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Friends of Strathcona Park

Newsletter - Spring 2018Box 3404, Courtenay, B.C. V9N 5N5

www.friendsofstrathcona.org

Annual General Meeting

This year's Annual General Meeting will beheld on Saturday, June 23rd from 3 to 5p.m. followed by our usual potluckbarbeque. FOSP will supply the wildsalmon. The location is the same as lastyear's, Jennifer Pass and Jack Welsh's houseat 3164 Hellicar Road. To get there followHeadquarters Road out of Courtenay to thenorth. Turn left onto Hellicar Road whichis the next one past Tsolum River Road,about 5 km north of Courtenay. If comingfrom the north turn up Merville Road at theMerville Store and turn left ontoHeadquarters Road about 3 km from thestore. It's about another 3 km to HellicarRoad. Jennifer and Jack's is on the rightalmost at the end of the road. Park on theroad as there is limited parking by thehouse.

To be voted on is our new constitution asrequired under the new Society's Act. Thework has been done so it's a matter ofratifying it. Updates to the articles in thisnewsletter will be presented and discussionabout where we go from here will takeplace.

We welcome new directors to join us assome of us have been at it for a long timeand we need to get more people involved.We also will need an accountant to helpnext spring with our tax return. We havebeen lucky to have had Pam Monroe formany years doing this job, but she's unableto carry on in the future. Pam has prepared

a list of directions for the new person and iswilling to be available to answer any questions.This is not a difficult job for someone withaccounting skills and would be a welcomecontribution to the Friends.

We are incredibly grateful to Pam for taking thison for us for such a long time. Thanks Pam. Youare appreciated.

We hope you can join us. The meetings gosmoothly and the chance to socialize afterwards isa lot of fun.

Meetings with MLA's and Ministers

After the change of government in the lastprovincial election the feeling was that we had achance for a new direction for our provincial parksystem. The Friends decided to lobby our new

AGM

June 23rd, 3- 5 p.m.followed by potluck barbeque

with salmon provided.

Location:3164 Hellicar Rd.

Courtenay.

Directions in newsletter article.

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representatives to try to makea case for rebuilding the parksystem that has suffered overthe last decade or two. Wehoped to lobby for an increasein funding, for a change in theculture of park administrationso the bottom line is not thedefining goal of parkmanagement, for animprovement in the volunteersituation in the system and forbetter public access to ourpublic parks through privatelands. We also wanted tobring up some concerns aboutthe mine operating in the Parkand about its closure plan andbond. This last item is betterdiscussed with the Minister ofMines, a meeting we'veattempted to have over a longperiod of time with no successto date. The Friends have someconcerns with the closure planand the bond which would only apply to anydamage occurring within the mine site, i.e.,Strathcona Westmin Park, and would notapply to any damage in Strathcona Parkproper or the Campbell River watershed.

Our first meeting took place last August 11that Ronna-Rae Leonard's office in Courtenay.Ronna-Rae, her staff and Lynne Stone fromClaire Trevena's office attended. We felt ourmessage was heard. Our next meeting was onJanuary 12th in Port Alberni with Scott Fraserand his constituency associate. We met withScott as an MLA, not as Minister ofAboriginal Affairs which meant he was freerto speak and fewer staff had to attend. Again,we were heard and had a very productive

discussion. On January 31st we travelled toVictoria and met with George Heyman,Minister of Environment, his Deputy Minister,Mark Zacharias and Assistant Deputy Minister,Jim Standen. We covered the same topics asbefore as well as giving the Minister a copy ofa letter showing a public road access throughthe Bedwell Valley to the Park. The Ministergave this to Mr. Standen who passed it on toDon Cadden. We received a response to thisletter which was not what we had hoped for.We've also passed this letter on to the Ministryof Highways. This topic will be on the agendafor the AGM.

Since then there has been some improvementsto funding for the provincial park system and

Front, John Cashore (Min of Parks) Left to right front row;Derek Thompson (BC Parks), Peggy Carswell (publiccommittee member), Bryan Price BC Parks), Ann Fiddick(public member) Back row; Jake Masselink (ADM) MargaretLord (MLA), Colin Gabelmanm (MLA) George Trachuk (BCParks), Ron Lampard (BC Parks) Jim Rutter (publiccommittee member), Ron Quiltor (BC Parks)

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some other developments which will bementioned under the SPPAC report in thisnewsletter.

25 Years Celebration of Strathcona MasterPlan

It has been 30 years since law-obeying citizenswere willing to risk their freedom and getarrested, ending up in jail for protecting BC’soldest Provincial Park.

In early 1987, a decision was made at the seniorgovernment level to remove a large area of landfrom Strathcona Park. The decision alsoreclassified certain lands within the Park fromClass “B” to a Recreation Area – therebyrelaxing conditions that had to be met beforepermits authorizing exploration anddevelopment within the Park would be granted.

The changes were made by an Order In Councilsigned by then Minister of Environment andParks, Stephen Rogers, which was passedwithout any consultation in the legislature orwith the public. The OIC created a “multipleuse” perspective, where industrial mining andlogging industry would "recreate" side by sidein the remote wilderness areas of StrathconaPark.

It resulted in a great alienation between theMinistry of Environment and Parks and thepublic, leading eventually to the now well-known blockade and arrests in Strathcona in1988.

At this time the new NDP government hadmore heart for the wilderness, environment andparks. Under leadership of the ADM for Parks,Jake Masselink, the Strathcona SteeringCommittee was given the responsibility ofproducing a Master Plan for the park. Thecommittee included three public advisorymembers, Peggy Carswell (Area C Director,Comox-Strathcona Regional District), AnneFiddick (Mayor of Gold River) and Jim Rutter(Federation of Mountain Clubs of BC) and a

team of BC Parks staff from the South CoastRegion, the Strathcona District and VictoriaHeadquarters.

The Committee’s task was to undertake an in-depth consultation process in order to restorepublic confidence in BC Parks, and create aMaster Plan for Strathcona Park that took intoaccount the vision and wishes of the publicand various interest groups.

This time, the government/Parks wanted to getit right by listening to the people and creatinga document that represented the people’sperspectives and wishes and respected thepristine wilderness aspect of the park.

After several years of conducting intensiveand long meetings with many interestedpeople and groups, and reviewing hundreds ofwritten submissions, a Master Plan was finallydeveloped

The government/parks members on thecommittee and authors of the Master Plan,ADM Jake Masselink, Mel Turner, BryanPrice, Derek Thompson, Ron Lampart andRon Quilter, managed indeed to regain thepublic trust and confidence. The pubicmembers, Peggy Carswell, Ann Fiddick andJim Rutter, did a stellar job to help and toreunite public and parks officials.

Even though the Master Plan has someweaknesses in its wording (for example, it hasbecome clear that Strathcona Park is notsuitable for horse use); it was the biggestcollaborative effort in Park history to createthis document between public andgovernment.

Opening this document up for review assuggested at the last SPPAC meeting wouldbe a massive undertaking in order to ensurethe same level of commitment to collaborationbetween the public and government and so

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that those who have given hundreds of hoursto this plan are being interpreted and actedupon appropriately.

Stay alert and in tune and connect to theSPPAC Facebook page (Search for Friendsof Strathcona Park on Vancouver Island) andmake sure that the plan does not get guttedand destroyed.

SPPAC

The last Strathcona Park Public AdvisoryCommittee meeting was held on April 13that Miracle Beach Park. There were quite afew topics discussed which are highlightedbelow. The complete minutes will be postedon B.C. Parks website when approved.

Two rangers are being hired for the summeras well as a new community liaison officernamed Craig Medding who will lead astudent ranger program of 5 people. His areawill cover the entire west coast includingHaida Gwaii and he is based out of

Rathtrevor Beach Park in Parksville.

The Myra Falls Mine has a new manager andthe mine is slowly being brought back intoproduction after a lengthy closure. The mine isno longer for sale as Nyrstar achieved their goalof raising capital by selling other mineselsewhere in the world. Reopening is going to

involve upgrading the JimMitchell Lake road, haulingore along it, and stockpilingore for the concentrator. Astaffed gate is proposed forthe mine site. This wasunsuccessfully tried a fewyears ago and will be tweakedto try to make it work betterthan it did.

Work at the Ralph Rivercampsite that began last yearwill continue. A new groupcampsite near the Karst Creekboat launch has been createdas well as the newbackcountry groupcampground at Croteau Lakecomplete with tent platformsand a yurt. It is now open for

booking.

A discussion took place about the Della Fallstrail, how to maintain it due to its isolation andhow to pay for its maintenance. A high priorityis the heavy use being experienced at the Circletand Kwai Lake areas and how to improve thefacilities there. Work is being planned for theElk River trail where there was a washout a fewyears ago. The heavily eroded Bedwell Laketrail has been identified as a priority for sometime in the future. The Comox DistrictMountaineering Club is going to continue its

Management plan as seen by the “multiple use” perspectivebased on the recommendations of the “Wilderness Mosaic”(cartoon by Ryo Murraygreen 1988)

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volunteer work on the Forbidden Plateau trailthis summer and TimberWest is going to builda shelter and install some signs at the ComoxGlacier trail.

Creating a campsite near the Crest Creekclimbing area was discussed with somereservations expressed about location and howattractive it would be for the climbingcommunity. A SPPAC subcommittee is beingcreated to work on this.

B.C. Parks is reviewing their fee structure andpart of this will be to consider an annual passfor backcountry use.

Discussion about the ongoing problems ofsnowmobiles trespassing in the Park took placeand suggestions were made about how to dealwith this issue. One suggestion was to hirewinter rangers.

The issue of attracting new members to SPPACand of how to generate more public interest inSPPAC was discussed. Jennifer Pass is a newappointee to SPPAC and there is currentlyroom for more members. Holding a SPPACopen house in the fall in Courtenay is planned.

Another topic for future SPPAC meetings is totalk about reviewing the Park Master Plan. Thistopic is the subject of another article in thisnewsletter and must be approached with care asthe last Master Plan review opened things upfor snowmobile operators and float planeoperators to look for opportunities to take theirequipment into the Park.

Volunteering in the Park

Many trails and structures in Strathcona andother parks have been created and oftenmaintained by volunteers. Volunteering bringspeople together, creates good relationships

between parks and “special interest” usergroups and gets work done for free or verycheaply. It also creates an understanding thatnot all work needs to be paid for in order tofeel you have done something good. Manyoutdoor clubs have contributed to the manytrails and signs in Strathcona Park; one justneeds to mention the name Ruth Masters andthe CDMC and FOSP to illustrate this point.Volunteering was encouraged and appreciatedby BC Parks and supported in the form ofyouth trail building crews (supervised by BCParks employees), volunteer warden programsand free helicopter time where needed and ifavailable.

Unfortunately for the parks and society, theneed for volunteer agreements, farming theactual on the ground parks work out to facilityoperators (for profit private interest), fear oflaw suits and government cut backs has led todropping many volunteer programs and toalienation and the reluctance of severalvolunteer groups to actually getting involvedwith the parks administration over the lastdecades. This is a real loss to the old parkculture. In the court case and charges againstthe Heathens group last year, the judge’sperspectives were very well expressed in hisfinal statement (see Jack’s article in the lastnewsletter).

In meeting with Minister George Heymen,there was a spark of hope that maybe thisNDP government is more willing to open upand support parks volunteerism; especially foryouth and outdoor groups. The governmentrecently announced money has been madeavailable for this. This is a good first step,although only available for university studentsand people over 18 years of age.

Teachers involved in school outdoor programsare keen to revive the old youth parks

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volunteer program. Parks facility operatorShawn, in a personal conversation, is onboard also. The work is there; tons of it!Especially in the more remote areas likeDella Falls, where BC Parks have problemsmaking things happen due to lack offunding and staff. Many ex parksemployees remember having taking part inone of these youth volunteer programs inthe past and are very supportive. Many ofthe “elders” in past volunteer programs likesome of the members of the Heathens andsome of the members of FOSP are willingand keen to share their knowledge andexperience (most of them are too burnedout to actually help on the ground).Admitting that it will take some politicing

and getting around some ingrained resistance;and for the sake of the future of the long-termprotection of our treasured Strathcona Parkand for the sake of so many youth who havelost their connection with nature and the park;it is worth every effort to restore the youthvolunteer programs again. And maybe out ofthat will flow a better relationship betweenoutdoors groups, volunteering and BC Parks!

Are you interested in taking on this challengeas a volunteer coordinator to get this of theground! Do we need some seed money?Would FOSP be willing to create a specialfund maybe in the name of Ruth Masters toget this of the ground? Sounds good,interesting? Come and join us at the FOSPAGM on June 24th and join the Board withthis task in mind!

Friends of Strathcona funded and constructeda suspension bridge over the Bedwell Riverand created a trail between Bedwell Soundand Buttle Lake, creating the first Ocean toAlpine and across the island trail. Part of theButtle Lake to Bedwell Lake section was laterrebuilt by BC Parks.

Ruth Masters and CDMC provided most ofthe signs in Strathcona Park and ForbiddenPlateau area. These signs are attractive,natural and have survived for decades.

Working on the approach to the Gayle McGee Bridge.Stan and George Doran are front and center working onsome stairs.

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Reflections on the Strathcona Blockade of1988

by Karl Stevenson

Most visitors to Strathcona Park today haveprobably never heard of the StrathconaBlockade, and don’t realize the dangerStrathcona Park was in when the governmentopened Strathcona Park to exploratorydrilling by mining companies in 1987.

When FOSP tried to persuade thegovernment to reverse their decision, theyrepeatedly told us they couldn’t stop miningcompanies from carrying out drillingoperations in the park. They said that if theydid, the mining companies would take themto court, and the government would have topay out millions of dollars incompensation. This turned out to beuntrue. Despite what the government said, acase had already been tried (in 1986) whichproved the opposite. A mining company(Cream Silver Mines Ltd.) had taken thegovernment to court for stopping them fromoperating in Strathcona Park. They lost. Thegovernment paid no compensation.

In 1987, there were 226 valid mineral claimsand five mineral leases in Strathcona Park,the result of years of mismanagement byvarious governments over many years. In1988, Cream Silver was the first miningcompany to take advantage of the new thelaws passed by the government in 1987which allowed exploratory drilling in thepark. With so many claims in the park, othercompanies were undoubtedly watching. IfCream Silver was successful, others wouldfollow. It didn’t happen. Cream Silver wasfirst stopped for a week by a blockade on theroad leading to the drill sites. When the

blockade was removed, people continued toobstruct the drilling in a peaceful manner.Ultimately, 64 people were arrested, but theplans of Cream Silver and the government werebrought to a halt.

The blockade was a trying time for all who tookpart. It went on for two extremely stressfulmonths. Finally, the resulting media stormforced the government to back down. Thegovernment stopped Cream Silver, althoughthey’d said it was impossible. And, contrary towhat they’d told us, it didn’t cost millions. Infact it cost nothing. After the blockade, CreamSilver took the government to court, exactly asthey had before, in 1986. The result was exactlythe same as it was in 1986. They lost. Theyreceived no compensation. The blockadeshouldn’t have been necessary. Contrary to whatthey told us, the government could have stoppedCream Silver at any time with no monetary risk.

But apparently the government had learned thatpeople care about their parks. Shortly after theblockade, they called a halt to all claim stakingand mining activity in all BC provincial parks(except for a mine in Strathcona Park). They alsostarted the process of extinguishing all miningclaims in all provincial parks. (Incidentally, thisprocess is almost certainly completed by now,but as we’ve seen, nothing is certain whendealing with governments; people would be wiseto check the status of any mining claims in anypark they care about.)

Today there are no mining claims in StrathconaPark except for the claims of the mine notedabove, which unfortunately still operates onMyra Creek at the top end of Buttle Lake. Thegovernment built a paved road along the shore ofButtle Lake to service this mine in the early

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1960s, which is when the mine beganserious operations. (Most people probablydon’t know this road in the park was built toservice the mine, but it was. Now it alsoserves the park, although signs along theroad still identify it as “Western MinesRoad”.)

At the time of the blockade, this largeoperating mine was just too big a nut for usto crack, and we were mainly focussed onstopping the government from putting evenmore mines into the park. So the minecontinues to operate — and pollute — in ouroldest provincial park, ironically called “theflagship of the provincial park system” bypast governments. The mine was fined$80,000.00 in the 1980s, and was recently

fined $165,000.00 for pollution offences.

The pollution and other damage — the huge openpit scar, logged and dammed lakes, ruinedwatersheds, pipelines, settling ponds, industrialroads, noise, etc., serve as an ugly warning to usall of what could have happened to other areas ofStrathcona Park and other parks in our provincialpark system if the Strathcona Blockade hadn’ttaken place.

Let’s not forget what the blockadeaccomplished. As the years go by, it’s importantto remember the hard work and bravery of allthose people who stood against the government inthe winter of 1988 to protect our oldest provincialpark. And importantly, they somehow managed todo it peacefully, against great odds.

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send to: Friends of Strathcona Park, P.O. Box 3404, Courtenay, B.C. V9N 5N5