Local outdoors people from different sectors have formed the new East Kootenay Wildlife & Habitat Advisory Committee (EKWHAC).
Allan Duffy, EKWHAC Co-chair, said work to form the committee started two years ago.
“Back in 2022, a few of us here approached the ministry and started working on an East Kootenay wildlife committee,” said Duffy.
“We went through the process over the last year and a half and now it’s a formalized committee.”
Duffy said the committee was established under the B.C. Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development Together for Wildlife Strategy.
“It’s an independent committee but it’s endorsed by the provincial government,” said Duffy.
“At all of our meetings, there is ministry staff in attendance, and we will bring in their experts, depending on the topic. We work pretty tightly with government staff.”
The EKWHAC has members in hunting, trapping, academic, conservation, land securement, stewardship, ranching, agriculture and other backgrounds.
“There is a vast array of folks involved with the committee, including some biologists,” said Duffy. “We all need to get more involved. We need to protect wildlife and habitats.
Duffy said the committee has made plenty of progress since it began.
“In the last six months, we’ve made five or six official recommendations to the government and we’re continuing to work with them on many initiatives,” said Duffy.
“Some of the most recent recommendations are around wildlife funding and the need to increase that, we did some work around highway mortality – specifically endorsing Reconnecting the Rockies, we have some recommendations on CWD and recommendations on the wildlife overpass near Radium and some stuff with animal protection high mountain passes.”
The committee will continue regular meetings and keep sending further recommendations to the B.C. government.
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