The District of Kitimat will begin drafting a final plan for the Minette Bay West Development following the completion of the study into the bear population in the area.
DoK mayor Phil Germuth said while findings of the study by Silverwood Natural Resource Consultants presented to council indicated a strong likelihood that there would be encounters between grizzlies and people in at least two of the three areas being proposed for development, the district was going ahead with drafting the plan.
“We can clearly see that there will be bear issues with the third concept plan. Council will obviously take that into consideration,” said Germuth.
The three concept plans differ in that the first plan concentrates activity in the park towards the northern-most border of the proposed park against Minette Bay Lodge, while the second plan extends the proposed park further towards the Kitimat River, while the third plan encompasses the area from Minette Bay Lodge all the way to the mouth of the Kitimat River.
It is the third plan that biologist Nicole Wallace said would create the most likely opportunity for interaction between grizzlies and people.
“The trail network proposed in Concept Plan Option 2 would have the second highest risk and then trails in Option 3 would have the highest risk,” said Wallace in a presentation to council. “There’s absolutely no doubt it’s a very high value habitat for them.
“Considering these factors, it’s likely that the trail network proposed in Concept Plan Option 1 has the lowest risk of the three options.”
She said the trail network outlined in the first option would keep as much development and human activity away from areas where bears are most likely to forage for food.
“Recreational developments in high density grizzly areas are inherently a high risk to both humans and grizzlies unless managed appropriately,” she said.
The report outlines a number of steps that should be taken to minimize human/bear contact; limiting the extend of proposed trails, concentrating human activity in a single area, restricting pet access and incorporating good line of sight so that bears and people will be able to see each other coming from far off.
The report also mentions management strategies, which suggest seasonal closures of the trails for when bears are most active, managing refuse disposal and removal and installing education signage and initiating programs to educate people on how best to avoid contact with bears.
Wallace, answering a question from councillor Larry Walker, said the District would be responsible for maintaining the line of sight by clearing paths on an annual basis.
“Some of those management strategies will be up to the District to decide on,” said Wallace.
The study of the proposed area was conducted by Silverwood as part of a two-phase process, the first a desktop review of an existing report by Silverwood completed in 2016, aerial photography, expert opinion provided by report co-author Brad Pollard and conversations with local residents with extensive knowledge of wildlife in Kitimat, including bear activist Doug Read.
The second phase of the study in May involved field crews on the ground studying grizzly trails, day beds, foraging habits and their droppings, also making use of seven infrared cameras set up in areas where “grizzly bear presence and movement was evident or expected”.
The seventh camera, which went missing and was likely stolen, was placed near the deactivated log dump at the northern most point of the proposed park.
Councillor Claire Rattée said she was concerned that this camera in particular went missing, as it was placed in the area where the District was proposing the majority of the development.
Wallace said the cameras weren’t put in to get an idea of the number of bears using the trail.
“It may have given us more information but I don’t think it would have changed our recommendations,” said Wallace.
Doug Read said he had been staggered by the number of bears in the area he had personally spotted, between 21 and 25 grizzlies, in the time that he has been studying them.
He maintained that the likelihood of contact between grizzlies and people would increase relative to the creation of new paths in the proposed park.
“If you put paths in, bears are not stupid. They will use them,” said Read. “To create paths is asking for trouble.”
He said while the cameras hadn’t picked up many bears in the study area, he wasn’t surprised because they were set up in an area where there weren’t many paths.
Property developer Jack Oviatt said he was surprised there were no grizzly denning locations identified in the study, and that the travel records of bear that was collared and tracked in 2016 weren’t included in the report.
“Anywhere that bear went with that collar should have been part of this report,” said Oviatt.
He said trails that had been constructed on his property were well used by bears, evidenced by the amount of scat he has seen.
“If we build trails, the bear will use them, and I can prove that,” he added. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to put people at risk by developing a park in that particular location, because of the high bear activity.”
Minette Bay Lodge owner Howard Mills, whose property adjoins the area that’s part of the first option being proposed, said it was highly probable people would come into conflict with bears in the park.
“There will be a bear attack and worse. This park will be shut down after the first bear attack,” said Mills. “The district needs to choose another project, and another site.”
He said it was also significant that the study had advised that the trails be closed during periods of high bear activity.
“This year the bear activity has increased as the year has progressed. Who would be tasked with judging whether the bear activity is OK or dangerous? It’s impossible to do,” added Mills.
He said in addition to the possibility of a bear attack there was also the danger posed by forest fires starting in the proposed park.
“We’d be the first ones to be destroyed by a fire, which could then spread to town,” said Mills.
“Half of the fires in the interior were thought to be started by humans who either do it intentionally or because they don’t think.”
He questioned the District “forcing the million dollar expense on the taxpayers of Kitimat” at a time when the local economy is depressed.
“Less than one per cent of the town has any interest in this project and fewer than that will use it,” added Mills.