This letter is to forward stewardship concerns of the property owners of Birch Lake and Lac des Roches Lake regarding a TNRD scheduled workshop on an official community plan (OCP) for this fragile watershed area.
The Friends of Lac des Roches and Birch Lake agree with the TNRD that there is a need to provide a long-term strategy that will guide any developmental growth to protect and/or minimize the impact on the natural environment – plan that avoids conflicts with the surrounding area’s historic uses.
The community of Birch Lake and Lac des Roches Lake, however, does not believe it is appropriate for an OCP to be forged out of the needs of a speculative developer but should be established first on factors and values the community identifies with.
We understand from Bill Valentine that the TNRD has required the proponent of Land Water BC Inc. to provide an environmental and economic impact assessment as a condition of rezoning.
We believe these studies will identify issues that will not be supportive of the proposed massive development currently being pursued.
The sensitivity of this watershed with its cluster of sports fishing lakes, streams and wetlands is not conducive to a large-scale C-4 zoning or a site specific lakeshore rezoning.
This type of development would be more suitably established along the Highway 25 corridor and away from an interconnected network of ecosystems.
This area would have a greater sustainable value as a public park or wildlife preserve/interpretive center. We would suggest further the OCP have discretion in approval through a performance bond to limit any strata development and the environmental blight often created.
Our joint lake community group is most apprehensive due to the dual regional district status of Lac des Roches, and that the resulting OCP will be incomplete in its scope to deal with developmental issues when applied to the whole lake system.
Such a plan is not a plan that will provide a balance between future development and lake and watershed stewardship. We look forward to the TNRD public meetings in this local community and for the TNRD to take the initiative to collaborate with the CRD to develop a comprehensive plan for this jewel on the Highway 24 corridor.