MAY 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


27 Range use planning critical for OK ranchers


NOLA members face unique challenges with urban interface


by TOM WALKER VERNON – North Okanagan


Livestock Association (NOLA) members had a lengthy and informative AGM at the end of March in Vernon. Range officer Rob


Dinwoodie with the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations gave an update on some of the challenges producers face raising cattle in the Okanagan. “We have probably the


most productive range area in the province,” says Dinwoodie. “We have 155 grazing tenures that support 15,000 head of cattle, but you know the last thing anybody asks me is, ‘How’s the grass?’” “There are so many issues


affecting you as cattlemen,” says Dinwoodie. “Within our district, we have 350 species at risk and 32 species on the red list.”


He notes there are over 50 community watersheds within the Okanagan range district.


“I think the biggest constraint in the North Okanagan is water sheds,” he says. “We lose one watershed, we will lose them all.” He reminded producers to


be sure they are following Best Management Practices (BMP) in a community watershed. “If you are not grazing in a watershed, be thankful.” Some people believe


recreation has now surpassed forestry in terms of revenue in the province, Dinwoodie says, and recreationalist’s use of rangeland will continue to expand. “The city of Penticton is


promoting itself as the mountain biking capital of Canada,” he says. “How many of those mountain bikes will be going up into your range land? Recognize the constraints you are up against.”


“Are your BMPs effective against pathogens?” Dinwoodie asks. “A recent study by UBC said that they were but we need to remain vigilante. All it would take is one situation of cryptosporidium in a watershed.” “Don’t sleep when it comes


to water; it is critical that we monitor it in the Okanagan valley.” “We are trying to reduce


the red tape involved in the range use planning process,” noted Dinwoodie. He urged ranchers to see it as a living document that does more than sit on a shelf. “Consider what would happen if a wildfire took out your summer range? Where would you take your cattle and how would you move them?” Bob France gave an


overview of the Species at Risk Partnership on Agricultural Land (SARPAL) program, administered through the BC Cattlemens’ Association (BCCA). The project gives money to help land owners provide and enhance habitat for species at risk. Two birds, the Yellow- breasted Chat and the Lewis’s Woodpecker, are the focus of the program, funded by Environment Canada. “These projects are about habitat but they also help the rancher,” says France. “I think that is the way to go.” He gave examples of six


projects that have been completed to date and explained that there was more funding available for interested ranchers. BCCA general manager Kevin Boon started his report with a recognition of the challenges for ranchers in the Okanagan as they negotiate the interface between rural, urban and recreation uses. “This area was the original


grassland in the province,” he notes. “We are continually


LINDSAY BARTKO PHOTO


being forced north by other interests.”


He supports species-at-risk


programs across Canada and added, “I believe people are


starting to recognize the stewardship and maintenance our industry gives to the grasslands.” Boon recognized Linda


Allison for her work on the groundwater licensing process.


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