Editor;
Thank you for publishing the article about a potential quarry on the river road. I expressed my misgivings about this project to Mr. Keith Weir, who is a government agent responsible for its oversight and approval.
He directed me to a link - https://comment.nrs.gov.bc.ca/applications which will take comments from community members. Refer to Lands File 3413533.
This property is in Wells Gray Park and is adjacent to a major salmon spawning river, so it would seem to me that the appropriate authority for determining if this should proceed lies with the Ministry of Parks and probably fisheries and environment.
READ MORE Ministry to re-open community feedback for quarry site near Wells Gray Park
I am submitting my concerns as follows:
I’m questioning the wisdom of allowing the re-establishment of a quarry in the Wells Gray Park land adjacent to the Clearwater River.
I presume the decision was made easily, as it had been a site for materials used in the construction of the forest service road running from Camp 2 Road in Clearwater to the now absent bridge over the mouth of the Mahood River. That road has been washed out in recent years, and the rafting companies that used it for access to the upper portion of the Clearwater River have been dealt a big blow.
A quarry on what remains of their access to the river will be hugely detrimental to them, and to tourism in general for this small community.
I’m sure you are well aware that many industrial land use applications in years past weren’t subject to the same stringent oversight by the ministries of environment, parks, and fisheries as exist today.
In fact, when the possibility of re-establishing the river road was considered, the potential impact on spawning salmon migration was a mark against the project.
Dust, noise, and truck traffic will diminish the tourist experience on any of the walking paths on either side of the Clearwater River.
Possibly the most important aspect is that allowing commercial extraction of materials within the confines of the beautiful Class A Wells Gray Provincial Park, sets a precedent for any other similar business venture, anywhere within its boundaries.
Bob MacKenzie
Clearwater
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