Letter to the Editor

It is important for East Kootenay residents to be aware of a pending tenure and investigation application by Enterprise Renewables (2017) to secure access to 12,308 acres of Crown land located on Sheep Creek flats, Skookumchuck prairie, Woods’ Corner/LD Ranch Road and Elko to build a utility-scale solar farm.

The land being targeted is ecologically valuable grassland that is helping to slow the rate of climate change as a carbon sink, home to bio-diverse flora and fauna-deer, elk, badgers-and endangered species like Lewis’ woodpeckers and long-billed Curlew. Our portion of the Rocky Mountain Trench is part of the north-south migration route for swans, geese, ducks and other waterfowl.

This project would eliminate valuable grassland needed for ranching, which, in turn, would further jeopardize local food security.

The size of this development is bigger than anything the East Kootenay has seen since the Sullivan Mine.

The proposed use of 12,000 plus acres (4,981 ha or 49.8 km²) is 56% (17.8 km²) larger than the footprint of the City of Cranbrook, which is 32 km². A utility-scale solar farm would be the equivalent of 196,928 tennis courts.

If this farm, if one can even call it that, moves forward, it would destroy the forest with clear cutting and chemically wipe-out all grass and vegetation making the land look like a nuclear blast site.

I am opposed to the provincial government granting a tenure or an application to investigate solar farms to be located on this natural pristine landscape that provides invaluable and irreplaceable habitat here in the EK. This land should not be destroyed for corporate profit.

In the face of persistent neglect by the provincial government, only by standing together can our EK community fight for its future, and against environmental destruction.

The public has until December 3 to provide comments to the provincial government. Register your comment here, and use Crown land file #4406427.

View application details.

Please email MLA Doug Clovechuck, [email protected], MLA Tom Shypitka,  [email protected], BC Premier Eby, [email protected], Minister J. Osborne, [email protected], Minister G. Heyman, [email protected], Minister N. Cullen, [email protected],

Nowell Berg,

Wasa

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