East Kootenay Trench Agriculture Wildlife Committee

The agriculture and wildlife conflict in the East Kootenay Trench has a long history. In 1956 the Secretary from the BC Cattlemen’s Association wrote that "The East Kootenay is probably the hardest place in B.C. to arrive at a measure of co-existence between these two groups" (hunters and ranchers). Since then, numerous reports, studies, ranches, and other scattered debris litter this road of strife, however, the problem and solution have not been found.

The issue was heating up again in the late 1980’s and on July 30, 1990, the Government of British Columbia created an agriculture/wildlife project in the East Kootenay. The mandate of this project was to work with local interest groups to implement a strategy for reducing wildlife and livestock conflicts. The project was to develop an action plan to protect property and agriculture values, maintain wildlife and habitat and mange Crown rangelands for the benefit of all users.

A committee was formed (East Kootenay Trench Agriculture Wildlife Committee- EKTAWC) representing the interest groups from the area. The Committee conducted a problem analysis and based on that, the following objectives were established:

Collect more reliable data on populations of both wild and domestic ungulates and their impact on Crown rangeland vegetation;
Recommend an equitable forage allocation process for livestock and wildlife on Crown rangelands;
Document the nature and extent of wildlife damage on private ranches and recommend solutions;
Investigate impacts on uncontrolled forest ingrowth on Crown rangeland forage resources;
Investigate and implement methods of enhancing forage availability for livestock and wildlife on Crown rangelands;
Encourage integrated resource management planning in the project area;
Provide a forum for dialogue and conflict resolution;
Provide objective, reliable biological and resource management information to user groups.

One of the biggest undertakings of the group was the Vegetation Monitoring Program. Four permanent exclosures were established (Skookumchuck Prairie, Premier Ridge, Peckhams Lake and Pickering Hills), with the objectives being:

Determine cattle, deer and elk diets during all respective grazing periods on low elevation plant communities;
Determine the long-term differential impacts of cattle, wildlife and cattle / wildlife combined on range plant communities on Skookumchuck Prairie;
Document actual forage use by cattle and wildlife at Premier Ridge, Peckhams Lake and Pickering Hills;
Document relative temporal forage demands of cattle and wildlife at Premier Ridge, Peckhams Lake and Pickering Hills.

The vegetation monitoring program was one of a kind for B.C. The detailed analysis and information should be the basis of establishing wildlife and livestock numbers.

By the end of 1995 the EKTAWC was wrapping up. The Vegetation Monitoring Report was released in February 1997 and the Final Report of the East Kootenay Trench Agriculture Wildlife Committee was released in January 1998.

Vegetation cover data is still being collected on the four exclosures, as part of the Ministry of Forests Rangeland Reference Program.

There are two documents available for review.

Please contact Jodie Kekula at 250-426-1700 for further information.