BURSTAmid preparations to clean up an abandoned camp in the Lumby area, the Okanagan Forest Task Force (OFTF) is urging the province to aid its mission to make the backcountry safer.
Ryan Hirschmiller, with OFTF, told The Morning Star the now-unused camp consists of an abandoned motor home and multiple truck boxes worth of garbage, as well as deer remains that likely indicate illegal poaching.
The concerns about these illegal camp sites are numerous for the group of backcountry stewards. Chief among them are polluted waterways and a greater risk of wildfire.
“We spent our lives in the backcountry, and it’s really about keeping that safe for our children so they can enjoy the backcountry, too,” Hirschmiller said.
OFTF regularly patrols remote backcountry areas, responding to abandoned and illegal fires, documenting environmental concerns and conducting large-scale cleanups.
For over 10 years, the group has removed more than 1.4 million pounds of garbage from the backcountry.
OFTF president Kane Blake said Friday the group isn’t sure exactly when it will clean up the Lumby area camp, as its volunteers are waiting for the fire risk to diminish before operating in the backcountry, lest a fire be accidentally ignited.
The illegality of many of these campsites comes down to their duration. In B.C., campsites in parks or on Crown land can only be set up for a maximum of 14 days.
“There’s a reason for that,” Blake said. “It’s so that we don’t have this situation where there’s a mass quantity of garbage in one location.”
Blake said his team is the boots on the ground dealing with issues in the backcountry and out of the public eye daily. For weeks, he’s been trying to get the province to help their efforts.
Blake sent an open letter to B.C. Premier David Eby two weeks ago, in which the OFTF stated it has compassion for the transient individuals living in encampments in the backcountry, but that these encampments on Crown land pose a risk to public safety.
Blake has since sent letters to Forests Minister Ravi Parmar and to Conservative Party and Official Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre. He said as of Friday, none of his letters have been responded to.
His letter to Parmar raised the issue of a growing number of illegal encampments on Crown land throughout the Okanagan, particularly in heavily forested areas surrounding Kelowna.
“These are not simply temporary campsites. In many cases, we are dealing with permanent or semi-permanent structures and encampments that involve generators, propane appliances, makeshift electrical systems, vehicles, ATVs, wood stoves, burn barrels, fires, fuel, tools, and other activities that can create significant wildfire and environmental risks,” the letter states. “This becomes particularly concerning during periods of extreme heat and elevated wildfire danger.”
The letter asks: “Why are we waiting for something catastrophic to happen before taking action?”
One of Blake’s biggest concerns is the challenge of locating people during a wildfire emergency.
“Many of these encampments are located deep within the backcountry, away from maintained roads and in areas that can be difficult for emergency crews to access. If a wildfire starts, locating the people occupying these sites may become extremely difficult,” he wrote.
“The concern is not about targeting individuals who are experiencing hardship. I have compassion for people who are struggling, and I believe everyone deserves to be treated with dignity. However, compassion and public safety do not have to be mutually exclusive.”
Illegal fire patrol coming to North Okanagan
OFTF conducts patrols in the valley to snuff out illegal fires, and Hirschmiller will soon make such patrols a regular occurrence in the North Okanagan.
“We’re currently outfitting another truck to do the illegal fire patrol and just looking at sites in our area,” he said.
The truck will be fitted with a water tank and fire pump to be able to put out abandoned fires in the Vernon area.
“We’ve got a lot of extra stuff that’s been donated to us over the years, and so instead of having it sitting around, why not put it to good use?” Blake said.
He added the truck will for sure be ready to go for next year, and possibly even later this year.