|
|
|
Kirksland Restoration Society
Background and History
|
Our registered, non-profit organization was founded in 1996 to attempt the positive resolution
of a huge upcoming property sale - all the benchland/winter range from Radium to Brisco (except for the townsites
and farms of Edgewater and Spur Valley) stretching from half way up the foot of the mountains to the east over
across the Columbia River to the west shore, in some cases... the whole width of the benchland valley. The land
had been amassed by Columbia Valley Orchards in 1912, an irrigation system, town, domestic water system and so
forth built and operated until 1948 when the company was sold to Mr. Harry Moore, now passed-on of Edgewater, and
the land sold to Kirks Christmas Trees of Tacoma, Washington. The property (of over 12,000 acres) supported 20
or so full-time foresters and a couple of cattle-ranching families and was administered as Tree Farm 21.
Approval to acquire this property for habitat had been arrived at 1992/93 earlier by the BC Ministry of Environment
and Nature Trust backed by the Lake Windermere Rod and Gun Club, yet it was essential to have a multi-use group
formed into a properly constituted society to give community leadership to the issue. We have been actively engaged
in negotiations to acquire and manage this property since we formed the Society. We began by seeking support from
the community and government bodies. Among our supporters and members are Edgewater Improvement District, Vermillion
Irrigation District, Edgewater Fire Department, Edgewater Recreation Society, Lake Windermere Rod and Gun Club,
Golden Rod and Gun Club, East Kootenay Environmental Society, Columbia Valley Nordic Club, Columbia Valley Chamber
of Commerce, Columbia Basin Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, Columbia Basin Trust, Forest Renewal B.C.,
Professional Foresters: Mr. Steve Ostrander, Slocan Forest Products, Mr. Serge Pereverzoff, Manager-Invermere Forest
District, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Kootenay Wildlife Heritage Fund, The Nature Trust of
B.C., Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks. We have letters of support from these.
Then followed years of difficult negotiation.
Summary:
For three years, Kirksland Restoration Society has worked fairly within the legislation, bureaucracy and market
economy dealing with this issue to achieve the following:
- covenants for the wildlife corridors
- access agreements for the historic aboriginal trail (and a long-established recreation trail system, too)
- a right-of-way and right of operation for the flume.
- continuation of traditional economic activities on the land.
To this end:
- Kirksland made an initial offer to purchase the property in 1996 which was refused, the asking price doubled,
then the property was sold for some figure to Schickedanz Bros. Our society has worked hard with all levels of
government to explain the importance of the issues and to come to resolution using legislation and negotiation.
The RDEK has given us support in principle and subsequently strengthened their guidelines to contain development
with serviced areas.
- With the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Ministry of the Environment, we received commitments from Schickedanz
Brothers that covenants for wildlife corridors would be made on the parcels between Radium and Edgewater, and that
development would be ”small footprint” We were told the land north of Edgewater was ”off the table” and that they
had ”no plans” for that land. Yet all the while, they had begun surveying with the intent to split up and auction
that land in parcels.
- Our group has just backed an offer by a consortium of several major conservation trusts to purchase the property
for an amount based on the appraised fair market value. This offer was refused with no invitation to counter-offer.
- Kirksland Restoration Society has raised and redirected many hundreds of thousands of dollars through our efforts.
This would go to land purchase. Other efforts have gone towards partner groups. For instance, last fall, we hosted
a fund-raising banquet on behalf of Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation which made them several thousand dollars. Recently
we have sponsored two tour events which brought in around $1000, much of which we need to set up our website.
- Our consortium has brought an awareness of the value of open rangeland to many people in this valley and has
identified natural bio-geographical features such as the Luxor Trail and the Edgewater Rangeland as essential life-support
to nature and the rural community. Through our Range and River Tours, people have become acquainted with this land
more deeply on a first hand basis.
There are outstanding issues that the owner/ has not addressed :
- We would like to ensure wildlife corridors and winter range are not overlooked. The ancient Luxor Trail must
be researched and protected, including the portions on the subject lands before any more development is carried-out.
- With permission of the Vermillion Irrigation District, we would like to protect the right of operation of Canada’s
last great flume where it crosses the subject lands.
We believe that this sort of an auction sets an unsettling precedent for the disposal of large tracts of
Managed Forest range and tree-farm, risking the work of generations of settlers and jeopardising the very basis
of the life support for wildlife and the agricultural community. Guidelines carefully developed to keep this
land together through tax incentives and restrictions have not been sufficient. It doesn't seem fair to allow owners
to hold an auction in another province to sell critical habitat and tree-farm land as homestead and residential
development land. It is counter-productive to trade-off the irreplacable heritage of the flume and its importance
for hard-working farmers for the unnecessary recreational retreats of part-time land-owners and speculators.
If the land is auctioned-off we will attempt to establish relationships with the future owners, continuing to pursue
habitat covenants, flume access agreements, and trail access right-of way and historical designation. We will also
continue to work toward wildlife corridors and recreational (Nordic trail) access in the southern portion of the
land where Schickedanz Bros. have proposed developments pending. We will make every effort to ensure this sort
of inappropriate land dealing does not become the norm for this part of the province.
- Kirksland Restoration Society
- August 30, 1999
|
