At a glance…
Since 1990, Kevan Bracewell and BCTMO have lobbied for and helped create land management plans that focus on responsible, sustainable principles.
Key Areas of Focus: Wildlife management, forestry management, park management, range management, and watershed management.
Purpose:
To influence policy and create protective measures that will safeguard the wilderness for years to come.
Goals Achieved:
The creation of Big Creek Park, the South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park, and the Lillooet Land Resource Management Plan.
The Whole Story…
Over the past twenty-five years, Kevan Bracewell and BCTMO have contributed their time, expertise, and conservation-minded approach to land management planning. Their commitment to securing responsible land management decisions protects both the wilderness and the future prosperity of local communities. Without principled guidelines to direct land use, the Coast to Cascades region would likely experience depletion of resources and destruction of habitat. Along with causing irreparable damage to the wilderness, poor land management deprives future generations of the economic stimulus that sustainable wilderness tourism provides.
In 1990, wilderness tourism operators and guide outfitter representatives from the Cariboo-Chilcotin convened to create a sustainable land and resource management plan for the region. Kevan Bracewell and BCTMO worked alongside their peers to formulate responsible policies. This group of mountain outfitters and wilderness tourism operators went on to establish Big Creek Park as a protected region in the north half of the South Chilcotin Mountains. This was one of the first major steps taken by mountain outfitters to establish provincially recognized parks that would preserve the health and vitality of these natural places.
Building upon this success, BCTMO and Kevan Bracewell again joined forces with other local operators to create a practical, responsible plan for the management of resources in the Lillooet Timber Supply Area. Because this was Crown Land, it was essential that local operators like BCTMO step up and create a plan that would hold everyone accountable for the long-term health of the wilderness. From 1999 to 2004, Kevan Bracewell and BCTMO made significant contributions to what became the Lillooet Land Resource Management Plan (LLRMP). This plan did more than outline sustainable management policies; it created a new provincial park.
This park, known as the South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park, is one of the most diverse parks in all of BC. The park’s protected status is due in large part to the continued dedication of mountain outfitters and wilderness tourism operators. In 2009 the Council of Tourism Associations (COTA) and the Wilderness Tourism Association (WTA), with cooperation from the BC Mining Industry, articulated a memorandum of understanding. This new understanding identified wilderness tourism as the best use of the South Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park, in terms of both sustainability and economic return. This created a clear precedent for prioritizing the health of the park’s natural habitats.
In these and other policy decisions, Kevan Bracewell and BCTMO have lobbied for land management decisions that promote low-impact, sustainable practices. This dedication to conservation recognizes the uniqueness of the Coast to Cascades region and safeguards this wilderness for future generations.
Next steps…
In years to come, Kevan Bracewell and BCTMO will continue to invest in the responsible planning and management of BC’s wild places. Key areas of focus for Kevan Bracewell and BCTMO are balanced and sustainable wildlife management, forestry management, park management, range management, and watershed management. Currently, they are working to prevent tourism initiatives that will jeopardize the vitality of the Coast to Cascades region through unregulated overuse.
Resources & References:
http://bctrophymountainoutfitters.com/conservation/#conservation-projects