The Federation of Mountain Clubs
of British Columbia

June 2018 NEWSLETTER

FMCBC News

Introducing your new Board of Directors

On the adjournment of the Annual General Meeting this month, your Federation of Mountain Clubs evolved significantly.

For the first time in many years, your organisation’s society bylaws have been revised and will allow for the organisation to move its agenda forward smoother and react quicker to the changes that are occurring in the backcountry of BC.

The new 10-member Board of Directors is:

  • Dave Wharton – Valley Outdoor Association - President
  • Ken Orr – Chilliwack Outdoor Club – Vice president
  • Mack Skinner – North Shore Hikers – Secretary
  • James Spencer – Alpine Club of Canada – VI – Treasurer
  • Jay MacArthur - Alpine Club of Canada – Vancouver
  • Alex Girard – Varsity Outdoor Club – Vancouver
  • Andrew Drouin – South Okanagan Trail Alliance
  • Robin Dunbar – Outdoor Club of Victoria
  • Sherry Durnford – Island Mountain Ramblers
  • Dave King – Caledonia Ramblers

While I list the clubs with which the Board members are affiliated, these new Board members are the FMCBC directors—elected to serve the entire federation of clubs they now represent.

A huge round of thanks to Ken Orr and the bylaws committee that worked so hard to make the bylaws work for an expanding—and truly trans province—club driven organisation. The bylaws clearly are representative of what has become a vibrant and progressive advocacy group.

Finally, a huge shout out of thanks! to Silvie-Maire Fortin who has been the FMCBC Treasurer for years, and a warm welcome to James Spencer who volunteered for that tough task on the Board.

Congratulations to everyone. We are all looking forward to great things in the next year!

Barry Janyk - Executive Director

2018 AGM in Victoria

We held our 2018 AGM in Victoria over the June 8th–10th weekend, and welcomed nearly 30 directors, members, and staff from around the province. The discussions were lively and engaging as always, and resulted in some BIG changes for the Fed, as mentioned above. You can read a draft of the minutes here.

A big thanks to the Outdoor Club of Victoria for putting on the AGM and for planning so many wonderful activities. We appreciate all the hard work and effort you put into the weekend, and your attention to detail did not go unnoticed!

2018 Member Club Grant awards

Congrats to this year’s Member Club Grant recipients! The grants, which are used to support projects initiated by our member clubs, were presented at our AGM in Victoria. You can read all about the winners and their projects on our blog.

Thanks to everyone who submitted applications—all of your projects were extremely worthwhile and we wish we could have supported them all! And thanks to the FMCBC’s Member Club Grant Committee for your hard work on putting these awards together.

Recent letters and feedback

Early in June, we sent a letter to Vicki Haberl, Planning Section Head for BC Parks, regarding our opposition to the re-designation options for Tetrahedron Provincial Park. We believe every effort should be made to preserve the Chapman Lake watershed in as pristine condition as possible, and are therefore recommending that the Class A park status be maintained, along with the current special park regulations, which are in effect to protect the watershed. You can read the full letter here.

And, after reviewing the Tenure Management Plan (see page 65) for Summer Operations of Sunshine Coast Mountain Adventures Ltd. (File: #2411953), we submitted feedback detailing the reasons for our oppoistion to the tenure application. Read our comments here.

Have you read the latest issue of Cloudburst?

In case you missed it, the Spring/Summer 2018 issue of Cloudburst is now out. You can download it as a PDF, read it on Issuu, or request a paper copy by sending your name and mailing address to cloudburst@mountainclubs.org.

 

Mountain Matters

Jumbo is back in court

The developers behind the controversial Jumbo Resort are attempting to revive plans for development, years after the provincial government squashed their plans.

From Jumbo Wild, who has been granted intervenor status in the case of Glacier Resorts Ltd. vs. the BC Minister of the Environment:

"If Glacier Resorts is successful in court, their environmental certificate could be restored. If the BC Minister of the Environment is successful in defending its decision, the project cannot proceed as it was proposed—it would have to either go through another environmental assessment process or Glacier Resorts would have to propose a smaller project for review. This court case has giant implications to our efforts to #KeepJumboWild!"

You can more about their efforts on their website, and in their recent e-newsletter. (Photo: Robyn Duncan)

 

Letter from West Coast Environmental Law

West Coast Environmental Law wrote a powerful letter opposing BC Parks’ current process and proposals to remove the park designation from some or all of Tetrahedron Provincial Park.

"We believe that BC Parks needs to hit pause on the current process and instead develop a process that critically examines the region’s water needs and does not assume that the SCRD’s water needs justify the removal of the Park designation from some or all of the Park."

Read the full letter here.

 

In the News

How a B.C. community’s water shortage threatens a provincial park - The Narwhal, May 31, 2018

It’s Time for a Chat Metro Vancouver – 6 Tips to Avoid Becoming Our Next Customer - North Shore Rescue, June 3, 2018

MOTI adds no parking barriers on Sea to Sky Highway - Mountain FM, June 8, 2018

Death in the Alpine - Pique, June 10, 2018

Battling mental illness, B.C. mountain climber finds peace in the outdoors - CBC News, June 16, 2018

Canada’s Parks Have Lost Their Way — and Time Is Running Out - The Tyee, June 20, 2018

Passionate about parks: Commemorative licence plates raise millions - CTV News Vancouver, June 25, 2018

 

Announcements

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy recently completed a review of professional reliance in the natural resource sector to ensure the highest professional, technical and ethical standards are being applied to resource management in British Columbia. Read the report here.

The North Okanagan Regional District is looking for informed citizens to serve on the Greater Vernon trails and natural spaces advisory committee. Nomination packages can be found at RDNO.ca.

Looking for a job in the backcountry ski equipment industry? G3 Genuine Guide Gear has a few new openings in Burnaby.

Canada’s Conservation Vision: A Report of the National Advisory Panel was recently released.

The official date is here! DIRTBAG: THE LEGEND OF FRED BECKEY will be available on @iTunes July 3, 2018. Pre-order here.

A summer reading suggestion for outdoor enthusiasts and naturalists, from Mike Nash of the Caledonia Ramblers: A Wilder Time: Notes from a Geologist at the Edge of the Greenland Ice by William E. Glassley

 

Feature photo credit

Thanks to Elise Barber for this month's feature photo.

"A friend recommended Brandywine Meadows, and sold me with the review 'It’s like being in the Alps!' So we hopped into the small SUV of a friend of mine and headed up the rocky, steep road to discover this gem of a hike. In a couple hours of fairly rapid ascent, we made it to the glorious valley that my friend had spoke of. There were very few other hikers and a few folks camping, so the place was very peaceful with awe-inspiring vistas all around. We spent the afternoon exploring the hidden beauty of this spot!" - Elise Barber

Click here to view our Spring/Summer 2018 issue of Cloudburst.

Use our online form to report motorized recreation observed within BC Park boundaries.
 
Visit Canada Helps to make a donation to the FMCBC . All donations go towards our Member Club Grant Program
 
The FMCBC is always looking for volunteers. Click here to find out how you can get involved.

The FMCBC is a proud member of:

 

As always, the FMCBC would like to thank Mountain Equipment Co-op for supporting the FMCBC through their generous contribution of office space from which to base our administration.

Get in touch with us

mountainclubs.org
fmcbc@mountainclubs.org

Copyright © 2018 Federation of Mountain Clubs of BC, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this newsletter because your local outdoor club is a member of the FMCBC or you have signed up to receive our newsletters.