The B.C. Forest Practices Board has sided with a nature conservancy group over a complaint over trespassing cattle in protected grasslands between Grand Forks and Christina Lake.
The Board announced on April 1, it upheld a complaint from the Southern Interior Land Trust (SILT) that two Crown-land ranchers were not in compliance and a lack of government enforcement resulted in trespassing cattle damaging habitats on land purchased by SILT for wildlife to graze near Grand Forks, BC.
The areas in question involve the Overton/moody range, including the upper reaches of motocross and the western portion of gilpin, reaching nearly all the way to Gladstone Provincial Park.
“Trespass livestock grazing and unauthorized entry became an issue immediately after SILT acquired the property,” said SILT’s President Judie Steeves in a news release, “We tried to find a cooperative solution but neither rancher was interested, and the ministry seemed fully onboard with what the ranchers were doing.”
In the eight-page report from the Board, the commentary detailed that it received the complaint May 17, 2023. Over a period of three years, SILT observed cattle on land it purchased to conserve wildlife habitat and on the adjacent Crown range. The complainant used GPS-equipped game cameras and members were also onsite to record cattle, summarized the information in a spreadsheet, provided it to the Ministry of Forests range management staff and made two complaints to the Compliance and Enforcement Branch (CEB).
CEB followed up with the complainant regarding their concerns but did not provide them with a final outcome. CEB forwarded the matter to ministry range staff. Range staff visited the field, but did not keep records of how often they did so or what they saw. Range staff told the board that they contacted the two ranchers and instructed them to follow their grazing schedules, but kept allowing their cattle to graze on the land.
“The Board has several concerns with the government's approach to enforcement of range activities in this case” the commentary stated. “First, it is unacceptable to conduct inspections but not always record the results. Documentation is critical to evaluate the accuracy of complaints, the effectiveness of enforcement efforts and to support more punitive measures if necessary. Second, it is not appropriate for CEB to rely solely on district range staff to determine whether an investigation and/or enforcement action is warranted. CEB’s purpose is to encourage compliance, and it cannot do that by handing off matters to range staff and not verifying that appropriate actions have been taken. The public expects CEB to fulfil its role.”
The two ranchers are no longer permitted to graze their cattle on the land, the findings stated. Also, the board commended SILT members for the monitoring efforts it took, adding the public expected government staff to do.
The full report and findings can be read at www.bcfpb.ca/.../IRC254-Grazing-near-Grand-Forks.pdf
