Spring 2012 Edition. Newsletter of Friends of Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park Society

Transcription

1 Spring 2012 Edition Kal Park News Newsletter of Friends of Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park Society Kal Park, a Park for All Users to Share...page 6 pictured above, left to right: Alex Lane (North Okanagan Cycling Society); Harold Sellers, James Quigg, Val Buchanan (Friends of Kal Lake Provincial Park); and front, Roxie Spring 2012 Kal Park News Page 1

2 Kal Park News is published by Friends of Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park Society. P.O. Box 1730 Vernon, BC V1T 8C3 WEB SITE From BC Parks by Kevin Wilson Area Supervisor; North Okanagan Area Hello everyone! I hope your winter went well and the beginning of spring is going even better. Trails in Kal Park should now be mostly snow-free and ready for action, so get out there and enjoy the longer days and fresh air! Editor: Harold Sellers hikerharold@gmail.com (250) Board of Directors President Val Buchanan rbuchana@shaw.ca Vice President Richard Story Past President Ray Worley Secretary Alison Smith Treasurer Diane Story Members-at-Large Jo Gozelny Diane Hawkins James Quigg Harold Sellers BC Parks has a few projects on the go in the Park this year. The first, beginning shortly, is a survey of the Cosens valley with the Department of National Defence for any ordnance left over from military training in the area during the 1940 s. While all areas of the Park will remain open during this time, some trails may be temporarily closed while the work takes place. Please read and respect posted signage and instruction from crews on site. (see article on page 4) We will also (finally) be re-routing a section of the Lookout Trail that is prone to erosion and working with the Friends on a number of projects and funding initiatives to help improve the ecological and recreational values of your Park. Please contact a member of the FKLPP board to find out what projects we re working on and how you can help! Finally, both Shawn Klassen and Wendy Pope will be returning as Park Rangers in the North Okanagan. With a year under their belts they re ready to tackle the issues they familiarized themselves with last year be sure to say hi when you see them around the Park. Quality Recreation s park operator Peter Nisse is also returning, so we ll have a good level of experience in the Park this year. Have a great spring!! Page 2 Kal Park News Spring 2012

3 FRIENDS OF KALAMALKA LAKE PROVINCIAL PARK ANNUAL MEETING Women s Institute Hall, Kalamalka Lake Road, Coldstream Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. celebrating of our favourite park Speaker: Unexploded Explosive Ordnance (UXO) in Kal Park Reports Door prizes Friends t-shirts & zipper pulls Refreshments Spring 2012 Kal Park News Page 3

4 Know Your Park Unexploded Explosive Ordnance (UXO) in Vernon, B.C. from a Department of National Defence report published in 2007 and additional notes from a March 6, 2012 open house in Vernon Military manoeuvre areas were established in the North Okanagan area during WWII and occupied five sites, which together covered an area of 27,000 acres (owned or leased) in Two in the area of Kal Park are: Cosens Bay / Cosens Creek Used partly as private farming land and partly as Provincial Park land, the Cosens Bay / Cosens Creek zone was used during WWII as a live firing range, but has not been used for military purposes since. During the war amphibious assaults were practiced on Kalamalka Lake, with the ships launching from Keluli Bay. Guns would be firing as they approached Cosens Bay. Coldstream Ranch Located adjacent to the Cosens Bay / Cosens Creek site, the Coldstream Ranch property is privately owned agricultural land. It continued in use as a battle simulation zone with mortar fire up until 1953, when it was returned to the private ownership of Coldstream Ranch Ltd. UXO legacy sites are sites no longer in DND use. They can range from military training areas such as those in the North Okanagan to military airplane crash locations. There are 750 UXO sites across Canada. Ordnance used on ranges and training areas in the Vernon area includes: - pyrotechnics (e.g., thunder flashes and smoke bombs) - small calibre arms (e.g.,.22,.303) - grenades - mortars (e.g., 2, 3, 4.5 inch smoke and high explosive) - tank and anti-tank rounds The most common UXO encounters over the years have involved live and expended 2 or 3 inch mortars (high explosive and smoke). In April, 1973, two children were killed and two others wounded by an explosion possibly caused by a 2 inch mortar discovered close to their trailer park in the Cosens Bay area. Seven other deaths, in other areas, have been attributed to UXO between 1945 and 1973 in the North Okanagan. This is more than any other area in Canada. In addition, many items of unexploded ordnance have been discovered on legacy sites in the area, continuing to the present day. Items include mortars (high explosive and smoke), grenades, detonators, flares, anti-tank munitions, artillery shells, and small arms ammunition. above: example of UXO There have been two significant clearance operations at area training sites in past years. continued on page 5 Page 4 Kal Park News Spring 2012

5 continued from page 4 In 1973, Operation Clean Sweep examined the Birney Range, the east bank of Cosens Bay, and 6.7 acres of lake bed. Clean Sweep, a Level II Clearance that used electronic aids to probe to a depth of 45 cm, resulted in the discovery and disposal of 64 UXO items. In 1992, a second major clearance (Level I; surface visual) covered slightly more than 245 hectares over several areas including Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park, Cosens Bay, Okanagan Indian Band Reserve (north of Round Lake), Goose Lake Sites, Range Control Sites, and civilian sites (Johnson Farm and Ayres Farm). The 1992 Clearance resulted in 11 discoveries of which seven UXO were blown in place, one was declared free from explosives, and three were munitions scrap. In 2006 two UXO were found in Kal Lake. In the Spring and Fall of this year another UXO survey will be done at Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park. This will include Cosens Bay beach, over 5 km hiking and biking trails, as well as roadsides in the area. Modern technology allows detection to a depth of one meter. Work will be done in April and resume in the Fall, avoiding the busy park use period in the Summer. Exclusion zones will be set up when the crews are working and park visitors are asked to respect the importance of the work going on and avoid these zones. The park will not be closed during the operations, although certain areas could be closed to access for short periods, if any ordnance is found and requires destruction, i.e. Blow in Place. A risk assessment will be done after this operation and this will determine future action, as could any changes to land use in the future. If you find UXO: Don t touch it! Remember the location and leave the area. Call 911 or the RCMP. Further information is available at Origins of The Friends of Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park, Part 2 of 2 by Ray Worley Continuing from our last issue During these years Friends focused mainly on follow-up work arising from the 2006 trail project. In conjunction with BC Parks, Friends designed new maps for the mapboards, showing the increased number of official trails and the renaming of others. Friends found a local company to do the printing. A brochure was developed to include the new map, trail descriptions and general information about the park. Like the map the brochure entailed multiple drafts and revisions. A logo and T shirts bearing the logo were designed. The logo was used on the new maps and the brochure. T shirts were sold to members. continued on page 7 Spring 2012 Kal Park News Page 5

6 Kal Park, a Park for All Users to Share Spring is here and hitting the parks and trails is a top priority to all types of park users after a long, cold winter, stuck indoors. Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park is one of the most highly used parks in our area. BC Parks Rangers, Parks Operators and the Friends of Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park would like to remind all park users - HIKERS, BIKERS, DOG WALKERS AND HORSEBACK RIDERS - to follow the rules that are part of the BC PARK ACT and to use proper park etiquette. PARK RULES -No overnight camping -No fires -No motorized vehicles -Dogs must be on leash at all times 1 -No dogs or horses on beaches 2 1 There are several reasons for the dogs on leash rule. Most important is for the protection of a multitude of wildlife, including some species at risk, especially in the spring when wildlife is more vulnerable while are nesting or caring for their young. Leashes and staying on the trails are also for the protection of the dogs themselves. Mishaps such as snake bites, cactus and dangerous and sometimes deadly confrontations with wildlife. Keeping dogs on leashes is respectful, ensuring that they do not become a nuisance to other park users. 2 There are two designated pet beaches for dogs and one is also for horses. Pebble Beach is located off the Crest Trail from the farthest of the Twin Bay parking lots. The south end of Cosens Bay beach. See park maps for these locations. PARK ETIQUETTE Pick up and removal of dog waste is not only respectful, but also makes visits to the park more enjoyable for all users. Staying on designated trails is to protect wildlife and grassland habitats. TRAIL SAFETY Because horses can be unpredictable, they have the right of way on trails. Even vehicles should use caution when approaching horses. Bikers and Hikers can spook a horse if they don t hear you. Hikers often can t hear bikers approaching either. Bikers approaching other park users: please voice your presence as you slow down. On behalf of all park users, thanks for respecting our space. There is space in the park for all park users. So let s follow the rules, be respectful and be safe out there. Remember park rangers and operators are doing their job, caring for our park, so please respect them as well. We all love Kal Park, let s all help look after it. It s our park, a park for all users. Kevin Wilson Area Supervisor, North Okanagan BC Parks & Valerie Buchanan Friends of Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park Page 6 Kal Park News Spring 2012

7 continued from page 5 Friends lobbied BC Parks, unsuccessfully, to enlarge the swimming areas at Jade and Cosens Bays and to eliminate boats from Jade. Directors met several times with park officials to discuss the pine beetle epidemic and advised on selecting trees for protective netting Fire risk again became controversial, spurred by extremely dry conditions and a major fire near Terrace Mountain. There were fires in the park in March and June. Friends lobbied BC Parks and politicians to institute a ban on smoking. In August a fire in the park about 200 metres from houses along the park boundary caused the evacuation of Jade and Juniper Bays and the parking lot. Coldstream Fire Department responded, along with ground and air crews from the Forest Service. Friends and concerned residents called for a temporary closure of the park, citing the example of Friends posted signs in the park urging users not to smoke. Nearly 300 residents signed a petition supporting closure. Coldstream Council and the local newspaper supported closure. BC Parks and the Forest Service ruled it out. Friends organized a public meeting and invited Parks, Forestry and local politicians. A heavy downpour on the night of the meeting signalled the end of the high risk period, although BC Parks did join Friends in placing No Smoking signs in the park. Other Friends activities in 09 included distributing the brochures for the first time, erecting the new mapboards and surveying a badly-eroded section of the Lookout Trail In the spring members joined with Coldstream Council, Parks, Forestry and Coldstream Fire Department to distribute Fire Smart material to houses bordering the park. Restoration of the Lookout Trail was completed. Volunteers assisted as Rangers used chainsaws to clear windfalls The brochures were again distributed, having proven very popular the previous summer. Work began on Flower Boards to be placed at the main entrances. The initiation of an newsletter helped connect the directors and the members. Planning got underway for the 25th anniversary celebration of the formal opening of the park, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of BC Parks Over 200 people attended the joint anniversary celebration on June 11, 2011, a rare fine day in a very damp spring. Speakers recalled the struggle to obtain the area as a park, its value to the community and the planning process for the current level of minimal development. The climax was the excavation and opening of the Time Capsule buried in 1986 to be continued on page 8 Spring 2012 Kal Park News Page 7

8 continued from page 7 raised in 2011, followed by the cutting of two anniversary cakes. Local groups with a connection to the park had display tables. The Friends table attracted much attention and many new members joined us. Other projects in 2011: erecting the Flower Boards, production and sale of zipper pulls, a work party to cut Scotch thistles, continuing distribution of the brochures, creation of a website and assembling material for the new Time Capsule. OTHER AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS Since its inception Friends has enjoyed a close working relationship with BC Parks and the Park Facility Operator. Members have also worked with the Forest Service and Coldstream Council. Initially mountain bikers and climbers were on the board of Friends. Later each group formed a separate organization. Friends has interacted with these groups and also with the Naturalists Club, Kal Rats, Friends of South Slopes, Friends of Fintry and the Society for the Protection of Kalamalka Lake. FKLPP Society Membership Invite your friends to join FKLPP. Share this newsletter with them. THE FRIENDS OF KALAMALKA LAKE PROVINCIAL PARK Annual Membership $10.00 per person $20.00 per family Donation: For donations (separate from membership) of $10.00 or greater, a tax receipt will be issued. Please make your cheque payable to: The Friends of Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park And mail or drop off to: FKLPP Society c/o Jo Gozelny 626 Mt. York Drive COLDSTREAM, B.C. V1B 3Y6 MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION: Name(s) Mailing Address: Postal Code: Telephone: Page 8 Kal Park News Spring 2012