Starting December 2022, snowmobilers will be required to obtain a free, annual authorization pass to access Call Lake Provincial Park.
The recently announced program is part of a one-year pilot by BC Parks to get a better handle on how the park is being used.
Peter Crawford, Babine area supervisor at BC Parks, said the authorization passes will specify guidelines and expected behaviour related to snowmobile use in the park.
They will also give BC Parks a better estimate of how many snowmobilers are accessing the park. He said they are not going to be used to limit the number of snowmobilers.
The BC Parks website currently says snowmobiles must stay on the trails and stay off the outer 20m of the lake to allow room for skiers and snowshoers. However, Crawford said there are snowmobilers who are unaware of these regulations.
BC Parks is also working on additional guidelines related to official lake access routes for snowmobilers and potentially guidelines restricting when snowmobiles will be able to access the lake.
Crawford said conditional factors such as ensuring a minimum amount of snowpack can help reduce the environmental impact of snowmobiles.
The announcement of this pilot was made after an online survey went out last November asking park users to share their opinion on snowmobiles at the park.
Crawford said the impetus for re-examining how they manage snowmobile use came from a combination of concern about the impact they have on the park environment and ongoing conflicts between snowmobilers and other park users.
He said it is unusual for a park of this size to allow snowmobiles. They decided to continue allowing them in part to accommodate families with small children and individuals with mobility issues who enjoy fishing on the lake.
BC Parks is still finalizing details of the authorization pass system but said they will be shared with the public once they are determined.
editor@interior-news.com
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