The Federation of Mountain Clubs
of British Columbia

November 2021 NEWSLETTER
 

FMCBC News

November E-news publication — back in action!

The FMCBC is pleased to send you this monthly e-news issue after a hiatus and staff changeover. We appreciate your patience and look forward to sharing the latest news and issues concerning non-motorized recreation in BC and beyond.

Have something you’d like us to share? We welcome submissions from our clubs as well as the general public — please get in touch with us!

Want to get the Fed's Cloudburst Magazine and monthly E-news directly to your inbox? Subscribe here!

Wrapping up the FMCBC 2021 Annual General Meeting

The FMCBC Executive welcomed representatives from our member clubs at our virtual AGM on October 23rd. The Fed was pleased to offer clubs who participated a $50 gift for their time - a thank you to all who attended and contributed to our lively discussion!

A warm welcome to incoming Directors Monika Bittel and Jay MacArthur. Our appreciation goes to incumbent Director Paula McGahon for taking on the Treasurer position, and heartfelt gratitude to Sherry Durnford — our outgoing Treasurer. Sherry has work diligently and with great dedication to supporting the financial operations of the Fed over the last year - all our best to her as she continues her role as Club Rep for the Island Mountain Ramblers. See you on the trails, Sherry!

Our 2021-2022 FMCBC Board of Directors

Donate to support our continued advocacy work

Club member representatives - You can find the AGM reports in the [reps] groups.io forum at https://fmcbc.groups.io/g/Reps/files (log in and read the reports under the AGM Packages folder).

You'll find key happenings and successes from the past year in the Executive, staff and committee reports. Feel free to browse the information and share with your club members!

Are you a FMCBC individual or associate member that could not attend the AGM? Email us to receive the reports from the 2021 FMCBC AGM. 
 

Mountain Matters

FMCBC responds to Lands Branch regarding a proposed heli-ski tenure near Mount Waddington

It is time to formalize the “non-motorized with restricted aerial access” land use designation for the Mt. Waddington area, as well as for the Homathko Icefield, to preserve these remote and heavily glaciated landscapes from development and commercial day-use recreation and to allow for future consideration as protected areas. Read more on the FMCBC blog. 

BC Parks Invests $ 21.5 Million To Modernize Outdoor Recreation After Record Year Of Camping

BC Parks $21.5 million investment includes improvements to Sun-Oka Provincial Park, Lakelse Lake Provincial Park, Cultus Lake Provincial Park, Miracle Beach Provincial Park. 

Currently, the FMCBC is seeking more information about the proposed funding since there are several FMCBC clubs which have volunteer partnership agreements with BC Parks. We are also seeking ways to provide constructive input into the funding decisions. We would like to see greater transparency and accountability in how BC Parks arrived at the funding allocations and how BC Parks determines which projects will be funded, given all regions have reported on the poor state of many backcountry trails and facilities.

New Provincial park on Southern Vancouver Island 

A new provincial park on southern Vancouver Island will soon be established to protect a vital ecosystem important to the Cowichan people, honouring Indigenous cultural and spiritual history, and aiding in the conservation of threatened species.

Learn more and view the backgrounder.

Project updates and tips for staying involved and busy with iNaturalist and the BC Parks project 

You may be interested in getting your outdoors/naturalist group involved with the BC Nature Challenge and the BC Parks iNaturalist Project, the citizen science initiatives to collect nature observations using the free app and website iNaturalist. If this is new to you, you can find more information on the project at bcparksfoundation.ca/inaturalist and naturechallenge.ca.

Wildfire News

View the final newsletter of the 2021 Fire Season from the BC Wildfire Service - in this issue, read about the fire season that was and look ahead to starting anew in 2022. 

Outdoor Safety Tips

Mike Nash of the Caledonia Ramblers recently published an updated and expanded version of his ‘Safety Tips of the Week’ blog written for the Caledonia Ramblers’ newsletter from May 2018 to May 2020. All 88 safety tips are compiled into this extensive guide - a compelling and useful read!

ORCBC Webinar: Resource Roads in British Columbia - Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Whether you use resource roads to get to your recreation destination or use these roads as an integral part of your recreation activity, this webinar is relevant for you. This is an opportunity to learn more about public use of resource roads, different resource road types, tenuring, maintenance obligations, road user information, and the process for resource road closure/deactivation. Register here!

Interview with a Legendary Trail Builder

Check out this interview with Clarence Boudreau in the ‘Crazy Damn Canadians’ podcast series.

Boudreau is well known in the Prince George area mountain community, having long ago built one of the first recreational mountain trails and mountain cabins in North Central BC above the community of Penny. Clarence comes from a generation where resilience and independence were essential to surviving and thriving in an isolated mountain community, and one can’t help be spellbound and charmed by his stories and, towards the end of the interview, his music.

Online Webinar — Imaginary Peaks: A Virtual Book Talk with Katie Ives

Moderated by Pete Takeda| Dec. 9 at 6PM MST

Imaginary Peaks: The Riesenstein Hoax and Other Mountain Dreams by Katie Ives - Webinar: “In 1962 a mountain range in northern BC captivated the climbing world - but it was what would later become known as the Riesenstein Hoax. Join Katie Ives, editor in chief at Alpinist Magazine, as she discusses her new book at a virtual event on December 9^th.

Register today to attend this online event!

In the News

'We need more rangers': Vancouver Park Board aiming to double size of ranger program - CTV News Vancouver (October 19, 2021)

Lake Country BC community rallies together for safer trails - Global News (October 25, 2021)

KVR Trail undergoes improvements to segments along 16-km section in Central Okanagan - Global News (October 5, 2021)

12 fall hikes to do around Vancouver before the winter weather kicks in -Daily Hive (October 19, 2021)

The little-known hiking trail that built Canada - BBC (October 25, 2021)

This haunted BC trail leads you to 4 abandoned towns - 604NOW (October 10, 2021)

Results from the 2021 Squamish 50/50 - Canadian Running (October 17, 2021)

The Bear Facts: Give B.C. bears a break - Pique News Magazine (October 23, 2021)

BCMEA steps up to advance trail network around Kaien Island - The Northern View (October 12, 2021)

The Grouse Grind Hike Is Like Climbing A Staircase Up To The Clouds In BC - Narcity/Vancouver (October 18, 2021)

Chilliwack Lake Park renamed to reflect ancestral Indigenous place name - The Chilliwack

Progress (October 6, 2021)

Feeding wildlife in Vancouver parks could now cost you - City News Everywhere (October 5, 2021)

B.C. provincial park in North Okanagan expands by 65 hectares - Global News (October 7, 2021)

Province to expand protected areas, Mount Robson by one hectare - Prince George Citizen (October 6, 2021)

Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, B.C. reach milestone agreement to advance shared reconciliation work - BC Gov News (October 14, 2021)

Kinney Lake Trail closes for maintenance: damage assessment continues - The Rocky Mountain Goat (October 29, 2021)

24/7 cameras capture 'fat bears' in Lower Mainland parks - Vancouver is Awesome (September 30, 2021)

8 Great Getaways for Fall - Vancouver Sun (October 4, 2021)

Mount Pétain in the Rockies to have name rescinded - Cranbrook Daily Townsman (October 18, 2021)

On B.C.’s Sunshine Coast, some of Canada’s oldest living trees escape the chopping block - The Narwhal (October 9, 2021)

Wade Davis struck by Comox woman’s ‘guts, courage, grit’ on trek - Comox Valley Record (October 24, 2021)

PRC Master Plan draft ready for input in Pitt Meadows - Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows News (October 7, 2021)

Feature Photo Credit

Thanks to Bengul Kurtar for this image of his De Pencier Bluffs (Mt Seymour Provincial Park) snowshoeing trip with North Shore Hikers.
Learn more about the De Pencier Bluffs trail.

Want to share your backcountry photos? Email us! 

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fmcbc@mountainclubs.org

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