Community group seeks to add “missing piece” to Purcell Wilderness Conservancy
Mt. Willet Wilderness Forever, a North Kootenay Lake community group, is seeking political and public support for its latest proposal to include the “missing piece” – the Argenta-Johnsons Landing (AJL) Face – in the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park.
Eight years of hard work have gone into the second proposal, said Gary Diers, member of Mt. Willet Wilderness Forever. It was revised with help from biologists Amber Peters and Dr. Michael Proctor to encompass wider biological issues.
“But our ask of the government is still exactly the same: the inclusion of the Argenta Face within the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park.”
Lying between the communities of Argenta and Johnsons Landing, the AJL Face is bordered on three sides by the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Provincial Park (PWCPP) and by Kootenay Lake to the west. The west face of Mt. Willet, the tallest mountain on Kootenay Lake, presides over it all.
The proposal was also updated to address issues that the government is trying to resolve, said Diers, like ‘30 by ’30.’
In 2023, the governments of Canada and BC, and the First Nations Leadership Council, signed a tripartite framework agreement to protect and conserve 30% of BC’s land by 2030. Currently, BC’s parks and protected areas comprise 14.5% of its land base – about 14 million hectares. The Mt. Willet Wilderness Forever proposal would protect another 6,306 hectares.
“Here’s a great start [on 30 by ’30],” said Diers.
He notes that BC’s first park was Strathcona Provincial Park on Vancouver Island in 1911. “That was a century ago. We have protected 15% [of BC land] in a century, and now we have six years to protect another 15%.”
Every little bit counts, he said.
But industrial pressures complicate the matter. Two forest licences are held for the AJL Face: one by Cooper Creek Cedar, the woodlands department for Porcupine Wood Products out of Salmo, and one by Progressive Forest Management, Ltd., the owner of Woodlot 491.
“[The AJL Face] was left out for industrial interest, and that makes it difficult to protect,” said Diers. “With forestry interest, oftentimes they really take precedence in this province, historically, and we need to turn that around.”
Mt. Willet Wilderness Forever’s proposal lists many benefits to including the AJL Face in the PWCPP. It would preserve over 3,000 hectares of old-growth forest, which supports biodiversity and resiliency. It would protect habitat and connectivity corridors for the approximately 180 known plant, animal, and lichen species at risk that live in the area.
And it would have positive effects on tourism, a real economic driver in the region, said Diers.
“Not only to complete the ecosystem from mountaintop to lakeshore, but also as an incredible view for tourists that come [to North Kootenay Lake],” he said. “They don’t come up here to look at industrial clearcuts. They come up for the peace and the beauty of the place.”
The AJL Face is part of the impressive mountain views people see as they drive up Hwy 31 between Balfour and Meadow Creek, and at the popular campgrounds of Lost Ledge and Davis Creek in Kootenay Lake Provincial Park.
Mt. Willet Wilderness Forever submitted the proposal to government officials at the end of April. The group’s first proposal was made in spring 2017, but there were earlier proposals, as well, from other groups.
Carolyn Schramm, also a member of the group, said Premier David Eby’s office has responded to this latest submission, saying it values the group’s perspective, and that the proposal has been referred to the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.
“We appreciate their encouragement, but we do need some positive action,” said Schramm.
“This is a [provincial] election year,” said Diers. “It’s a good time to do it. As the election gets near, [candidates] feel more pressure to get voters on their side. And if we can make it an election issue, all the better for the Argenta Face.”
Mt. Willet Wilderness Forever representatives will be meeting with MLA Brittny Anderson in late June.
For more information, visit willetwildernessforever.ca, Facebook Mt. Willet Wilderness Forever, or email willetwildernessforever@gmail.com.
Rachael Lesosky, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Valley Voice
