Dr. Rachel Holt
March 29-26
To Whom it May Concern:
Re: BCTS file # 18046-30/BCTS FSP 771 The proposed partial clear cutting of 3 blocks in, over lapping, abutting or near deferred, at-risk, rare, old growth in the Peachland watershed, specifically Glen Lake
canyon, blocks GL 007,008,009.
Dear Sirs/Mesdames
Please note that the blocks mentioned overlap with the Interior Douglas Fir (dry, cool zone 2) IDFdk2 and the Montane Spruce (dry, mild zone 2) MS dm2 – from the various pieces of information you have available, it does look like there is high value old forest here. This should not be logged.
I attempted to look up what old growth targets should apply – but your provincial non-spatial old growth order says that Trepanier Landscape Unit has multiple different sets of targets (unhelpful). However, overall – using the provincial vegetation resources index (the provinces dataset):
The IDFdk2 is at extreme high risk for forest condition:
- the remaining old growth is less than 2% old forest (old forest is 250 years).
- And of this remaining old forest – less than 30% of this 2% is protected in parks or Old Growth Management Areas (OGMAs)
- On top of that it has a very high level of conversion to private land – which significantly increases the risk for this ecosystem.
The MSdm2 … is in a bit better condition – around 18% remaining old forest (the age of old there is 140 years so it’s easier to meet old growth) – so there is still relatively little actual old >250 years.
And of that 18%, only 22% is protected.
PLUS – OGMAs often do not have old in them.
Overall message: There is very little old forest remaining across these ecosystems, especially in the central Okanagan. The Technical Advisory Panel polygons identify the ‘best remaining’ and should not be logged –period. Save going up and measuring each tree, better to be precautionary in this
community watershed.
Dr. Rachel Holt
Independent ecologist
Ministers Advisory Panel on Old Growth
Peachland Historian
RICHARD SMITH
1. The Glenn Lake area is of extremely historic significance to the native peoples and early settlers. Each Summer for centuries the indigenous people would walk the “Indian Trail” to Princeton to trade with the Coast Salish , who would walk the Allison Trail up from Hope. At Princeton they would trade goods, sea shells from the coast and smoked and dried fish.The Interior Salish people from the Okanagan would actually have sites along the route where they would make stone tools. The distinct obsidian stone flakings are evidence of these archeological sites. I have visited one.
2. Another rare and valuable commodity found in the river bank was an iron deposit of bright red Vermillion rock. That was used as war paint, for rock pictographs and ornamentation. Early European explorers called this area thus, Vermillion Forks, until about 1905 when Prince Edward made a historic visit to the coast and in his honour the area was renamed Princeton, derived from ‘Prince Town’ although he never actually visited there.
After J M Robinson’s Peachland mines petered out, he developed a number of gold mines in the Glenn Lake area and laid out a townsite for mine workers. The town was named Glenn Robinson. ( see picture) Today it is privately owned and is location of Air B&B cabins. A nearby mountain was also named for his wife, Kathleen Mountain.
3. The area around the lake is also the habitat for a rare and elusive small animal, the rock rabbit or Pika,This information came from Pioneer, Gordon Sanderson. If there was ever an area deserving of protection for precious and endangered wild life, this is it. In 2015 the Canadian Mint produced a solid gold 25 cent coin depicting the Pika!
There is still the remains of an old cabin, supposedly the site of buried treasure from the 1930’s builder, a Montreal bank robber, Frenchy Forest. As a young child I remember meeting him many times, sometimes with his P38 German pistol stuck in his belt. The Forest around Glenn lake was his trap line for furs. He never owned a car and walked everywhere through the forest and jumped the Kettle Valley train to get to Summerland or Penticton.
submitted by
Richard Smith
Historian, Educator, Storyteller
Sommerset Ave.,
Born and Raised, Peachland, BC
