A proposed 70,000 hectare adventure tourism tenure west of Kimberley is still under review and a decision has not yet been made on wether the tenure will be granted or not.
The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development (FLNRORD) said in November of last year that consultations with other First Nations continues to be ongoing.
A spokesperson for FLNRORD says that currently, a decision has not been made for the proponents to address input received through the public advisory process.
READ MORE: Consultation continues for proposed tourism tenure with Retallack, Lower Kootenay Band
The consultation period for feedback to the provincial government closed on July 15, 2018. Once a decision is made, it will be posted on the Ministry’s website.
Adventure tourism company Retallack (along with the Lower Kootenay Band) is proposing the 177,000 acre multiple use tenure. If granted, the tenure would allow for guided hiking, horseback riding, climbing and mountain biking in the summer and guided ski touring, heliskiing, mountaineering, snowshoeing and dogsledding in the winter.
In July of last year, the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) announced that they would not support the proposal, with the board of directors citing concerns over increased helicopter traffic. They said there would be significant impacts to wildlife and the environment from increased backcountry tourism use.
READ MORE: RDEK opposes proposed Retallack recreation tenure
When the proposal was first announced, local conservation group Wildsight also voiced their opposition for similar reasons.
Conservation Coordinator for Wildsight, Eddie Petryshen, said at the time that if the tenure is granted, it could have a huge affect on the wildlife population, wilderness, and quiet recreation value in the Purcells.
Both the RDEK and Wildsight referenced the Cranbrook West Recreation Management Strategy, a plan that was developed with input from a number of different environmental stakeholders and released in 2005.
The yaqan nuʔkiy is one of six bands that make up the Ktunaxa Nation while Retallack is based in Nelson, BC and provides backcountry catskiing, snowboarding and mountain biking adventures in the Selkirks.
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