Frisby Ridge Caribou Closure Repealed near Revelstoke
Keremeos, BC (November 10, 2022) — The BC Snowmobile Federation (BCSF) in partnership with the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club (RSC) and the BC Ministry of Forests has announced, effective immediately, the Frisby Ridge Caribou Closure has been repealed.
The Ministry determined that despite a 14-year voluntary closure of the area, the Frisby herd is now listed as functionally extirpated. Therefore, the need for the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club to maintain the closure is no longer contributing to recovery efforts.
Donegal Wilson, Executive Director – BC Snowmobile Federation“This is an example of the Province working with the BCSF and our local member snowmobile club to ensure that Motorized Vehicle Closures support our original collective objective of recovering caribou herds.”
Wilson continued to say, “If herds again move into Frisby Ridge the Province, the BCSF, and the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club will work together to create a new plan for how we can best support the recovery of caribou in the Region”.
The BCSF continues to work with the Province to support recovery objectives north of Revelstoke.
The Ministry has determined that herds in this location are responding well to measures that were initiated including aggressive predator control, alternate prey removal, habitat protection from Industry, and maternity penning.
In its letter of repeal, the Ministry of Forests commended the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club for their efforts in maintaining the closure over the past 14 years and their commitment to caribou recovery efforts overall.
Frisby Ridge Caribou Closure Repealed
“The RSC would like to thank the many volunteers that worked for the last 14 years to patrol and maintain the closure areas on Frisby Ridge,” says RSC President Todd Dumais.
“We want to also thank the snowmobile community for their integral role in respecting these boundaries. The RSC looks forward to continuing our work with stakeholders to ensure herd recovery is successful in other tenure areas.”
