The Revelstoke Grooming Society recently made a presentation at the International Snowmobile Congress (ISC) held in Calgary and expressed their concerned about more of the land base around Revestoke being impacted by closure because of caribou habitat issues.
The Revelstoke Snowmobile Club is the largest in the province of British Columbia with 630 active members and snowmobiling is a $8 million support to the winter economy of the Revelstoke area.
The society and club have been particularly active in land use issues for well over a decade. They have developed some the most progressive and informative educational programs to address caribou terrain conflicts. The area was hit hard back in 2000 when 75 per cent of the land base was closed and there is fear that another series of closures is about to be implemented.
Though the Revelstoke Snowmobile Club has not officially received notice of the new closures, club executives have noted that the closures are already posted on government websites. The additional closures could affect prime snowmobile areas like the Caribou Basin (which is currently a weekend-only riding area) and the Keystone Standard area. This would add up to over 4.9 million acres closed because of ongoing caribou issues in British Columbia.
The Revelstoke Snowmobile Club and the Grooming Society want snowmobilers to be aware that further closures can only hinder snowmobile tourism in the area.
