With the deactivation of Ashton Mara East (Skyline) Forest Service Road hindering firefighting efforts in the nearby wildfire, Sicamous council is trying to keep community access at the Sicamous Ridge Road that is scheduled to be closed.
At the July 24 Committee of the Whole meeting, Coun. Gord Bushell explained he had consulted BC Timber Sales (BCTS) and received confirmation of the planned deactivation of the FSR behind the landfill at 2 Mile.
"The road is planned for deactivation due to its high environmental concerns," BCTS planning forester Felicya Lau said in a June 28 email to the Owlhead-Hunter Range Working Group, of which Bushell is a member.
He pointed out that the bridge on the Skyline road that is currently being reinstalled for fire access has probably been in and out "six times in the last three years."
In conversations with Lau, Bushell explained how much the Ridge Road is used, not only by recreational users but also search and rescue crews, and asked what options council has in keeping it open. She said BCTS could turn it over to the district and then apply for a road use permit from the province, which Bushell would like to pursue.
"With the Owlhead especially, when we're starting to build a bike park and they're going to decommission the spur roads, we could be using those spur roads," he said. "So it's something we should look at, or maybe have them come and meet our staff and talk…"
Coun. Siobhan Rich agreed, adding that the Economic Development Corporation (ECDEV) should be involved.
"Sicamous and ECDEV needs to look at this... for the shoulder season, this is a huge catch for Sicamous," she said of quad and dirt bike riders. "We don't want them decommissioned, what we want them to do is leave them and Sicamous builds on it and that's our shoulder season through the spring and fall. Get people out here riding."
Rich also pointed out the danger of these closures, explaining that it leaves deep trenches across the roads and with riders still using the area "you're going to kill someone."
Council directed staff to arrange a meeting with BCTS to get more information and discuss the option of taking over management of the FSR.
