Revelstoke, BC FRISBY RIDGE CARIBOU CLOSURE REPEALED

Nov 9

British Columbia Snowmobile Federation, Keremeos BC — The BC Snowmobile Federation (BCSF) in partnership with the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club (RSC) and the BC Ministry of Forests would like to announce the repeal of the Frisby Ridge Caribou closure effective immediately.

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 of the BC Snowmobile Federation, highlighted “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. 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 initiated measures, including predator and primary prey management, 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 sustaining the closure over the years and their commitment to caribou recovery efforts overall.

“The RSC would like to thank the many volunteers that worked diligently 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.”