity.

Many of you have been recieved and courte-ously responded to an appeal for help as wecontinue to address the loss of BC’s grasslandsto urban sprawl and development. This complexissue is of the utmost importance to the GCC,and we continue to work with governments,First Nations, the ranching community, conser-vation groups and interested individuals to mit-igate the fragmentation and development ofgrassland across the province. Thank you foryour generous support for this important initia-tive!

Fundraising CommitteeAt this time of year the GCC focuses much ener-gy and attention on fundraising and capacitybuilding. Only through the development of asuccessful fundraising program can we ensurethe ongoing success of our organization andcontinue to deliver the multitude of programs,projects and events for which the GCC isknown.

We would like to encourage you as membersand fellow grassland enthusiasts to continue tosuppor the Council’s important work by provid-ing a donation to the GCC and joining in theeffort to conserve one of Canada’s most endan-

gered ecosystems.We each bring different experiences, educa-

tions and backrounds to the organization, andour differences allow us to reach a variety ofindividuals in our respective communities. Let’sall work together to help ensure that this uniqueand beautiful ecosystem will thrive for futuregenerations.

UPDATE: Conservation of Grassland Ecosystems Program

Threatened Plantsfrom page 16

GrasslandsBC26

A C R O S S T H E P R O V I N C E

rapidly disappearing throughout the Okanagan Valley. It is in these special places where bothplant communities and species can thrive, but also where people can come to enjoy andrenew. At the same time, the recreationists should keep in mind the importance of thesehavens for the long-term persistence of biodiversity in BC. We must also not forget the con-servation organizations like the Nature Trust of BC, the Nature Conservancy of Canada andthe South Okanagan and Similkameen Ecosystems Recovery Working that work diligently toensure that these special places are set aside.

Editor’s note: Common names were used for all plant species for simplicity and accessibility. Ifyou are interested in the Latin names for these species, please contact the GCC at [email protected].

grasslands. Such a tool will create the first base-line analysis inventory of grasslands in theprovince

It is the goal of the Priority Grassland initia-tive in the first year to complete the analysis ofone major grassland region (Thompson-Nicolaor Okanagan) and produce extension productsfor this region that include development of siteportfolios, site recommendations, and grasslandstrategic documents.

Currently the Grasslands Priority Initiative isonly in the initial stages. The development ofsuch an extensive inventory analysis poses sig-nificant challenges. Available GIS data aroundthe province is varied in date, scale and collec-tion method, requiring each regional analysis tobe unique. A region-by-region inventory ofavailable data must first be completed, andassessed for deficiencies or possible data prepa-ration issues. Additional data may then need tobe collected before further analysis can pro-ceed. Still, the Priority grassland initiative pro-vides an exciting, necessary and groundbreak-ing analysis, which will help identify many ofthe issues occurring on grasslands in ourprovince. It is a project that will allow us to fur-ther define a resource about which we still havemuch more to learn.

The Priority Grassland Initiative would notbe possible without the generous contributionsand support from a wide range of organiza-tions:• Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection• Ministry of Sustainable Resource manage-

ment• The Real Estate Foundation• BC Gaming Commission• The Nature Conservancy of Canada• Ministry of Forests


BC Grasslands Magazine

ISSN 1496-7839©Grasslands Conservation Council of

British Columbia

BC Grasslands is a bi-annualpublication of the GrasslandsConservation Council of BritishColumbia (GCC). BC Grasslands isintended to serve as a platform for informing readers about GCCactivities and other grasslandprograms across BC and Canada,as well as providing a forum ongrassland ecology, rangemanagement, grasslandconservation and stewardship.

BC Grasslands and the GCCwelcome submissions of letters,articles, story ideas, artwork andphotographs for each issue.Articles should be no longer than600 words (300 words for letters to the editor) and submitted aselectronic files (preferably MS Word 95 or newer).

BC Grasslands reserves the rightto edit submissions for clarity and length. However, everyeffort will be made to work withcontributors to ensure contentremains unchanged. Deadline forsubmissions for the next issue of BC Grasslands is January 2,2005.

Contributions, comments and inquiries can be made to:BC GrasslandsGrasslands Conservation Council of British Columbia954A Laval CrescentKamloops, BC V2C 5P5Tel: (250) 374-5787 Fax: (250) 374-6287 E-mail: [email protected]

Magazine ProductionBruno DelesallePUBLISHER/WRITER

Sarah McNeilCO-EDITOR/WRITER

Taylor ZeegCO-EDITOR

Funding

Funding for this issue ofBC Grasslands has been made possible through the generous support of the following organiza-tions:

• Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection

• Vancouver Foundation• BC Gaming Commission• Habitat Conservation Trust Fund• BC Ad Council – Agriculture

Environment Initiative

PUBLICATIONS MAILAGREEMENT NO. 40672540

RETURN UNDELIVERABLECANADIAN ADDRESSES TO:Grasslands Conservation Councilof British Columbia954 A Laval CrescentKamloops, BC V2C 5P5

Executive Directorfrom page 3

demonstration. The GCC clearly performs a strong sup-plemental role, ensuring that, through “collaborativeenvironmentalism” or strategic conservation measures,we promote and instil a more holistic approach to plan-ning, decision-making and management of grasslandsaround the province. Specifically, the GCC is:• Bringing together a variety of inventory data to com-

plete an analysis and prioritization of grasslandsbased on ecological criteria, threat analysis and othersocio-economic values;

• Working with a wide variety of organizations andpartners to provide and improve access to the scienceand tools for land use planning monitoring and deci-sion-making;

• Providing a scientific and credible baseline for aprovincial conservation strategy and for future moni-toring and assessment of the grassland resource;

• Promoting a shared-stewardship approach with FirstNations, government agencies, stakeholders and com-munities;

• Providing insight into legislative, regulatory, policyand institutional barriers for conservation and stew-ardship and offer recommendations and solutions tomitigate fragmentation and development of grass-lands;

• Providing and encouraging the use of BestManagement Practices for motorized and non-motor-ized recreation groups;

• Enabling targeted education and extension to munici-pal, regional and First Nations governments aboutgrasslands and the need for conservation and stew-ardship;

• Providing the necessary data and tools for uptake bymunicipal, regional and First Nations governments;and

• Educating the general public about grasslands, theirecological, cultural and socio-economic values and thethreats to grasslands.Many of these activities, from the grassland inventory,

the Off Road Vehicle Coalition – developing a regulatoryand administrative framework for registration andlicensing of ORVs in BC, to reaching agreement on aqualitative methodology for assessing grassland condi-tion and trend, are activities that government and indus-try have been unwilling or unable to fulfil. The GCC has

successfully facilitated the necessary partnerships whilemaintaining the level of collaboration needed to imple-ment these projects. The GCC is also playing a legitimiz-ing role through direct participation in land-use plan-ning and resource management initiatives. We are pro-viding and reviewing information, as well as providingviable options and solutions. We will continue to playthis important role. As a charity, the GCC will need to becognisant of maintaining its autonomy. This can betricky business. However, the partnerships and the abili-ty to collaborate to resolve problems and develop viablesolutions with a wide range of organizations both insideand outside of government will go a long way to ensureeffective conservation and stewardship of grasslands. Itseems the GCC is engaged in a type of “collaborativeenvironmentalism.” Maybe collaborative environmental-ism is not such a bad thing after all!

The at least implicit logic of environmentalism, ofenvironmental politics, is to realize a new kind ofadministration. (Peahlk, 1990: 291)

The GCC Needs Your Help!BC Grasslands magazine is always

looking for articles of interest to our

members. If you are part of an

organization or initiative working

towards grassland conservation and

stewardship in BC, please let us know!

Is there an issue important to

grasslands conservation in the province

that you would like to see covered in

an upcoming issue of BC grasslands?

Please contact the GCC’s Education and

Outreach Co-ordinator, Sarah McNeil, at

[email protected],

or call 250-374-5787 to share your

ideas!

27

Thank YouThe GCC would like to thank the following funders forthe generous support for the 2004 – 2005 fiscal year

Program Funders* Agriculture Environment Initiative; BC GamingCommission; Beef Cattle Industry DevelopmentFund; Bullitt Foundation; Cariboo Regional District;Grazing Enhancement Program; HabitatConservation Trust Fund; Ministry of Forests;Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management;Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection; PublicConservation Assistance Fund; The Nature Trust ofBritish Columbia; The Real Estate Foundation of BC;Sonoran Institute – Public Fund for CommunityCollaboration; Vancouver Foundation; West CoastEnvironmental Law*All grants and project sponsors over $1,000.

And Special Thanks to…• All GCC members and donors, whose continued

support has helped make our program a success;• Ducks Unlimited for its generosity in providing

affordable office space and giving the GCC anopportunity to continue its growth and develop-ment; and

• Our many dedicated and hardworking volunteerswho have donated their time and energy to helpthe GCC grow and prosper.

In the next issue of BC Grasslands…Fragmentation and Development: Mitigating the Loss of BC’s Grasslands

The September 2005 issue will focus on the fragmentation

and development of BC’s grasslands. Grasslands are under

increasing pressure from urban sprawl and the

fragmentation of rural landscapes. The subdivision of large

tracts of range land, along with the intensive altering of the

native grasslands through development, has lead to

unprecedented losses. Complex factors ranging from

environmental issues to socio-economic pressures to

entangled land use policies and regulations are driving this

process, and this issue of BC Grasslands will examine these

driving forces and begin to look for solutions.

We encourage the submission of articles, photos and other

artwork. The submission deadline is July 1, 2005.

For more information, please contact Sarah McNeil at

[email protected] or 250-374-5787.

Please send your submissions to:

BC Grasslands,

954 A Laval Crescent

Kamloops, BC V2C 5P5

Fax:250 374-6287

Working

together for the

conservation of

BC’s grasslands

Ministry of Water, Land, and Air Protection

Ministry of Public Safety

and Solicitor General

Gaming Policy and Enforcement BranchBC Gaming Commission

Thank you to the following sponsors for

helping the GCC deliver this important issue:

Call for ArtistsAs the GCC continues to grow, there is an ever-present need forgrassland artwork for our publications and communicationsprojects. Images can be drawings, photos or paintings of yourfavourite grassland landscapes or species. For all you ranchersout there, we’d love to see some of your artwork portraying working grassland landscapes. Please contact Sarah McNeil withyour offerings, ideas and inspiration at 250-374-5787 [email protected].

Publication Agreement#40672540

Documents

BC Grasslands Spring 2005