About the Koocanusa Management Plan

By Bill Bennett

Kootenay East MLA

1. We are creating a management plan for Lake Koocanusa and area. Building on the important work done by the Cranbrook West Recreation Access Committee, the Province, the Ktunuxa, Columbia Basin Trust and the Regional District of East Kootenay are building a plan that protects wildlife habitat, responsible recreation and agricultural grazing without diminishing the fun that we all like to have at Koocanusa.

2. Koocanusa should be able to sustain camping, boating, fishing, quading, hiking and hunting but we all know that some activities at Koocanusa do not respect the land or the precious natural recreation asset we have there. The plan will accommodate most activities but there will be a few rules.

3. Please watch for folks this summer who will be around Koocanusa asking questions about your recreation. And let me know how you think the area should be managed. To start, the 14-day maximum for Crown land camping will be enforced in 2015 and over the next year, we will identify trails for motorized use and work towards a complete management plan for 2016 that deals with the chronic problems of invasive weeds, large uncontrolled parties, litter and degradation of the land.

– This column funded by Bill Bennett, Kootenay East MLA

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