This presentation was recently given to the Cranbrook Rotary Club.
CRANBROOK COMMUNITY FOREST SOCIETY
Presentation
made to the Cranbrook Rotary Luncheon on August 14, 2014
The Cranbrook Community Forest is 2000
hectares of crown land on the eastern boundary of Cranbrook and the Eager Hills
area north of Hwy 3/95. It is a semi-wilderness recreation area and is managed
as an interpretive forest and protected under the Forests and Range Act
regulations. It contains a mixture of forest, grassland and lakes, providing a
home to an abundance of birds, waterfowl, deer, coyotes, ground squirrels, and
other wildlife species, as well as amazing wildflowers and plants. There are several identified & registered
archeological sites at various locations in the forest containing cultural
heritage materials that many people do not even realize are there!
The CCFS is a provincially registered,
non-profit society incorporated in the year 2000.
We have seven directors on our board
including the president, secretary, treasurer and membership chairwoman.
The membership including family members is
approximately 200 people.
The membership fee is $15 for a family and
$10 for a single person. Fees have
never been increased since our incorporation.
These fees are our only source of consistent, annual revenue, however
the Society has been successful in raising operation funds through grant
applications to BC Hydro, East Kootenay Community Credit Union, Columbia Basin
Trust and Recreation Sites & Trails BC.
The society was established in response to
the demonstrated need for a non-government community based organization that
enabled volunteers to become actively involved in the management and
development of the CCF which was facing challenges that could not be adequately
met through government actions alone.
The purpose of the society is to raise
community awareness and support for maintaining the long term integrity of the
CCF as a valuable outdoor educational and recreational asset for all members of
the community and visitors alike. For this purpose funds must be raised to
support projects that will help enhance visitor experience and provide
opportunities for people to appreciate a healthy and diverse eco-system in a
semi-wilderness setting.
In 2007 the society stepped up to the plate
and entered into a Management Agreement for the CCF with Recreation Sites and
Trails BC in response to an appeal from government for volunteer groups to take
over some responsibilities. A new
agreement was signed this year that will be in effect for 10 years. The Agreement is more detailed than our
previous one, and sets out the responsibilities of both the Province and the
CCFS in managing the Community Forest.
An insurance clause covering any injury to registered volunteers working
on sanctioned CCFS events is one of additions to the Agreement. We are also required to submit an annual
report; and to complete an Operating Plan to be done on an annual basis. Two priority undertakings included in our
Plan for this year are to complete a trail inventory with a corresponding map
to identify issues or problems with grade or erosion on trails that may need
remediation work; and, to pursue additional parking to the West of the gasline
parking area that leads to Sylvan Lake. More and more people are using the Community Forest for recreation
and the parking area at the ‘gasline’ often overflows onto 2nd
Street South. This congestion could be
solved by expanding the parking area to the West, using the city’s property,
which at present is undeveloped and is already being encroached upon by people
trying to squeeze in a parking space between the few trees. We have since been
notified by the City Council that our request for additional parking will be
directed to the 2015 budget process for consideration.
Since 2010 we have held four eco-system
work bees in the forest in conjunction with the Rocky Mountain Trench Natural
Resources Society and Recreation Sites & Trails BC. Tasks included tree thinning and collection
of brush for the chipping machine borrowed from the city for these events. This work improved the forest health by
removing saplings, opening the forest floor for renewal of grasslands and
encouraging mature trees to become stronger without the competition of smaller
trees for water and nutrients.
Volunteers were rewarded with a free bar-b-que and a fun prize draw.
We undertook the replacement of all the
informational kiosks in the Southern area of the Forest and have now installed
new, updated signage for seven large kiosks and numerous smaller kiosks located
at the most popular trailheads providing users with a sense of security in
knowing where they are and information about the CCFS and its purpose. The little interpretive signs posted around
Kettle Lake providing information about the flora and fauna of that area have
also been replaced with new signage this year. If you have never enjoyed this little interpretive trail (less
than a kilometer) it is well worth the walk around the lake!
Last year we completed a four-year mapping
project that culminated in the production of a colourful, pocket sized trail
map with lots of information about the forest ecology and history and new
updated trail routes. Local businesses
have been very supportive in the promotion of the map by stocking it for sale
in their locales. 2013 also was the
year new breakaway trail signs were installed throughout the entire
forest. These signs are similar to the
Trans Canada Trail signs and provide trail names and arrows indicating the
direction of travel for people out enjoying and exploring.
New cedar trail signs to be mounted on trees
will be installed on some of the more heavily used trails this summer. A lot of the older cedar signs are very
weathered and hard to read. Trail work has also been completed to prevent
erosion and sloughing of side slopes on some of the “at risk” trails, and
surface grip treatments were installed on bridge decks.
All of the contractors we have hired for
CCFS projects have been local businesses!
The Community Forest has been the site of
several mountain bike races, notably the “6 in the Stix” events that brought
participants from the entire East Kootenay area into Cranbrook, and there are
other cycling events held throughout the year.
The North American Orienteering Championships
were held in the Eager Hills area in 2010.
Over 600 participants and families from all around the world attended
this event. The CCF was also the venue
for the Western Canadian Orienteering championships, and, the International
Orienteering Organization is considering Cranbrook as the site for a World
Youth Championship. On September 7th
this year the BC Long Distance Championships will be held at Eager Hills. All these types of events attract visitors
to our area, adding to Cranbrook’s economy.
Recently the decision of a new Doctor moving here was based in part by
the outdoor lifestyle Cranbrook offers.
The CCF is mentioned often in Real Estate advertising, as well.
In July we hosted a “weed pull” led by the
East Kootenay Invasive Plant Council, as an educational event which also
resulted in 10 big garbage bags of invasive weeds pulled and removed from the
area around Sylvan Lake.
A big challenge for us has been to educate
and encourage users to use the pet waste stations, located at the three main
trail entrances to the forest, and clean up after their dogs. Thanks to the Playpen, who donated the sign
posts and disposable bags, we have a solution to the dog poop inevitably
encountered on trails, we just have to keep persisting in our efforts to get
people to responsibly pick up after their pets.
We have a website and Facebook page, as
well as g-mail for individuals to access for information, news, photos and
announcements about the Community Forest.
Participating in local Farmers Markets has
given us a chance to promote the forest and let people know it is not just an
area that is out there as a free place to recreate, but it is actively managed,
looked after, and protected by a committed group of volunteers operating as a
non-profit society & in conjunction with the Ministry of Forests, continues
to pursue improvements and educational opportunities. As you know it takes many hundreds of volunteer hours to be
successful in providing opportunities and resources like this to the community.
Environmental damage caused by the illegal
use of off road vehicles and dirt bikes in the forest has been a concern for
many years. The Society has an ongoing
security contract from June 1 to October 31 where the road is monitored and
checked daily and the north entrance gate is locked overnight from 10 pm to 6
am daily to prevent unauthorized vehicle access. Still, there are individuals who continue to abuse the use of the
forest, causing environmental damage. We
continue to work with RSTBC Enforcement Officers trying to curtail the
abuse. The introduction of off road
vehicle licensing legislation by the Province, which we hope will come into
effect this year, will provide an avenue to identify the vehicle operators who
are trespassing, and to enforce the consequences of non-compliance.
We have worked closely with the Ministry of
Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations on all our projects to date and
have received tremendous support and encouragement from them. We are proud in
what we have achieved over the years but much more needs to be done to preserve
this special place which can be enjoyed in all seasons by all people. The CCF is available to every citizen
irrespective of age or socioeconomic status.
The CCF is a vital link to maintaining good mental and physical health
of our citizens. The ability for people
to take part in recreational activities creates a sense of community and allows
for many social interactions. On any given
day the CCF is used by scores of people, including families with young
children, grandparents, hikers, biking groups – people out enjoying this
exceptional resource at our doorstep!
Not many communities have such a unique area so close by.
We hope to maintain a lasting legacy for
our community. Having responsible
stewardship will preserve the Forest in perpetuity and maintain its integrity. The Cranbrook Community Forest is a
remarkable place that with care and attention will be used by generations of
people from Cranbrook and the surrounding area as well as providing a sustainable
environment for wildlife, and a destination for tourists & visitors.
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