Province seeks public comment on potential land use objectives for Great Bear Rainforest

The Great Bear Rainforest is
the subject of a public comment
period on potential land use

Residents of the Northwest with a particular fondness for the Great Bear Rainforest may want to make note of August 10th on a calendar, that is the deadline for public input into potential uses of land in that iconic portion of the region.

The call for contributions from the public went out yesterday from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources, with the province looking to the public for guidance on such uses as biodiversity, mining, tourism and conservancy in the region.

The consultation period is part of the process involved that will cancel the regulations that have been in effect since 2007 and replace them with new guidelines that will set forest management requirements within the 6.4 million hectares of the Great Bear Rainforest.

The Kitsault area is one of
eight potential BMTA's

In addition to the review of the Great Bear Rainforest, the province is seeking comment on plans to create eight other areas known as BMTA's in the region, including the Kitsault region of the Northwest.

Those newly created areas would prohibit commercial logging and hydro electric power generation linked to the power grid, while other resource activities and land uses will remain subject to the existing legal requirements.

In March of 2014, North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice outlined some of her concerns regarding Bill 4, which was the Park Amendment Act, at that time Ms. Rice reviewed some of the issues that park encroachment could deliver on the the Khutzeymateen.

To make a contribution to the engagement process, this with comments can provide their written submissions to the Ministry through the following options.

Written comments may be sent to: Great Bear Rainforest Land Use Order/BMTAs/Conservancy Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, West Coast Region Suite 142, 2080 Labieux Road, Nanaimo, BC V9T 6J9 

You can send your comments by Fax to 250-751-7081

Or by email at: Great.Bear.Rainforest@gov.bc.ca

Some background on the public engagement process can be found here.

Further research material related to the Great Bear Rainforest can be examined from the Province's website, the material features Maps of the proposed Conservancy areas, including the one noted for the Kitsault region.

The Draft for Public review related to the Great Bear Rainforest Order can be examined here.