Weyco land application extended
The regional district board agreed to grant a six month extension on a rezoning application for the former Weyerhaeuser lands in Okanagan Falls.
The original application to rezone the property was made in September of 2009, but ongoing work on site contamination delayed the sale of the lands to Zinfandel Holdings. Final environmental approval was obtained in the fall of 2012, allowing the site application to move forward. The six month extension expires on June 30, 2013.
Zinfandel Holdings plans to develop the former sawmill property into a commercial industrial park with an affordable residential component. The area also includes lands that are suitable for a vineyard operation, and an agricultural component is planned for some perimeter portions of the property.
Starling program pitches for grant funding
The Okanagan – Similkameen Starling Control Program appealed to the regional district board for funding in 2013 – as well as for some representation from the board.
Greg Norton and Denise MacDonald presented an update of the program’s activities to the board at the December 20 meeting. In addition to a funding request for $25,000, Norton suggested that a representative from the regional district board would be “more than welcome.”
Area “B” Director George Bush put his name forward to represent the board.
Norton and MacDonald were assured by the board that their program was important to the regional district.
Starling Control Program quick facts:
– Each regional district in the Okanagan contributes $25,000 annually to the program.
– 442,197 starlings have been humanely trapped by the program since 2003, 208,052 in the RDOS alone.
– Research completed so far indicates that birds come from the following areas:
– 25 per cent from the Kelowna area.
– 10 per cent from the South Okanagan
– 20 per cent from Quesnel
– Five per cent from Grand Forks
– 40 per cent of unknown origin
Research is continuing.
– The program continues to make urban dwellers aware of the starling problem, as the birds tend to use urban infrastructure as nesting sites.
– Starlings are estimated to cause three to four million dollars in crop damage and losses annually.
