Below is the news coverage and here is the link to the 14 minute video:

The SEAS Story – A 25 Year Retrospective
A group of conservationists surround a 3.65 metre diameter ‘Seymour giant’ which was slated for logging. A framed copy of the 1993 photo was given to the Minister of Forests’ regional manager, who issued a moratorium that allowed the company to only log half the blocks. After six years of intense advocacy and negotiations, the Upper Seymour River Valley became a provincial park.

Celebrating 25 years of environmental action

by  Barb Brouwer – Salmon Arm Observer

posted May 14, 2014 at 8:00 AM
http://www.saobserver.net/news/259225051.html

Not just talk, but action.

That has been the driving force behind the Shuswap Environmental Action Society (SEAS) that is celebrating 25 years of advocating for the environment.

“I feel like it’s been an amazing amount of effort and time and achievements,” says SEAS president and founding member Jim Cooperman. “It’s basically we worked hard to make conservation an issue here in the Shuswap, and all of our work resulted in achieving the goals that we set.”

SEAS began modestly in 1989, when Cooperman realized there was no organization in the Shuswap dealing with environmental issues.

Cooperman, who had a background in forestry and owned a sawmill, says there was fierce resistance throughout the province to a government plan that would basically privatize the forest industry.

“My knowledge of forestry issues combined with a passion for the environment was one of the catalysts for starting the organization,” he says, noting forest practices were terrible in the ’80s and early ’90s prior to the Forest Practices Code “I got involved in the fight by writing a long brief and presenting it to the minister in Kamloops. And shortly after that we formed SEAS.”

The first big event SEAS hosted was an Earth Day fundraiser at the Salmon Arm Rec Centre in April 1989.

A huge success, it raised enough money to produce the first of three issues of Shuswap Eco-watch, educational newsletters that were distributed in the Observer and Shuswap Market News.

Cooperman estimates 20 to 30 active members formed SEAS, some of whom had been involved in environmental issues in the past – mostly fighting against the uranium exploration that had been planned for Silver Creek.

“The first main issue we tackled was the dumps, because they were burning plastic,” he says, noting the issue also formed the first of many presentations he has made to the Columbia Shuswap Regional District over the years.

The organization also became actively involved with conservation, at a time when parks were scarce.

“SEAS created more than 25,000 hectares of new parks but it took years and years of hard work to get there,” he says. “We cleared routes into the wilderness, produced map brochures to help get people out there to experience wilderness, did a 15-minute video, hired airplanes to take aerial photos and made countless trips into the wilderness, taking various people with us – provincial experts, dignitaries.”

SEAS also campaigned hard for a land-use planning process for the Shuswap.

“Kamloops had the first LRMP (Land and Resource Management Plan) but it only dealt with a small part of the Shuswap,” he says, noting that SEAS undertook a new collaborative role in the subsequent Okanagan-Shuswap LRMP, a long process that included mapping, studies and presentations.

“Then finally, in the last year of the process, it evolves into negotiation and we were successful in that we protected Anstey-Hunakwa and the Upper Seymour River where there is actually an antique forest.”

Cooperman says the antique forest, the rarest in the area and quite likely all of North America, once existed along the full length of the river.

“Most of it had been logged out by the time we got going and we had to get the regional forestry manager to issue a moratorium.”

Through the efforts of SEAS, thousands of hectares of old-growth trees were protected, including an area of Larch Hills.

The organization also fought to halt private sewage effluent outfalls into Shuswap Lake, logging in viewscape areas and development at the mouth of the Adams River. At the same time, SEAS campaigned for the establishment of parks.

“One of our grandest accomplishments is the mapping work we did,” says Cooperman, of the detailed and colourful map of the entire Shuswap watershed and online educational handbook.

“Over the years, we’ve had so many people involved with SEAS; virtually hundreds who have put in their time and effort to support the cause.”

The Shuswap Environmental Action Society (SEAS) recently celebrated its 25^th anniversary with a party that included some great local live music. I helped form SEAS with local activists who had been involved with other local advocacy groups, including the Shuswap Nuclear Action Group, the Shuswap-Thompson River Research and Development Association, and the Shuswap Recycling Society.

 25 years of environmental activism

A Shuswap Passion column for the Shuswap Market News, by Jim Cooperman

At the inaugural meeting in February, 1989, I gave a short speech that included these thoughts, “We are all sick of hearing how we live in a throw-away society, how our forests are being clear-cut at double the rate that they are growing back, how our lakes and rivers are dying from pollution, how our food is full of chemicals that cause cancer and how our governments respond only when the problems reach epidemic proportions. We want to find out how these global problems relate to us here. We hear on the news how poorly the B.C. forests are being managed, but what we need to find out is what forestry problems exist here at the Shuswap.  We need answers, we need to spread the word, we need to take action and we have to fight from the grassroots level up. “

It did not take long after incorporation for the fledgling society to begin taking action. In just its first year, SEAS sponsored a well-attended forestry workshop that included a field trip to recent Larch Hills clearcuts with forest service staff and a local sawmill forester. A very successful Earth Day event at the community centre with speakers, displays and a dance band raised significant funds to publish an educational newspaper, the Shuswap Eco-Watch, with articles on waste dumps, forestry, pesticides, radon gas, recycling, and water quality, an issue that continues to be a major concern.

For the next few years, SEAS focused on developing a sustainable stewardship plan that further evolved into advocacy efforts to improve forestry practices, promote wilderness conservation and push for land use planning. Two more Eco-Watch newspapers were published with colour satellite photos showing where logging was proposed, followed by a series of newspaper columns promoting park creation. Map brochures were published to encourage the public to visit the endangered wilderness areas that needed protection and a video was made called Shuswap Wild with spectacular photography including aerial scenes.

Land use planning began in Kamloops in 1992, which, after three years, resulted in new parks in the Adams Lake area in addition to many others in that region. Finally in 1995, land use planning began in the Okanagan Shuswap, and SEAS conservation efforts evolved from advocacy to process and finally negotiations. The result was 25,000 hectares of new parks, including the Upper Seymour River rainforest and the magnificent Anstey-Arm Hunakwa Lake wilderness area. Additionally, thousands of hectares of old growth forest were set aside and there was direction for vastly improved forest management to better protect non-timber forest values.

In an effort to advocate for lowering the rate of logging, SEAS produced a spatial timber supply analysis in 1994 that clearly showed how there would be little intact forest left after 17 years. The rate of cut was never decreased, which likely contributed to the loss of this region’s major sawmill in Canoe a few years ago.

In 2008, the successful effort to halt the proposed marina and condo development near the mouth of the Adams River resulted in national media coverage. And while we were unable to see the property purchased by the provincial government to be added to Roderick Haig-Brown Park, the current plan for the Cottonwoods Campground includes public access to the beach, restoration of significant fish habitat, removal of the buoys, and a continuation of RV camping.

After SEAS helped change the map of the Shuswap through the creation of new parks, in 2010 it worked with many diverse partners including all levels of government to produce the first map of the Shuswap watershed in a poster format.

Over the 25 years, SEAS has sponsored countless forums on many issues, including lake water quality, pesticides, climate change, watershed management and the tar sands and pipelines. It helped initiate the Regional District parks system and has investigated the impacts of poor logging practices that resulted in numerous debris torrents that have devastated local infrastructure.  After 25 years, SEAS has left an impressive legacy of new parks and improved environmental protection measures.

February. 2, 1989

Speech to the inaugural meeting of the Shuswap Environmental Action Society

Eco-rap

By Jim Cooperman

We have been told that this is now the Age of Information….with modern technology creating a world of instant communication, super computerization and video wizardry surrounded by a constant media assault to our senses.  Yet despite the glamour of all this technological glitz, we live in a society filled with environmental and social problems that are inexplicably intertwined.  Most countries, rich and poor, have dwindling resources, are burdened with debt, choked with pollution, saddled with overcrowded cities and are threatened with environmental collapse. Can we depend on our Government leaders or our religious leaders or any of our existing organizations to solve these problems?  Ultimately, the solutions lie within each of us.

The slogan, Think Globally, Act Locally can only work if those global thoughts can reach the majority of the people.  Now is the time to combine the age of Information with the age of the Environment, to raise the public’s awareness of both the problems and the potential solutions.

In many ways I feel rather presumptuous addressing you on these issues. I do not consider myself an expert in any environmental field.  Many of you have already made invaluable contributions through other organizations such as SNAG, STRATTA, THE RECYCLING SOCIETY, THE GREEN PARTY and outdoor organizations.  The proposals I am bringing before you are not new.  In many ways, these ideas are similar to work being done by hundreds of alternative organizations throughout North America; from Pollution Probe to Earth Watch to the Western Canada Wilderness Committee.  It is from reading about these other groups, that I got the idea that a similar organization is needed here at the Shuswap, one that could combine every possible ecological concern; to study, to inform and to take action.

Already I have contacted other environmental groups in BC. The BC Environmental Network is organized by the same group than runs the Valhalla Society in New Denver.  The Network co-ordinates the efforts of ecological groups across the province and they sponsor a yearly conference.  Last night Colleen McCrory phoned to let us know that they are very enthusiastic about our plans and that she would be delighted to come and speak to our group.

S.A.T.I.N., Safe alternatives to Toxic Incineration was formed last year to fight the Lytton waste incinerator that has now been scrapped. They are now involved in trying to force the BC government to place a moratorium on burning in all the waste dumps across the province.  Some of you may have attended the dance that this group held in Kamloops last Nov. Mendel Rubinson has offered his band to come and play here in Salmon Arm for a benefit for our group.

For the last three or four years I’ve been researching into and writing about our local history.  Last year, I helped write, edit and publish the Shuswap Chroncles.  Our North Shuswap Historical Society is now working on the next edition of the journal.  Early this winter I decided I would also like to work on a publication devoted to the environment.  Looking at the newsstand, one can find a magazine devoted to nearly every possible sport, hobby or activity. BUT THERE ARE NO PERIODICALS SOLELY CONCERNED WITH THE ENVIRONMENT.  Except for CBC and a few alternative publications that are difficult to find, media is tied to the marketplace and as a result is part of the problem.  We are surrounded by radio, TV, newspapers and magazines that are telling us to buy, buy, throw it away and then buy some more.

We cannot really expect this same media to present an alternative way of life, one that is geared to nurturing the earth. What I envision is a newspaper that could be called Shuswap Eco-watch that would be sent to every household. It would have short, informative articles, photos and cartoons relating to all the environmental issues from waste disposal to wilderness preservation.  Eco-watch could help link up communities throughout the Shuswap region, and provide a format for people to share their ideas, observations and concerns.

We are all sick of hearing how we live in a throw-away society, how our forests are being clear-cut at double the rate they are growing back, how our lakes and rivers are dying from pollution, how our food is full of chemicals that cause cancer and how our governments respond only when the problems reach epidemic proportions.  We want to find out how these global problems relate to us here. We hear on the news how poorly the BC forests are being managed…but what we need to find out is what Forestry problems exist here at the Shuswap.  We need answers, we need to spread the word, we need to take action and We have to fight from the grass roots level up.

It is time we did something – as individuals and as a group.  Tonight we can begin that effort.  We have an agenda for this meeting, but the first step is deciding whether or not we want to form a new Environmental Action Society.

By Barb Brouwer, Salmon Arm Observer
Published: November 12, 2013

It won’t look the same, but a successor to the Shuswap Lake Integrated Planning Process (SLIPP) will move forward.

Five of six Columbia Shuswap Regional District electoral area directors voted last week to approve funding up to $240,000 for the successor organization that will address water quality and safety issues in the Shuswap Watershed.

Funding will be taken from the regional district’s joint gas tax pool – not from individual electoral area gas tax funds or from taxpayers’ pockets.

Area F North Shuswap director Larry Morgan was vehement in his opposition to SLIPP before last Thursday’s meeting in Salmon Arm and the only one to vote against continuing the program in any form.

But on Friday, Morgan said he had aired his concerns and was now “toning down the rhetoric.”

“After discussion with some people there that work with me on the North Shuswap, I decided to work with the decision that’s been made,” he said.  “I will work with the directors regarding SLIPP and will do what we can to help make this work.”

Morgan said his decision is based on the fact it would be counterproductive to continue opposing SLIPP and that he wants to ensure some of the North Shuswap’s core needs can move ahead.

Area C South Shuswap director and chair of the SLIPP steering committee, Paul Demenok says he is looking forward to collaborating with all stakeholders to develop the best possible plan of action for the Shuswap Watershed.

Demenok says the proposal has yet to be approved by the whole CSRD board, something he hopes will take place tomorrow. As well, he says the plan itself needs to be approved at the Dec. 4 SLIPP steering committee.

Demenok said the reason the proposal had to be brought forward at last Thursday’s electoral area meeting was because of upcoming budget considerations.

Work can now begin on a successor organization to SLIPP, to be designed to take water quality and safety co-ordination in the Shuswap Watershed to the next level including remediation. It will be made in the Shuswap Watershed, for the Shuswap Watershed, with broad public input.

Mike Simpson, senior regional manager for the Fraser Basin Council-Thompson Region and SLIPP program manager, is also pleased SLIPP hasn’t sunk beneath the waves of controversy.

“I think it’s a positive move to look at a new program with everybody’s interests and everybody’s input,” he said.

“What we’re hoping for is a year of engagement to make sure we develop a program that’s effective, that communicates with everybody, is cost-effective and reduces duplication.”

Simpson says information is available at www.slippbc.ca.  And, he adds, steering committee meetings are open to public. [The next meeting is December 4, 2013]

Learn about the threats to the Shuswap Watershed by downloading this power-point presentation: Shuswap Watershed at Risk

Media Release

May 13, 2013

SEAS applauds SLIPP water quality report

Last week, the Shuswap Lakes Integrated Planning Process (SLIPP) released the executive summary for the 2011 water quality report that provides a concise look at the results from the first year of its three-year water quality monitoring program. The results clearly indicate that the lakes are being negatively impacted from various sources of pollution with the greatest impact coming from agriculture.

“SEAS applauds the efforts underway by SLIPP to better understand the threats to Shuswap water quality,” said Jim Cooperman, Shuswap Environmental Action Society president.  “This initial report should serve as a call to action, as the results clearly show that a major effort is needed to reduce the nutrient loading in the Shuswap Watershed.”

The report concludes that “Without efforts to stabilize nutrient inputs from the river’s drainage basins it is very likely that Mara Lake, in future years, will continue to exhibit annual flagellate blooms of growing amplitude and duration, perhaps yielding to late summer/fall blue-green algal blooms with a few decades which would have severe implications for drinking water quality and public health issues.”

Other areas of concern include the nutrient loadings and E.coli from the Salmon River and Canoe, Newsome and White Creeks; pollution likely from houseboats, and elevated concentrations of nitrogen and E.coli in the North and South Shuswap.

When the three-year project is completed this year, the results will provide decision makers with the information they need to improve watershed management and thus reduce the amount of pollution entering the lakes.

“This report shows that we need a watershed-wide organization similar to Okanagan Water Basin Board that for 45-years has achieved remarkable success in watershed management,” stressed Cooperman. “The success of SLIPP now needs to be channeled into a permanent organization that will continue to allow for collaboration and cooperation between all levels of government and public stakeholder groups,” Cooperman added.

see the SLIPP_2011_Water_Quality_Report_Executive_Summary
Graph showing phosphorus inputs from the Shuswap River also attached below (likely from manure during spring run-off)

Learn more about SLIPP at www.slipbc.ca

Media Release
March 28, 2013

Climate change is the number one issue facing humanity, as emissions of CO2 and other global warming gases continue to increase at an alarming rate despite efforts to curb the use of fossil fuels. Already the impacts of climate change are being felt around the world with glaciers and sea ice melting, extreme droughts, intense storms and rising oceans. Of particular concern to British Columbians is the rapid increase in shale gas development through a practice known as fracking, with plans to build liquefied natural gas plants in Kitimat and export the gas to Asia.

In order for Shuswap residents to learn more about climate change and fracking, two local organizations, KAIROS-Salmon Arm and the Shuswap Environmental Action Society are sponsoring a public forum on Tuesday, April 9th at 7pm at the United Church Hall, 450 Okanagan Ave. SE, Salmon Arm. Two expert speakers, Joe Foy and Eoin Madden from the Vancouver-based Wilderness Committee will be giving presentations at this event.

Joe Foy is the Wilderness Committee’s National Campaign Director and has been the driving force behind many of the group’s successful projects since 1987. Eoin Madden began his career in Ireland as a criminal lawyer and after completing a post-graduate degree in climate change he moved to B.C. and is now the Wilderness Committee’s Climate Change Campaigner.

With deposits of conventional gas and oil dwindling, the industry is keen to develop less accessible deposits of ‘tight oil and gas’ using hydraulic fracturing or ‘fracking.’ This involves blasting millions of gallons of fracturing fluids, including sand, water, and toxic chemicals, into wellbores two miles deep that then angle or deviate horizontally another kilometer underground. The rock is broken up through use of extreme pressures.

Proponents of fracking tell us this technology has been around for 60 years. “Not so”, says Anne Morris of KAIROS-Salmon Arm. “It is only in the last decade that a combination of four new technologies has enabled industry to access gas and oil trapped between layers of shale rock. The problem is that this fracking technology has grown so quickly there has been insufficient time to do the scientific study on its environmental and health impacts, or on the impact of the inevitable accidents,” she says.

“There is also concern that fracking causes chronic leaks of methane, a potent climate change driver. Many scientists believe that rapid shale gas development will exacerbate global climate change and could tip the world into climate chaos,” said Jim Cooperman, SEAS President.

“Over the past decade the practice of fracking has crept into BC and has gained a dangerous foothold – without the people of B.C. having ever been asked if they wanted this highly polluting industry or not. It is time to turn a bright light on what is happening to fresh water resources and to the changing climate – while we still have the time and ability to act,” said Joe Foy, Wilderness Committee National Campaign Director.

Climate change is already happening, and at a much faster rate than was expected. But a worst-case scenario can still be avoided if government leaders listen to the World Bank, the UN Energy Agency, and a coalition of the world’s largest investors who are calling for urgent action now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “At this crucial moment in time, we should be replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy resources rather than developing a new source of greenhouse gas emissions,” explained Cooperman. “Shale gas development is absolutely the wrong way to go,” he added.

“Groundwater contamination caused by shale gas fracking operations is also a big concern. Nearly 1,000 cases of groundwater contamination have occurred in the U.S., and scores of contamination problems have been reported in Alberta as well. This has led a number of jurisdictions to ban or impose a moratorium on fracking,” explained Morris.

The forum will be a great opportunity for the public to learn more about the controversial practice of fracking and the most recent information about climate change.  Both of these topics are likely to be important issues for the upcoming election. All Shuswap MLA candidates will be invited to attend and be provided time to comment on these concerns.

For more information, contact:

Anne Morris, KAIROS-Salmon Arm, 833-5773

Jim Cooperman, SEAS, 679-3693

Joe Foy and Eoin Madden, Wilderness Committee, 604-683-8220

MEDIA RELEASE

February 5, 2013

According to the recent media coverage, the future for the Shuswap Lakes Integrated Planning Process looked uncertain. A change in management combined with questions about funding for the future did not inspire optimism about where the most important initiative for the Shuswap was heading. However, reports from the recent meeting of SLIPP directors have restored some level of confidence regarding the award winning, innovative SLIPP program.

“The public has long supported the need to protect our watershed,” explained Shuswap Environmental Action Society (SEAS) President, Jim Cooperman, “and they should be encouraged by the enthusiasm expressed by SLIPP directors about the need for continuing the initiative and further improving the programs.”

Beginning in 2005, SEAS along with a number of other Shuswap environmental and stewardship organizations, advocated strongly for a cooperative governmental effort to address a growing number of concerns regarding declining water quality and a litany of negative impacts to the watershed and recreational values. In June 2007, these groups formed a watershed alliance to press for action. They released a list of 48 recommendations to coincide with SLIPP’s first public consultation meetings (see below).

Now, six years later, SLIPP can be evaluated on how well it has acted upon these important recommendations. Top marks are deserved for how SLIPP has improved cooperation amongst all the levels of government and the three regional districts within the Shuswap watershed. As well, mapping has been completed and is available on a public website that provides clear direction for foreshore planning, as well as for the successful restoration efforts that have been underway. Although SLIPP has had to survive with minimal funding, it has managed to put the focus on the most critical need, water quality monitoring, which is now in its third year.

However, one of the key recommendations made six years ago, to “create a permanent Water Basin Council or Board that includes representation from public interest groups to oversee and coordinate management and research,” remains unfulfilled. “Although water monitoring is critically important,” stressed Cooperman, “it was never meant to be an end in itself.” “The most important effort still remains, and that is to take action to reduce the level of nutrients and pollutants entering the watershed. And that includes greywater from houseboats and private vessels, an important effort that has been delayed due to pressure from the houseboat industry.”

“The Salmon and Shuswap Rivers are important, principal sources of phosphate input to the lake; excessive phosphate content is the main, well documented factor in downgrading the health of freshwater lakes. Much of this phosphate input is most likely from agricultural activity adjacent to these rivers, and has been long recognized. It needs to be tackled now, to ensure the continued integrity of the lake”, explained Hugh Tyson, a SEAS member.

“We urge the SLIPP directors and particularly the new Chair, CSRD Area F (North Shuswap) director, Larry Morgan and vice-chair, Salmon Arm Mayor Nancy Cooper; to work towards expanding SLIPP to cover the entire watershed and to improve the level of funding and support so it can successfully achieve its goals and thus address the desires of the vast majority of Shuswap residents,” urged Cooperman.

“In order for SLIPP to move forward, it will also require full support and improved funding from both the federal and provincial governments,” added Tyson. “Hopefully, the issue of protecting our watershed will become important during the upcoming provincial election.”

Learn more about SLIPP, at www.slippbc.com.

SLIPP forging ahead

By Barb Brouwer – Salmon Arm Observer

Published: February 21, 2013 11:00 AM

SLIPP is not sliding away – not yet anyway. Shuswap Lake Integrated Planning Process steering committee members met in City of Salmon Arm council chambers Feb. 1 to discuss the project’s future. The Fraser Basin Council had been asked to take over administration of the process at the end of 2012 amid concerns regarding oversight and communication issues.

SLIPP was created in 2007 in response to concerns regarding increased development, pollution entering lakes in the Shuswap watershed, and conflicting recreation demands. Ian McGregor, then-Fish and Wildlife manager of  the Ministry of Environment’s Thompson Region, was the main catalyst in the group that included stakeholders from various levels of government and environmental groups.

Priorities were established with one of the top ones being the need for water-quality monitoring, something that couldn’t be accomplished without a substantial cash infusion. Two years ago, the Thompson Nicola Regional District, Salmon Arm, Sicamous and Columbia Shuswap Regional District electoral areas C, D, E and F agreed to fund a three-year pilot project with annual allocations of $335,000.

Prior to his death, Electoral Area C South Shuswap director Ted Bacigalupo, who was a champion and chair of SLIPP’s steering committee, enthusiastically kept partners up-to-date on activities. Following his death, McGregor was overseeing both technical and administrative roles. The funding partners had hoped to relieve McGregor of the administrative pressures allowing him to concentrate on the technical committee, where his skills were invaluable.

This was something CSRD chief administrative officer Charles Hamilton made clear at a Jan. 9 meeting at the regional district office, a suggestion that led to McGregor’s resignation.
“Ian McGregor has been the driving force behind the initiative and I don’t want to see his role diminished in any way; given his technical expertise and his history with the SLIPP initiative,” Hamilton emphasized, noting he had simply suggested a more formal oversight because public funds are involved and because he was being inundated with questions about SLIPP’s status.

“I think it’s very unfortunate that Mr. McGregor has elected to step aside because his contributions have been essential to the success of this process,” Hamilton said. “At no time was anyone on the steering committee or on staff questioning that. The intention was not to be critical of his performance but simply to strengthen what I perceived to be perhaps somewhat less than robust administrative oversight.”

Those concerns seem to have been quelled and an air of optimism renewed at the recent steering committee meeting in Salmon Arm, where CSRD’s Area F North Shuswap director Larry Morgan was elected chair. “We had a good positive meeting, we’re encouraged about working with the Fraser Basin Council and we’re going to provide more oversight, at least this year,” he said, noting there will be a minimum of four steering committee meetings this year. “We’ll have to get into the details before we know where we’re going and what, if any,  changes we need to make. Beyond that no decisions have been made at this point.”

Morgan admits he was “set back a bit” at being elected chair of the steering committee, considering his former criticism of the process. “Now I’m wearing a different hat, so I have to view this with an air of responsibility to the process,” he says. “I was more of a heckler; now I’m responsible for helping to set the direction of SLIPP going forward. We want to make it work. It might be working differently than it has in the past, but we wanna make it work.”

Jim Cooperman, president of the Shuswap Environmental Action Committee [actually we are a Society], said he had been worried about SLIPP’s future and relieved by the tone of the Feb. 1 meeting. “Top marks are deserved for how SLIPP has improved co-operation among all the levels of government and the three regional districts within the Shuswap watershed,” he says. “Mapping has been completed and is available on a public website that provides clear direction for foreshore planning, as well as for the successful restoration efforts that have been underway. Although SLIPP has had to survive with minimal funding, it has managed to put the focus on the most critical need, water quality monitoring, which is now in its third year.”

SLIPP’s public advisory committees and partner agencies will meet in March and the steering committee will meet the following week to address specific projects that are underway or slated to get underway this year.

SHUSWAP WATERSHED ALLIANCE

Recommendations for the Shuswap Lake Integrated Planning Process (from July, 2007):

All issues:

• Incorporate climate change impact assessments and adaptation measures into all decisions made through the process
• Develop a monitoring program to measure the impacts of climate change
• Improve access to information with a website that contains up-to-date news and data
• Ensure lake shore management looks beyond the needs of just fish
• Expand the plan to cover the entire Shuswap Basin and create a permanent Basin Council or Board that includes representation from public interest groups to oversee and coordinate management and research
• Create an office and a 1-800 number for by-law and agency staff to enforce regulations and serve as trouble shooters for all issues of concern within the Basin
• Revise administrative boundaries to ensure the entire Basin is covered by the same government staff
• Consider revising regional district boundaries to bring the entire Basin under one jurisdiction
• Increase the representation on the CSRD from the South Shuswap
• Provide public education through outreach to increase understanding of the issues and the need for improvements
• Add a tax to marine gas sales to fund Basin stewardship programs

Foreshore Development:

• Moratorium on all proposed new marinas and marina expansions
• Use existing salmon habitat mapping, assessments of natural riparian areas, and water intake locations to zone the foreshore
• Ensure new marinas or marina expansions are only allowed in appropriate zones
• Develop ways to restore foreshore habitat where possible, including the Sicamous channel
• Ensure trails are not build along lake, river and creek shorelines where erosion could occur
• Zoning and Growth Management:
• Disallow all floating buildings larger than 100 sq. feet
• Use zoning to ensure rural quality of life is maintained
• Require OCPs for the entire Basin
• Develop specific plans for Blind Bay to avoid further deterioration of water quality
• Ensure OCPs place limits on developments near the Basin shorelines
• Obtain authority from ILMB to allow for local regional district management of foreshore approvals through a development permit process
• Ensure building permits are required throughout the Basin
• Revise highway regulations to remove the loophole that allows inadequate road access to phased developments

Water Quality and Waste Management:

• Ensure liquid waste management plans disallow both public and private sewage effluent outfalls into the watershed
• Begin the process to end the use of the watershed for sewage effluent in Salmon Arm and Enderby
• Develop an effective and consistent water quality monitoring program that focuses on the areas of concern, including Salmon Arm and Tappen Bays, Blind Bay and Mara Lake and includes testing for trace chemicals and pharmaceuticals
• Ensure BC Parks, the Ministry of Environment and the houseboat companies work together to increase the number of and improve the existing pump out stations on the lake for both private and commercial boats
• Obtain more funding for the restoration of the Salmon River
• Enforce stricter rules on agriculture, including grazing leases on crown land to prevent pollution and restrict irrigation during the fall when water is needed for salmon spawning
• Develop by-laws or legislation to require testing and clean-up if necessary of old septic systems near the lake
• Ban the use and sale of formaldehyde products for holding tanks in RVs and boats
• Develop regulations that prevent the dumping of grey water, black water and bilge water in areas where there are drinking water intakes
• Develop a public education program to reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides near the Basin shorelines

Recreation Management:

• Require all boat motors to meet the highest North American standards
• Restrict and eventually phase-out jet-skis
• Improve enforcement of noise by-laws and ensure loud boat engines are taken off the lake
• Maintain and improve public access to the lakeshore
• Enforce a 10 kph speed limit on the Shuswap River and ban all jet boats
• Develop a program like Air Care for boats with stickers that show boats have been tested which can be visible for RCMP, environment staff or DFO staff.  The fines collected could be used to support the work the Basin Council or Board.
• Enforce laws to ensure all large boats contain both black water and grey water holding tanks
• Improve the regulations regarding fuelling water craft
• Enforce regulations on unauthorized private houseboat and boat moorage
• Require marinas to remove milfoil under docks and moorage areas
• More efforts are needed to control noisy parties and lakeside littering by marine campers

Shuswap Watershed Alliance member organizations:

Shuswap Water Action Team, Shuswap Environmental Action Society,, Shuswap Lake Coalition, South Shuswap Property Owners Association, Blind Bay Area Association, Shuswap Naturalists, Council of Canadians, Friends of Mara Lake, Shuswap River Keepers, Swansea Point Community Association, Committee for a Strong Sustainable Salmon Arm and Sugar Lake and Middle Shuswap Stewards

Here is my latest update on forestry in B.C. for the January/February Watershed Sentinel, www.watershedsentinel.ca
please consider subscribing to this excellent publication….

B.C. forest update

by Jim Cooperman

Many forest activists gave up and moved on to other issues when the B.C. Liberals formed government in 2001 and handed forest management over to the industry. Now over a decade later, the status of B.C.’s forests is grim: research is gone, the beetles have devastated 20 percent of the province, there could be well over 2-million hectares of NSR (not satisfactorily restocked) land, overcutting and highgrading along with the beetles have led to severe timber shortages and mill closures, land use plans may soon be gutted to allow logging in protected zones, forest inventories are woefully out of date, and the number of workers is at a record low due to mechanization, the economic downturn and the drop in planting and stand tending.

Since the B.C. Liberals are on their way to getting turfed in the upcoming election, what should we expect of the NDP to address the litany of problems in the forests? For the last few years, a group of concerned foresters and academics under the leadership of Bill Bourgeois have been working on this very issue. Their “Healthy Forests – Healthy Communities” initiative has been leading a “Conversation on B.C.’s Forests” to produce a series of recommendations for the upcoming new government. A draft of their strategic plan is now being reviewed in workshops across the province.

At their heart of their plan is the goal to build a sustainable forest management infrastructure that will restore forest health, improve community and public involvement, diversify the forest economy, revive the research sector and improve knowledge of all forest values through proper inventory, monitoring and assessments. The plan calls upon the government to establish the necessary mechanisms, such as consultations and review panels to create the much needed paradigm shift from a focus based on ensuring corporate profits to a focus based on sustainability.

However, the group’s strategic plan is far from comprehensive, as it avoids topics such as the unsustainable level of cut, the question of whether the ministry should be re-organized, and the most controversial, tenure reform. Clearly, the AAC needs to go down, as for years it has been far higher than the actually cut level because the timber is just not there.

The Ministry of Forests has been combined with all the other resource ministries and a review is needed to determine if a re-alignment is needed. Certainly, centralization has been detrimental, as it is now rare for government staff to even make it out into the forests. As well, the current results-based management system also needs a review to determine if the forest service should bring back government oversight. And there has long been a need to reform the tenure system, to wrestle the control of our forests back from the corporations, especially since the current government is now considering the opposite, increasing the number and size of Tree Farm Licenses.

Perhaps the most significant change occurring in our forests is due to in part to climate change and the impact of the pine beetles, as well as mis-management. B.C.’s forests switched from being a carbon sink to source of carbon in 2002 and produce more carbon (82 million tons/year) than all emissions in the province from the burning of fossil fuels (62 million tons/year). The sources of this carbon include logging, slash burning, forest fires and decay. Essentially, B.C.s forests are now part of a feedback loop that will further intensify climate change.

Learn more about the Healthy Forests – Healthy Communities initiative at:

bcforestconversation.com

Below is the latest news about White Lake – NOTE – I do not think that most White Lake residents will be happy with the logging – it will be visible, and damaging – especially when they stump the block, which leaves a mess of stumps above the ground for decades and decades.
I plan to hike to the lookout after the logging and will send out before and after photos.
Another huge problem with the plans is that the trees in the block are so young and small – the desire to log this block is indicative of the declining supply of good timber – there is now such a lack of truly mature timber that they want to log trees that are 100 years old and younger. – Jim Cooperman

White Lake logging plan changed

By Barb Brouwer – Salmon Arm Observer

Published: January 18, 2013 8:00 AM

Members of the White Lake Residents Association are delighted a cut block above their community has been altered to protect a major viewscape. Executive member Bryon Every says the discussion process was long and arduous but the result was worth it. “It was a difficult process with the government and the BC Timber Sales (BCTS)  but we were finally able to come up with something that worked for everybody,” he says.

As well as having one of the highest-profile viewscapes above the lake, the proposed cut block was a very young and healthy stand of timber. “The question was, why do you have to log that piece knowing how important it is to the community when there are other areas that could be logged,” said Every.

“Through many discussions and emails, we were able to get several different parties together and had a five-hour meeting on Nov. 6,” he says, noting there was representation from the Ministry of Forests, Vernon Forest District, and BC Timber Sales. “What stemmed from the meeting and what we inevitably ended up with was a 40-60 split.”

Every says BCTS originally planned to take 70 per cent of the timber in the stand in a patch form that concerned White Lake residents.

“We felt there were flaws in the design of that block and the long and the short of it is we actually came out with more than we asked for.”

“BCTS became willing and nice to work with,” he says. “They took our concerns to heart and pretty much implemented what we asked for, and changed their logging plans accordingly.”

An originally non-existent buffer between the proposed cut block and private property was replaced with a 75-metre wide buffer, something Every describes as a huge gain for the community.

“They redesigned patches, added to some that were weak, and made a considerable amount of adjustments to the logging plan,” he says. “There was a list of some pretty strict rules that normally don’t go into a logging plan and they’ve committed to putting a BCTS rep on site every second day to make sure everything is being followed.”

Every says he’s hoping the association’s work will benefit other communities.

“What we’re hoping now, and we have had confirmation, is that they also agreed a community shouldn’t have to go through what we did to resolve issues,” Every says. “We feel we made a milestone and that this could affect future negotiations about logging with other communities.”

But Every’s talk of a negotiation does not sit well with Colin Johnston, a woodlands supervisor for BC Timber Sales’ Okanagan-Columbia Business Area.

“It’s very important we don’t get on the negotiation thing,” he says.  “Our job is to balance all the values for all British Columbians as it is a public resource.”

Johnston says one of those values is to get a fair return to the province’s taxpayers, while other values include meeting visual quality objectives set by government, protecting recreational trails and dealing with wildlife concerns.

“We’re not going to negotiate,” he emphasizes. “We can’t negotiate everything, but we can listen to the concerns and find solutions that meet those concerns.”

Having made it clear that the word discussion should replace negotiation, Johnston says White Lake residents were extremely easy to get along with and worked to a good compromise.

“It is important to us because we have other forestry operations in the area and other timber sales, and we want to make sure to set the right precedent in community involvement and  working with the community,” Johnston says, noting the White Lake cut block included some old approved blocks. “The community had one perception and we had another perception, so it took some discussion.”

Through the discussion it made sense to retain some of the timber, says Johnston, who maintains BCTS is happy the parties were able to work it out and come to an amenable solution.

On December 7, 2012, SEAS provided a presentation to the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District Board regarding the need to take measures to adapt to climate change.

Our goal today is to raise awareness about the impacts of climate change and of the need for precautionary, adaptation measures to protect citizens, property and natural values.

In a way it is the corollary to the slogan from the nineties, think globally, act locally – which means we need to take actions locally to help solve global environmental problems, but in this case we need to better understand what is happening globally so we can better protect ourselves locally.

The planet is very quickly warming up. The ice sheets and glaciers are melting at an increasing and alarming rate, and this is no wonder. The amount of CO2 entering the atmosphere is continuing to increase at a steady rate despite efforts to curb emissions. Weather patterns are changing quickly as shown by these graphs that illustrate the shifting distribution of summer temperature anomalies – indicating many more hotter days.

A quick overview of the impacts this year:

• January – torrential rains in Brazil, wildfires in Chile
• February – 650 perished from cold in Europe while warmest winter on record in the U.S.
• —March – severe rain and flooding in S. America, while forest fire season began early in the U.S. along with severe tornados
• —May/June – floods in Africa, floods in Brazil & China, record heat & drought in the U.S.
• —July – half of the U.S. designated disaster areas
• — August – over 2 million people displaced by floods in China, Bangladesh and the Philippines. Record rainfall in U.S. Gulf Coast. Huge wildfires in Greece, Spain and Australia.
• — October – Hurricane Sandy devastates New York and New Jersey, super-typhoon in Japan, massive flooding in Africa
• — So far this year – many billions of dollars of damage to civil infrastructure

— Now bankers and insurers are telling governments to get serious about climate change.  With all these storms, insurance claims are skyrocketing. Just since 1980, claims have increased five times in North America, and this was before Hurricane Sandy, which most recent estimate has the cost pegged at $71-billion!

We are now witnessing these impacts in the Shuswap.  Science tells us that climate change will mean increased variability of climate, with more extreme weather events. Also the forecasts indicate that winters will be warmer and wetter with more rainfall at lower elevations, meaning an increased likelihood of drought in the summer. 200-year flood events could become far more frequent

Climate change impacts hit the Shuswap:

The damage that occurred at Sicamous Creek should be a wake-up call. With climate change, it is like the weather is on steroids.  A massive rainstorm on wet snow caused record run-off into a mountain stream. The culvert could not handle the flow, which blocked the water before it burst through the road leading to a flood event that scoured the sides of the creek. Smaller slides added more debris to the flood. The result caused an amazing amount of damage and now there is a court case over compensation. At Swansea Point the big question in mind was how could this happen again? Why didn’t government learn from the 1997 Hummingbird slide and take action to prevent future slides? In 1997, run-off during heavy rains from a poorly designed cutblock was channeled on to a slope that gave way and blocked Hummingbird Creek. When the dam burst the debris slide devastated the community.

Slide above Hummingbird Creek, 1997

This time there was too much water in both Mara and Hummingbird Creek and the culvert under the highway became blocked with debris. Then the highway was wiped out, along with roads and some structures in Swansea Point. Is the CSRD lobbying the provincial government to build the debris basin and bridge they promised in 2004? Or will you wait until after the next flood?

Ministers Falcon & Abbott Tour Hummingbird Creek Site – June 3, 2004
Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon and Shuswap MLA George Abbott discuss debris flows at Hummingbird Creek, with Rhona Martin, chair of the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District. Minister Falcon indicated that the province would be prepared to commit $4 million towards construction of a debris basin and bridge south of Sicamous, should a local referendum on operation and maintenance pass.

There are a number of measures the CSRD, along with all levels of government can take to better adapt to the impacts of climate change. Here are a few suggestions:

• Protecting shorelines from development, to reduce risks from damages associated with floods, runoff and erosion, and also protect water quality.
• —Improved stormwater management planning – using the principle of water balance and maintaining natural drainage patterns
• Development planning to minimize vulnerability to flood or landslide risks
• —Public education and community dialogue
• —Determine where flood plains have high risks, improve drainage systems to handle higher flows and develop a warning system for local residents
• —Identify and protect high elevation water sources for residential growth and wildfire protection
• —Interface fire planning, hazard analysis and risk reduction activities
• —On-going dialogue with all levels of government and the scientific community.

Shuswap Lake Flooding

The flooding we saw this year from to the extreme high water level in Shuswap Lake is likely in part due to climate change.  This graph shows how the level this year peaked far higher than the last ten years: This graph shows how there may be a trend for the lake to peak closer to July and for the high water to last longer, with sometimes two peaks: This graph illustrates how the lake has peaked above 348.7 m six times in 16 years, or about 1 out of 3 years: Clearly, we are now witnessing a trend towards higher water levels, and with this trend the question should be posed, “Are these existing regulations adequate?”

• —348.3 metres above sea level is the 1 in 2 year high water mark, and 348.7m is the 1 in 5 year high water mark
• —Any proposed development within 15 metres of 1 in 2 year high water mark in a floodplain area triggers an assessment
• —Any proposed development within 30 metres of the 1 in 5 year high water mark in a riparian area (e.g. adjacent to the lake) triggers an assessment
• —Development may be allowed proceed if a qualified professional prepares a positive assessment

Climate change can result in higher lake levels because with climate change, there will be:

• —Higher temperatures which will create more evaporation thus causing greater precipitation
• —More erratic and extreme weather patterns
• —Increased chances for both floods and droughts
• —A trend towards higher lake levels for longer periods of time due to heavy spring rains and larger snow packs

The B.C. Real Estate Association shares these concerns and in a recent newsletter, explained that most floodplain maps are now 25 years old, despite the fact that experts have indicated these should be updated every 10 years.  A meeting of stakeholders is planned for March 2013 to determine how these maps can be updated and made available to the public to improve flood protection in the province.

There are some specific areas of concern regarding development along the foreshore or in floodplains.  (Lee Creek and Blind Bay.)

These slides are of Blind Bay where there was a disgusting raw sewage stench near the water for weeks and no doubt the shore areas of the bay were unsafe for swimming. This is Sunset Cove Marina and Grill in Blind Bay. The flood reached to the floorboard joists even though it had been raised several years ago. Notice the septic tank lid at the water level. Their septic pump-out tanks were under water. Although the field was just above high water, it was likely flooded by the high water table, which flushed contaminants into the lake. The restaurant had to shut down for their peak season which no doubt had a significant financial impact. The septic pump out tanks and RV septic line connections at the Sunset Bay and Campground were below the high water. The old septic regulations did not allow connections that close to the water and new 2005 regulations do not appear to address that issue. Interior Health only responds to above ground leakage, and leaching into the lake is not within their jurisdiction. The Bayside Marina where the Blind Bay Rd was also flooded. The road closure resulted in postponing the Canada Day Celebration for a month. It is not clear what impact the flood had on the septic system of the marina and restaurant.

The Gateway resort includes property in the floodplain that floods regularly during high water.  Fortunately, this proposed Gateway Lakeview Resort master plan was rejected last year by this board: Unfortunately, the park model trailers already fill up one of the low areas and you can see how it flooded this year, forcing many of the owners to remove their trailers. The sewage system also was shut down, as it was under water. Further to the west is a parcel where Gateway had proposed 8 lots with retail services and upper floor dwelling units. This property was under water for nearly a month. No doubt you are all familiar with the controversial Cottonwoods property adjacent to the mouth of the world famous Adams River, home to the renowned salmon run. This Board truly made the right decision when it rejected this massive development plan in 2008. Here are some photos that show what various areas within the proposed development looked like this year during the flood. Many of the RV lots were under water: As were many of the lots where townhouses were proposed: A hole was dug where the proposed motel/condo unit was planned. It was filled with water.  Flooding was extensive throughout the property:

The sewage system was shut down as well, and many thousands of dollars were spent to pump the system out to minimize pollution of the lake.

Notice how close this park model trailer is to the lake in high water. What about the supposed 30 metre setback rule? Given the trend towards increased frequency of high, spring floodwaters in Shuswap Lake, we urge you to review community planning in areas subject to flooding.

• The 348.7 m high water rule should be reviewed and likely changed to a higher elevation as this level now occurs 1 in 3 years.
• —Certainly septic systems that often flood should no longer be consider safe. Inspections are needed for older septic systems in or close to the foreshore.  And the regulations need amendments to address septic systems impacted by flooding to protect lake water quality. (Note that the proposed South Shuswap OCP does address this issue.)
• —What development, if any, should be allowed in floodplains?
• —Caution is needed regarding any proposed development that is likely to flood despite any promises by the developers.
• —Should we get ready for the next 1 in 200 year event (1894 levels)?

In conclusion, as the climate continues to warm up, the impacts are likely to increase as we are already seeing. The CSRD, along with all levels of government, need to take action now to reduce our community’s vulnerability to these impacts. After all, when disasters occur and infrastructure is damaged, governments and taxpayers end up responsible for the repairs. Money and time spent wisely now will lesson future costs.

Shuswap Lake graphs by Bernhard Kramer, Shuswap Lake Watch.